Pre-Long Beach Auction #80

Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus. Silver Denarius (3.92 g), 41-40 BC. Uncertain mint in the region of the Adriatic or Ionian Sea. Imperator, died 31 BC. AHENOBAR, head of L. Ahenobarbus right. Reverse CN DOMITIVS IMP, trophy set on prow of galley right. Crawford 519/2; HCRI 339; Sydenham 1177; Domitia 21. Well struck on a sound planchet with delicate golden toning. An enchanting specimen with an excellent portrait of the Imperator. Extremely Fine.

Originally a Pompeian loyalist, Ahenobarbus allied with Brutus and Cassius after the Ides of March. After Philippi he engaged the fleet of the triumvirs under the command of Domitius Calvinus, inflicting a resounding defeat for which he was hailed imperator by his troops, which the reverse of this coin commemorates. Subsequently, however, he joined Antony in opposing Octavian, but then deserted to Octavian before Actium, having become disgusted with Antony's alliance with Cleopatra. Aside from his involvement in the civil wars that racked Rome in the latter half of the first century BC, Ahenobarbus is also remember for being the paternal great-grandfather of the future emperor Nero.
Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000.
Ex Gemini V (6 January 2009), 778.