Principal Coins of the Roman Republic
Part 11 RRC 280 to RRC 334, 120BC to 93BC, Marius, rise and consulships, Principate of Marcus Scaurus

RRC 277 Q.MINV RVF Minucia quadrans, RRC 280 M.TVLLI Tullia denarius, RRC 281 M.FOVRI Furia denarius, RRC 282 M.AVRELI SCAVRI Aurelia denarius with L.LIC.CN.DOM. The Aurelia and the Cosconia in the tray below are examples of the Narbo coinage, considered to have been struck at Narbo at its founding in 118BC or shortly after. Two senior magistrates along with five junior associates are named. Crawford suggest as senior magistrates: Lucius Licinius Crassus, consul 96 BC, and Cnaeus Domitius Ahenonbarbus, consul 96 BC and moneyer of RRC 285; together likely duovirs for the foundation of the colony. He proposes as the five junior associates: RRC 282/1 Marcus Aurelius Scaurus, Quaestor (mentioned by Cicero in divinatio against Q.Caecilius 63; against Verres 85) and son of Consul of 108BC. RRC 282/2 Lucius Cosconius, son of Praetor of 135BC. RRC 282/3 Caius Malleolus, father of Quaestor 80BC who was also moneyer RRC 335. RRC 282/4 Lucius Pomponius father of moneyer RRC 334 and also of Tribune Plebs 90BC. RRC 282/5 Lucius Porcius Licinus grandson of consul 184 BC. The carnyx and the criss-crossing on the shield are Gallic attributes.

RRC 282 L.COSCO Cosconia with L.LIC.CN.DOM, RRC 283 Q.MAR C.F. L.R. Marcia Fabia Roscia denarii, RRC 284 M.CALID Q.MET CN.FL Calidia Caecilia Fulvia denarius. Detailed abbreviations of names and the tendency to name two or three moneyers on combined issues of the same basic types is a recurring feature of this period. The middle two coins in the tray share types. That at left Q.MAR.C.F.L.R. is traditionally considered Marcia and that right C.F.L.R.Q.MAR. as Fabia, but we can say little from such abbreviations except that the intent was to place each moneyer at parity on the coins. The family names of C.F. or L.R. can only with guesswork be decoded as respectively Fabia and Roscia. The coin at right combines three moneyers M.CALID Q.MET CN.FL in a similar way.

RRC 285 Q.CVRT M.SILA Curtia Junia denarius, RRC 286 M.SERGI SILVS Q Sergia denarii, RRC 289 M.CIPI M.F. Cipia denarius. This tray perfectly illustrates the two-mint or two-workshop arrangement in Rome in the late first century BC. The Cipia denarius (at right) is always struck on small dumpy flans. The Sergia type (two central coins) is struck either with small dies on dumpy flans or large dies on thin wide flans. The Curtia (at left) is always struck on wide thin flans. These coins are from the same time (116-115BC) so it appears there are two separate workshops, one which struck Cipia and some Sergia, the other struck Curtia and some Sergia. So diameter is an important indicator of mint workshops in this era. Crawford's arrangement which alternates the two fabrics is not quite satisfactory. The Sergia types show it to be more likely that two workshops operated at the same time, with different flan and die characteristics.

RRC 285 CN.DOMI Q.CVRT M.SILA Domitia Curtia Junia quadrans. This is a poor quality photo of an important little coin, a quadrans with Apollo and lyre type that combines all three moneyers names.

RRC 289 M.CIPI M.F. Cipia uncia, RRC 290 C.FONT Fonteia bronzes. The issue of RRC 290 Caius Fonteius marks the recommencement of a heavy-weight bronze coinage including the As denomination, on a weight standard somewhat above one ounce, perhaps one-tenth of a pound. The issues of RC 289 Cipia which include semis, triens, quadrans and uncia were also produced to a heavy standard, but did not include the As denomination. The above-illustrated Cipia uncia has an As-weight equivalent of 55 grams. These heavy weight bronzes continued in production for 20 years, until the Social War. Most types are scarce to rare. Considering the high volume of silver being produced at the time these bronzes must have been intended for Rome's civic small change, and not for major contracts or military pay. Some of the fractions of this period were produced on a light weight standard, more typical of the issues of the 130s and 120s BC. For example the above C.FONT quadrans weighs 2.9 grams and the RRC 292 P.NERVA quadrans below weighs 2.7 grams but its related semis weighs 15.7 grams. The below RRC 293 Marcia quadrans weighs 6.9 grams. The evidence suggest separate heavy and light standards for the quadrantes, rather than a wide weight variation around a single mean. However the asses and semisses are uniformly heavy from this point on, and had high quality production standards as can be seen from the engraving and fabric of the above C.FONT As.

RRC 292 P.NERVA Licinia bronzes, RRC 293 L.PHILLIPVS Marcia quadrans, RRC 295 L.TORQVA Q. EX SC Manlia denarius. The P.NERVA semis shows a dancing lady in a skirt on the prow's deck. It is an extraordinary type.

RRC 296 CN.BLASIO CN.F Cornelia denarius, as, RRC 299 AP.CL T.MAL Q.VR Claudia Mallia denarius, RRC 300 C.PVLCHER Claudia denarius. The RRC 296 Blasio As with Victory attaching a helmet to a trophy is another extraordinary type for a bronze. The RRC 299 denarius is another multiple-moneyer issue. As the legends ends Q.VR on both this AP.CL. T.MAL type and the alternate T.MAL AP.CL. type it cannot stand for Urban Quaestor as it is not associated with either name. So Crawford suggests Q.VR represents a third moneyer.

RRC 303 MN.AQVIL Aquillia denarius, RRC 304 L.MEMMI Memmia denarius, RRC 305 Q.LVTATI Q. Lutatia denarius, RRC 307 MN.FONTEI Fonteia denarius. These large diameter coins are of extraordinary artistic quality, Sol's head on the Aquillia being perhaps the largest on a Roman denarius of any era.

RRC 308 M.HERENNI Herennia denarius, quadrans, RRC 309 A.MANLI QF SER Manlia denarius, RRC 310 CN.CORNEL SISENA Cornelia denarius. The Manlia Sergians and the Cornelia Sisena types are evidently related by their extraordinary and complex types, the first with Sol in a facing quadriga above waves, and the second including an aguipedic giant below and Sol above Jupiter's quadriga. The heavy Herennia quadrans (7.8 grams) has the value mark placed unusually above the reverse name.

RRC 308 M.HERENNI ROMA Herennia uncia. This variant uncia RRC 308/4b lacks the family name M.HERENNI which is seen on the otherwise identical RRC 308/4a. The economic rationale for the issue of unciae in this period is unclear.

RRC 311 L.SCIP ASIAG Cornelia denarius, RRC 312 C.SVLPI palm-branch Sulpicia bronzes, RRC 313 L.MEMMI GAL Memmia denarius.

RRC 313 L.MEMMI GAL Memmia bronzes, RRC 314 L.COT Aurelia denarius, RRC 315 L.H.TVB Hostilia uncia.

RRC 317 L.SATVRN Appuleia denarii, RRC 318 C.COIL CALD Coelia denarius, RRC 319 Q.THERM M.F. Minucia denarius. The Appuleia is the first example of a double-reverse or double-obverse type on Republican coins, no doubt intended to amuse and confuse.

RRC 320 L.IVLI CAESAR Julia denarius, RRC 321 L.CASSI CAEICIAN Cassia denarius, RRC 322 C.FABI Fabia As, RRC 324 M.LVCILI RVF Lucilia denarius.

RRC 325 L.SENTI L.F. Sentia denarius, RRC 326 C.FVNDAN Fundania denarius, quinarius, RRC 328 P.SERVILI M.F. RVLLI Servilia denarius. The Triumphator on the Fundania denarius is usually taken to be Marius, with his young son on horseback. This would make it the first Roman coin to explicitly portray a living Roman politician. Quinarius coinage resumed on a large scale from this issue, for approximately a decade. That the types copy the Victoriatus is not surprising. Second Punic war victoriati were debased with similar silver content to a quinarius and no doubt they circulated as Quinarii by the late second century BC. The wars against the Cimbri and Teutones, and consequently enhanced Roman military presence in southern Gaul at the end of the war, may have sparked the need for the revived denomination. The Quinarius was the traditional local coin of Gaul.

RRC 329 LENT MAR.F. P.E.S.C. Cornelia denarii, as, RRC 330 PISO CAEPIO Q. AD FRV EMV EX SC, Calpurnia Servilia denarius. Crawford suggests that the rarer Cornelia denarius with P.E.S.C. stands for Pecunia Erogata Senatus Consulto, a more complex than usual version of S.C. The issue of Piso and Caepio is an unusual example in explicitly commemorating a corn-dole by the Urban Quaestors, with the legend AD FRV(mentum) EMV(ndum), EX S(enatus) C(onsulto) in addition to the type showing the Quaestors doling out corn-ear, and the obverse with Saturn with the sickle, a grain harvesting tool, as attribute. Usually such doles are more discreetly suggested by a corn-ear within the type.

RRC 332 T.CLOVLI Q Cloulia quinarius, RRC 334 L.POMPON MOLO Pomponia denarius, bronzes.

RRC 334 L.POMP Pomponia bronzes, RRC 335 L.METEL C.MALL A.ALB Caecilia Mallia Postumia denarii.

RRC 335 L.METEL C.MALL A.ALB Caecilia Mallia Postumia denarii, RRC 335 mallet Poblicia bronzes. The bronzes with mallet are a punning type for Caius Publicius Malleolus, Quaestor in 80BC. They are often mistaken for anonymous bronzes as the mallet is often not clearly visible. The other moneyers in the trio are Aulus Postumius Albinus, perhaps killed at the Colline gate 82 BC and an unknown Lucius Delmaticus (RRC p.335).

RRC 335 mallet Poblicia semis, RRC 335 A.ALBINVS Postumia denarius.

RRC 335 C.MA Poblicia denarius. This RRC 335/3f variety shows the moneyers name spelled out partially on a voting tablet: a direct electioneering manifesto. Above Mars' head there is a mallet. This denarius is of amazing artistic style.

The coinage of the late 90s BC, between RRC 335 which Crawford places in 96BC, and RRC 336 placed in 92BC in the lead-in to the Social War, remains an enigma. There seems too few issues to fill the decade between the two bracketing issues that can be dated with certainty: RRC 330 Piso, Caepio in 100BC and RRC 337 Decimus Junius Silanus in 90 BC. Only one of the intermediate issues, RRC 335, is of any size or complexity. It hardly seems possible that a single year issue of L.METEL C.MALL A.ALB could have provided the denarius coinage sufficient for a decade. This enigma deserves further study.

Part 1           RRC 1 to RRC 27     300-225BC Early Roman Coinage Part 2         RRC 28 to RRC 43     230-213BC Quadrigatus coinage Part 3         RRC 44 to RRC 66     214-207BC Italy Sardinia Part 4         RRC 67 to RRC 96     212-207BC Sicily Apulia Part 5       RRC 97 to RRC 111     212-207BC Luceria Etruria Part 6     RRC 112 to RRC 138     206-190BC Conquest of Spain Part 7     RRC 139 to RRC 172     190-170BC Macedonian wars Part 8     RRC 173 to RRC 198     170-155BC Bronze-only currency Part 9     RRC 199 to RRC 235     155-137BC Carthage, Greece Part 10   RRC 236 to RRC 279     137-121BC The Gracchi brothers Part 11   RRC 280 to RRC 335     120-93BC Scaurus, rise of Marius Part 12   RRC 336 to RRC 358     94-83BC Social War, rise of Sulla Part 13   RRC 359 to RRC 404     83-70BC Sulla's dominance Part 14   RRC 405 to RRC 439     69-50BC First Triumvirate Part 15   RRC 440 to RRC 462     49-46BC Caesar versus Pompey Part 16   RRC 463 to RRC 482     46-44BC Julius Caesar as Dictator Part 17   RRC 483 to RRC 497     43-41BC Second Triumvirate Part 18   RRC 498 to RRC 515     43-42BC Brutus and Cassius Part 19   RRC 516 to RRC 543     41-32BC Antony versus Octavian Part 20   RRC 544 to RRC 550     35-27BC Actium

Specialist Supplements:
1. Roman Coins of Luceria and Canusium
2. Anonymous Struck Bronze Coins of the Roman Republic
3. Anonymous Roman Republican Denarii and Victoriati (Steve Brinkman's site)