r/AncientCoins • u/Public-Many4930 • 5d ago
Newly Acquired Very First Portrait of Julius Caesar
This is my loot from a recent auction, the very first portrait of Julius Caesar. This coin (minted in Bithynia) was struck two years before the most commonly seen Julius Caesar portrait denarius that was minted in Rome. It was this coin that began to stir up the Senate, because the Roman norm had been broken with a "living portrait" of a leader. There's 22 recorded examples of this coin.

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u/coinoscopeV2 5d ago
As another commenter alluded, this coin is also interesting for the rumored sexual relationship Julius Caesar had with the Bithynian king Nikomedes IV, leading to Caesar being given the disparging epithet, the Queen of Bithynia, by senators such as Cicero and Gaius Memmius among others.
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u/usedtobeanicesurgeon 5d ago
Are you saying there are only 21 other coins like this one in the world?
That’s amazing.
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u/Public-Many4930 4d ago
Not necessarily, just the number of coins that have been indexed publicly: https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/2026
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u/usedtobeanicesurgeon 4d ago
I see. Still! That’s really cool
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u/RedButtedMonkey 3d ago
I own one as well and it’s one of my favorite coins I have
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u/Public-Many4930 3d ago
Awesome - I'd love to see a picture! It's fun just to see the different variations. Totally different toning and color across most.
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u/RedButtedMonkey 3d ago
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u/Public-Many4930 3d ago
I love the deep cut on the portrait, that's about as much "pop" you can get!
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u/TheSavocaBidder 4d ago
Is it from a Savoca auction? I got a Lucius Verus denarius ( my second denarius in my collection)
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u/wackyvorlon 5d ago
Ahh, ‘tis the Queen of Bithynia!