Moneyer's father was probably praetor in 175 BC and praetor peregrinus in 173.

Provenance: Private purchase (August 2017).

"This unusual coin and the following four ones are examples of Mark Anthony's "fleet coinage," a series of bronzes in multiple, clearly marked denominations issued shortly after Antony's marriage alliance with Octavian, the nephew of Julius Caesar. The exact dates, the nature and purpose of the series have been the subject of much debate. David Sear places the commencement of the series in the summer of 38 BC at a still unidentified Eastern mint. The coins were struck in the names of Antony and three of his admirals--L. Sempronius Atratinus, M. Oppius Capito, and L. Calpurnius Bibulus, and falls into two distinct series, "heavy" and "light." Most of the coins depict overlapping, confronting or Janiform portraits of Antony and Octavia, his wife and Octavian's sister. A few also show Octavian, in a clearly subsidiary position. Reverses almost all feature nautical themes--galleys under full sail, or figures in chariots drawn by hippocamps. The admiral's names, themes, and the combination of Greek and Latin letters indicate the coins may have been used to pay sailors in Antony's fleet, and were intended for circulation in his Eastern realm. An intriguing feature of the series is the range of denominations, all Roman, all clearly marked in Greek letters. They range from a large bronze sestertius, previously a small silver coin, marked HS in Latin and the Greek letter-numeral D, or four, indicating a value of four asses. Next comes an unusual denomination, the tressis, or three asses, marked G; then the dupondius, two asses, marked B; and the as, marked A. The series is completed by two fractions, a semis and quadrans, marked S and with three dots (three unciae) respectively. "

"M. Oppius Capito was Antony’s senior naval officer, stationed at the main naval base at Piraeus. His coins are found distributed around central Greece, and were most likely struck at Piraeus. His coins are found in two series, a heavy and a light and it has been suggested that some were struck at Tarentum where part of Antony’s fleet was based during the joint action against Sextus Pompey in 37-36 BC"

"The coin illustrated here is an as, marked A, with jugate portraits of Antony and Octavia on the obverse, a galley under sail on the reverse. It falls into the "light" series, perhaps issued a year after the first release of the coins, on a lighter standard, in the name of Antony and Oppius Capito. Although this experimental coinage was short-lived and very rare today, it is interesting to note that the great currency reform started by Octavian, after he had taken the name Augustus and become the first Emperor of Rome, resulted in a bronze coinage using exactly the same denominations as Anthony's fleet issues."

Provenance: Private purchase (August 2017).

The first of the Opimii to obtain the consulship was Quintus Opimius in 154 BC. He is probably identical to the moneyer for the year 158 BC.

Mint in southeast Italy, possibly Apulia (Venusia?) Rare

Mint in southeast Italy, probably in Apulia (Brundisium?)

Romans, commanded by Consul Maenius, who destroyed port of Antium in 338 BC, captured their fleet of twenty two gallies six of which were armed with rostris. These naval beaks taken from the Autiati were originally displayed on the Forum and gave name (Rostra) to a public place in Rome, where a species of estrade or scaffold stood, surmounted by a tribune, whence the magistrates or other orators harangued the people.

scarce

scarce

Canusium emergency issue doublestrike

slightly tooled