Marcus Antonius
Aureus, mint moving with M. Antonius in 41, AV 19 mm, 8.04 g. M ANTONIVS·IMP III R·P·C Bare head of Marcus Antonius r.; behind, lituus. Rev. PIETAS – COS Pietas standing l. holding lighted turibulum in r. hand and cornucopiae. Babelon Antonia 45. C 78. Bahrfeldt 83b. Sydenham 1171. Sear Imperators 237. RBW –. Crawford 516/4. Calicó 104. An extremely rare variety (TAS in monogram) of a very rare type. Struck on a very broad flan, minor marks in field and on edge, otherwise good very fine

Ex Münzhandlung Basel sale 6, 1936, Prince W., 1503.

After jointly defeating Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in late 42 B.C. with Octavian, Marcus Antonius went to the East in order to reorganise affairs there and prepare for his upcoming invasion of Parthia. This rare aureus was struck at a mobile military mint while he was still in route to his initial residence at Ephesus, probably at the very beginning of 41 B.C. The reverse celebrates the consulship of his brother, Lucius Antonius, who had the cognomen Pietas in recognition of his familial loyalty to his brother, and features a depiction of the goddess holding a lighted censer, a stand for burning incense which featured during a consul's sacrificial duties of examining auspices before a meeting of the Senate could be held, and a cornucopiae surmounted by two storks. The obverse of our coin sports a compact portrait of the triumvir and lacks the augural title AVG in the legend, while the related issues struck subsequently while Antonius was resident at Ephesus have a much broader fabric, with a larger portrait, the inclusion of the augural title in the legend, and a slightly different reverse showing Pietas holding a rudder instead of a censer. While in the East, Antonius summoned the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII, to Tarsus in order to answer accusations that had been made against her concerning her loyalty preceding Philippi. As she had been aligned with the Caesarean party, the accusations appear spurious, and were probably instigated by Antonius in order to secure a meeting with her so that he could appeal to her for aid for his anticipated campaign against the Parthians. The queen arrived in great splendour, and charmed Antony so much that he delayed his plans and chose instead to winter with Cleopatra in Alexandria, beginning their famous affair.