The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Octavian as Augustus, 27 BC – 14 AD
M. Sanquinius III vir. Aureus 17 BC, AV 8.13 g. AVGVST DIVI – F LVDOS SAEC Herald in feathered helmet and long robe standing l. holding winged caduceus in r. hand and shield bearing six-pointed star in l. Rev. M SANQVI – NIVS III VIR Youthful laureate head of the deified Julius Caesar r.; above, four-rayed comet with tail. Babelon Sanquinia 1 and Julia 255. C Caesar 5. Bahrfeldt 189. BMC 69 note. RIC 339 note (SAE). CBN –. Biaggi 82 (this coin). Calicó 38 (this coin).
Of the highest rarity, six specimens known of this issue of which apparently
only two are in private hands. A fascinating issue and a very interesting
portrait representing Julius Caesar with the features of Augustus.
An abrasion on obverse and minor marks in field and on edge,
otherwise about extremely fine / good very fine
Provenance
Valentine John Eustace Ryan (1882-1947) Collection sold by Glendining’s, auction, London, 20 February 1951, lot 1567.
Leo Biaggi de Blasys (1906-1979) Collection, acquired privately in 1978 by Bank Leu (Zurich) and a partner.
Numismatica Ars Classica (London) inventory, sold on 1 January 2010.

Struck probably in 17 B.C. the obverse of this extremely rare aureus of the moneyer M. Sanquinius shows one of the heralds who inaugurated the festivities which began the Ludi Saeculares, or secular games, while the reverse shows the portrait of the divine Julius Caesar with a comet above his head. The secular games celebrated the foundation of Rome, which according to legend was founded in 753 B.C., and a dawning of a new era, and were held approximately every century beginning in either 348 or 249 B.C. Due to the turmoil of Civil War of the mid-1st century B.C., the games which should have been celebrated in the mid-40s were delayed until 17 B.C., when Augustus authorized this coin to be struck, the first coin type to celebrate secular games. This delay allowed future emperors who wished to hold the games during their reigns two dating cycles to choose from; Claudius held games in A.D. 47, which coincided with his censorship as well as the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the city of Rome, while Domitian celebrated secular games again in A.D. 88. Although Claudius did not commemorate the games on his coinage, Domitian issued a number of new coin types with the legend LVD(os) SAEC(ulares) FEC(it). It is not certain if Antoninus Pius held secular games in A.D. 147. If he did, no coin types or other evidence exist, but as they would have coincided with his decannalian celebrations they probably were not held. Septimius Severus held them again in A.D. 204, a delay of 116 years since Domitian last celebrated them, although no satisfactory reason for this delay is apparent. Secular games were held one final time, under the joint emperorship of Philip I and his son, in A.D. 248. These millennial games were held on a lavish scale, and are extensively commemorated on the coins of the time, showing a number of animals that were killed in the circus, along with the legends SAECVLARES AVGG and SAECVLVM NOVVM.