COIN (ROMAN)

A Roman Republican denarius of Mark Antony, 32-31 BC. The reverse depicts a legionary eagle between two standards, legend unclear. On the obverse is a galley with the legend ANT AVG III VIR RPC. Mint unknown.



These coins were struck by Mark Antony for the use of his fleet and legions when he was preparing for the struggle with Octavius, which culminated in the Battle of Actium on the 2nd of September, 31 BC (Grueber, 1970, 526). Some legionary denarii remained in circulation until the 3rd century AD.



Similar coins can be seen in Sears 2000 vol 1, p.283-4

Ruler: Republic
Denomination: Denarius (Roman Republic)
Material: Base Silver
Obverse: Galley right
Obverse legend: ANT AVG III VIR RPC
Reverse: legionary eagle between two standard
Reverse legend: Illegible
Dated: -32.0 to -31.0
Weight (g): 3.06
Diameter (mm): 17.3
Thickness (mm): 1.7
Completeness: Complete
Parish: Angmering
District: Arun
County: West Sussex
Region: South East
Discovery method: Metal detector
Notes: 
Denarii of Mark Antony were slightly debased. Therefore, they survived the various debasements from the reign of Nero onwards. It is not unusual to find worn Mark Antony denarii in 3rd century hoards - for example, there were 260 such coins in the Shapwick hoard of 9,238 silver denarii found in Somerset in 1998.