Roman Silver & Bronze Coins - Republic

Lot 4478    Session 17 (11:30am Friday)    Roman Silver & Bronze Coins - Republic

Estimate $200
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $160

L. PLAUTIUS PLANCUS, (47 B.C.), silver denarius, Rome Mint, (3.74 g), obv. Mask of Medusa facing with dishevelled hair and serpents at the side of her face, L. PLAVTIVS below, rev. Aurora flying to right conducting the four horses of the Sun, below P[LANCV..], with border of dots, (S.429, C.453/1a-b,d-e, BMC 4004, RSC Plautia 1 [p.75]). Reverse off centre, otherwise very fine and rare.

Ex Dr V.J.A. Flynn Collection and previously from Noble Numismatics Sale 107 (lot 3644) and also coming from an old Hungarian collection.
The moneyer was a brother of L. Munatius but was adopted into the Plautia gens. Ovid relates that during the censorship of C. Plautius and Ap. Claudius Caecus in 312 B.C., the latter quarrelled with the Tibicenes who retired to the Tibur. As the people resented their loss, Plautius caused them to be placed in wagons and conveyed back to Rome early in the morning and in order that they should not be recognised their faces were covered with masks. The chariot of Aurora is an alusion to their early arrival and the mask to the concealment of their faces.