Series: Republican deities – Mark Antony
Reference: Crawford 494/32

Gens and moneyer: Vibia - Gaius Vibius Varus
Year and mint: 42 BC - Rome
Obverse: Bearded bust of Mark Antony, right. Border of dots.
Reverse: Fortuna standing left, holding Victory in her right hand and a cornucopia in her left. Border of dots. C VIBIVS VARVS

Grade: EF/VF+ 4.00 g - 4h
Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica 2026

Comment:
This denarius was struck by C. Vibius Varus in 42 BC, at one of the most turbulent moments in Roman history. Following the assassination of Julius Caesar and the formation of the Second Triumvirate, Mark Antony and Octavian prepared for war against Brutus and Cassius. The conflict culminated later that year in their victory at the Battle of Philippi and the end of the last major military resistance by the defenders of the Republic.

The obverse bears a magnificent portrait of Mark Antony, markedly different from those usually found on his coins. In contrast to the robust features and broad neck characteristic of many of his issues, here he has a slender, elongated face, carefully rendered hair and a finely engraved short beard. It is one of the most distinctive and artistically accomplished portraits of Mark Antony on Roman coinage.

David Sear suggested that the exceptional quality of some dies from this issue may have resulted from the work of a particularly skilled engraver, possibly transferred from the Capitoline mint to Mark Antony’s camp outside Rome. Although this hypothesis cannot be proven, it would explain the portrait’s extraordinarily refined and elegant style, so different from the triumvir’s more familiar image.

The reverse depicts Fortuna holding a small figure of Victory and a cornucopia. The choice of these attributes was especially appropriate in the context of 42 BC, when Mark Antony was preparing for the decisive confrontation with Brutus and Cassius. Fortuna, Victory and abundance combined to form an auspicious message for a campaign that would end at Philippi with the triumph of the triumvirs.

In addition to its historical interest and the exceptional quality of its portrait, this specimen has an important pedigree that makes it possible to trace its history for almost a century. It belonged to the collection of General de Grandprey, auctioned by Ciani in 1935, and later to the prestigious collection of Eduard von Schulthess-Rechberg, sold by Hess-Leu in 1961. The coin reappeared in Nomisma 59 in 2019 and subsequently in NAC auction 120 in 2020.

This is an exceptional denarius of Mark Antony, bringing together a decisive moment in Roman history, one of the triumvir’s most distinctive portraits and a distinguished provenance extending back to the great numismatic collections of the first half of the twentieth century.