ROMAN REPUBLIC. D. Iunius Silanus. Rome, c. 91 BC
ROMAN REPUBLIC. D. Iunius Silanus. Rome, c. 91 BC
AR Denarius, 3.85g (18mm, 10h). Mask of bearded Silenus r.; below, plow. Torque as border / Victory in biga r., holding palm-branch and reins in l. hand and whip in r. hand; below, carnyx; in exergue, D.SILANVS.L.F. Border of dots.
Pedigree: Ex NAC 54, Zürich 2010, lot 199 and Ex Hirsch Nachf. 346, München 2019, lot 2442.
References: Bab. 20; BMC 1840; Crawf. 337/1 b; Syd. 644
Grade: Reverse struck from worn dies. Obverse Silenus head is impeccably struck with a small bit of porosity on the surfaces. EF. (rr1232)
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The gods or goddesses chosen by Republican moneyers for their coinage typically alludes to the family name in some way or is a pun on the name of the moneyer. For this coin the mask of Silenus is a direct pun on the moneyer’s cognomen. The torque suggests the moneyer’s descent from D. Iunius Silanus (c. 141 BC) who was born a Manlius Torquatus.