a close up of a coin with a woman ' s face on it
Premium MDC Monnaies de Collection

Estimate €800
Sale commission
Description
ROMAN REPUBLIC L. Cassius Longinus. Denarius ND (78 BC), Rome. Obverse: Head of Liber, wearing a wreath of ivy, facing right; a thyrsus on his shoulder. Rev. L. CASSI. Q. F. Head of Libera, wearing a wreath of vine branches, facing left. RRC.386/1; Silver – 3.6 g – 17.5 mm - 5 h With an old collector’s label. NGC Ch XF 5/5 2/5 edge smoothed scratches (2183766-009). Vigorously struck, with the reverse slightly concave and barely off-centre. Traces of needle scratching on the fields. Attractive old patina with multicoloured highlights. Superb. Liber and Libera are two Italic deities who preside over the generative forces of nature and over fertility—whether plant, animal or human. Liber and Libera are honoured on the Aventine Hill. As a deity of fertility, Liber is associated with Ceres, whilst Libera is sometimes identified with Kore. During the Liberalia, on 17 March, honey cakes are offered to them; in the countryside, indecent verses are sung whilst people sway their hips without modesty; these celebrations also provide an opportunity for young men to don the man’s toga (a rite of passage into adulthood). Varro notes that in Lavinium the festival of Liber lasted a month, during which all debauchery was permitted; a magnificent chariot, bearing an enormous phallus, paraded through the streets of the city before stopping in the public square. Mothers would come to place wreaths of flowers upon the phallus
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Numismatics
Auction location
Auction time 10/14/2026 at 9:30 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like