Republican Holed Coins

---------- Interesting Things About Ancient Coins ----------

Gallery of Holed Coins - Roman Republican and Augustan

My holed ancient coins page gives an overview of different types of holed coins. These are my holed coin galleries:

Hellenic Coins — Roman Republican and Augustan Coins (this page) — First Century Roman Coins — Second Century Roman Coins — Third Century Roman Coins — Fourth Century Roman Coins — Fifth Century Roman Coins — Byzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times

Click on the image to see more about the coin.
	Silver denarius of L. Antestius Gragulus, 136 BCE. 19mm x 20mm, 3.82 grammes.	This early Republican denarius has a small pit on the reverse which looks like the first attempt at a hole, so it's clear which side this hole was made from. This suggests that it was to be worn showing the mighty Jupiter riding in his fast quadriga, carrying his eagle-tipped sceptre of power and wielding a thunderbolt.
	Anonymous silver Republican denarius, 115-114 BCE. 20mm x 21mm, 3.71 grammes.	An interesting denarius showing Roma on both sides with lots of patriotic symbolism: a pile of enemy shields, the wolf and twins, Roma as the helmeted defender of the city .. It is carefully pierced from the obverse to preserve Roma's head untouched.
	Fourrée denarius of Q. Minucius M.f. Thermus, 103 BCE. 18mm, 3.0 grammes.	This ancient fake, with a deceptive silver layer on a base metal core, might have been holed to make sure nobody mistook it for pure silver. But why a neat hole and not the more normal test cut? It's more likely that it was worn as decoration, despite its false nature. Maybe it was holed and worn that way because it couldn't be spent. You can see what the real thing looks like at the top of my Mars page.
	Denarius of C. Annius T.f. T.n. and L. Fabius L.f. Hispaniensis, 82-81 BCE. 19mm, 3.4 grammes.	This denarius was struck to support Annius' campaign against a renegade in Spain. Its legend ends with EX S.C., which tells us that it was struck by special decree of the Senate. It is holed so as not to spoil the designs on either side, but not so as to display either of them the right way up when hung around the neck. But it is more worn on the edge away from the hole than elsewhere, so it is possible that it was used as a pendant and a touch piece for some years.
	Serrate denarius of L. Papius, 79 BCE. 18x19mm, 3.44 grammes.	This coin is from a series with many different control symbols. The obverse shows the head of Juno Sospita in a goat skin, complete with horns. The reverse is a griffin leaping to the right. Generally a pleasant and interesting type of coin. This example is a little worn, but the details are still clear. The identity of those control symbols does not seem to be documented anywhere, but I think they might be a bandage and a crutch.
	Denarius of L. Lucretius Trio, 76 BCE. 17mm x 19mm, 3.3 grammes.	Like the Septimius Severus denarius further down that started my holed coin collection, this Republican denarius must have been a lucky charm. The seven stars probably represent the seven known planets, and this coin is associated with astrology.
	Fourée denarius of Augustus, 19-18 BCE. 20mm, 2.5 grammes.	This coin represents an actual event in the sky – the appearance of a comet following the death of Julius Caesar, which many thought represented his soul, heralding the start of a new era. Once again, this coin is a contemporary fake, which must have been obvious to whoever made the hole – but even when it was known to be fake, it has been kept, and presumably worn. This suggests that the image of the comet had more value than the metal of the coin!
	Silver denarius of Augustus, 19-18 BCE. 20mm, 2.5 grammes.	This must have been a popular choice as a personal memento, combining as it did support for the divine Caesar, and propitiation of the astral omens. This example is the original coin, in solid silver, and is smoothed enough on the side away from the hole to suggest it must have been worn and fingered for some while.

Hellenic Coins — Roman Republican and Augustan Coins (this page) — First Century Roman Coins — Second Century Roman Coins — Third Century Roman Coins — Fourth Century Roman Coins — Fifth Century Roman Coins — Byzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times

The content of this page was last updated on 24 December 2009.

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