Denarius

Northern Italy: Mint Moving with Caesar, 49BCE. Elephant (right) trampling serpent (more standing than walking, like the one plated by Crawford). “CAESAR” in exergue. 4 emblems on reverse (though some, including Crawford, have said the elephant is the rev. side). Cr. (Crawford, RRC) 443/1. BMC (British Museum Catalog) Gaul 27. Kestner 3516. The first silver Caesar and the first to bear his name, a military issue originally struck at the mobile mint traveling with the legions for the sole purpose of paying Caesar’s troops on the eve of crossing the Rubicon, and on the march to Rome that followed, commencing the civil war and assuring that no further funds (truncated) would be forthcoming from the Senate. And Sear says that this coin continued to be struck once Caesar arrived in Rome and had confiscated the reserve bullion stores left in the aerarium (treasury) by the fleeing Pompeians (15,000 bars of gold, 30,000 bars of silver and 7,500,000 denarii in cash). It was however confined to military payment as the Roman mintiers struck different denarii for civilian commerce. This is a relatively common Caesar coin, but it is not so common in this condition, with sharp details, as well as orange, yellow and red iridescence. The majority of examples of this type belong to one of two artistic designs when considering the elephant, the more realistic and accurate depiction (this coin) and one in which the elephant has short legs and an almost pig like appearance. (Inventory #: 994)