BrutusLentulusSpintherDenarius2

Very Nice. You and Jim seemed to have scored a couple from Pars

http://www.ancients.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/4777/ppuser/56/sl/t

Yes, Jim has a beauty and beat me to the punch. In fact, I went to the Pars website because I saw Jim's coin and I had been wanting a nice example of this for some time. Both coins are from the same hoard and, I think, from the same dies. All I have been able to find out about the hoard is it was found in Europe about a year ago, contained about 1000 Republican denarii, including some of Brutus and Cassius. I now have one of each. Apparently a lot of the Cassius and Brutus coins were struck with rusty dies, though obviously not the 3 Jim and I have. Both of mine are FDC and Jim's appears that grade as well. My opinion about the dies being the same is based on the slight die break at the margin of dots on the obverse just to the left of the B in Brutus and another tiny one on the midportion of the lituus. Jim's is a nice round flan and mine is an odd shape, though I kind of like odd shaped flans in ancients. Mine looks a little weak on the reverse to the left but in hand the L of Lentulus is wellformed and well struck. All the features are present on my coin but some people will prefer the illusion of being better centered a round coin gives. I don't know what a flan shape like this would do to affect the market value of a coin like this but I would love to hear from anyone in this community with an opinion on the subject.

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I would agree that both obv and rev are identical dies. Die breaks on the obv and the lettering positions on the reverse (esp bottom of the I ). VERY interesting hoard info.

I like flans regular or irregular. Sometimes Irregular adds atmosphere to the coin. As long as you don't lose any features.

Yes, both coins are certainly from the same dies, as are the recent coins sold by Tkalec, NAC, and CNG. LHS, HJB, Forum and Glenn Woods also have had the same type but with different dies. I heard the hoard may have had 50-60 Brutus denarii. Usually the better pieces come out early on. I too had been waiting a long time for a nice one of these, and as soon as I saw mine I bought it immediately. While I normally prefer well centered coins, it isn't a must, as long as most everything is there. But I never saw one of this type so well centered. I would be more than happy with either one, though. Thanks, Clay.

Tuna / Jim