Julius Caesar, Aureus, 46 BC
Rome - Boscoreale Toning - Gold - NGC - Ch XF 5/5-3/5
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Julius Caesar, Aureus, 46 BC, A. Hirtius praetor. Boscoreale Toning.
Gradé NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5; slight edge bend; lacquered.
Veiled female head (Vesta?) right
Emblems of the augurate and pontificate: Lituus, jug and axe.
Pedigree: Very likely from the Boscoreale Hoard. The Boscoreale Hoard is a treasure discovered in 1895 during archaeological excavations in the remains of an ancient Roman villa in the city of Boscoreale, near Pompeii. This incredible treasure included tableware, bathroom items, exceptional jewels and over 1,000 aurei. Some of these masterpieces are now held in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. The treasure was buried shortly before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, and remained hidden until its discovery. Although it is known that the treasure consisted of aurei from all reigns up to and including the year 78, no official record was made of the treasure before it was dispersed among local museums and collectors. Although the provenance of this coin from the Boscoreale treasure cannot be confirmed with certainty, their typical patina, with its iridescent tones, makes them clearly distinguishable. The aurei from this treasure show a typical and very distinctive brown, violet and reddish coloring, known as “Boscoreale toning”. The reason for this is that these coins were subjected to the very intense heat created by the pyroclastic cloud generated during the volcanic eruption. Coins from this treasure, with their distinctive tone, are often preserved in old and prestigious collections. A superb specimen, well centered, well preserved and with a magnificent patina, and a possible provenance of great historical and numismatic interest.
C•CAESAR COS•TER
A•HIRTIVS•PR
8.17 gr
Gold
Although nowadays gold enjoys a reputation as the king of precious metals, that was not always the case. For example, in Ancient Greece, Corinthian bronze was widely considered to be superior. However, over the course of time, it has established itself as the prince of money, even though it frequently vies with silver for the top spot as the standard.
Nevertheless, there are other metals which appear to be even more precious than this duo, take for example rhodium and platinum. That is certain. Yet, if the ore is not as available, how can money be produced in sufficient quantities? It is therefore a matter of striking a subtle balance between rarity and availability.
But it gets better: gold is not only virtually unreactive, whatever the storage conditions (and trouser pockets are hardly the most precious of storage cases), but also malleable (coins and engravers appreciate that).
It thus represents the ideal mix for striking coins without delay – and we were not going to let it slip away!
The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which derives from its Latin name aurum. Its origins are probably extraterrestrial, effectively stardust released following a violent collision between two neutron stars. Not merely precious, but equally poetic…
The first gold coins were minted by the kings of Lydia, probably between the 8th and 6th century BC. Whereas nowadays the only gold coins minted are investment coins (bullion coins) or part of limited-edition series aimed at collectors, that was not always the case. And gold circulated extensively from hand to hand and from era to era, from the ancient gold deposits of the River Pactolus to the early years of the 20th century.
As a precious metal, in the same way as silver, gold is used for minting coins with intrinsic value, which is to say the value of which is constituted by the metal from which they are made. Even so, nowadays, the value to the collector frequently far exceeds that of the metal itself...
It should be noted that gold, which is naturally very malleable, is frequently supplemented with small amounts of other metals to render it harder.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of gold included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ gold or 999 parts of gold per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.
