Crawford 334/1b, Roman Republic, 106 BC., moneyer Lucius Memmius Galerius, Denarius serratus
Roman Republic (Rome mint 106 BC.), moneyer Lucius Memmius Galerius,
Denarius serratus (18-20 mm, 4,08 g), silver, axis medal alignment ?? (ca. 0°),
Obv.: ROMA , and harpa behind laureate head of Saturn l.; below chin, control mark V• .
Rev.: L. MEMMI / GAL , Venus in biga r., holding sceptre and reins; crowned by Cupid flying left above.
Crawford 313/1b ; Syd. 574 ; Bab. Memmia 2 .
old dark toning, areas of weal strike or from worn dies
For this type Crawford found an estimate of 131 obverse dies and 164 reverse dies for two different varieties.
The moneyer is perhaps the father of Caius and Lucius Galerius Memmius, a later moneyer in 87 BC who used the same typology. The Latin alphabet is used for the marking of the obverse dies,sometimes accompanied by dots. This one shows the control mark V• on the obverse.
The reverse with the presence of Venus perhaps recalls that the gens Memmia traced its genealogy to a Trojan origin.