Julius Caesar Gold Aureus NGC CHAU Lifetime Issue 12 Caesar’s

Julius Caesar, as Consul for the Third Time (46 BC), with Aulus Hirtius, as Praetor. AV aureus (21mm, 7.81 gm, 3h). NGC Choice AU 4/5 Strike - 5/5 Surface Rome Mint, 46 BC. C•CAESAR-COS•TER, veiled female head (Vesta or Pietas?) right, with features of Julius Caesar / A•HIRTIVS•P R, lituus, oenochoe, and securis, all turned left (emblems of the augurate and pontificate).

A CHAU* example was just auctioned for $48,000.00 in August 2025. This Julius Caesar Gold Aureus is just as nice in my opinion and a much better value comparatively!

Obverse :
The central motif on the obverse is the right-facing head of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. Her head is veiled to represent her modesty and piety. The inscription C* CAESAR is found to her left; the “C” is the standard Roman abbreviation of the praenomen, or traditional first name, Gaius. To her right and in front of her face is the inscription COS * TER, which refers to Caesar’s third (tertium) consulship in 46 BCE. A ringed border of dots surrounds the design.

Reverse:
The reverse features three priestly implements of the Pontifex Maximus, a position not unlike the pope in the state religion of ancient Rome. A position, incidentally, that Julius Caesar held earlier in his career in 63 BCE and of which this coin certainly was intended to remind everyone. A Roman jug, presumably for holding water or oil for use in ritual libations, is situated in the middle. To the right is a single-headed axe; to the left is the lituus, a curved staff carried by priests and augurs.

The objects are cradled by the inscription A* HIRTIVS * PR, which stands for Aulus Hirtius Praetor. Aulus Hirtius was a longtime friend and supporter of Caesar.

A stunningly attractive example. The portrait is of pleasing style, the strike is even and well-centered, and the medallic flan has areas of luster. Exceptionally well preserved with incredible, delicate portrait on satiny surfaces. Simply magnificent in hand and well deserving of an artistic designation for the craftsmanship on display in the detail.

Julius Caesar would hold the consulship five times, until in 44 BC he declared himself “Dictator for Life” then he was assassinated that year. The consuls were Rome’s most powerful magistrates, created to fill the void left behind by the kings. The consuls assumed all the powers that the king had enjoyed. They had vast administrative, legislative, judicial power, and commanded Rome’s Army.

Aulus Hirtius was a key supporter of Caesar, who might have ended up as Caesar's successor in power had events taken a different turn. An experienced soldier, he served as one of Caesar's legates in Gaul from about 54 BC and was an envoy to Pompey in 50 BC. He served Caesar loyally during the Civil War against Pompey and his successors in 48-45 BC. Hirtius was appointed as Caesar's mintmaster in Rome in 46 BC, and it was then that he struck the first truly large issue of gold aurei from the spoils of Caesar's campaigns. These aurei, which bear a rather enigmatic veiled female head on the obverse, were used to pay Caesar's soldiers after the great triumphal parade. After Caesar's assassination, Hirtius initially supported Marc Antony but, after taking over as Consul in 43 BC, he raised an army against Antony at the instigation of Cicero and Octavian. His army defeated Antony at Mutina in April of 43 BC, but Hirtius was killed in the fighting; his consular colleague Pansa died days later, leaving Octavian and Antony masters of Rome. Modern historians owe Hirtius a debt of gratitude for preserving and editing Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic and Civil Wars.

Guaranteed Genuine by NGC Ancients and Capstone Acquisitions

Feel free to reach out by e mail with any serious questions to own this beautiful aureus.