Thrace, city of Olbia, AR Drachm, Koson

Thrace, city of Olbia,
AR drachma (1st century BC).
Koson
Obv.: magistrate striding l. between two lictors, below KOSWN
Rev.: Eagle l. with wreath and scepter

RARE and known for only a few years: The legendary Koson coin as a silver off-metal strike! Grab it now and expand your collection of the legendary gold stater with its brother in silver.

It is immediately noticeable that this coin type imitates Roman denarii of the late Republic. The obverse is modelled on a denarius minted by M. Iunius Brutus in 54 BC to commemorate the expulsion of the Tarquinians by his ancestor L. Iunius Brutus. The reverse is modelled on a denarius of Q. Pomponius Rufus, minted in 73 BC. This imitation of Roman republican coins did not happen by chance. The images on the obverse and reverse of the coin illustrate Brutus' republican ideas. The coins were struck by Brutus to pay Dacian troops to fight for him against Marc Antony and Octavian (Augustus) at the Battle of Philippi. In the double battle of Philippi, west of the city of Philippi in Macedonia in October/November 42 BC, the Roman triumvirs Marcus Antonius and Octavian (the later Emperor Augustus) were victorious in two encounters over the supporters of the Republic, Marcus Iunius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, who had also been among the leaders of the assassination attempt on Gaius Iulius Caesar.