P. Clodius Turrinus with Helios and crescent/star, also my second ex Voirol coin
P. Clodius M.f. Turrinus
42 BCE
AR Denarius – 4.05 g, 19.3x17.3 mm, 6h
Rome mint
Obv: Radiate head of Sol right, quiver behind.
Rev: Crescent moon surrounded by five stars, P•CLODIVS•M•F in two lines below.
References: Crawford 494/21; Sydenham 1115; Banti Claudia, pg. 134 #31 (this coin); Babelon (Clodia) 17; RBW 1726; CRI 182; BMCRR Rome 4287
Provenance:
Ex: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin’s Auction 128, Lot 30 (Mar. 30, 2026).
Ex: Spink Auction Auction 19004, Lot 255 (March 2019).
Ex: Münzen und Medaillen A.G. Basel Auction 38, Lot 245 (6/7 Dec 1968); August Voirol collection (1884-1967), who was a prominent Swiss gynecologist and vice-president of the Swiss Numismatic Society between 1942-1954.
Ex: Münzhandlung Basel No 10, Lot 482 (March 15-16, 1938).
Ex: Adolph Hess Nachfolger Katalog 207, Lot 845 (1931); Collection Kommerzienrat Heinrich Otto (1856-1931), a German textile manufacturer, distinguished businessman, industrialist, and coin collector from Württemberg.
Published in Schaefer’s Roman Republican Die Study: Binder 12, Pg. 105.
Notes: Grueber and Babelon argue that the head of Sol and the crescent / stars relate to the cult of diurnal and nocturnal divinities. This type, along with other coins from P. Clodius Turrinus that show Apollo and Diana (each respectively associated with the sun and moon), may relate to the early history of Rome. The worship of Diana and Sol was introduced by the Sabines, who built temples in their honor, and the Gens Claudia/Clodia derived their ancestry from Sabine origin. Crawford and Sear, however, take a different stance, arguing that the celestial types represented by Helios and the crescent / stars suggest the emergence of a new era following Caesar’s death. In imperial times, such symbolism would come to represent dominion, divine sanction from the heavens, and continuity of imperial rule. This interpretation seems fitting for a moneyer who was a staunch ally and supporter of Caesar.