Octavian (later Augustus), 27 BC – AD 14 | “Veterans of Actium” AV Aureus | Struck Autumn 30 – Summer 29 BC NGC VF (Strike 5/5, Surface 2/5) | Weight: 7.77 g

A historically electrifying aureus of the highest significance—struck in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Actium, financed by Egyptian gold, and handled by the very veterans who would secure the foundations of the Roman Empire. This is one of the most coveted issues of Octavian’s transitional, pre-Augustan coinage, boldly proclaiming the consolidation of power that would reshape world history.

The obverse presents a bare-headed, youthful Octavian, still the “restorer of the Republic” in name, yet already wielding the absolute authority he would soon formalize as Augustus. The anepigraphic field bears classic banker's marks, attesting to active circulation in military and administrative channels—precisely the context these aurei were minted for.

The reverse is among the most iconic: Victory standing upon a celestial globe, head turned left, holding a wreath of triumph and a vexillum, the military standard of Rome’s legions. The vexillum—replacing the typical palm branch—is a powerful variant associated with the famed statue atop the pediment of the Curia Julia, Julius Caesar’s monumental Senate House, completed by Octavian after Actium. The legend IMP • CAESAR stretches boldly across the field, announcing Rome’s unquestioned victor.

The flan is broad and round, with residual lustre in protected areas and professional smoothing consistent with coins circulated among active-duty or newly settled soldiers. Its condition is fully aligned with its purpose: a payment coinage issued to demobilized veterans, purchased with Egypt’s vast treasury after the fall of Alexandria.

This aureus is backed by elite provenance from The Hurter-Amman Collection, renowned for its depth and quality in ancient and world gold.

References: BMC 622 (“The East”); Cohen 113; RIC I² 268 (Brundisium and Rome?); Calicó 205 (Nikomedia or Nikaia); Biaggi 104; Bahrfeldt 109.1 (these dies); CBN 85; CRI 417.xcbhdxxsp

A rarified, museum-caliber Actium aureus—a direct artifact of the war that ended the Roman Republic and gave birth to the Empire.1