Roman Imperial Augustus Tarpeia 27 BC – 14 AD AR Denarius NGC AU* 45103

An iconic coin that depicts Augustus on the obverse and Tarpeia on the reverse under shields. The most renowned story of Tarpeia, is one where her thirst for gold/greed got the best of her. She approached the troops of the Sabine King and offered them entry into the City of Rome in exchange for “what they bore on their left arms”. She was essentially asking for their gold bracelets and in return she received the shields carried on the troops left hand. Which crushed her to death. Supposedly she was buried or hurled off a steep cliff near the southern summit of Capitoline Hill. This story may have also been an attempt to account for Tapeia Rock where traitors and murderers were thrown off as a sentence. The effigy is fully on the flan with slight weakness in the legends. Light gray patina defines the surfaces of the coin which seem devoid of any heavy nicks. Reverse seems to be better defined than the obverse, with some areas of heavier minor wear, and the patina complements the obverse as well. This specimen has received the coveted star designation by NGC because of its superb eye-appeal. c, 19/18 BC. P.Turpilianus. rv. Tarpeia under shields.