RULER: C. Considius Paetus DATE: 46 B.C DENOMINATION: Denarius MATERIAL: Silver, AR SIZE & WEIGHT: 17 mm, 4 gr OBVERSE: Helmeted bust of Minerva right REVERSE: Victory driving quadriga right. REFERENCES: Cr465/5; Syd 992. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity C. Considius Paetus was a Roman mint magistrate (monetalis) who operated during the mid-40s BCE, a period defined by the intense civil wars between Julius Caesar and the Pompeian forces. While his specific personal biography is relatively obscure compared to major political figures, he is primarily known to history through the silver denarii he issued around 46 BCE. His coinage is particularly noted for its sophisticated artistic quality and its adherence to traditional Roman Republican themes, often featuring deities like Apollo or Erycina. The imagery on his coins is believed to carry significant political and ancestral weight. One of his most famous issues depicts the temple of Venus Erycina on the reverse, which some numismatists suggest was a subtle nod to his family's links to Sicily or an attempt to align with the divine favor claimed by the leading factions of the era. The use of the laurel-wreathed head of Apollo on the obverse was a common motif, yet under Paetus’s direction, the execution achieved a level of detail that makes these coins highly prized by modern collectors for their stylistic elegance. Paetus's career coincided with the twilight of the Roman Republic's traditional monetary system. As Caesar’s influence grew, the autonomy of individual mint officials began to shift toward centralized propaganda. By striking coins that balanced classical religious symbols with his own family name, Paetus participated in the final era of competitive self-representation among the Roman elite. His work serves as a physical record of the cultural and political tensions of the late Republic, captured in small, circular canvases of silver.