The Roman Empire
Octavian as Augustus, 27 BC – 14 AD
Denarius, Samos (?) circa 21-20 BC, AR 3.65 g. CAESAR Bare head r. Rev. AVGVSTVS Young bull standing r., head erect. C 28. BMC 663. RIC 475. CBN 941.
A bold portrait and a lovely old cabinet tone, good extremely fine This series features some of the finest portraits of Augustus. This coin is simply stunning with its old cabinet tone and it is much better than a photo would otherwise indicate. MSG.

This issue is one of the first types to bear the name Augustus. The specific meaning of the bull on the reverse is uncertain. Given that the coin is from the eastern mint of Pergamum two prevailing theories have been put forth. This reverse could represent the famous bronze heifer by Myron. This would relate to the restoration of the Apollo statue by Myron which had been taken away from Ephesus by Marc Antony. The second theory is that this coin may relate to Thurium which commonly used a bull on their coinage. This second idea comes from Augustus’ father having defeated a Spartacist army at that city. MSG.