Roman Republic, denarius, silver, authority dated to 82 BC, struck 82 BC

Roman Republic, denarius, silver, authority dated to 82 BC, struck 82 BC, weight 3.90 g, diameter 18 mm. Obverse: laureate head of Apollo right; sceptre behind; control-letter K in left field; dotted border. Reverse: horseman galloping right, wielding spear; small control-mark above; dotted border. Strike: hammered on a broad but irregular flan, generally well-centred with full devices. Toning: light grey cabinet patina with subtle darker accents in recesses. References: Crawford 361/1c, RSC Crepusia 1, RBW 1368-1369. Issued during the civil conflicts of 82 BC, this denarius belongs to the series attributed to the moneyer L. Crepusius. The control marks, such as the letter K, served to monitor production batches in a high-volume issue struck at Rome to finance forces during Sulla’s campaign against the Marian faction. Apollo’s image reflects traditional Republican religious iconography, while the armed horseman underscores the military context of the coinage. The consistent weight standard of approximately 3.9 g maintained public confidence in the denarius at a time of political turbulence, and the extensive surviving die varieties provide important data for modern die-study of late Republican silver issues.