★ An interesting silvered 9 assaria of Trajan Decius from Cibyra ★

PHRYGIA. Cibyra. Trajan Decius, 249-251. 9 Assaria (?) (Silvered bronze, 35 mm, 19.21 g, 1 h), CY 226 = 250/1. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ Γ ΜЄϹ Κ ΤΡΑΙ ΔЄΚΙΟϹ ЄΥϹ ЄΥΤ ϹЄΒ Laureate and cuirassed bust of Trajan Decius to right, breastplate decorated with gorgoneion. Rev. ΚΑΙϹΑΡЄⲰΝ ΚΙΒΥΡΑΤⲰΝ - ЄΤ / FΚϹ Demeter, on the left, standing right, holding long torch in her right hand and two grain ears in her left, facing Cibyra, on the right, standing left, supporting chest ('Kibotos') on her head with her left hand and holding drapery with her right; between them, serpent emerging from cista mystica. RPC IX 781. SNG von Aulock 3754 ( same dies ). Rare. An unusual example with considerable traces of silvering on the obverse. A few scratches on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.

Ex Leu Web Auction 16, 22-24 May 2021, 2811, Leu 7, 24 October 2020, 1461 and from the collection of J.-P. Righetti, inv. no. 28 (with collector's ticket).

The silvering of Roman Provincial coins is a very rare phenomenon and most likely reflects private preference rather than an official practice. On this example, we clearly see that only the obverse was silvered, whereas the reverse was left in its original state. It is worth noting that the chest on Cibyra's head was the coat of arms of the city. It is a play on words, as the Greek word for chest is 'Kibotos'.