From the archives: Roman Portrait Gold Coins
May 31, 2026 | Featured
The first living Roman to appear on a coin was the general T. Quinctius Flamininus in c. 196/5 BC, but it was on a Greek coin, or at least a coin struck in Greece at an unknown mint, and not properly a Roman coin. The coin is excessively rare, only some dozen being known. Flamininus had defeated Philip V at Cynoscephalae in 197 BC. The Romans then withdrew and declared Greece free, but Greece saw this as an unbelievable act of severity. The portrait on the coin (emulating Alexander the Great with the general s flowing hair) was but one of the many honours heaped upon him. It is almost certainly an accurate portrait with several particular characteristics, notably his pointed nose. The reverse is a standing figure of Victory, again close to Alexander the Great s gold staters.
From Coins and UK