Roman Republic - Scribonius denarius 60 BC (O2660)

L. Scribonius Libo. Silver Denarius (3.55 g, 19 mm), 62 BC. Rome. BON EVENT before, LIBO behind, diademed head of Bonus Eventus right. Reverse PVTEAL above, SCRIBON in exergue, garlanded well-head decorated with two lyres and hammer. Crawford 416/1c; Sydenham 928; Scribonia 8b. minor edge flaw, banker marks, very fine

The reverse depicts the puteal Scribonianum (Scribonian well-head) which had been set up by a distant ancestor of the moneyer. The well-head was quite ornate, being either festooned with garlands or, more likely, engraved with their likeness, and was located near the arch of the Fabii in the Roman Forum. The type comes in three varieties, with either a pair of tongs, a hammer, or an anvil set at the base of the well-head. This coins shows a hammer. Built upon a bidental, a spot that had been struck by lightening, the puteal Scribonianum served as an important meeting place for litigants and moneylenders in Rome as it was conveniently located near the praetor's tribunal. The obverse is appropriately dedicated to the deity Bonus Eventus, the bringer of good outcomes, who appealed equally to all parties involved in any legal dispute.