Legionary denarii (Mark Antony)

The legend reads ANT AVG III VIR R P C, an abbreviation of Antonii auguris, tresviri rei publicae constituendae ("[coin of]" Antony, augur and one of the Triumvirs for organising the Republic).

Clare Rowan suggests that this was a conscious decision, intended to counter Octavian's claims that Antony had come "under the spell" of Cleopatra and was working in her interests rather than those of Rome.

Additionally, the image of the ship on the obverse and the vast number of legions represented on the reverse emphasised the scale and Roman-ness of his military power.

In hoards from the late first century BC in the eastern Mediterranean, the legionary denarii are much more frequently found than coins of Octavian, even in areas which were settled by his veterans.

Moreover, the lower silver content of Antony's denarii compared to Octavian's own meant that if he had re-struck the coinage, he would have ended up with fewer coins.

[2][5] Hoard evidence shows that the legionary denarii continued to form a large part of the coinage in circulation in the Roman Imperial period.

John H. Kroll and Clare Rowan suggest that the quantity of silver put into circulation as legionary denarii meant that local communities no longer had any need to mint their own.