Roman Republic, C Lucretius Trio, 76 BC Rome Mint, Eclipse of 77 BC

This coin was minted in Rome in 76 BC. The obverse shows the sun god Sol with a radiate crown. The reverse shows the "pellet and crescent." The moneyers name is on the reverse. This reverse represents the solar eclipse seen in Rome in 77 BC. The pellet is the moon and the crescent is a solar crescent not a lunar crescent. The shadow of the earth is always larger than the moon. The moneyer would have had the ability to show a lunar crescent judging by the quality of the obverse. Photo Sergey Nechayev Ancient Coins