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Preisdatenbank abonnierenUnited States, P 363b, Friedberg 1089, The United States of America, Federal Reserve Note, New York, 100 Dollars, 1914. Portrait of Benjamin Franklin at center, blue seal at right on front. Signatures Burke - Glass. Allegorical figures on back., # 2-B233443A, Some pinholes, tiny tear in upper margin, otherwise VF
West African States, P 103Al, Linzmayer B108Al, Leclerk/Kolsky 245A, Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Oust, Ivory Coast, 1,000 Francs, (1977). Young African couple at center on front. Signatures Henri Konan Bedie - Abdoulaye Fadiga. Portrait of old man with white beard at left, rope bridge in background on back., # O.147 A 366372968, PCGS 66 PPQ, Gem UNC.
West African States, P 203Bn, Linzmayer B108Bm, Leclerc/Kolsky 246B, Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Oust, Benin, 1,000 Francs, (1978). Young African couple at center on front. Signatures Isidore Amoussou - Abdoulaye Fadiga. Portrait of old man with white beard at left, rope bridge in background on back., # A.192 B 477560349, PCGS 67 PPQ, Superb Gem UNC.
West African States, P 707Kjs, Linzmayer B112Kjs, Leclerc/Kolsky 285K, Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Oust, Senegal, SPECIMEN. Wooden warrior figurine at left, power shovels in open phosphate mine at center, portrait of a young woman at right on front. Signatures Alassane Dramane Ouattara - Ildephonse Lemon. Wooden mask at left, wood carver at work and finished wooden carvings on back. Diagonal red boxed overprint SPÉCIMEN on front. Red overprint specimen number 012 in watermark area, serial number Z.023 000000000., # Z.023 K 000000, PMG 66 EPQ, Gem UNC.
Belgium, NBBB-104a, P 144a, Banque Nationale de Belgique, 1,000 Francs, (1980-96). Portrait of André Gretry at left center, bass violin center right in background on front. Signatures Dasin - De Strycker. Tuning forks at left center, image of the inner ear at right on back., # 50100160075, UNC.
Belgium, NBBB-105, P 150, Banque Nationale de Belgique, 1,000 Francs, (1997), SPECIMEN. Portrait of Constant Permeke at left, sailboat at center on front. Signatures Bertholome - Verplaetse. Sleeping Farmer by Permeke at left on back. Diagonal red overprint SPECIMEN on front and back. Red specimen number 466 at upper center right on back., # 00000000000, UNC.
Yugoslavia, P 101A, Barac Y106, Narodna Banka Jugoslavije, 100 Dinara, (1990). Coat of arms of Yugoslavia at upper left, flags in underprint at center, portrait of Marshal Tito at right on front. Partisan monument ''Sutjeska'' at center on back. Not issued., # AN 005940, Splits on the vertical fold, rounded corners, otherwise VF.
Afghanistan, P 41s, Linzmayer B324bs2, Bank of Afghanistan, 500 Afghanis, SH1342 (1963), SPECIMEN. Portrait of King Muhammad Zahir at left, coat of arms of Afghanistan at lower center on front. Kajaki Dam spillway in Helmand province at center on back. Diagonal red overprint SPECIMEN as well as red oval DE LA RUE NO VALUE on front and back. Horizontal red overprint SPECIMEN No 79 in lower left margin on front. Punched cancelled., # 1 A 000000, PCGS 66 PPQ, Gem UNC.
Belgium, NBBB-111, P 152, Bank Nationale de Belgique, 10,000 Francs, (1997). Portrait of King Albert II and Queen Paola at left, aerial view of Parliamentary chamber at right on front. Signatures Bartholome - Verplaetse. Greenhouses at Laeken (royal residence) at left, plants at right on back., # 91000817182, UNC.
Belize, P 34s, Linzmayer B102, The Government of Belize, 2 Dollars, (1974-76), SPECIMEN. Coat of arms of Belize at left, portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at right on front. Horizontal red overprint SPECIMEN and SPECIMEN OF NO VALUE on front and back. Black specimen number 030 at left on back. Punched cancelled., , PCGS 66 PPQ, Gem UNC.
Afghanistan, P 42bs, Linzmayer B325bs2, Bank of Afghanistan, 1,000 Afghanis, SH1342 (1963), SPECIMEN. Portrait of King Muhammad Zahir at left, coat of arms of Afghanistan at lower center on front. Arch of Qala-e-Bost in Lashkar Gah at right on back. Diagonal red overprint SPECIMEN as well as red oval DE LA RUE NO VALUE on front and back. Horizontal red overprint SPECIMEN No 93 in lower left margin on front. Punched cancelled., # 11 K 000000, PCGS 67 PPQ, Superb Gem UNC.
Bermuda, P 32s, Linzmayer B205as3, Bermuda Monetary Authority, 50 Dollars, 1 May 1974, SPECIMEN. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at right on front. Signatures Dudley St. George Butterfield - Roy J. Clifford. Gibbs Hill lighthouse in Southampton Parish at left center, map of Bermuda at upper right, coat of arms of Bermuda at center right on back. Diagonal red overprint SPECIMEN as well as red ovals DE LA RUE NO VALUE on front and back. Red SPECIMEN NO 061 in lower left margin on front. Punched cancelled., # A/1 000000, PCGS 67 PPQ, Superb Gem New.
Bermuda, P 33s1, Linzmayer B206as2, Bermuda Monetary Authority, 100 Dollars, 2 Janauary 1982, SPECIMEN. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at right on front. Signatures Frederick W. Yearwood - Merlyn N. Trued. Coat of arms of Bermuda at upper left, The House of Assembly at left, Camden House at upper center on back. Diagonal red overprint SPECIMEN as well as red ovals DE LA RUE NO VALUE on front and back. Red SPECIMEN NO 049 in lower left margin on front. Punched cancelled. , # A/1 000000, PCGS 67 PPQ, Superb Gem UNC.
An early/mid 19thC tinted pink lustre glazed pearlware 'Political' jug of bulbous form, decorated in monochrome with a portrait of Earl Grey The First Lord of the Treasury and inscribed 'Reform' on the reverse, amid trailing thistles, clover and roses bears a printed C&R monogram on the base 5''h
Constantine IV AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 668-685. CONSTANYS PP, three-quarter facing bust, wearing plumed helmet and cuirass, holding spear and shield with horseman device / VICTORA A AVςu H, cross potent on three steps, CONOB in exergue. Sear 1157; MIB 10; DOC 12. 4.39g, 18mm, 6h. Near Mint State. A well-detailed portrait of fine style.
Kingdom of Epeiros, Pyrrhos AR Tetradrachm. Lokroi Epizephyrioi, 297-272 BC. Head of Zeus of Dodona left, wearing oak wreath; A below / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠYPPOY, Dione seated left, holding staff in right hand and lifting her veil with her left. Boston 944 (same dies); Kraay-Hirmer pl. 150, 472; Babelon, ANS Centennial Publication 1958, pl. VII, 3 (same obverse die); SNG Lockett 1650 (same obverse die); AMB 211. 16.36g, 28mm, 8h. Very Fine. Very Rare. Pyrrhos’ limited but highly artistic coinage advertises not his reign or that of his forebears, but rather he uses the coins to promote the cults of the two principal deities of Epeiros, Zeus of Dodona and his consort Dione. As remarked by Jenkins, “it is at once apparent that in one important respect Pyrrhos’ practice is closely akin to that of the Macedonian kings of this time, in that nowhere does his portrait appear. Much as we may regret this, the splendid and exuberant types of Pyrrhos’ Lokrian coins go far to compensate for it. The tetradrachm has for the obverse the head of Dodonean Zeus, whose sanctuary lay in Pyrrhos’ homeland; this head, crowned with oak leaves and with restless flowing hair and beard, makes a strong contrast with the restrained and classical head of the same god minted for Alexander of Epeiros at Tarentum, and even with the more concentrated style of Antigonos Doson’s Poseidon, but the Pyrrhos coin is masterly in its different way. Its exciting and dynamic quality is well matched by the calm majesty of the reverse type, Dione seated on a high-backed throne and swathed in the complex drapery so typical of Hellenistic sculpture.... The impressive style of these coins is quite different from anything we might have expected at an Italian mint at this time, and it may well be that the artist responsible was not a local one, but may have come from mainland Greece or Macedonia.” (G.K. Jenkins, Ancient Greek Coins [New York: Putnam, 1972], pp. 247-8.)
Lokris, Lokris Opuntii AR Stater. Circa 369 BC. Head of Demeter left, wearing barley-wreath, pearl necklace and elaborate 'boat' earring with crescent and five pendants / Ajax the Lokrian, nude but for crested Corinthian helmet, advancing right on rocky ground, holding short sword and round shield decorated on its interior with griffin, transverse spear behind hero's legs; OΠΟΝTΙΩΝ to left. SNG Berry 570 (same dies); Gulbenkian 495–496 (same obverse die); SNG Lockett 1693 (same obverse die). 12.14g, 24mm, 1h. Extremely Fine. Beautifully toned. Ex Roma Numismatics Auction II, 2 October 2011, lot 178; Ex Peter Guber Collection, Manhattan Sale II, 4 January 2011, lot 50; Ex Freeman & Sear Fixed Price List 9, Spring 2004, 29; Ex Viscount Wimbourne Collection, Leu 81, 16 May 2001, lot 198; Ex Sotheby's, 4 April 1991, lot 52; Ex Leu 28, 5 May 1981, lot 102. This exceptional portrait, with its right-facing orientation and elaborate earring, has been proposed to be the inaugural type of the Lokrian series. It is in any case certainly one of the most beautiful, and the reverse too is of an exceptionally fine style. Ajax of Lokris (or Ajax 'the Lesser'), who is depicted on the reverse of this attractive type, led a fleet of forty ships from Lokris Opuntii against Troy in the Greeks' great war on that city. At Troy's fall, he was alleged by Odysseus to have violated a sanctuary of Athena by ravishing Cassandra, who had sought refuge there. He thus brought down the wrath of Athena upon himself and his countrymen: Ajax himself was wrecked and killed in a storm as he made his way home from the war, and the rest of the Opuntians reached home only with great difficulty. Nevertheless, they annually honoured their former leader by launching a ship fitted with black sails and laden with gifts, which they then set alight, and whenever the Lokrian army drew up for battle, one place was always left open for Ajax, whose spirit they believed would stand and fight with them.
Macedon, Chalkidian League AR Tetradrachm. Olynthos, circa 364-348 BC. Laureate head of Apollo right / XAΛKIΔEΩN around kithara with six strings. Robinson & Clement 96 (A63/P83). SNG ANS 502 = SNG Berry 24 (same dies). 14.21g, 25mm, 11h. Extremely Fine. A portrait of fine style, centrally struck in high relief on a large sized flan. From the Angelo S. Collection; Ex Roma Numismatics II, 2 October 2011, lot 218; Ex Gorny & Mosch 155, March 2007, lot 61; Ex Triton VIII, 11 January 2005, lot 117. The growing influence and expansionist aims of the Chalkidian League led by Olynthos had in 382 BC led to calls from Amyntas of Macedon, as well as Akanthos and Apollonia (who anticipated imminent conquest by the League), for Spartan intervention to check the League’s power. Sparta, keen to reassert its presence in northern Greece, consented and a force of 10,000 was mobilised and dispatched against the League. After several years of protracted but indecisive warfare, Olynthos agreed to dissolve the Chalkidian League, though this dissolution appears to have been little more than a token formality, since in the following year the League appears among the members of the Athenian naval confederacy, and twenty years later Demosthenes reported the power of the League as being much greater than before the Spartan expedition. Olynthos itself is at this time spoken of as a city of the first rank, and the Chalkidian League then comprised thirty-two cities. Olynthus was allied with Macedon when Philip II and Athens went to war in 356 after Philip’s capture of the Athenian colonies of Pydna and Potidea. Around this time Philip also allowed himself to be drawn into the Sacred War on behalf of the Thessalians; since Athens was also a combatant in the Sacred War, the war between Athens and Macedon became inextricably linked with the progress of the Sacred War. Alarmed by Philip’s aggressive policies and further invasions of neighbouring territories, Olynthos concluded an alliance with Athens in 352. The city made three embassies to Athens, the occasions of Demosthenes’s three Olynthiac Orations. On the third, the Athenians sent soldiers from among its citizens to garrison the city and reinforce its defences. In response Philip attacked the Chalkidian League in 349, and by 348, he had completely destroyed the League, razing Olynthos to the ground in the process.
Ionia, Phokaia EL Hekte. Circa 560-545 BC. Head of African left, seal downward behind / Quadripartite incuse square punch. Bodenstedt 24; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC -; SNG von Aulock -; Boston MFA -. 2.56g, 10mm. Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. Though Aethiopians - the Greek name for all Africans characterised by dark skin and short hair - feature regularly in Greek art, their depiction on coins is by contrast very infrequent. We know that the Greeks were well acquainted with black Africans, since they appear often in Greek literature as mythical or semi-mythical characters and warriors; it appears that they were known in the Greek world as early as the Minoan period, where they were employed by Minoan commanders as auxiliary troops. Indeed, if we may believe Quintus of Smyrna, the Greeks encountered black Africans in the army of Memnon at Troy. Black African contingents also formed a part of Xerxes' army and according to some scholars fought at Marathon (see Frazer, J. G., 1913: Pausanias' Description of Greece, II. Macmillan, London, p 434; and Graindor, P., 1908: Les Vases au Nègre. Musée Belge, p 29). Of the surviving art objects representing black Africans, many appear to be the work of artists who modelled from life. These depictions invariably display an astonishing degree of individuality, vitality, and energy, presenting scenes and designs that appealed to the craftsmen; one might surmise that the exotic appearance of such individuals presented the artist with a challenge to represent the distinctive features of blacks, whose aesthetic qualities are readily conveyed in pieces such as the present hekte. The closest parallels we find in the numismatic record for this portrait can be seen in the silver staters of an uncertain (possibly Karian) mint that have appeared in 2008 (Gemini IV, 195) and 2009 (NAC 52, 177) that bear an incuse head of a negroid man, and a small issue of silver fractions on Lesbos that also show a male head, this time in relief. Both however are highly stylised, and may not necessarily represent the features of a particular individual.
Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte. Circa 454-427 BC. Head of Athena wearing crested Corinthian helmet to right / Two confronted female heads, their faces overlapping; all within incuse square. Bodenstedt 55; HGC 6, 981; Boston MFA 1693; de Luynes 2555. 2.53g, 11mm, 1h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare (Bodenstedt lists only 8 examples), and among the finest known. This coin seems like a perfectly ordinary hekte when the obverse is first viewed; it is only when the coin is flipped to reveal its highly unusual reverse does the importance and novelty of the type become apparent. Employing a simple but effective form of optical illusion, the reverse appears to show the same female portrait both to the left and to the right. The design is deliberately intended to confound the eye and engage the viewer's attention in attempting to resolve both portraits independently of the other, which is of course impossible, thus presenting the viewer with a visual paradox. The image works by confusing the brain's figure-ground perceptual grouping process by giving it contradictory cues, thus preventing it from assigning definitive edges to the observed shapes. As a result, the human visual system will settle on one of the portraits, facing either left or right, and alternate between them. The importance of this type, both in terms of numismatic art and in the wider context of Greek art in general, cannot be understated. It is a thoroughly novel, and never to be repeated experiment in paradoxical illusion on the coinage of a Greek city-state. The Greeks were certainly familiar with the concept of a visual paradox - Plato describes the ourobouros 'tail-devouring snake' as the first living thing; a self-eating, circular being: the universe as an immortal, mythologically constructed entity. They were also aware of the power of illusions - Greek architects would apply a technique known as entasis in the construction of their temple columns. Columns formed with straight sides would appear to the observer to have an attenuated appearance, and their outlines would seem concave rather than straight. Therefore a slight convex curve would be built into the shaft of the column, resulting in a swelling in the middle parts, in order to correct this disagreeable trick of the eye. Why then, when they were clearly aware of the power of illusion and paradox, did Greek artists not employ such techniques? The answer most likely lies in the cultural shift away from the static representational art of the archaic period driven by new realistic and idealistic paradigms; artists now sought to demonstrate their skill through attempting to attain aesthetic perfection based on both observational study, and occasionally improvement of nature through idealisation of the subject's features. Thus non-practical forms of optical illusion were most likely dismissed as curious, but unlikely to earn an artist everlasting fame. It was therefore left to relatively modern artists such as Oscar Reutersvärd, who created the Penrose Stairs (also dubbed the impossible staircase), and psychologists such as Edgar Rubin, who developed the familiar Rubin's vase (sometimes known as the Rubin face or the figure–ground vase), to explore the visual and psychological implications of these images which trick the brain. The significance of this coin therefore is that it pre-dates the work of both of the aforementioned celebrated 'illusionists' by well over two millennia, and demonstrates an appreciation and understanding of optical illusions as an art form, not just a necessary practical expedience.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Head of Silenos facing; two tunny fish upward to either side / Quadripartite incuse square. CNG 75, 23 May 2007, lot 336; cf. Von Fritze 77 (fractions); SNG France -; Hurter & Liewald I, 77. 15.99g, 23mm. About Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, the sixth and finest known. A superb archaic head of Silenos. Of the other five examples, one was sold by CNG in 2007, and two were noted by Hurter & Liewald as being in the von Aulock Collection (but unpublished) and the Velkov Collection (Vinchon, 24 Nov. 94), lot 61 = CH II, p. 7, 2. Two others were sold by Roma Numismatics: Auction V, 2013, lot 364; Auction X, 2015, lot 483. This spectacular coin features a bold facing portrait of Silenos engraved in excellent archaic style. The teacher and faithful companion of the wine-god Dionysos, Silenos was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysos, and was said in Orphic hymns to be the young god's tutor. Originally a folkloric man of the forest with the ears of a horse (and sometimes also the tail and legs of a horse), Silenos was often depicted with thick lips and a squat nose, as is the case here, fat, and most often bald – though our Silenos may consider himself fortunate in that he sports a full head of hair. Unusual consideration has been given to symmetry in the composition of this type: though symmetrical designs do occur, as in the case of two eagles perched on an omphalos (v. Fritze 220) or the double bodied sphinx (v. Fritze 138) to name but two, this is one of a tiny minority of designs that incorporates two tunny fish for balance. Interestingly, it has been suggested that the head of Silenos on this coin very possibly served as the model for a silver issue of the slightly later Lykian dynast Teththiveibi (see BMC 88 and SNG Berry 1164). One of the principal myths concerning Silenos has him lost and wandering in Phrygia, rescued by peasants and taken to the Phrygian King Midas, who treated him kindly. In return for Midas' hospitality Silenos regaled him with tales and Midas, enchanted by Silenos’ fictions, entertained him for five days and nights. When the god Dionysos found his wayward friend, he offered Midas a reward for his kindness towards Silenos, a blessing which the avaricious Midas squandered by choosing the power of turning everything he touched into gold. How fitting then, that we should see in this beautiful coin a faint reflection of that classic myth of the drunken but sage Silenos looking out at us across the millennia through this window of golden metal.
Kingdom of Pergamon, Philetairos I AR Tetradrachm. Circa 270-265 BC. Diademed head of the deified Seleukos I to right / Athena, helmeted and wearing long robes, seated to left on low throne with lion’s feet, resting her left elbow on support in the form of a sphinx, holding a transverse downward pointing spear in her left hand and resting her right on the edge of a round shield adorned with a gorgoneion standing before her; above, ivy leaf; to right, bow. BMC 28; De Hirsch 1459; Kraay/Hirmer 736; Newell 14, XVI-36a (same dies); SNG Lockett 2718 (same dies); SNG von Aulock 7451 (same dies). 17.03g, 28mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Philetairos began his career serving under Antigonos Monophthalmos, but after the Battle of Ipsos in 301 BC where Antigonos was killed, he shifted his allegiance to Lysimachos, who entrusted him with command of the fortress of Pergamon, and a treasury of nine thousand talents of silver (234 metric tonnes). Philetairos served Lysimachos until 282 BC, when perhaps because of conflicts involving the court intrigues of Arsinoe, Lysimachos' third wife, Philetairos deserted Lysimachos, offering himself and the important fortress of Pergamon, along with its treasury to Seleukos, who subsequently defeated and killed Lysimachos at the Battle of Korupedion in 281 BC. Seleukos himself was murdered by Ptolemy Keraunos, a brother of Arsinoe, a few months later at Lysimacheia. After the death of Seleukos, though he and Pergamon remained nominally under Seleukid dominion, Philetairos had considerable autonomy and with the help of his considerable wealth was able to increase his power and influence beyond Pergamon. His first coinage was struck under the reign of Antiochos I, the son of Seleukos, and though it proclaims his loyalty to Seleukos, the presence of his name upon the reverse must have inevitably raised suspicions about his ambitions. Nevertheless, Philetairos never went so far as to proclaim himself king, and remained loyal to the Seleukids until his death in 263. Having no children of his own, Philetairos passed the rule of Pergamon to his nephew Eumenes, who almost immediately revolted against Antiochos, defeating the Seleukid king near Sardes in 261. Eumenes was thus able to free Pergamon, and greatly increased the territory under his control. In his new possessions, he established garrison posts in the north at the foot of Mount Ida called Philetaireia after his adoptive father, and in the east, north-east of Thyatira near the sources of the river Lykos, called Attaleia after his grandfather, and he extended his control south of the river Caïcus to the Gulf of Kyme as well. Demonstrating his independence, he began to strike coins as his predecessor had done, only now the obverse portrait was that of his uncle and adoptive father Philetairos.
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Eukratides I 'the Great' AR Tetradrachm. Circa 171-145 BC. Diademed and draped heroic bust left, holding spear, wearing helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear / The Dioskouroi on horseback right, each holding spear and palm; BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛOY EYKPATIΔOY around, monogram to lower right. Bopearachchi 8B; SNG ANS 485; Mitchiner 179a. 16.99g, 34mm, 11h. Near Extremely Fine. A superb example of this iconic type. This remarkable tetradrachm of Eukratides I represents a pinnacle of Hellenistic numismatic portraiture. Depicting him in an unprecedented way as a helmeted warrior with a nude and muscular back, diadem ties flowing down it, and in a posture of preparing to strike with a spear or javelin. This image succeeds marvellously in evoking the romantic spirit of the by-gone golden age of Greek glory as embodied by heroes such as Leonidas and Epaminondas, who as tradition dictated, would fight in the front rank alongside their soldiers to lead and inspire by example. Such a posture was well known in Greek art and sculpture, being not only the typical stance of the Greek hoplite warrior, but also of the gods Zeus, Poseidon and Athena, most famously preserved in the form of the Artemision Bronze statue now in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Eukratides' stance is also reminiscent of the coins of Demetrios Poliorketes and Diodotos I, who both issued tetradrachms featuring a naked Poseidon and Zeus, respectively, wielding their weapons in a similar overarm stance; there however, the whole bodies were shown. Eukratides' use of this classic form to depict himself was an innovation that clearly made a lasting impression - the portrait type would be copied by successive Greek kings in India, and would later be adopted by several Roman emperors from the time of Septimius Severus onwards, as the role of the emperor became increasingly militarized in nature.
Caligula and Caesonia Æ27 of Carthago Nova, Hispania. Circa AD 37. C CAESAR AVG GERMANIC IMP P M TR P COS, laureate head of Caligula right / CN ATEL FLAC CN POM FLAC II VIR QVINC SAL AVG, laureate head of Caesonia as Salus to right; SAL-AVG across fields. SNG Copenhagen 503; RPC 185. 10.64g, 27mm, 3h. Good Very Fine. The reverse portrait has been traditionally identified, following Cohen, as Caesonia - the fourth and last wife of Caligula. This identification is disputed however by other numismatists who identify the portrait as either Antonia or simply Salus (without being an imperial personage in the guise of).
Severus Alexander Æ34 of Amasia, Pontus. Dated CY 234=AD 231-232. AVT K CEOVHPOC AΛEΞANΔPOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / AΔ CEY AΛEΞ AMACIAC MH, eagle with wings spread standing atop altar; above, Helios in facing quadriga; tree to left of altar, ЄT CΛΔ (date) flanking eagle. SNG von Aulock 43 SNG Copenhagen 118. 22.56g, 34mm, 1h. Good Very Fine. An attractive, fine style portrait.
Maximinus I Æ37 'Medallion' of Tralleis, Lydia. AD 235-238. Aur. Faidreios, magistrate. AYT K Γ IOYL OYH MAXIMEINOC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / EΠI ΓP AYP ΦAIΔPEIOY A TPAΛΛIANΩN, statue group of diademed Venus standing right wearing stola and palla with arms around Mars, nude but for crested helmet, standing facing, holding shield; cuirass on low column on right field ground line. F. Imhoof, Lydische Statdmünzen, Winterthur 1897, pp. 178-9, 38, pl. 7, 16. 23.63g, 37mm, 5h. About Extremely Fine. Dark green patina. Of the highest rarity; the only other known specimen is the one recorded by Imhoof in his collection. Under the Antonines there was an increased interest in depicting both aristocratic and freed men and women in mythical guise. The models for such statuary groups in the round and in the relief undoubtedly belonged to courtly circles. Even though no extant groups or coins explicitly portray an emperor or empress as Mars and Venus, such examples certainly existed. We know from Cassius Dio (81-96) that Marcus Aurelius and Faustina minor were celebrated as Mars and Venus and that she was commonly represented as Venus. Hadrian and other emperors also commonly appeared in statues in the guise of Mars. Three Roman statue groups have survived of a man and woman depicted as Mars and Venus in which portrait heads were placed on bodies based on the 5th century BC Greek so called ‘Ares Borghese’ type with attributed to the sculptor Alkamenes, now in the Louvre (MA 866; LIMC II, Ares 23). He stands in a counter-pose (contrapposto), with his right leg advanced in front and his weight resting on the left leg. In his right hand he carries a shield or lance and on his head he wears a high crested helmet. The woman also stands in counter-pose to the male figure which ultimately derives from a 4th century BC Greek so called ‘Aphrodite of Capua’ type now in the Museo Nazionale Archeologico, Naples (LIMC II, Aphrodite 627), an earlier version of the celebrated Aphrodite of Milos type now in the Louvre (LIMC II, Aphrodite 645), and close to the Venus of Arles attributed to Praxiteles, also now in the Louvre (LIMC II, Aphrodite 526). The statue probably represented the goddess admiring her reflection in the reflective surface of Ares’ shield, a motif known on coins from Corinth. (cf. Corinth, Plautilla BMC 664-6), with most of its weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist around from the hips and legs, giving the figure a dynamic and tender appearance. The earliest extant of these three groups was found on the Isola Sacra in Ostia and now in the Museo Capitolino, Rome (LIMC II, Ares/Mars 348). The woman is represented according to the Capuan Aphrodite type: she turns toward her husband and puts her left arm around his shoulders, unlike the Venus of Capua, she is clothed in a stola and palla. The man is nude, wears a helmet and short pallium and stands in the Ares Borghese counter-pose. The woman’s diademed head is coiffure with its series of overlapping locks and bun at the back of the head, is comparable to that of Faustina II on coins and portraits in the round of about AD 147. The carving of the hair style and face of the man resembles the portraits of a young Marcus Aurelius in about AD 145. This group must date from AD 145-150. The second group, formerly from the Borghese Collection and now in the Louvre (LIMC II, Ares/Mars 350) depicts the woman, probably Sabina, represented in the style of the Capuan Venus, except that she is also clothed in a stola and palla. The man is heroically nude, save for helmet and balteus with parazonium, and stands in the Ares Borghese counter-pose with a portrait that has often been identified as Hadrian during the principate of Antoninus Pius and can be dated to about AD 150-160. The third and latest group was found in the so-called Basilica at Ostia, now in the Museo Nazionale, Rome (LIMC II, Ares/Mars 347) also represents a man and woman in the style of the Venus of Capua and Ares Borghese statuary group, but now the woman is partially nude and the man is again completely heroically nude but for helmet and balteus with parazonium. The carving style of this group suggests an unknown Roman and his wife in the time of Marcus Aurelian and Faustina II to Commodus and Crispina, circa AD 175-180. Although there is no consensus amongst scholars as to the identification of these three groups as celebrating imperial personages or high status wealthy members of Roman society emulating the conceit of mythological portraiture popular among the imperial circle, there are three other lesser works with very similar representations of the general Mars/Venus group theme: the ‘Concordia group’ high relief sarcophagus panel in Palazzo Mattei, Rome (LIMC II, Ares/Mars 351); a mint of Rome medallion of Faustina II (Gnecchi II, p. 39, 10, pl. 67, 8) and a rare mint of Rome As of Faustina II (RIC III, 1680; BMC IV, 999-1001).
Quintus Labienus AR Denarius. Uncertain mint in Syria or south-eastern Asia Minor, early 40 BC. Bare head right; Q•LABIENVS•PARTHICVS•IMP around / Horse standing to right on ground line, wearing saddle with quiver attached and bridle. Crawford 524/2; Hersh 15; RSC 2. 3.33g, 18mm, 5h. Areas of old corrosion at edges, otherwise Extremely Fine. A bold and attractive portrait of Q. Labienus. Very Rare. It should perhaps not come as a surprise that Quintus Labienus, the son of Titus Labienus who was an important general to Caesar during the Gaul Campaign and then broke ties with him to form an alliance with Pompey, also became a traitor during his lifetime. After the assassination of Caesar, the younger Labienus joined Cassius and Brutus who sent him as an ambassador to Parthia to request support from King Orodes II. This mission proved to be unsuccessful and thus contributed to Cassius and Brutus being defeated in the battle of Philippi by Octavian and Antony in 42 BC. It is at this point that some may call Labienus a coward, and some an opportunist. He knew if he returned home he would face punishment, and the chances of advancement for himself would all but disappear. However, if he stayed with the Parthians he could perhaps have the opportunity to fulfil his military ambitions. Labienus therefore decided to stay and convince Orodes to invade Syria on the pretence that several areas under Antony and Octavian were not well protected. In 40 BC he jointly commanded forces with Orodes’ son Pacorus II that invaded areas of Syria and Asia Minor. Labienus and Pacorus were able to achieve much success and overtook Apameia, Antioch, and Cilicia. His success was short lived though, as in 39 BC he was defeated, captured and executed in an attack orchestrated by Antony and Octavian and carried out by Publius Ventidius. It is around the time of his military victories that he began striking coinage to pay the many soldiers he was acquiring through his conquests. This coin in particular strikes a balance between Roman and Parthian characteristics. The obverse depicts a very serious, yet commanding portrait in Roman style, but with a legend naming him PARTHICVS. The reverse depicts a horse with a bridled saddle and quiver, making reference to the infamous Parthian soldiers who were known for their accuracy and efficiency as horse archers. After Labienus was killed most of his coinage was melted down, making surviving examples very rare indeed.
Domitian Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 85. IMP CAES DOMITIAN AVG GERM COS XI, laureate bust right, wearing aegis / Emperor on horseback to right, holding shield and spearing recoiling enemy below horse; S C in exergue. RIC 280; BMC 300a; BN 317. 27.36g, 36mm. Very Fine. Scarce type; attractive portrait.
Hadrian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 125-128. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate head right, with drapery on left shoulder / COS III, Sol in prancing quadriga to left, holding whip and wearing chlamys. RIC 168; BMC 378; C –; Calicó 1209; Biaggi 583. 7.30g, 20mm, 7h. Mint State. Rare. While it is very likely that the Romans, like many other cultures, had a reverence for the sun from the earliest of times, the ‘official’ cult of the sun-god, Sol Indiges, did not have a very high profile initially. According to Roman sources, the worship of Sol was introduced by Titus Tatius. A shrine to Sol stood on the banks of the Numicius, near many important shrines of early Latin religion. In Rome itself Sol had an ‘old’ temple in the Circus Maximus according to Tacitus, and this temple remained important in the first three centuries AD. Sol also had an old shrine on the Quirinal Hill where an annual sacrifice was offered on August 9. Romans were therefore well acquainted with the concept of a sun god, though his appearance on coinage was infrequent; it would require an Eastern revival of the cult to bring it to prominence. It is known that by AD 158 the cult of Sol Invictus was established at Rome, as evidenced by a votive military inscription (see Campbell, 1994, The Roman army, 31 BC–AD 337: a sourcebook, p. 43 and Halsberghe 1972, p. 45.), however Rome’s first contact with the Syrian cult that would come to worship the sun under this name probably occurred sometime during the reign of Hadrian, whose Eastern connections led to an intensification of relations with the eastern provinces of the empire. Hadrian had accompanied Trajan on all his campaigns in Dacia and the East, and had been appointed legate of Syria, and remained there to guard the Roman frontiers as Trajan, now seriously ill, returned to Rome. Now the de facto supreme commander of the Eastern Roman army, Hadrian’s position as a potential claimant to the throne became unchallengeable. Even after his accession, Hadrian would remain in the East, consolidating the frontiers of the empire and assisting in the restoration of Egypt, Cyprus, Cyrene and Judaea. Sol does of course appear on the coinage of Trajan (see lot 800) where the type is used as a deliberate and obvious reference to his campaign of conquest in the East. Sol also appears early on in the coinage of Hadrian’s reign (see RIC 16), personifying the East more explicitly still with the inscription ORIENS below the portrait, doubtless representing not only a continuation of Trajan’s legacy but also an indirect reference to the emperor himself who, like the sun, had risen to power in the east. This second major issue of a Sol type appears to have coincided with the anticipation of the emperor’s imminent arrival from his tour of the Eastern provinces, heralding his return in a manner reminiscent of his earlier coinage.
Gordian I Africanus AR Denarius. Rome, AD 238. IMP M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / SECVRITAS AVGG, Securitas seated left, holding sceptre in right hand. RIC IV 5; BMCRE 11; RSC 10. 3.38g, 21mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Expressive portrait, lightly toned.
Theodosius I AV Solidus. Aquileia, 25 August AD 383 - AD 387. D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA AVGG, Theodosius & Gratian, nimbate and draped, seated facing, holding globe between them; above and behind them is a Victory with open wings, below and between a palm branch; A-Q across fields, COM in exergue. RIC 40b; Depeyrot 21/2; Paolucci 777. 4.50g, 21mm, 7h. Scrape across hair of portrait and flan edge at 5 o'clock (obv.), otherwise Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
Municipal coinage of Rome Æ 20 Nummi. Municipal coinage of Rome, AD 526-534. INVICTA ROMA, draped bust of Roma to right, wearing crested helmet, pendant earring and necklace / She-wolf standing to left, head turned back to watch the two infants Romulus and Remus suckling; two stars flanking Chi-Rho above, mark of value XX below. Hahn, MEC 99, MIB 71c (Theoderic); Kraus 29; Metlich 84b. 6.64g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and one of the very finest surviving coins from the reign of Athalaric. An exceptional example of the type, struck from dies of what may almost be described as fine. Although Rome in 526-534 was under Ostrogothic rule, the governance of the city and Italy in general as established by Theoderic was a civilised and relatively enlightened one. Theoderic had sought to revive Roman culture and self-government, and while he was at once king of the Goths, he was also the successor (though without any imperial titles) of the West Roman Emperors. These two nations, differing in religion, manners and language, lived in parallel and side by side with each other, without the one greatly influencing the other, and each was ruled according to its own laws. After his death in 526 his grandson Athalaric ascended the throne, with his mother Amalsuntha as Queen and regent. Although the most noticeable of the bronze coins used in Italy under the Ostrogoths are the countermarked asses and other earlier types (see lot 943), in fact these did not make up the bulk of the copper coinage in circulation at that time. Under Odovacar and the Ostrogoths the Roman Senate enjoyed a brief Indian summer of power; amongst its activities was a revival of the ancient Senatorial privilege of minting in bronze, which after a very brief issue in the name of Zeno, then consisted of types purely Roman in character, making no reference to either imperial or royal authority. This revived Senatorial coinage features the helmeted bust of Roma along with the ironic obverse inscription INVICTA ROMA, and recalls the ancient silver coins of the Republic. The reverse types, when they are not a Roman eagle (see lots 949-950) refer to the mythical founding of Rome, with Romulus and Remus being suckled by the she-wolf (as on the present example), or a fig tree representing the ficus ruminalis beneath which the scene supposedly took place. This Senatorial coinage came to an end in 535/6 when it was briefly replaced by the portrait coins of Theodahad (see lot 961). In 537, after the occupation of Rome by the forces of Belisarius, this was in turn replaced by a regular ‘Byzantine’ imperial coinage in the name of Justinian. When Rome again fell under Ostrogothic control and the mint was reopened in 549, the coinage issued there was purely royal and Ostrogothic in character (see lot 965). This series may therefore be rightfully described as the final issue of coinage struck by the ancient Romans in their own name.
[MISCELLANEOUS] Myerscough-Walker, R. Stage and Film Decor, Pitman, London, no date, cloth, dustjacket, mounted colour plate and further illustrations, the front free endpaper signed by Hedley Goodall and Derek McCulloch, quarto; Byron, Lord. The Works of, Galignani, Paris, 1828, full crimson leather, engraved portrait frontispiece, octavo; Thorpe, Adrian, editor. The Birds of Edward Lear, limited edition no.81, The Ariel Press, London, 1975, cloth, dustjacket, colour plates, folio, in slip-case; and assorted other works, including a Naval Storekeeping Manual, 1958.
[MISCELLANEOUS] The Royal Record of Tree Planting, the Provision of Open Spaces, Recreation Grounds & Other Schemes, undertaken in the British Empire and elsewhere, especially in the United States of America, in honour of the Coronation of His Majesty King George VI, first edition, Cambridge University Press, 1939, red cloth gilt, portrait frontispiece, large quarto (spine faded; upper joint torn).
AN EARLY 19TH CENTURY SILHOUETTE PORTRAIT MINIATURE OF A GENTLEMAN gouache heightened with gold, 6.5cm x 5cm (oval); together with a daguerreotype of a gentleman reading a book, in a hinged leather case; three miniature frames; a late 19th century Chinese carved ivory oval photograph frame, overall 11.5cm x 8.5cm; a hand-coloured photographic portrait miniature; and another small picture frame.
AUTOGRAPHS - TELEVISION, RADIO & OTHER Assorted signed portrait postcards and photographs, comprising Terry Wogan, Ken Bruce, Ed Stewart, Johnnie Walker, Bob Harris, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Trevor McDonald, Carol Vorderman, John Craven, Jonathan Ross, Roy Strong, Pam Ayres, Patrick Moore, Steve Davis, and others; together with further signatures on headed notepaper or clipped; and a quantity of facsimile signed portrait postcards (over 200 items).
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![[MISCELLANEOUS] Myerscough-Walker, R. Stage and Film Decor, Pitman, London, no date, cloth, dustjacket, mounted colour plate](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/06e4927d-6732-4ff0-bdff-a5ce009f5463/638a9d06-61a4-4c8d-ae63-34e92b7edad8/468x382.jpg)
![[MISCELLANEOUS] The Royal Record of Tree Planting, the Provision of Open Spaces, Recreation Grounds & Other Schemes, undertak](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/06e4927d-6732-4ff0-bdff-a5ce009f5463/1c75a788-3442-4014-8982-a6f3dc16ed5e/468x382.jpg)
