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Kingdom of Lydia, Kroisos AV Stater. Heavy standard. Sardes, circa 564/53-550/39 BC. Confronted foreparts of roaring lion to right and bull to left, each with extended foreleg / Two incuse squares punches. Berk 2; Le Rider, Naissance, pl. V, 2; Traité I 396; BMC 30; Boston MFA 2068–9; Gulbenkian 756. 10.75g, 17mm. Good Very Fine. Rare. Kroisos is credited with issuing the first true gold coins with a standardised purity for general circulation. The series began on a 'heavy' standard, with gold and silver staters of equal weight, around 10.6-10.7 grams, which was later reduced to about 8.17 grams for the gold. Studies have shown that coins of both standards circulated together, but that the heavy standard was only used for a relatively short time compared to the light standard, which continued to be used into the Persian period. All of the coins of Kroisos feature without variation his heraldic badge, the confronted heads of a lion and a bull, both ancient symbols of power. The badge itself doubtless stems from the ubiquitous and persistent theme of the lion-bull combat scene, which may be interpreted as a metaphor for divinely inspired heroic triumph. Indeed, divinely inspired heroic triumph was exactly what Kroisos expected when, encouraged by a prediction by the Delphic Oracle that if he attacked Persia he would destroy a great empire, Kroisos made his preparations for war with Cyrus the Great. The war resulted in defeat for Kroisos; his numerically superior army was smashed, and the capital Sardes was captured along with Kroisos and his family, who were immolated on the orders of Cyrus. Lydia became a satrapy of the Persian Empire, though it continued to mint coins in the traditional types, and indeed the legendary wealth of Kroisos was used by Cyrus to form the basis of a new Persian gold standard currency.

Kingdom of Lydia, Kroisos AV Stater. Light standard. Sardes, circa 564/53-550/39 BC. Confronted foreparts of roaring lion to right and bull to left, each with extended foreleg / Two incuse squares punches. Berk 3; Traité I 401–3; SNG von Aulock 2875; SNG Lockett 2983 = Pozzi 2726; Athena Fund I 60; BMC 31; Boston MFA 2073; Gulbenkian 757; Zhuyuetang 11. 8.08g, 15mm. Good Very Fine. Kroisos is credited with issuing the first true gold coins with a standardised purity for general circulation. His kingdom represented the last bastion against Persian expansion westwards into Greek lands; encouraged by a prediction of the Delphic Oracle that if he attacked Persia he would destroy a great empire, Kroisos made his preparations for war with Cyrus the Great. The war resulted in defeat for Kroisos; his numerically superior army was smashed, and the capital Sardes was captured along with Kroisos and his family, who were immolated on the orders of Cyrus. Lydia became a satrapy of the Persian Empire, though it continued to mint coins in the traditional types, and indeed the legendary wealth of Kroisos was used by Cyrus to form the basis of a new Persian gold standard currency.

Kings of Pontos, Mithradates VI Eupator AV Stater. Pergamon, dated month 12, year 223 BE = September 74 BC. Diademed head right / Pegasos grazing left; BAΣIΛEΩΣ above, MIΘPAΔATOY EYΠATOPOΣ in two lines below; to left, star-in-crescent above ΓKΣ (year); two monograms to right, IB (month) in exergue; all within Dionysiac wreath of ivy and fruit. Roma XII, lot 356 = Roma VII, lot 757; CNG 93, lot 339; CNG 94, lot 399; NAC 92, lot 184. otherwise unpublished, but cf. Callataÿ dies D52-55 for tetradrachms from the same date, certainly by the same engraver. 8.42g, 20mm, 11h. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare; one of six known specimens, and one of the very latest known staters from Mithradates' reign. Although some sources cite the initial battles of the Third Mithradatic War taking place in 74 BC, more recently the Battle of Chalkedon and the siege of Kyzikos have been dated to 73 BC. Cicero supports this dating, as he places Lucullus in Rome in November of 74 BC – Lucullus was only dispatched after reports of Mithradates invasion into Bithynia had reached Rome. Appian also supports the dating of hostilities to early in 73, stating that Mithradates spent 'the remainder of the summer and the whole of the winter' before the outbreak of war in building ships and augmenting his army. In this light, the present stater should be seen as part of Mithradates financial preparations for the war to come, struck on the eve of his invasion of the new Roman province of Bithynia and the start of the Third Mithradatic War (73-63 BC). This conflict, sparked when Nikomedes IV of Bithynia died without heirs in 75 and left his kingdom to Rome, was carefully timed to coincide with the outbreak of the Sertorian rebellion in Spain, thus causing the threat to become greater than its parts, and have serious potential of overturning Roman power. Despite early success, Mithradates was outclassed by the successive Roman generals Cotta, Lucullus and Pompey. Over the course of ten years, great devastation was wrought on Pontos, which eventually in 65 BC was declared by Pompey to be a Roman province. The kingdom of Armenia, which had been allied to Mithradates and fought alongside him, was subjugated and made a client state. Defeated, Mithradates fled to Colchis and from there to the Cimmerian Bosporos. Mithradates' sad end came as he sought the assistance of his son Machares, King of the Cimmerian Bosporus, in raising a new army. Machares, who had allied himself with Rome, refused to assist his father, who according to Cassius Dio, had him put to death, and took the throne of the Bosporan kingdom for himself. His younger son, Pharnakes, backed by a disgruntled and war weary populace, led a rebellion against his father. Mithradates, either despairing now for the loss of his authority or because he was forced to do so by Pharnakes, attempted to commit suicide by taking poison. However, because he had taken tiny doses of all available poisons throughout his life to guard against assassination, the attempt failed and he was forced to ask his Gallic friend and bodyguard Bituitus to kill him by sword. His body was sent to Pompey, by whose instruction it was buried with all decorum alongside those of his ancestors.

Sasanian Kings, Shapur I AV Dinar. Ctesiphon, AD 260-272. Draped bust right, wearing diadem and mural crown surmounted by a korymbos; one pellet above and two below diadem ties / Fire-altar flanked by two regal attendants wearing mural crowns, symbol to left of flames. SNS type IIc/1b, style P, group d/1 (pl. 31, 143); Göbl type I/1; Saeedi AV5; Sunrise 740. 7.44g, 21mm, 3h. Mint State. Rare. In AD 253 Shapur met and annihilated a Roman army of 60,000 at the Battle of Barbalissos, and proceeded then to burn and ravage the Roman province of Syria. Armenia was conquered, and Georgia submitted to Sasanian control. With his northern borders secure, Shapur then led an army which penetrated deep into Syria, plundering all the way to Antioch which quickly fell to his forces. The Roman counter-offensive under emperor Valerian was slow, but by 257 Antioch had been recovered and the province of Syria returned to Roman control. Shapur's speedy retreat caused the Romans to launch a hasty pursuit of the Sasanians all the way to Edessa, where they were severely defeated, and Valerian along with the survivors of his army were led away into captivity. The defeat and capture of Valerian surely marks the greatest achievement in the reign of Shapur, who is also called 'the Great', and the submission of Valerian is commemorated in a mural at Naqsh-e Rustam, which shows the emperor bending the knee before Shapur on horseback. Valerian's army was sent to Bishapur, and the soldiers were used in engineering and development works, such as the Band-e Kaisar (Caesar's dam) near the ancient city of Susa.

Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Caesar, 48-47 BC. Diademed female head right, wearing oak-wreath, cruciform earring, and pearl necklace; LII behind / Trophy of Gallic arms; axe surmounted by an animal's head to right; CAESAR below. Crawford 452/2; CRI 11; RSC 18. 3.83g, 19mm, 7h. Virtually as struck. Ex Auctiones 17, 7 June 1988, lot 493; Ex Leu 30, 28 April 1982, lot 265. Since the numerals behind the obverse head have long been recognized to represent Caesar's age at the time, this denarius was struck shortly after the battle of Pharsalus, where Pompey met his ultimate defeat, and Caesar became master of Rome. The reverse deliberately references Caesar's Gallic victories, rather than his recent victory over fellow Romans, the celebration of which would have been distasteful; Caesar's conduct after the battle was similarly conciliatory - he forgave the large part of Pompey's officers and army. The depiction of this female portrait wearing the corona civica, or oak wreath, however, may be a subtle allusion to his Pompeian victory. This award was granted to any citizen who had personally saved the life of another citizen; in this case, Caesar had saved the citizen-body of Rome and the Republic from further civil war.

Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Rome, January-February 44 BC. P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer. Wreathed head of Caesar to right; star of eight rays behind, CAESAR•IMP downwards before / Venus Victrix standing left, holding Victory in outstretched right hand and with left, resting on vertical sceptre set on star; P•SEPVLLIVS downwards to right, MACER upwards to left. Crawford 480/5b; CRI 106a; Sydenham 1071; BMCRR Rome 4165-6; RSC 41. 3.99g, 20mm, 5h. Extremely Fine. An exceptional portrait of Caesar, engraved in the finest style; centrally struck on a very broad flan. From the property of B.R.S., United Kingdom. In the years of his supremacy, Caesar had amassed unprecedented power by corrupting the institutions of the old Republic to his own requirements. First appointed Dictator in 49 BC by the Praetor (and future Triumvir) Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, possibly in order to preside over elections, Caesar resigned his Dictatorship within eleven days but in 48 BC he was appointed Dictator again, only this time for an indefinite period, and was also given permanent tribunician powers making his person sacrosanct and allowing him to veto the Senate. In 46 BC he was appointed Dictator for ten years, and he gave himself quasi-censorial powers under the mantle of ‘Prefect of the Morals’, enabling him to fill the Senate with his partisans who duly voted him the titles of Pater Patriae and Imperator. He increased the number of magistrates who were elected each year, thus allowing him to reward his supporters, and in October 45 BC, having served in the unconstitutional role of Sole Consul for that year, Caesar resigned his consulship and facilitated the election of two successors for the remainder of the year - theoretically restoring the ordinary consulship, but in practice submitting the Consuls to the Dictatorial executive - a practice that later become common under the Empire. In February 44 BC, one month before his assassination, Caesar was appointed Dictator for life. More followed; he was given the unprecedented honour of having his own likeness placed upon the Roman coinage, his statue was placed next to those of the kings, he was granted a golden chair in the Senate, and was permitted to wear triumphal dress whenever he chose. Then, at the festival of the Lupercal, Marc Antony presented Caesar with a royal diadem, and attempted to place it on his head. Yet for all these hideous affronts to the ancient institutions of the Republic and the sensibilities of the Roman people, perhaps his most egregious reform was the law he passed in preparation for his planned campaign against the Parthian Empire. Realising that his absence from Rome would impede his ability to install his own men in positions of power and that therefore his back would be exposed while away from the city, Caesar decreed that he would have the right to appoint all magistrates in 43 BC, and all consuls and tribunes in 42 BC, thus at a stroke transforming the magistrates from being representatives of the people to being representatives of the dictator. The obverse of this coin presents a bold portrait of the dictator in the final months of his life, wearing the corona civica Caesar had won while serving in the army of M. Minucius Thermus at the Siege of Mytilene in 81 BC. The portrait is bold and engraved in fine style, and made all the more impressive for its being centrally struck on an exceptionally broad flan that features a complete border on both obverse and reverse.

Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain (Corcyra?) mint, Summer 40 BC. Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus, imperator. Bare head right; lituus to left; ANT•IMP•III•VIR•R•P•C around / Prow right; star above; CN•DOMIT•AHENOBARBVS IMP around. Crawford 521/2; CRI 258; RSC 10a; Sydenham 1179; BMCRR East 112. 3.82g, 20mm, 5h. Near Mint State. Very Rare, and among the finest known examples of the type. From the property of B.R.S., United Kingdom. This rare issue commemorates the reconciliation of Antony with Ahenobarbus in 40 BC. Although he had probably played no part in the assassination of Caesar, Ahenobarbus followed Brutus into Macedonia when the latter was forced to leave Rome, and was consequently condemned by the Lex Pedia in 43 BC as one of the murderers. In 42 BC, with command of a powerful fleet of fifty ships, Ahenobarbus won a considerable victory for the liberators on the first day of the Battle of Philippi, defeating Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus in the Ionian Sea as he was sailing with reinforcements from Brundisium. The triumvirate fleet was destroyed, and Ahenobarbus was saluted as Imperator. Following the Liberator defeat at Philippi, Ahenobarbus conducted operations against the triumvirate independently of Sextus Pompey, and with a fleet of seventy ships and two legions, he devastated the regions under the triumvirs, attacking Brundisium again, where he captured some of Octavian’s ships, and burnt others. In 40 BC, upon learning of the defeat of his brother Lucius and wife Fulvia in the Perusine War, Antony set sail for Italy with a small army and two hundred ships which he had built in Asia. Arriving at Athens, Antony was met by his wife Fulvia and his mother Julia, who had taken refuge with Sextus and been sent by him with warships from Sicily. She was accompanied by some leading Pompeians whose aim was to bring Antony and Sextus into alliance against Octavian. Antony’s response to the embassy was to offer alliance in case of war and reconciliation in case of peace, suggesting that Antony believed that a lasting partnership with Octavian was still possible. These new lines of communication with Sextus provided an avenue by which former supporters of the liberators could find their way back from exile; the most prominent of these was Ahenobarbus, who met Antony at sea with his whole army and his fleet rowing at a high rate of striking. Both fleets approached the other with standards flying; Antony’s lictor requested Ahenobarbus to dip his standard, as was custom when a commander met another of superior rank, and Ahenobarbus complied, with the combined fleet now moving together to Brundisium, which unsurprisingly closed its gates against Ahenobarbus and Antony.

Caracalla AV Aureus. Rome, AD 198. IMP CAE M AVR ANT AVG P TR P •, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / MINER VICTRIX, Minerva standing left, holding Victory and inverted spear; shield at her side, trophy to right. RIC 25b; Calicó 2696 = Biaggi 1183 (same rev. die). 7.36g, 20mm, 12h. Near Mint State; superbly lustrous and undoubtedly one of the finest known examples of the type. Very Rare. From the property of B.R.S., United Kingdom. The reverse type of this coin had ancient roots; the evolution of the type can be traced back as far as the denarii of C. Vibius C. f. Pansa in 90 BC, which featured the figure of Minerva, holding a trophy over her shoulder, in a galloping quadriga (Crawford 342/5). Julius Caesar further popularised the Minerva Victrix type with his use of a standing design upon his bronze issue of 45 BC (Crawford 476/1), and in this standing form the type would be popularised under Domitian, who adopted Minerva as his patron deity; Domitian’s provincial coinage also features the first appearance of Minerva standing with a trophy behind her (RPC II 2304). Yet the type in its present form was instituted comparatively late on, in the reign of Commodus c. AD 188/9, when it was used on very rare aurei (Calicό 2290a) and bimetallic medallions (Gnecchi II, p. 57, 48), sestertii and denarii. It may seem strange that the Severans should wish to prominently re-use a type commisioned for Commodus, particularly given how fresh the excesses and outrages committed by that former emperor would still have been in the minds of Roman citizens everywhere. However, Caracalla’s father Septimius Severus was himself a usurper, albeit to an emperor who had shamefully bought the imperial throne at auction. Thus Septimius, in order to shore up his ambitions to forge an imperial dynasty, was required for appearances’ sake to legitimise his rule in the eyes of mob. This inevitably manifested itself, as with the Flavians a century before, in the form of piety towards the earlier ‘good’ emperors. In Septimius’ case, he owed his rank and position to advances gained under Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, the latter of whom had himself appointed Septimius as governor of Pannonia Superior in AD 191. He therefore sought to apply a veneer of validity to his assumption of the helm of empire by force, which he did by styling himself the ‘son of Marcus’, and renaming his eldest son (who would be known to history by his nickname Caracalla) Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. In so doing, Septimius effectively adopted himself and his heir into the Antonine family. He furthermore made efforts to rehabilitate the memory of Commodus, and forced an unwilling Senate to deify the late emperor in 195. In 197, the year before this aureus was struck, Septimius was faced with a large-scale Parthian incursion into Roman Mesopotamia, only recently pacified after a campaign in 195 against rebellious local vassal states. Septimius’ military response began with the rapid subjugation of the Parthian-allied kingdom of Armenia, from where he marched to the relief of the strategically important city of Nisibis. Septimius then divided his army into three; the main force he led along the Euphrates to attack the dual metropolis of Seleucia-on-the-Tigris and Ctesiphon, while the second force would ravage eastern Mesopotamia, and the third would recross the Tigris into Adiabene. Babylon and Seleucia-on-the-Tigris were taken without resistance, and in January 198 the Parthian king Vologases chose to meet the Roman army in the field before the walls of the capital Ctesiphon. The battle resulted in a resounding defeat for the Parthians; the city itself was breached and thoroughly sacked - the male population was exterminated and ancient sources attest to 100,000 being enslaved. On January 28, the exact centenary of Trajan’s accession, Septimius proclaimed that he had conquered Parthia, and took the title that Trajan had first held, ‘Parthicus Maximus’. On the same day he conferred the rank of Augustus and status of co-emperor on his nine year old son Caracalla. This aureus, like many Severan issues struck in 198, makes reference to this victory over Rome’s old nemesis.

Otacilia Severa (wife of Philip I) AV Aureus. Rome, AD 245-247, in a contemporary gold pendant with an openwork border of leaf-pattern with a ribbed suspension loop, on an ancient necklace. M•OTACIL SEVERA AVG, draped bust of Otacilia right, wearing stephane, hair in six tight waves with turned up plait / CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopiae. R. Bland, ‘The gold coinage of Philip I and family’, in RN 171, 2014, pp. 93-149, 30 (OS10/O3); RIC 125 (Philip I); Calicó 3264. For a similar openwork gold setting with loop see: F.H. Marshall, Catalogue of the Jewellery, Greek, Etruscan and Roman, in the Department of Antiquities, British Museum, London 1969, pl. 68, 2937 (Philip I). 25.17g (including mount and chain), 28mm (coin in mount), 1h (coin). Good Extremely Fine. Lustrous metal and unmarked surfaces with light reddish tone. Rare. Ex Roma Numismatics XI, 7 April 2016, lot 849; Ex private German collection. Little is known about Otacilia, the wife of Philip I, and the coinage struck in her name is rather typical of a third century empress. Honorary and milestone inscriptions tell us that Otacilia received the title 'Mater Castrorum' (mother of the camps) and may indicate that she accompanied Philip on his military campaigns, although the title does not appear on any of her surviving coinage. The reverse types of Otacilia emphasise her piety and role within the imperial family, as the personification of Concordia on this rare aureus. Concordia embodied harmony and her attributes, the patera and cornucopia, allude to the act of sacrifice and material abundance that arise from stable conditions. The concept of concord was often used to describe imperial marital harmony and represented the political relations which underpinned the empire as a whole. Sixteen men would be given or claim the title of Augustus during the years 244 to 260, and many were met with an untimely death. Otacilia's husband Philip I was the first of this series of short-lived emperors, who reigned for just five years between 244 and 249. Philip was a praetorian commander serving under Gordian III on a campaign against Persia, when the army stationed in camp at Circesium on the Euphrates declared Philip emperor and murdered the young Gordian. Philip quickly agreed to pay 500,000 denarii, in addition to an annual indemnity, in order to secure peace terms with the Sasanian king Shapur so that he could return to Rome and consolidate his power. Upon Philip's accession, Otacilia was given the title Augusta and their son, Philip the younger, was raised to the rank of Caesar and later promoted to Augustus in 247. The events of the following three years are unclear however; Philip seems to have spent much of his time on the Danube frontier fighting the Carpi for which he celebrated a triumph in Rome. The most significant event of his reign was the commemoration of the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the city, marked by a series of games in 248. In the same year, the legions of Moesia and Pannonia declared their commander Tiberius Claudius Marinus Pacatianus emperor. The uprising on the Danube frontier was short lived for Pacatian was killed by his own men, but a second would soon break out in the east when Jotapian was proclaimed emperor. The rebellion was not crushed until the following year, and two other abortive rebellions are known from the coins struck by Silbannacus on the Rhine, and Sponsianus on the Danube. Philip appointed a respected senator Quintus Decius Valerinus to be governor of the provinces of Moesia and Pannonia in an attempt to secure the loyalty of the legions in the Danube and repel an incursion by the Goths. This placed several legions under the control of Decius who were known to wish for a change of emperor. After Decius defeated the Goths in 249, he was proclaimed Augustus by his legions and marched on Rome. Philip was defeated near Verona and killed in the battle, and it is thought that once the news reached Rome, his son was murdered by the Praetorian Guard. It is unknown whether Otacilia suffered the same fate as her son or was allowed to live in retirement.

Aurelian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 272. AVRELIANVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right, with slight drapery on left shoulder / P M TR P COS P P, radiate lion leaping to left, holding thunderbolt in its jaws. RIC 159 (Siscia); Göbl Aurelian, 129An20 (these dies, given as Rome mint), pl. 75 = Vienna 40.413; BN p. 416 and pl. 85, 259; Calicó 4022 (this reverse die); NAC 99, 32 = NGSA 4, 236 (this reverse die). 5.89g, 21mm, 11h. Near Mint State; well centred and struck on a broad flan. Almost certainly the finest known example of the type, and definitely superior to the only other specimen offered in recent years. From a private European collection. Featuring a radiate lion carrying a thunderbolt in its jaws - by AD 272 a familiar design on the Roman imperial coinage, first instituted on the coinage of Caracalla over half a century earlier - this aureus of Aurelian bears the same religio-propagandistic message as the coinages of those other emperors who made use of the type. Caracalla, Philip I, Philip II, and Gallienus all campaigned or conducted war in the East; the lion has ever been from the earliest days a solar symbol and hence representative of the East on account of this being the ‘land of the rising sun’. The radiate nature of the lion confirms this through an implied amalgamation with Sol (equated with the Greek deity Helios), the initially minor Roman solar god who came to increasing prominence in third century Roman religion, particularly as a patron of soldiers (Sol Invictus). The thunderbolt meanwhile is a clear reference to Jupiter; this composite image therefore has been interpreted as Roman dominance over the east, and as a sign of the high esteem in which Aurelian held solar worship due to the conflated depiction of these divine attributes of Jupiter and Sol.  This aureus was issued in late 271 or 272 for the purpose of Aurelian’s war to reclaim the Eastern provinces of Syria, Palestine, Egypt and large parts of Asia Minor from the separatist Palmyrene Empire ruled by Queen Zenobia and her son Vabalathus. In early 272 Aurelian crossed the Bosphorus and his expeditious prosecution of the war, the defeat of the Palmyrene field army at Immae and Emesa, and a general policy of amnesty towards cities that opened their gates resulted in the swift recovery of the breakaway provinces, such that by the Summer of 272 Zenobia and Vabalathus were besieged at Palmyra, which soon capitulated. Zenobia and the Palmyrene council were put on trial in Emesa; most of the high officials were executed, while the queen and her son were taken to Rome to be marched through the city in Aurelian’s triumph, Zenobia bound with golden chains to enhance the spectacle. Palmyra itself, though initially spared by the Aurelian, spurned the emperor’s clemency and rebelled again in 273; this time no quarter was shown – the citizens were massacred and the city was razed to the ground. Following the successful conclusion of the campaign, Aurelian further strengthened the position of Sol Invictus as one of the premier deities in the Romano-Greek pantheon by constructing a new temple in the Campus Agrippae at Rome which was dedicated on 25 December AD 274 with lavish decorations, many of which were spoils taken from the sack of Palmyra. Meanwhile the priests of Sol were elevated from simple sacerdotes drawn from the lower ranks of Roman society to pontifices and members of the new college of pontifices instituted by the emperor, of which every pontifex of Sol was a member of the elite senatorial class. This apparent usurpation of Jupiter’s pre-eminence within the Romano-Greek pantheon may have been eased by the ancient primacy of solar worship in the Eastern parts of the empire and the pre-existing association between the two deities: Helios had occasionally been conflated in classical literature with Zeus, being either directly referred to as Zeus’ eye, or clearly implied to be (see for example Hesiod WD 267).

Numerian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 284. IMP NVMERIANVS P F AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right / VIRTVS AVGG, Hercules standing to right, leaning on club with his left hand and resting his left on his hip. RIC 407; C. -; Calicó 4334. 4.66g, 20mm, 5h. Extremely Fine - Good Extremely Fine; pierced in antiquity. Extremely Rare, no other examples on CoinArchives. From the collection of D.I., Germany, purchased before 1992. The great rarity of this coin is in large part due to the brevity of Numerian's reign. In 282, the legions of the upper Danube in Raetia and Noricum rebelled and proclaimed the praetorian prefect Marcus Aurelius Carus emperor in opposition to Probus. Probus' army, stationed in Sirmium, decided they did not wish to fight Carus and assassinated Probus instead. Carus, already sixty, immediately elevated his sons Carinus and Numerian to the rank of Caesar. In 283 Carus determined to take advantage of a succession crisis within the Sassanid empire, and marched east at the head of an army along with Numerian, while Carinus was left in charge in the West. The invasion met with great success, and the army was able to make huge incursions into Persian lands, and even capture the capital Ctesiphon. The campaign came to a premature end when Carus died suddenly (according to some sources, from a lightning strike). Numerian made an orderly retreat from Persia, and subsequently died in mysterious circumstances during the journey west. Amid rumours of murder, the prefect Aper was executed by the man who went on to become emperor. Diocletian, previously an officer under Carus, was acclaimed by the army and proceeded to continue the march west, meeting Carinus' army in battle in Moesia and emerging as victor and emperor. The reverse of this stunning aureus typifies the propagandist nature of Roman coinage, and bestows on Numerian the quality of 'virtus', which encompassed valour, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth - the necessary attributes of a Roman and especially of an emperor. Coupled with the standing figure of Hercules, with his usual attributes of club and lion's skin, this reverse references the military victories that Numerian and Carus achieved in the east and likens them to the completion of Hercules' labours.

Maximian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 293-294. MAXIMIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / HERCVLI VICTORI, Hercules seated facing on rock, head to right, lion's skin on lap, holding club with left hand; bow and quiver resting to right; PR in exergue. RIC -; Depeyrot 5B/5 (these dies); Calicó 4682 (this obverse die); C. 306 var.; A. Baldwin Brett, The Aurei and Solidi of the Arras Hoard, NC 1933, p. 297, 41. 6.02g, 20mm, 7h. Near Mint State. Very Rare. Ex Hess-Leu 41, April 24 1969, lot 540. Given the title 'Herculius' by Diocletian, Maximianus' role was always that of the military might to Diocletian's strategic planning. Whilst the title reflected the adoption of Hercules as the heavenly father of Maximianus and thus, his familial ties to divinity, it was also representative of his role as junior emperor. Taking the cognomen of 'Jovius', Diocletian assumed familial ties to the more authoritative deity of Jupiter, as the father of Hercules, and so indicated his superiority over Maximianus as the director of imperial policy. The reverse depiction of Hercules on this stunning aureus displays this imperial theology with the inscription HERCVLI VICTORI ("Hercules the Victor"). Hercules is depicted seated in repose with his attributes: the club, the lion’s skin, as well as the bow and quiver set beside him. The representation and accompanying legend evokes the famous victories of the Twelve Labours and serves as an allegorical celebration of Maximianus’ own military success. The top-heavy musculature of the seated figure, with head turned and crossed resting arms closely resembles that of the Hellenistic Greek sculpture ‘Terme Boxer’ excavated in Rome in 1885 and now in the collection of the National Museum of the same city. The colossal masculinity of this sculptural figure of Hercules alludes to the strength of the emperor as ‘Herculius’. Despite the suggestion of superior strength and victory, Maximianus was beginning to falter in his role as a military instrument of the empire. His failed invasion of Britain in 289, against the ever-increasing threat of Carausius, led Diocletian to conclude that their divinely sanctioned diarchy was insufficient to manage the Empire. Constantius was appointed to the office of Caesar in the West and Galerius was granted the same position in the East, establishing a Tetrarchy that would relieve Maximianus of his military responsibilities. This coin was most probably produced in response to the increase in bureaucracy that the appointment of two new Caesars in 293 will have occasioned, as well as the ever present needs of the army protecting the eastern frontier of the Empire.

Constantine II, as Caesar, AV Solidus. Treveri, AD 326-327. FL CL CONSTANTINVS IVN N C, laureate head right / PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS, Constantine II standing right, in military attire and with cloak spread, holding transverse spear in right hand and globe in left; TR in exergue. RIC 500; Alföldi 347; Depeyrot 31/1. 4.58g, 20mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Ex Ambrose Collection; Ex Andre Constantine Dimitriadis Collection, Heritage 3032, 10 April 2014, lot 23658; Ex Dreesmann Collection, Spink London, 13 April 2000, lot 150. With his defeat of Licinius in 324, Constantine I finally secured sole rule over the empire, thus conferring greater responsibilities onto the capable shoulders of his son and heir Crispus. The young Caesar had been appointed Commander of Gaul after his accession in 317, and had shown himself to be a highly capable military commander on both land and sea. His successful command at the naval engagement of the Hellespont and of part of the army at Chrysopolis contributed significantly to Constantine’s victory over Licinius. Crispus was honoured with statues, mosaics and cameos. Yet in 326 Constantine mysteriously ordered the execution of his beloved son, apparently at the instigation of his wife Fausta, motivated by jealousy and ambition, who falsely claimed Crispus had attempted to rape her. This led to the elevation of Constantine II as commander of Gaul in the same year, despite his being only ten at the time. Depicted here possessing the clear likeness of his father, the young Caesar is also portrayed on the reverse in his role as Prince of Youth, armed and garbed in military dress. An important part of the imperial propaganda, this coinage was intended to inspire public confidence in Constantine Caesar and to reassure the population of the empire that the line of succession remained secure.

Sicily, Syracuse AV Dekadrachm. Thoinon or Sosistratos, 278 BC. Head of Persephone to left, wearing wreath of grain leaves, pendant earring and pearl necklace; ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ before, bee behind / Nike driving galloping quadriga to right, holding reins and kentron; crescent moon above, Θ below, ΕΠΙ ΙΚΕΤΑ erased from the die in exergue. Buttrey, Morgantina, 5-R (same dies); SNG Munich 1292; Nomos 8, 22 October 2013, 58 (same dies). 4.27g, 16mm, 1h. Good Extremely Fine, (previously slabbed by NGC #4161133-001, graded AU Strike 4/5, Surface 4/5). Very Rare. From the collection of T.M., Germany; Ex Stack´s, Bowers & Ponterio 164, 6 January 2012, lot 122; Ex Giessener Münzhandlung 96, 07 June 1999, lot 61; Ex Leu 59, 17 May 1994, lot 74; Ex Hess-Leu 12, 12 April 1962, lot 117. After Agathokles' assassination by Maenon, the latter put the former tyrant's grandson to death and seized command of his army that was then besieging Aetna, directing it instead against Syracuse. Hiketas was entrusted with the command of a sizeable force by the Syracusans to defend the city. Despite later seizing supreme power, Hiketas apparently never styled himself as king. During his nine year reign he defeated Phintias of Akragas and took that city, then turned his attention to the Carthaginians. He was however dealt a severe defeat in battle against their forces at the river Terias and as a result was expelled from Syracuse by Thoinon, one of his officers. Thoinon however faced opposition from both Sosistratos, a fellow officer, and from the Carthaginian forces that had defeated Hiketas. In this desperate time of civil war and foreign invasion before Pyrrhos would arrive and be hailed saviour by the Syracusans, there was apparently no time to produce new dies at the mint, and thus the old dies of Hiketas were reused - with his name hastily obliterated.

Attica, Athens AR Drachm. Circa 500-490 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing earring and crested Attic helmet ornamented with beaded decorations on crest holder and spiral on bowl / Owl standing to right with head facing, olive branch behind, ΑΘΕ before; all within incuse square. Svoronos pl. 7, 23; cf. Seltman pl. XXII, υ; Gorny & Mosch 232, 207 (same dies). 4.27g, 16mm, 10h. Good Extremely Fine; attractive old cabinet tone. Very Rare; a marvellous example of this extremely desirable type. Privately purchased from Gorny & Mosch. Athens was one of the few Greek cities with significant silver deposits in their immediate territory, a remarkable stroke of fortune upon which Xenophon reflected: 'The Divine Bounty has bestowed upon us inexhaustible mines of silver, and advantages which we enjoy above all our neighbouring cities, who never yet could discover one vein of silver ore in all their dominions.' The mines at Laurion had been worked since the bronze age, but it would be only later in 483 that a massive new vein of ore would be discovered that enabled Athens to finance grand new schemes such as the construction of a fleet of 200 triremes, a fleet that would later prove decisive in defending Greece at the Battle of Salamis. This coin was produced in the period before the discovery of the new deposits at Laurion, around the time of the Ionian Revolt and the subsequent first Persian invasion of Greece. Athens aided the Ionian Greeks in their rebellion against Persian tyranny with both coin and soldiers, participating in the 498 BC march on Sardes which resulted in the capture and sack of that city – the only significant offensive action taken by the Ionians, who were pushed back onto the defensive and eventually subjugated once more. Vowing to punish Athens for their support of the doomed rebellion, the Persian king Darius launched an invasion of Greece, landing at Marathon in 490 BC. Just twenty five miles from Athens, a vastly outnumbered Athenian hoplite army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persians, who after suffering horrendous casualties turned to their ships and fled.

A painted metal casket with various toy vehicles - Dinky Sunbeam Alpine, Austin Healey, army vehicles, Meccano, Matchbox, Hawker Hunter, Corgi Austin Seven, Corgi Ferrari, tinplate tractor and tank, two slot cars, Corgi Aston Martin 007 DB5, etc together with some wooden toys and dolls house

A WWII British Army `battle bowler` helmet painted in desert colours with internal webbing and chin-strap

CYMA; a military issue chrome cased crown wind pocket watch, the circular dial set with Arabic numerals and subsidiary second dial, a further example, the dial inscribed 'Services Army' and a Waltham pocket watch decorated with a stag to the back, diameter 5.5cm (3).

A collection of mid-20th century diecast play worn Dinky cars comprising seven racing cars and seven other cars, plus a Dinky Centurion tank, an armoured car and an army wagon, also a diecast tractor and military cyclist and a quantity of farm and zoo animals, and soldiers.

A large collection of 12'' records to include 'Broadway Hits', The Salvation Army 'A Joyful Hour of Music and Songs' and Parade of Pops 'Solid Gold'.

A good collection of over 90 British cap badges to include West Yorkshire Regiment 15th Service Battalion ('Leeds Pals'), 8th Bn. P. W. O. West Yorkshire Regt., Isle of Wight Rifles, Somerset Light Infantry, Leicestershire Hindoostan (x2), Cambridgeshire Regt., The Essex Regt., Royal Tank Corps, Brecknockshire, 8th (Irish) Bn King's Liverpool Regt., 1st Bn. Hampshire Regt., Royal Marines, Royal Army Medical and Veterinary Corps, Intelligence Corps, The Rifle Brigade etc, all except 9 mounted on boards.

A group of 9 plastic economy cap and collar badges comprising RAF, Royal Engineers (x2), Royal Corps of Signals, Royal Army Pioneer, Medical, Catering, Ordnance and Service corps (9).

INDIAN ARMY MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL 1888 (George V issue) and INDIAN ARMY LONG SERVICE & GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL (Indian, George VI issue); two medals, awarded to 4696 L. Nk. (Bgl. Maj.) Bishun Singh, 1/Bn. Corps of Guides (F. F.) and 3931 Nk. Partap Singh., 1-12 F. F. R. respectively (2).

A small group of mixed medals to include Jutland 1916 (Spink & Son issue), India 'Army Temperance Association', Juste Lipse 1547-1606 (bronze), WWII France and Germany star and Third Reich 'Für Kriegsver Dienst 1939', Silver War Badge etc, also a small number of military cap badges and buttons and two Metropolitan-Vickers Elec. Co. Ltd factory entry passes.

WWII GROUP OF 7; General Service Medal 1923 (George VI issue) with 'Palestine 1945-48' clasp awarded to 14125665 Pte. W. Wight, R.S., War and Defence Medals, 1939-1945, Africa (with '8th Army' bar), Italy and France and Germany Stars, mounted, with a set of miniatures (lacking Africa Star), mounted.

TWO WWII GROUPS AND SINGLES; a group of four and a group of two to include War and Defence Medals, 1939-1945 and France and Germany Stars, both mounted, and further singles to include 4 War Medals, 3 Defence Medals, 3 1939-45 Stars, 2 Africa Stars (one with '1st Army' bar) and 2 France and Germany Stars.

WWII SINGLES; single medals to include 5 War Medals, 2 Defence Medals, 3 1939-1945 Stars, 2 Pacific Stars, 3 Burma Stars, an Atlantic Star and an Africa Star (with '8th Army' bar).

Four 1/43rd and 1/50th Scale Model Diecast Vehicles, includes two British Army Vehicles - Land Rover and Bedford MK and two Showman's vehicles - Mini Van, Billy Smarts and Garrett Steam Tractor, Pride of the South. All boxed and certified.

Bachmann # 32-255 "OO" Scale Model 2-8-0 WD Austerity Locomotive, in 21st Army Group livery as number 78697. Boxed

Two boxed Britains 1:32nd Scale Diecast Model #9788 Army Group Kublwagen, German Field Gun, #9732 German field gun pak 38.

Five Boxed Britains 1:32nd Scale Military Theme Motorbikes And Riders Including #9681 German Army Combination, #9682 U.S dispatch rider, #9672 British dispatch rider, #9679 German army dispatch rider, some may have been repainted, retouched, replacement parts, all in reproduction boxes.

A Quantity of Britains 'Deetail' Plastic Military Model Figures, a bubble packed Britains # 9681 German Army Combination. A Britains White Metal Field Gun. (Playworn)

A Boxed Minature Co. (Tuscan Arizona) White Metal Military Model Furniture Set, (Seven Pieces) U.S Army (Mexican War) 1846.

A Boxed (Circa 1964) Johnny Seven O.M.A (One Man Army) Toy Gun, #6025 distributed by Deluxe Topper, seven guns in one, grenade (poor), anti-tank rocket, Armour piercing shell, anti bunker missile, pistol, shells, original literature.

A Mid XX Century Britains No. 1512 - 'Army Ambulance', rubber tyres with stretcher and casualty and driver. Door hinge broken and repaired. Some wear:- Boxed

A Quantity of Airfix H0/00 Scale Plastic Military Figures, Vehicles, Assault set including #51652-3 coastal defence assault set, #1707 gun emplacement, centurion tank, WWII eighth army figures, U.S.A.F personnel figures, unchcked, boxed.

A Britains Lead No. 146 - Royal Army Service Corps Wagon, appear unbroken complete and very good. Boxed 'Regiments of All Nations', missing inner tray.

A Britains No. 1335 Six Wheel Army Lorry, with driver, appears unbroken, very good, boxed, staining to box lid.

Britains Lead Figure Set No. 1723 'Royal Army Medical Corps Unit', comprising 2 nurses, 4 stretcher bearers. Figures appear unbroken, very good. Boxed - 'Regiments of All Nations', with backing card.

A Quantity of Assorted Meccano Components, Including Army Multi kit, playworn, (Two Boxes)

Five 1/50th Scale Model Diecast Diamond T Trucks by Corgi, US Outline, unboxed. Includes two US Army Diamond T 980 Series Trucks. Also German T34 Tank.

BOX OF ARMY CLOTHES

Army kit bags etc

Box containing army cloth badges etc

US army aircraft type K24 camera

Army shirt etc

American army airforce bubble sextant

British Army dress sword

GEN. SIR CHARLES WILLIAM DUNBAR STAVELEY, G.C.B. (BRITISH, 1817-1896) 'Riviera', watercolour, unsigned, titled and with attribution to mount, 28cm x 41.5cm. Provenance: The family of the artist, by descent. Note: Gen. Sir Charles Staveley, the son of Lieut.-Gen. William Staveley, was a British Army officer who was commissioned in the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) in 1835. From 1840 to 1843 he was aide-de-camp to the Governor of Mauritius, and in 1847 he served as aide-de-camp to the Governor General of British North America. Between 1848 and 1851 he was assistant military secretary at Hong Kong. He was present at Alma and Balaclava during the Crimean War and in 1855 assumed command of the 44th Regiment of Foot, which he lead in China where he was present at the capture of the Taku forts. In 1862 he became Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong and was instrumental in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. He then saw service in Abyssinia, and was Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army between 1874 and 1878.

MILITARIA - TWO SECOND WORLD WAR PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS one allied, 'Safe Conduct for the German Soldier', as dropped en mass during D-Day; and one German, 'How Big is Your Chance', dated 1944, targeted at U.S. Army personnel before the Ardennes winter offensive, each 20cm x 5cm.

MILITARIA - A SECOND WORLD WAR U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE SUMMER FLYING SUIT by Ben Greenholtz, of regulation pattern, 'Size 40 - Medium', the interior bearing typical black and yellow label.

Boxes and Objects - a mother of pearl pilgrim shell, carved with Christ; a copper portrait roundel, embossed with Rubens; a silver brooch; a military pin dish, Army Ordnance Corps; coins; etc

After J P Beadle Napoleon's last inspection of His Army; another similar (2)

Cigarette Cards, Military, a variety of sets by Players to include, Victoria Cross, Military Head-Dress, Military Uniforms of the British Empire Overseas, Regimental Standards and Cap Badges, Regimental Standards and Cap Badges (blue back, Territorial), and Uniforms of the Territorial Army, (all gd)

Cigarette Cards, Military, a variety of sets by various Manufacturers to include Wills Air Raid Precautions, Arms of Companies and Recruiting Posters (plus 2 duplicates), Gallahers Army Badges, Players RAF Badges (with Motto), Military Uniforms of the British Empire Overseas and Military Head-Dress, together with Doncella History of the VC and Black Cat Military Uniforms (all gd/vg)(9)

Cigarette Cards, Players, a variety of sets to name Golf, Cycling, Boy Scout & Girl Guide, Army Corps & Divisional Signs (1-150), Players Past & Present, Dogs A & 2nd series, National Flags & Arms, From Plantaion to Smoker, Whaling, Products of the World, Gems of British Scenery, Brids & Their Young, Tennis, Cricketers 1938, Flags of the League of Nations, Military Uniforms of the British Empire, Counties & Their Industries, Ceremonial Dress Coronation Series, Kings & Queens of England and County Seat & Arms (1-150)(all gd)(sets sealed and unchecked)(25)

Cigarette Cards, Carreras, a selection of sets to include History of Army Uniforms, Britains Defences, Film & Stage Beauties, Flags of All Nations, Tapestry Reproductions of Famous Paintings, Dogs & Friend, Film Stars A & 2nd Series, Glamour Girls of Stage & Screen, Celebrities of British History, Wild Flower Art Series, Christie Comedy Girls and Picture Puzzle Series (all gd/vg)(sets sealed and unchecked)(13)

Cigarette Cards, Gallaher, a collection of sets to include Birds Nests & Eggs, Dogs Series 1 & 2, The Navy (Park Drive), Garden Flowers, Film Partners, Wild Flowers, Army Badges, Wild Animals, My Favourite Part, Stars of Screen & Stage (green back), Butterflies & Moths, Famous Film Scenes, Shots from Famous Films, Trains of the World and Racing Scenes, (gd/vg)(sets sealed and unchecked)(16)

Cigarette Cards, Mixture, a selection of sets to include Wix Kensita Ken Cards Series 5, 6 and 7, Amalgamated Tobacco Mills Aircraft of the World, A Nature Series, Animals of the Counrtyside, Aquarium Fish, British Uniforms of the 19th Century, Army Badges Past & Present, British Coins & Costumes, British Locomotives, Coins of the World, Naval Battles, Into Space, Evolution of the Royal Navy, World Locomotives, Dogs, Merchant Ships of the World, Freshwater Fish, Ports of the World, Weapons & Defense and Proplelled Weapons, CES Western Stars, Osbourne Modern Aircraft (blue front),together with three Taddy reproduction sets, also includes part sets by CWS to name Recipe Cards (20), How To Do It (Anglian back 17, Jaycee back 7, andRaydex back 14), Wayside Woodland Trees (15) and Musical Instruments (33)(all gen gd, sets sealed and unchecked)(qty)

Cigarette Cards, Wills Foreign Issue, a collection of sets, Australian issues, Australian Wild Flowers (Specialities), Riders of the World together with New Zealand Issues Children of All Nations, Lighthouses, New Zealand Early Scenes and Maori Life, Past & Present, Products of the World, A Sporting Holiday In New Zealand, Units of the British Army and RAF and Zoo, also includes Overseas Issue Semaphore Signalling ( a few with discoloration and paper wear to back) (other sets gen gd/vg)(11)