Seleukid Empire, Antiochos IV Epiphanes AR Tetradrachm. Antioch, circa 166/5 BC. Laureate head of Apollo right, his hair long, draping his shoulders / Apollo, wearing a long peplos, standing facing right, holding a patera and a kithara; BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY ΘEOY to right, EΠIΦANOYΣ NIKHΦOPOY to left. Houghton & Lorber, SC 1401; Newell, SMA 64; Houghton 110; Gulbenkian 1040. 16.79g, 33mm, 12h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Issued for the Panhellenic festival celebrated in the sanctuary of Apollo at Daphne, near Antioch, only around 15 examples of this exceptionally beautiful issue are known to have survived antiquity. The Panhellenic festival had been celebrated before the reign of Antiochos IV, but it was he that caused the importance and size of the festival at Daphne to be greatly increased, such that after this time Daphne became a central cult location and oracle of the dynasty's patron deity Apollo. Antiochos had sent ambassadors and envoys to the Greek cities, and many were eager to send delegations. The festival was preceded by a grand military parade of forty thousand infantry, ten thousand cavalry and sixty four war elephants. More than half of the infantry were elite Seleukid shock troops, including the bronze and silver shield battalions, and a ten-thousand strong formation of soldiers equipped in the Roman legionary fashion (for a full description of the parade, see Polybios 31.16.1). There followed a great number of sacrificial animals and offerings to the gods, and lastly came a great parade of gilded images of 'every god or demigod or hero known or worshipped by mankind'. At least part of Antiochos' motivation in transforming the festival into such an imposing and lavish monarchical spectacle was to enhance his own reputation and the status of Daphne. Since Didyma had been lost to the Seleukids since the treaty of Apameia in 188, it is likely that he also sought to supplant Didyma with a cult centre within Seleukid territory. More importantly, the Treaty of Apameia had explicitly forbidden Seleukid possession of war elephants, and therefore the primary purpose of the grand military parade was to announce his power to all the world and make a clear statement that he would not be cowed by Rome, nor abide by the treaty imposed upon his father.
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Lucania, Poseidonia AR Stater. Circa 530-500 BC. Poseidon, diademed and wearing chlamys over shoulders, advancing right, wielding trident in upraised right hand and extending left hand before him; ΠOΣ behind / Incuse of obverse, but with ΠOΣ in relief. HN Italy 1107; Gillet photo file 207 (same dies); SNG Locker Lampson 25; NAC 64, 639 = NAC 78, 1352 (same dies). 7.53g, 30mm, 12h. Near Mint State. Very Rare. In truly exceptional state of preservation, displaying perfect metal and a wonderful level of detail. Engraved in finest archaic style; a bold, monumental type. One of the very finest of all the known incuse Poseidonia staters. From the collection of an antiquarian, Bavaria c. 1960s-1990s. Little is known of Poseidonia from its foundation at around the end of the Seventh Century BC by colonists from Sybaris other than that information which can be gleaned from archaeological study of the city and its remaining artefacts. The literary tradition offers only a terminus ante quem for the foundation, circa 530, provided by Herodotos who refers to the city as in existence when Hyele was founded c.540-535. The archaeological evidence suggests a foundation date of c.600 (E. Greco; Poseidonia ii. 73 n. 7). Evidence from votive figurines and the city’s architecture suggest close trade relations with Metapontion during the sixth and fifth centuries, but the relationship with its mother city appears not to be have been particularly strong, since its coins are struck on the Campanian-Phokaian standard rather than the Italic-Achaian standard in use at Sybaris. Nonetheless, Poseidonia accepted refugees from Sybaris after their city was destroyed by Kroton in 510, evidenced by the fact that in the early fifth century Poseidonia's coins adopted the Achaian weight standard and the bull seen on Sybarite coins. A. J. Graham (Colony and Mother City in Ancient Greece, 1999) thinks it was plausible that the number of refugees was large enough for some kind of synoecism to have occurred between the Poseidonians and the Sybarites, possibly in the form of a sympolity. Poseidonia’s relationship to the Sybarites then remained strong enough that in 453 Sybaris was refounded with the apparent blessing and sponsorship of Poseidonia. The city does not make further appearance in the classical sources until the late fifth century, when according to Strabo it was conquered by the Lucani. Although Aristoxenos would have us believe that the Greek identity of the city was effaced and that the Poseidoniatai were completely barbarianised, a sizeable Greek population must have remained despite the conquest, as the archaeological record shows both Greek and Oscan culture continuing to thrive alongside one another. Despite no single temple having been definitively identified as pertaining to Poseidon, the cult of this god must have played an important role in the city, as evidenced both by its name and by the principle type of its coinage, of which the present piece is a magnificent example. The outstanding quality of the engraving is noteworthy; we are presented with two well-proportioned and finely detailed images of what must surely have been a statue, which many scholars have with good reason assumed that this figure was inspired by, such is the consistency with which it is depicted (though minor variations of detail, including the beard, do occur) and the monumental quality it possesses. Indeed, the figure bears much similarity to the Artemision Bronze in compositional style; proponents of the argument that the Artemision Bronze is Poseidon (rather than Zeus) cite the coinage of Poseidonia in their favour.
Kingdom of Macedon, Philip V AR Tetradrachm. In the name and types of Alexander III. Pella, circa 180 BC. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, holding sceptre; club in left field, AΛEΞANΔPOY before, B below throne. Price 636; Müller -; Roma e30, 91. 16.67g, 30mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Good style. Extremely Rare; one of only two examples on CoinArchives. This coin is part of the final issue of 'Alexanders' in Macedonia, as outlined by Seyrig (H. Seyrig, 'Monnaies héllenistiques, 5. Philippe V ou les Bottiéens', RN 1963, 14-8, pl. ii). Price notes: "It represents a revival of the coinage that is much later than the groups of the early part of Antigonos' reign. Seyrig showed that the style of the head of Herakles on these later issues compared closely with that on bronze issues in the name of Philip V, dated from the use of the same symbol and monograms as are found on the silver tetradrachms to the later years of his reign. The Alexander issue is not, however, marked with the controls of the royal coinage of Philip, and was presumably struck to make a particular payment for which this type of coinage was stipulated. The letter B which occurs on the Alexanders of this group may be related to the name of the Bottiaeans of the Emanthian plain around Pella, who at this time struck fractional coinage parallel to the royal issues of Philip V. This suggestion is strengthened by the symbol of the prow (Price 640-2) which echoes the reverse type of the coinage of the Bottiaeans." F. W. Walbank (Philip V of Macedon, Cambridge University Press, 2013, p. 265) notes however that there is now evidence of at least three other regional issues - those of the Amphaxians, coined at Thessalonica, and those of two Paeonian peoples, the Doberes and Paroreians. Additionally, many cities minted in their own names including Amphipolis, Aphytis in Chalkidike, Apollonia, Pella and Thessalonica. Walbank concludes that this represents a concession of the king's centralised political authority and an unprecedented devolution of minting authority. Rather than necessarily indicating weakness or insecurity though, Walbank makes that case for this devolution being a method of achieving some consolidation following the absolutist policies of the Antigonids, who had ever restricted coining rights, even to the great trading cities on the coasts. He proposes that the success Philip achieved in this policy should be measured by the prosperity of Macedon and the loyalty of its people to the king; the state of the Macedonian state on the eve of the Third Macedonian War indicate that this concession "weakened neither nation nor monarchy".
Nero AV Aureus. Lugdunum, AD 63. NERO CAESAR AVG IMP, youthful bare head right / PONTIF MAX TR P X COS IIII P P, Roma standing left, holding spear and balancing parazonium on knee while she places foot on head of defeated enemy, around which pile of shields; EX-SC across fields. RIC 40; C. 232; BMC 45; Calicó 437. 7.70g, 19mm, 6h. Near Mint State. Rare, and in exceptional state of conservation. This issue is interesting in that it demonstrates noble intentions on the part of the young Nero. The presence of EX SC (by decree of the Senate) on this and other early coins of his reign was a result of a deliberate change in imperial policy. Although under Augustus the bronze coinage bore the mark SC as a recognition of the Senate's historical role in coinage and as proof of his desire to work together with the Senate for the good of Rome, the production of gold and silver coinage remained the prerogative of the Princeps. Nero decided that the Senate should be granted a say in the coining of gold and silver, and as a result the formula SC appears on his coins until AD 64 when this Senatorial privilege was revoked. The exclusion of the Senate from responsibility for the gold and silver coinage may have been a political expedient required in the aftermath of the Great Fire of Rome which began on 18 July and burned for five days, destroying three of fourteen districts and severely damaging seven more. According to Tacitus, Nero's response was commendable. Upon hearing news of the fire, Nero returned to Rome from Antium to organize a relief effort, which he paid for from his own funds, and personally took part in the search for and rescue of victims of the blaze, spending days searching the debris without even his bodyguards. He opened his palaces to provide shelter for the homeless, and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors. In the wake of the fire, Nero began a massive reconstruction effort utilising a new urban plan; houses after the fire were spaced out, built in brick, and faced by porticoes on wide roads. The cost to rebuild the city was immense, requiring funds the state treasury did not have. Nero therefore devalued the Roman currency for the first time in the Empire's history, reducing the weight of the denarius from 84 per Roman pound to 96. He also reduced the silver purity from 99.5% to 93.5%. Furthermore, the weight of the aureus was reduced from 40 per Roman pound to 45.
Shirley Thomson Smith, American (1929-) Patinated Bronze Sculpture "Kneeling Nude" Signed Shirley T. Smith 4/25 N.A.W.A. Excellent Condition. Measures 27 Inches by 21 Inches. We will not ship this item due to its size. We will happily recommend a list of outside vendors upon request. (estimate $1000-$1500)
Grouping of Two (2) Asian Tabletop Items. Includes: Chinese rose enamel hand painted porcelain round covered box (nicks to rim), Thai bronze goddess figurine (wear to patina). Covered box measures 6-1/2" H x 10-1/2" Dia, Thai figurine measures 11-1/4" H. Shipping: Third party (estimate $100-$150)
After: Ferdinand Preiss, German (1882-1943) "Nude" Painted Bronze and Ivory Figure on Onyx Base. Signed on obverse side. Some wear to paint. Measures 9-1/2" H x 7-1/2" W (figure), overall measures 15-1/2" H. We Will Not Ship This Item Out of State of Florida. Anyone Having This Item Shipped Must Have a Florida Address or the Item will not be Shipped. We will Not Knowingly Sell Endangered Species outside of Legal Channels. Shipping: Third party (estimate $400-$500)
Pair of Antique KPM Porcelain Hand painted and Transferred Decorated Figural Lamps on Bronze Mounting. Center Panels Depicting Familial Scenes The Handles with Figure Heads. Porcelain Finials (Not Matching. Signed with Blue KPM Mark. Light Scratches and Rubbing or in Good Condition. Measures 35 Inches to top of Finials. We will not ship this item due to its size. We will happily recommend a list of outside vendors upon request. (estimate $400-$600)
Two Roman Bronze Trumpet Brooches. One from the famous Richard Hattatt collection with his card mount and description (Published: Hattatt 959, found at Wall, Staffordshire) together with another, similar brooch. The pins missing otherwise very fine condition.1st-2nd century ADBoth 69mm long(2)
A Roman bronze sub circular mount, 2nd Century. A Roman bronze mount with four devolved animal heads, the circular mount has concentric circles reminiscent of the tutulus brooch of the 2nd Century AD. On the reverse there are some signs of solder remaining, good condition (some damage to of the animal heads but overall condition is excellent) olive green patina, 36 mm diameter, 23.32 grams
Roman Lion head mount. A three-dimensional bronze mount in the form of a lion's head, probably from a box or casket. The face is well moulded with additional incised detail defining the eyes and mane. The reverse hollow with the remains of an iron shank for attachment. Very fine condition with a good patina. C. 2nd century AD.17mm x 13mm, 5.7g
Roman enamelled disc brooch, 2nd century AD. A circular brooch with raised sub-conical centre, the sides of which are formed by radiating spiral arms. Around this is a field of red enamel interspersed by a register of bronze dots. On the reverse, the pin lugs and catchplate are intact but the pin is missing.Cf. Hattat 1074 & 1075.27mm diameter, 8.4g
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