There are 110054 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribeValens AV Solidus. Treveri, AD 367-375. D N VALENS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA AVGG, Valens and Valentinian I seated facing on throne, holding globe between them; palm between legs, figure of Victory with wings spread above; TROBC in exergue. RIC 17c; C. 53; Depeyrot 43/2. 4.53g, 21mm, 1h. Extremely Fine.
ustin I AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 518-527. D N IVSTINVS P P AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear and shield with horseman motif; spear in right hand over shoulder / VICTORIA AVGGG A, angel standing facing, holding long cross and globus cruciger; star in right field, CONOB in exergue. DOC 2a; MIBE 3; Sear 56. 4.34g, 20mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. A few minor marks.
Plotina AR Denarius. Rome, AD 112-114. PLOTINA AVG IMP HADRIANI, draped bust right, wearing double stephane / CAES AVG GERMA DAC COS VI P P, altar decorated with figure of Pudicitia standing on curule chair; ARA PVDIC in exergue. RIC 733 (Trajan); BMCRE 529 (Trajan); Woytek 706. 3.38g, 22mm, 8h. Good Extremely Fine. Minor metal flaws, but otherwise an exceptionally well preserved coin with a superbly sharp portrait of Plotina; arguably the finest example of CoinArchives. Extremely Rare.
C. Cassius Longinus AR Denarius. Military mint, probably at Smyrna, 42 BC. P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther, legate. Veiled and draped bust of Libertas right; LEIBERTAS upwards before, C•CASSI•IMP upwards behind / Capis and lituus; LENTVLVS SPINT in two lines below. Crawford 500/5; CRI 223; RSC 6. 3.84g, 20mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Attractive old tone. Ex Stoecklin Collection.
Tiberius III Apsimar AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 698-705. D TIBERIVS PE AV, crowned and cuirassed bust facing, with short beard, holding spear and shield decorated with horseman motif / VICTORIA AVGЧ I, cross potent on three steps, CONOB in exergue. Sear 1360; DOC 1i; MIB 1. 4.31g, 20mm, 6h. Near Mint State.
Faustus Cornelius Sulla AR Denarius. Rome, 56 BC. Draped bust of Diana right, wearing diadem with crescent; lituus behind, FAVSTVS downwards before / Sulla seated left above kneeling figures of Bocchus, king of Mauretania, on left who offers an olive branch and Jugurtha, king of Numidia, on right, his hands tied behind his back; FELIX downwards to right. Crawford 426/1; RSC Cornelia 59. 3.95g, 20mm, 5h. Good Very Fine.
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Eukratides I AR Tetradrachm. Circa 171-145 BC. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / The Dioskouroi on horses prancing right, each holding spear and palm; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ above, ΕΥΚΡΑΤΙΔΟΥ below, monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 1D; SNG ANS 432. 16.97g, 33mm, 12h. Very Fine.
Aelia Pulcheria AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 414. AEL PVLCHERIA AVG, diademed and draped bust right, wearing necklace and earrings, and being crowned by the Hand of God / SALVS REI PVBLICAE, Victory seated right on cuirass, supporting on her left knee a shield inscribed with Christogram, shield behind cuirass; star in left field, CONOB in exergue. RIC 205; MIRB 14; LRC 436 var. (no shield behind cuirass); Depeyrot 60/1. 4.44g, 22mm, 5h. Good Very Fine.
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Demetrios I Aniketos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 200-185 BC. Diademed and draped bust right, wearing elephant skin headdress / BAΣIΛEYΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY, Herakles standing facing, crowning himself, holding club and lion skin. Bopearachchi 1F; SNG ANS 190-2; HGC 12, 63. 16.83g, 32mm, 12h. Very Fine.
Indo-Greek Kingdom, Hermaios Soter AR Tetradrachm. Circa 105-90 BC. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΟΤΗΡΟΣ ΕΡΜΑΙΟΥ, diademed and draped bust right / 'Maharajasa tratarasa Heramayasa' in Karosthi, radiate Zeus enthroned facing slightly left, extending hand and holding sceptre; monogram to inner right. Bopearachchi 2D; SNG ANS 1328-29. 9.90g, 27mm, 11h. Near Mint State. Extremely Rare.
Macrinus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 218. IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right / SALVS PVBLICA, Salus seated left, feeding serpent rising from altar. Clay, Macrinus, p.35, 2 = BMCRE 5, pl. 78, 16 (same dies); RIC 82; C. 113; Calicó 2973. 6.41g, 20mm, 1h. Extremely Fine; beautiful lustre. Extremely Rare. This reverse depicts Salus, the daughter of Aesculapius and goddess responsible for the welfare of the people, feeding a snake from a petera. This allusion to the welfare of the people was directly associated with the welfare of the state, the health of which was linked to the figure of the emperor himself as head of state. Depictions of Salus first appear on the Roman imperial coinage of Tiberius and frequently thereafter. Erika Manders (Coining Images of Power: Patterns in the Representation of Roman Emperors Imperial Coinage, 2012) identified that the number of Salus types stuck under Macrinus was ‘conspicously high’ when compared to the low numbers issued under his Severan predecessors. As a usurper, it was particularly important for Macrinus to propagate the message that the health of the empire was inextricably entwined with his person.
Ionia, Ephesos AV Stater. Circa 155-140 BC. Draped bust of Artemis right, wearing stephane, and with bow and quiver over shoulder / Cult statue of the Artemis of Ephesos facing, a fillet hanging from each hand; thymiaterion in inner right field, Ε-Φ across fields. G. K. Jenkins, Hellenistic Gold Coins of Ephesos, in Festschrift Akurgal, Ankara, 1987, p. 134, pl. B, 6 (BM) = R Fleuscher I, Artemis von Ephesos und der erwandte Kultstatue von Anatolien und Syrien, EPRO 35, 1973, pl. 53b; LIMC II, pl. 565, 23. 8.39g, 20mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare. The Hellenistic era gold coinage struck at Ephesos is extremely rare and rarely well preserved. Previously thought to have all been struck during the Mithradatic wars, this is now known not to be the case. Some seem to be dated by the era of the Province of Asia and the dates they bear are too early for them to be Mithradatic War issues. Certain other issues such as the present example appear to be part of extraordinary issue of gold struck in conjunction with an extremely rare gold stater type of Magnesia in the mid-second century. The style and fabric of both issues seem consistent with an emergency issue struck to meet an immediate expense. The reverse of this coin depicts the famous cult statue of Ephesian Artemis, housed in the great temple of Artemis that is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The original image of the goddess was a wooden xoanon that had represented a pre-Hellenic goddess who the Greeks later equated with Artemis. This first image, which was kept decorated with jewellery, was possibly lost in a flood in the 8th or 7th century which destroyed the temple; excavations have discovered the tear-shaped amber drops of elliptical cross-section which must have dressed it. In circa 550 BC, when reconstruction of the temple was begun (partly financed by Kroisos), it was undertaken in grand style and was supposedly the first Greek temple to be built of marble. The wooden xoanon was replaced by a new ebony or grapewood statue sculpted by Enoidos, which presumably survived until the temple was again destroyed, this time by an act of arson on the part of one Herostratos. The second destruction of the temple coincided with the birth of Alexander the Great; Plutarch later noted that Artemis was too preoccupied with Alexander's delivery to save her burning temple. The form of the goddess is distinctly near-eastern in appearance; characteristics such as her legs being enclosed in a tapering pillar-like term are closely related to Egyptian and Hittite images, and the curious feature of the many protuberances on her chest (usually described as breasts or eggs) are decidedly non-Greek in origin, and indeed have defied explanation or identification for centuries, though an association with fertility seems implicit.
Caracalla AV Aureus. Rome, AD 201. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG PON TR P IIII, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / CONCORDIAE AETERNAE, jugate busts right of Septimius Severus, radiate and draped, and Julia Domna on crescent, diademed and draped. RIC 52 var.; C. 1; BMCRE 260; Calicó 2849. 7.38g, 20mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Struck during the period of rule in which both Caracalla and his father Septimius Severus were co-Augusti, this coin's obverse legend refers to Caracalla's official name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, given to him in order to further legitimise the rule of the Severans through a fictitious link to the Antonine adoptive emperors who came before them. A decade before the death of Septimius, and Caracalla's despicable murder of his brother Geta, the Severan family are here portrayed as unified in the rule of the empire. The imagery presented is a strong propagandistic message of stability offered by a virtuous imperial family, creating the potential for a long-lasting dynasty by grooming the next generation for the duty of ruling the empire. Having been made Augustus at the age of ten, and only thirteen when this type was minted, the clear implication is that Rome should look forward to many more years of Severan peace. The mutual dependence of the sun and the moon is used as a means to portray the strong bond of Septimius Severus and Julia Domna, while emphasising the concept of permanence – in this case, of the principate and the empire it ruled. Septimius' radiate crown denotes him as a representation of Sol, and the bust of Domna is set upon a crescent moon, the attribute of Luna. The legend CONCORDIAE AETERNAE (eternal harmony) is intended to refer not only to the imperial family, connoting firm hands on the tiller of the empire and a secure succession, but also reflects Septimius' (largely justifiable) claim to have brought peace and a renewed golden age to Rome. There existed among the general populace a heartfelt belief that a stable imperial family was conducive to having a stable domain, and this reassurance is dovetailed neatly into another key element of the Roman collective psyche - the idea that Rome and its empire were everlasting - a concept that features heavily in literature such as the Aeneid, a work that had had a profound impact on Roman culture.
Nero Æ Sestertius. Lugdunum, circa AD 65. NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head right, globe at point of bust / DECVRSIO, Nero on riding right, holding spear in right hand, soldier riding behind, holding vexillum over his right shoulder; S-C across fields. RIC 436; WCN 418; BMCRE 311; BN 71; Cohen 86. 25.54g, 35mm, 6h. Very Fine.
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Antimachos I Theos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 180-170 BC. Diademed and draped bust right, wearing kausia / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIMAXOY, Poseidon, laureate, standing facing, holding trident and filleted palm; monogram to inner right. Bopearachchi 1A; SNG ANS 274-5; HGC 12, 106. 16.26g, 32mm, 12h. Extremely Fine; somewhat bent.
Philip I AR Denarius. Rome, AD 244. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / SECVRIT ORBIS, Securitas seated left, holding sceptre and leaning head on left hand. RIC 48a; C. 214. 2.96g, 22mm, 7h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; the only example on CoinArchives. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 72, 16 May 2013, lot 713. The denarii of Philip I are of very great rarity; only two have been offered at auction in the past two decades, including the present specimen. Maximinus I (235-238) was the last reigning emperor to have struck the denarius as the principal silver denomination intended for regular circulation. The reign of his successor Gordian III (238-244) saw the ‘Antoninianus’ or double-denarius become, virtually overnight, the mainstay of the Roman currency, due to the inflationary pressures of the early third century in part caused by ever greater military expenditure and associated successive debasements of the coinage. The denarius, though not yet relegated to the status of a mere unit of account, was now a critically endangered species. Issued sporadically throughout the reign of Gordian III, mass production of the denarius came to an end with the fourth issue at Rome in 241-243. By the time of Philip I’s accession in 244 the common use of the Antoninianus was well entrenched; Philip himself issued only three denarius types, ADVENTVS AVG (RIC 26), PIETAS AVGG (RIC 43a) and the present SECVRIT ORBIS. Of these, the first two may securely be said to represent ceremonial coins produced for the arrival of Philip at Rome in the late summer of 244, and for the elevation of his son Philip II to the rank of co-Augustus in 247. The present type is of no less rarity than the other two, and must therefore also have been produced for a special purpose. A possible occasion may be found at the beginning of Philip’s reign in early 244, when he was required to negotiate peace with Shapur I of the Sasanian Empire in order to return to Rome to secure his position. A scarce emission produced at this time at Antioch records the peace with the legend PAX FVNDATA CVM PERSIS, accompanied by types including SPES FELICITATIS ORBIS. The present coin therefore, with its reverse announcing the security of the (Roman) world, would seem a fitting type for concurrent issue at Rome, where the Antiochan legend would probably have been viewed with no small measure of distaste.
Valentinian III AR Half Siliqua. Ravenna, AD 425-455. D N PLA VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA AVGG, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm frond; RV in exergue. RIC 2085; Ranieri 111-2; RSC 11b. 0.89g, 14mm, 12h. Extremely Fine; exceptional for the issue. Very Rare.
Trajan Æ33 of Caesarea Maritima, Samaria. AD 98-117. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OP AVG GER DAC COS VI P P, laureate bust right / Tyche standing left, resting foot on helmet, holding bust and sceptre, within Tetrastyle temple with central arch behind enclosure with altar in front; at her feet in right field, harbour-god holding anchor, C I F AVG CAES in exergue. Rosenberger 19; Kadman 22; Sofaer pl. 23 , 21; Samuels 172. 24.97g, 33mm, 1h. Good Very Fine. Earthen repatination. Rare this well preserved.
Anastasius I AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 498-518. D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear and shield decorated with cavalryman motif / VICTORIA AVGGG B, Victory standing left, holding long staff surmounted by Christogra; star in left field, CONOB in exergue. MIBE 7; Sear 5. 4.23g, 20mm, 6h. Extremely Fine; slight wave in flan.
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Eukratides I 'the Great' AR Tetradrachm. Circa 170-145 BC. Helmeted bust right / The Dioskouroi on horses prancing right, each holding spear and palm; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ above, ΕΥΚΡΑΤΙΔΟΥ below, monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 6O; SNG ANS 467. 16.54g, 33mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine.
Ionia, Magnesia ad Maeandrum AR Tetradrachm. Circa 155-140 BC. Euphemos, son of Pausanias, magistrate. Draped bust of Artemis right,wearing stephane, and with bow and quiver over shoulder / Apollo Delphios standing left, resting on tall tripod to right, holding branch tied with fillet; MAΓNHTΩN to right, EYΦHMOΣ ΠAYΣANIOY in two lines to left, maeander pattern below; all within laurel wreath. Jones 13; SNG Copenhagen -; Waddington 1725; BMC 36. 16.78g, 30mm, 11h. Extremely Fine.
Uranius Antoninus Æ32 of Emesa, Seleucis and Pieria. Dated SE 565 = AD 253/4. AVTOK C OVΛΠ ANTѠNЄINOC CЄ, laureate bust right, wearing paludamentum and cuirass / ЄMICѠN KOΛΩN, hexastyle temple of Elagabal at Emesa containing the conical stone of Elagabal shaded by two parasols; crescent in pediment, ЄΞΦ (date) in exergue. BMC 24; Baldus 38-42; R. Delbrueck, 'Uranius of Emesa,' NC 1948, Series I, 2; SNG Hunterian 3174. 24.34g, 32mm, 1h. Very Fine. Pleasant reddish-brown patina with green touches, a well-centred strike on a typically thick flan. Very Rare. The literary sources are unclear about Uranius Antoninus: Zosimus describes a usurper by the name of Antoninus during the reign of Gallienus, while contemporary Christian writer John Malalas speaks of an Emesan priest by the name of Samsigeramus who repulsed the Sassanid king Shapur I. Whether the accounts describe the same person, and whether this person was the Uranius who struck coins at Emesa, is a matter for debate. The era date given on the reverse of this coin, ЄΞΦ = 565 = 253/4, suggests that Uranius established an independent Empire at Emesa around the time Valerian and Gallienus were crowned co-augusti in 253. The dating supports Malalas’ account and Uranius may have indeed come to prominence during the attempts to defend the city of Emesa from the invasion of Shapur, prompting the establishment of his small independent state. If Uranius was the priest described by Malalas, the name Samsigeramus suggests that he may have been a member of the Emesan royal house of the same name and likely, the high priest of Elagabal. If this was the case, we might assume that Uranius was a descendant of the Severan-Emesan house who had previously seen a priest proclaimed emperor in Elagabalus. Though the name Samsigeramus is not attested on the coinage of Uranius, the reverse depiction of the temple of Elagabal certainly suggests the cult was important to his legitimacy. There is little doubt that Uranius’ rebellion came to an end shortly after Valerian marched east and recovered Syria in AD 254.
Antoninus Pius Æ Drachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 24 = AD 160/1. [AVT K] TI AI AΔPI ANTωNINOC CEB EVC], laureate and draped bust right / Ram standing right, wearing hem-hem crown; above, bust of Serapis to right, altar to right, LK- Δ (date) across fields. Köln 1857; Dattari (Savio) 2835; Milne 2418. 20.18g, 32mm, 12h. Very Fine. Rare.
Hadrian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 119-122. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / P M TR P COS III, the Genius of the Roman People standing left, holding patera and cornucopiae; GEN-P R across fields. RIC 123; BMCRE 273; C. 796; Calicó 1267. 6.64g, 19mm, 6h. Good Very Fine.
Vitellius Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 69. A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP AVG P M TR P, laureate and draped bust right / L VITELL CENSOR II, Vitellius, bare-headed three togate, seated left on platform, clasping hand of foremost of three figures before, seated togate figure in background; SC in exergue. RIC 134; BMCRE 49. 23.78g, 35mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare; RIC lists the type as only 'scarce', however no examples have appeared at auction in over 15 years.
Zeno Æ Nummus. Constantinople, AD 476-491. D N ZENO PVG (sic), helmeted, draped and cuirassed bust of Roma right / ZENO, the emperor standing facing atop slain enemy, holding long cross and globe. Apparently unpublished in the standard references. 1.45g, 15mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Apparently unpublished, and possibly unique.
Antinous Æ Hemidrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 19 of Hadrian = AD 134/5. ANTINOOV HPωOC, draped bust right, wearing hem–hem crown / Antinous, cloaked and holding caduceus, on horseback right; L/I–Θ (date) in field. Köln -; Dattari (Savio) 8007-9; K&G 34a.2; Blum 10; Emmett 1347.19; Kellner p. 108, Abb. 14. 16.59g, 31mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Tiny flan flaw to horse's head and slight flatness to tail and caduceus, but well centred and struck, and engraved in the finest style. An outstanding example of the type, and among the finest known. Antinous' death by accidental drowning in the Nile in October AD 130 was a severe blow to Hadrian, for the youth had been his close companion and confidant for nearly five years, and had accompanied the emperor throughout his great tour of the empire beginning in March 127. Hadrian's marriage to Sabina was an unhappy one, and Antinous has been described as "the one person who seems to have connected most profoundly with Hadrian" throughout the latter's life (see R. Lambert, Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous, 1984, p.30). It is unsurprising therefore that Hadrian decreed that Antinous should be elevated to the Roman pantheon as a god, and that a city should be built at the site of his death. What was most unexpected however was that he deified the young man without consulting the Senate, and that he ordered Antinous' image to be placed on coinage across the empire. The coinage in the name of the deified Antinous was substantial. In all, over thirty cities issued bronzes bearing his image, though none as prolifically as Alexandria in Egypt, where his cult, associated with Osiris, was particularly strong. Hadrian himself, we are told, preferred to associate Antinous with Mercury/Hermes, but across the Empire he was far more widely syncretised with the god Dionysus. A great many busts and statues of his were set up in cities across the Roman world, of which numerous examples survive including the iconic 'Braschi Antinous', now in the sala rotonda of the Vatican Museums. That statue, on whose head modern restorers placed a sort of pine cone, would have originally been topped with a lotus flower or hem-hem crown, as on the present coin type. To create the myriad busts, statues and engraved images Hadrian turned to Greek sculptors to perpetuate the melancholic beauty and diffident manner of Antinous, in the process creating what Caroline Vout (Power and Eroticism in Imperial Rome, 2007) described as “the last independent creation of Greco-Roman art”. All of his images share certain distinct features, including tousled curls, a perfect Hellenic nasion, and a downcast gaze – that allow him to be instantly recognized.
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Half-length bust of a winged female deity to left, wearing kekryphalos headdress, round earring and long-sleeved chiton, in her right hand holding a tunny fish by the tail, and raising a flower to her chin; bust truncation indicated by dotted line between parallel lines / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 75; SNG France 205; Boston MFA 1448 = Warren 1519. 16.11g, 20mm. Good Very Fine. Very Rare.
Constantius II AV Solidus. Antioch, AD 347-355. FL IVL CONSTANTIVS PERP AVG, laurel and rosette diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / GLORIA REIPVBLICAE, Roma, seated facing on left, and Constantinopolis, seated left on right, supporting round shield inscribed VOT XX MVLT XXX; SMANI in exergue. RIC 84; Depeyrot 6/4. 4.44g, 22mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Ex MPM Collection.
Indo-Greek Kingdom, Philoxenos Aniketos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 125-110 BC. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANIKHTOY ΦΙΛOΞENOY, diademed and draped bust right / ‘Maharajasa apadihatasa Philasinasa’ in Kharosthi, Philoxenos, in military attire, on horse rearing right; monogram to lower right. Bopearachchi 3J; Mitchiner 338d; SNG ANS 1162-3. 9.78g, 29mm, 12h. Near Mint State.
Leo I AV Solidus. Constantinople, circa AD 465-466. D N LEO PERPET AVG, helmeted, pearl-diademed and cuirassed bust three quarters facing, holding spear over right shoulder and shield, decorated with horseman motif / VICTORIA AVGGG Γ, Victory standing left, holding long jewelled cross; star in right field, CONOB in exergue. RIC 605; MIRB 3b; LRC 527; Depeyrot 93/1. 4.32g, 20mm, 5h. Good Very Fine; Θ graffito in obv. field.
Antoninus Pius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 150-151. ANTONINVS PIVS P P TR P XIIII, laureate bust right, slight drapery over far shoulder/ LAETITIA, Ceres standing to right, holding two grain ears, Proserpina standing to left at her side, holding pomegranate; COS IIII in exergue. RIC 199 var. (bust); Strack 224; Calicó 1559a (same obv. die); BMCRE 724, note; Biaggi 733 var. (rev. legend break). 6.67g, 18.5mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Rare.
Julian II Æ 'Medallion' or solidus weight. Antioch, AD 361-363. FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / IVSTITIA, Justitia standing right, holding scales in right hand and scroll(?) in left; ANT in exergue. RIC -; C. -; Gnecchi -. 4.30g, 22mm, 11h. Extremely Fine. Apparently unique and unpublished. This highly interesting piece may have been distributed as a commemorative medallion or as part of an issue of largesse, however the reverse type is not particularly indicative of the latter. It does however bear remarkable similarity to the exagium solidi issues some four decades later, which portray Moneta standing with scales and cornucopiae, and its weight is consistent with the lighter end of Julian's solidi.
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Eukratides I 'the Great' AR Tetradrachm. Circa 170-145 BC. Helmeted bust right / The Dioskouroi on horses prancing right, each holding spear and palm; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ above, ΕΥΚΡΑΤΙΔΟΥ below, monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 6X; SNG ANS 472. 16.58g, 36mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Original 'find' patina.
Antoninus Pius Æ Drachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 2 = AD 138/9. AVT K T AIΛ AΔP ANTѠNINOC EV CEB, bare-headed and draped bust right / Isis Pharia, holding billowing sail and sistrum, Pharos before; LB above. Dattari (Savio) -; Emmett 1592; RPC Online 15153 (temporary). Very Fine. Extremely Rare; no other examples on CoinArchives.
Cleopatra and Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain Eastern mint, autumn 34 BC. [CLEOPATRAE]•REGINAE•REGVM•FILIORVM•REG[VM], diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra right; [at point of bust, prow right] / ANTONI•ARMENIA•DEVICTA, bare head of Marc Antony right; Armenian tiara to left. Crawford 543/1; CRI 345; RSC 1. 3.85g, 18mm, 1h. Very Fine - Good Very Fine. Toned, with attractive golden highlights.
Constans AV Multiple of 1 1/2 Solidi. Treveri, AD 342-343. FL IVL CONSTANS P F AVG, laurel and rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / GLORIA EXERCITVS, emperor standing left in military dress, holding trophy in right hand, left resting on shield set on ground; TR in exergue. RIC -; cf. 120; Gnecchi -; Depeyrot -. 6.71g, 21mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Apparently unique and unpublished. This previously unpublished multiple, forms part of an extremely rare series issued at Treveri in AD 342/3. It formerly was known from only two unique specimens: one issued in the name of Constantius II (in Bonn) and one other in the name of Constans (in Berlin, with different obverse legend). Following the death of Constantine II in 340 after a botched invasion of his brother Constans’ Italian territories, Constans inherited all of the western territories: Hispania, Britannia and Gaul, as well as the African provinces, which his elder malcontent brother had been so dissatisfied with. Assuming his dead brother’s duties, in 341/2 Constans led a victorious campaign against the Franks, and in the early months of 343 he crossed to Britain, for which visit our source Julius Firmicus Maternus does not provide a reason, but it has been suggested that this was to repel an invasion by the Picts (Ammianus 20.1.1). The mint at Treveri, now under Constans’ control had not struck any multiples under Constantine II. Thought not securely datable, it seems probable that this extremely rare multiple solidi series honouring the two remaining Augusti (and now according Constans the laurel and rosette diadem denied him by his brother) was struck in a celebratory first issue. This year also coincided with Constans’ decennalia, for which a very rare gold and silver issue is known. Interestingly the Treveri mint (an important centre of coinage production in the West) appears to have struck no billon coinage from the point at which it came under Constans’ control until about 347/8. Though his reign began promisingly with a righteous victory over his covetous and aggressive brother Constantine II, and victories against the Franks and (possibly) Picts, Constans appears to have quickly slipped into less virtuous ways. The historian Eutropius tells us that “when he fell prey to ill-health and associated with rather depraved friends he turned to serious vices, and when he became intolerable to the provincials and unpopular with the soldiers he was killed by Magnentius’ faction.”
Gratian AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 382-383. D N GRATIANVS P F AVG, laurel and rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / CONCORDIA AVGGG, Constantinopolis, helmeted, seated facing, head right, right foot on prow, holding sceptre in left hand, globe in right, lion's heads on throne; CONOB in exergue. RIC 44a; Depeyrot 33/1. 4.47g, 22mm, 12h. Mint State.
Q. Servilius Caepio (M. Junius) Brutus AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Brutus in Lycia, 42 BC. C. Flavius Hemicullus(?), legatus pro praetore. Draped bust of Apollo right, lyre before; C•FLAV•HEMIC•LEG•PRO•PR around / Victory standing left, crowning trophy with wreath; Q•CAEP• below, BRVT• to right, IMP• to left. Crawford 504/1; CRI 205; RSC 7. 3.83g, 20mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
Cleopatra and Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain Eastern mint, autumn 34 BC. CLEOPA[TRAE•R]EGINAE•REGVM•FILIORVM•REGVM, diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra right; [at point of bust, prow right] / ANTONI•ARMENIA•DEVICTA, bare head of Marc Antony right; Armenian tiara to left. Crawford 543/1; CRI 345; RSC 1. 3.65g, 20mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Two bold, well-preserved portraits of fine style. Very Rare. Issued in the wake of the successful campaign against Armenia in early-mid 34 BC, this type proudly commemorates the victory with the legend 'Armenia Devicta' (Armenia vanquished). In the execution of his war on Parthia in early 36 BC, Antony had followed the advice of the Armenian king Artavasdes to invade Parthia not from the West (which would have been the shortest route) but from the North, subduing the Parthian allied kingdom of Media Atropatene along the way, whose king was (conveniently) an enemy of Artavasdes. At the fortified town of Phraaspa however, the attack foundered and Artavasdes abandoned Antony in the face of the enemy, allowing his logistics train and two legions to be massacred in an ambush. Following a failed two-month siege of Phraaspa, Antony was forced to call off the campaign and effect a fighting retreat back to friendly territory, in the course of which no fewer than eighteen battles were fought. Antony arrived back in Syria by late 36 BC, having lost about 40% (some 80,000 men) of his original force. In early 34 BC, after variously attempting to lure Artavasdes out to meet with him to discuss marriage proposals and renewed war on Parthia, pleasant inducements and entreaties through the king's companions, and then a forced march to the capital Artaxata and what Cassius Dio describes as 'aggressive use of his soldiers', eventually Antony convinced Artavasdes to come to his camp, where the king was promptly arrested. Antony proceeded to plunder the country as best he could, and returned to Alexandria with his captives: King Artavasdes, his wife, and his family. There he celebrated a mock Roman triumph – an eastern pastiche of Rome's most important military ceremony – wherein Antony paraded through the streets in a chariot with his captives walking behind him. Cleopatra watched, seated high above with Caesarion at her side. As a grand finale, the whole city was summoned to the gymnasium to bear witness to a political statement which became known as the Donations of Alexandria. Antony and Cleopatra, dressed as Dionysus-Osiris and Isis-Aphrodite, sat on golden thrones while Antony distributed kingdoms among his children by Cleopatra: Alexander Helios was named king of Armenia, Media and Parthia, his twin Selene was awarded Cyrenaica and Libya, and the young Ptolemy Philadelphus was given Syria and Cilicia. Cleopatra was proclaimed Queen of Kings, a title evidenced on the obverse of this coin type, which also names 'her Children, who are kings'. Most damaging of all to his relations with Octavian was the naming of Caesarion as a legitimate son and heir of Julius Caesar. This caused a fatal rupture of Antony's relations with Octavian, and Rome. When the triumvirate officially expired on the last day of 33 BC it was not renewed, and the Roman world again found itself at war.
Valentinian I AV Solidus. Antioch, late AD 366-367. D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / RESTITVTOR REIPVBLICAE, emperor standing facing, head right, holding labarum inscribed with Christogram and Victory on globe; ANTB in exergue. RIC 2a.ii. var. (officina not listed); Depeyrot 27/2. 4.55g, 21mm, 5h. Good Very Fine.
Arcadius AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 388-392. D N ARCADIVS P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / CONCORDIA AVGGG Δ, Constantinopolis, turreted, seated facing, head right, holding sceptre and shield inscribed VOT V MVL X; CONOB in exergue. RIC 70c.2; Depeyrot 46/3. 4.45g, 12mm, 5h. Mint State.
Hadrian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 134-138. HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP, laureate and draped bust left / AEGYPTOS, Egypt reclining left, holding a sistrum, left arm resting on a basket around which a snake coils; ibis standing before. RIC 296j; C. 98; Calicó 1186. 7.25g, 21mm, 6h. Very Fine. Very Rare. Ex Heidelberger 64, 20 November 2014, lot 2559. Part of the famous ‘travel series’ of Hadrian struck in the latter years of the emperor’s reign, this coin commemorates his visit to Egypt a few years earlier in AD 130. Heavily relied upon to supply grain to feed the people of Rome, the province of Egypt was itself entirely dependent on the annual floods of the Nile to fertilise the farmland along its banks. Furthermore, the river was a vital transport link for the ships carrying the grain to Rome, just as the Tiber was between the port of Ostia and the city. Hadrian himself travelled up the river with the imperial entourage, including his companion Antinous, during which trip the young man tragically drowned. The ancient sources are rife with speculation as to whether this occurrence was an accident, a suicide on the part of Antinous or a sacrifice to aid the health of the emperor, but what is clear is the strong bond between the two men (Scriptores Historiae Augustae Hadrian, 14, 5-7), which led to Hadrian’s encouragement of a cult in honour of a deified Antinous and his appearance on the coinage, especially in Egypt. Depicting the personification of the province of Egypt, this type was accompanied by reverse designs that feature the personified river-god Nilus. Perhaps issued on the emperor’s return to Rome, or otherwise some time thereafter, these Egypt and Nilus types must certainly have brought the emperor back bitter memories.
Constantine VII, with Romanus II, AV Histamenon Nomisma. Constantinople, AD 955-959. + IҺS XPS REX REGNANTIVM, facing bust of Christ Pantokrator / CONSTANT CE ROMAN' AVGG b R, crowned facing busts of Constantine VII on left, wearing loros, and Romanus II on right, wearing chlamys, holding patriarchal cross between them. DOC 15; Sear 1751. 4.37g, 30mm, 6h. Good Very Fine.
Commodus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 186. M COMM•ANT•P•FEL•AVG BRIT, laureate, and draped head right / LIBERT AVG•P M TR P XI•IMP VII COS V P P, Libertas standing left, holding pileus and long sceptre. RIC 135 var.); C. 339; BMCRE -, c.f. 177 note; Calicó 2282 var. (obv bust). 7.33g, 21mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare. Commodus’ coinage from AD 181 attests to the official policy of his reign, according to Mattingly and Sydenham (RIC III, p. 357) a “policy of peace, based on victorious power (cp. Types of Victory and Pax, holding branch and spear), leading to public security (‘Securitas Publica’) and prosperity (‘Felicitas’), a policy of constitutional government (‘Libertas’) and care for the material well-being of the subject (‘Annona’ and ‘Aequitas’)”. The types of 186, the year this coin was struck, “continue to witness the happiness of the age, the harmony and loyalty of the troops, the victories of the Roman arms.” There are no direct references to the serious revolts in Gaul and Spain, which are swept under the numismatic carpet; only a type of ‘Concordia Militum’ with the emperor reconciling two groups of soldiers may relate to these troubles. The continued use of Libertas again in 186 seeks to emphasise the emperor’s respect for and adherence to a constitutional government. That this was of course a naked lie should come as no surprise; Cassius Dio (73.5-73.6) relates to us some of the extra-judicial killings carried out by Commodus: “Commodus also killed Salvius Julianus and Tarrutenius Paternus, who was enrolled among the ex-consuls, and others with them, including even a woman of the nobility. And yet Julianus, after the death of Marcus, could have done at once anything whatever that he wished against Commodus, since he was a man of great renown, was in command of a large army, and enjoyed the devotion of his soldiers; but he had refused to make any rebellious move, both because of his own probity and because of the good will that he bore to Marcus even after that emperor’s death. And Paternus, if he had plotted against Commodus, as he was accused of doing, could easily have killed him while he himself was still in command of the Praetorians; but he had not done so. Commodus likewise killed the two Quintilii, Condianus and Maximus; for they had a great reputation for learning, military skill... and wealth, and their notable talents led to the suspicion that, even if they were not planning any rebellion, they were nevertheless displeased with existing conditions. Sextus Condianus, the son of Maximus, who surpassed all others by reason both of his native ability and his training, when he heard that sentence of death had been pronounced against him, too, drank the blood of a hare, after which he mounted a horse and purposely fell from it; then, as he vomited the blood, which was supposed to be his own, he was taken up, apparently on the point of death, and was carried to his room. He himself now disappeared, while a ram's body was placed in a coffin in his stead and burned. After this, constantly changing his appearance and clothing, he wandered about here and there. And when this story got out, diligent search was made for him high and low. Many were punished in his stead on account of their resemblance to him, and many, too, who were alleged to have shared his confidence or to have sheltered him somewhere; and still more persons who had perhaps never even seen him were deprived of their property.”
Loading...
![Antoninus Pius Æ Drachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Dated RY 24 = AD 160/1. [AVT K] TI AI AΔPI ANTωNINOC CEB EVC], laureate and dra](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/1035f940-21c9-4166-8007-d0b9e8255626/468x382.jpg)
![Cleopatra and Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain Eastern mint, autumn 34 BC. [CLEOPATRAE]•REGINAE•REGVM•FILIORVM•REG[VM], dia](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/425babc9-aef1-4155-d330-9049d649b97a/468x382.jpg)
![Cleopatra and Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain Eastern mint, autumn 34 BC. CLEOPA[TRAE•R]EGINAE•REGVM•FILIORVM•REGVM, diade](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/6ed11be1-d96e-48f0-9b95-a7de01046e04/4bc0a717-5e4c-4f9d-c0c6-4394f1e8e97a/468x382.jpg)
