There are 110041 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribeA cigarette box, dating: circa 1900, provenance: Spain, dating: circa 1900, provenance: Spain, Made of iron, richly decorated with gilt floral and geometrical motifs, a bust with old fashioned helmet at the center of the cover, a medal engraved with the chest of a woman holding a vase., dimensions 8.6 x 8.9 cm.
A Roman antefix with Eros1st century BC - 1st century AD; alt. cm 16; Part of an antefix decorated in high relief with a bust of a winged Eros, depicted emerging from a tuft of acanthus leaves. The young god has a round fleshy face, framed by long wavy locks of hair that fall on to his forehead and shoulders. The lower edge of the antefix has a decorative moulding.PROVENANCE:Private collection, London; acquired on the European art market in the 1990s.
A Dionysian ancient yellow marble herm bust 1st century AD; alt. cm 18; An ancient yellow marble herm male bust with a severe expression, accentuated by a furrowed brow and tension in the facial features. He has wide, sunken eyes, a disfigured nose, lips shut tight and a prominent chin; his hair is carved with small curly locks that frame his forehead, while the rest of his head is adorned with large acanthus leaves, berries and other plants held together by a sash, the hem of which rests on his shoulders. The iconography of the character is very obviously related to Dionysus; his exact identity however is uncertain: it could be a satyr or Hercules in the dress of Dionysus.This type of herm was very common in the Hellenistic and imperial periods, especially in private settings. It could be used as decoration in the triclinium or in Roman gardens and was usually placed with other herms representing various gods and divine beings.PROVENANCE:Private collection, London; acquired on the European art market in the 1980s.
James I (1604-1619) third bust silver shilling Mintmark rose. Fair James I (1604-1619) third bust silver shilling. Mintmark rose. Poor James I (1604-1619) third bust silver shilling. Clipped. Mintmark rose. Poor James I (1604-1619) third bust silver shilling. Mintmark lis. Fair James I 1605 silver sixpence. Poor (5)
An Edwardian Silver Tea Service, Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co Ltd, London 1903, comprising teapot, sugar bowl and cream jug, each profusely chased with scrolls and flowers with a pierced border, the teapot with an ivory handle, the others with acanthus C handles mounted with a bust, the teapot 17cm high, 48ozt all in See illustrationOf a good gauge, good detail in chasing, monogrammed, overall good condition. Ivory handle with age lines.
A German White Metal Mounted Coconut Cup and Cover, in 17th century style, the slightly domed cover with figural finial over a plain collar and arcaded band enclosing coconut carved with a bust portrait and biblical scenes, on a vase column and domed base engraved with strapwork, 28.5cm high
Severus Alexander AV Aureus. Rome, AD 227. IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, laureate and draped bust right / P M TR P VI COS II P P, Mars walking right, holding spear and trophy. RIC 60c; BMC 407 note; C. -; Biaggi 1328; Calicó 3111. 6.34g, 20mm, 5h. Good Extremely Fine. Rare; only 6 examples on CoinArchives. Ex H. D. Rauch 75, 6 May 2005, lot 644. A naturally unwarlike young man, Severus Alexander's early coinage is almost entirely without any types of specific interest, likely because the hands in which power lay at this time wished it so. While Alexander was still a minor, government was maintained by Julia's Maesa and Mamaea, women who one would assume preferred to see Alexander's figure remain on the throne while avoiding any of the scandal seen under Elagabalus. Here shown simply as the god Mars, later issues of a very similar reverse type depict either Alexander with the same attributes, or perhaps Romulus, one of the two mythical founders of Rome and the supposed son of Mars.
Cleopatra and Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain Eastern mint, autumn 34 BC. ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡA ΒΑCΙΛICΗC ΒΑCΙΛΕWΝ Τ...N, 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 -, but cf. 543/1 for types of different style and legends; CRI -; Sydenham -; RSC -; Kestner -; BMCRR East -; RBW -. 3.71g, 20mm, 4h. Extremely Fine. Unique and unpublished; a coin of great numismatic importance. This unexpected novum is a remarkable addition to the coinage of these most famous of lovers, and the late imperatorial period in general. Bearing more refined portraits of both Cleopatra and Antony, and more importantly an obverse legend in Greek and a reverse legend in Latin, it offers us new insights into the production of these iconic dual-portrait denarii. Bilingual coins were, although extremely uncommon, not unheard of by the late 1st century BC. Among the earliest are certain Italian coins that bear dual Oscan and Greek inscriptions; there are also numerous issues of formerly Punic-dominated cities, particularly in Spain, where bilingual inscriptions occur, sometimes on the same side as in the case of Bailo (SNG BM Spain 477-8); certain Alexander-type issues at Tyre retain their Phoenician-character dating alongside the Greek legends. The most conspicuously bilingual Greek coins are those of the late Greco-Baktrian and Indo-Greek kings, whose coinage frequently bears a Greek obverse inscription naming the king, and a Karosthi reverse legend. Even in more recent years, a denarius-standard coinage had been issued by the Roman-allied king of Numidia, Juba I, which bore a Latin obverse legend, and a neo-Punic reverse inscription. The precedent therefore certainly existed for such coins when they were considered politically expedient. While a certain number of the Antony-Cleopatra denarii feature the head of the Queen on the reverse die, the vast majority of surviving specimens have a Cleopatra obverse die, and an Antony reverse die. Though these coins are commonly referred to as denarii of Antony and Cleopatra, it is more proper to refer to them as denarii of Cleopatra, for Antony. The Queen is depicted here with the prow of a galley at the point of her bust, symbolising her importance to the naval building programme that would eventually see the combined Antonian-Ptolemaic navies field 290 warships at Actium. Lamentably, the die was substantially degraded at the time of striking this coin - part of the legend which appears to be ‘T….N’ is illegible – however this degradation of the die is interesting, as is the case of the Queen’s name. We know that despite their scarcity today the dual-portrait denarii were issued in large numbers, and clearly hastily so, to pay Antony’s troops. The numerous die breaks on this specimen point to extensive usage on a level that the (many) other dies with exclusively Latin legends do not. What therefore became of these Greek-legend coins, and why were no other Greek-legend dies produced? Perhaps it was a much smaller part of the issue intended for the payment of a particular group of Ptolemaic-pattern troops, or it may be that this specimen represents a prototype strike that was rejected by Antony or his men, and replaced with the Latin-only coins. It is noteworthy that the Latin-only coins display Cleopatra’s name in the genitive (Cleopatrae), while this coin, in common with the Isis-headdress bronzes of Patras, displays it in the nominative. T. V. Buttrey (‘Grammar and History: Thoughts on Some Late Roman Republican Coins’ in Essays Russo) argues that on the Latin-only issues “Cleopatra acknowledged openly, with the Hellenistic genitive legend, that Antony was, effectively, equal sharer of the monarchy”. Certainly this appears not to have been the case with this obverse die, and if it did indeed precede the more substantial issue of Latin-only dies, this would present us with another possible reason for it being discontinued, and possibly recalled, which could thus explain its exceedingly low survival rate. In any case, this unique and important coin represents one of the last missing pieces of a puzzle which now permits us with a greater degree of certainty to attribute the dual-portrait denarii to a mint authority controlled by Cleopatra, not Antony.
Valentinian I AV Solidus. Contemporary imitation of Treveri, circa AD 364-367. D N VALENTINVS P F AVG (sic), pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / RESTITVOR REIPVBLICAE (sic), Emperor standing facing, head right, holding labarum inscribed with a Christogram and Victory on globe; *TRM* in exergue. Cf. RIC 1b. 4.42g, 21mm, 5h. Good Very Fine.
Valentinian I AV Solidus. Rome, AD 364. D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / RESTITVTOR REIPVBLICAE, Emperor standing facing, head right, holding labarum inscribed with a Christogram and Victory on globe; •RT(palm) in exergue. RIC 2(a).11; Depeyrot 27/1. 4.44g, 21mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare.
Caracalla AR Tetradrachm of Aelia Capitolina, Judaea. AD 215-217. AYT KAI ANTωNINOC CE, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / ΔHMAPX ЄΞ VΠATOC TOΔ, eagle standing left on thyrsus; below, panther seated to right, rearing up to amphora which it tips over with its front legs. Unpublished in the standard references. 12.37g, 25mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Apparently unique and unpublished.
Octavian AR Denarius. Italian mint (Rome?), autumn 30 - summer 29 BC. Laureate bust of Octavian, as Jupiter Terminus, right; thunderbolt behind / Octavian, togate, seated left on curule chair, holding Victory in right hand, left hand on lap; IMP CAESAR across fields. RIC 270; CRI 427; RSC 116; BMCRE 637 = BMCRR Rome 4362; BN 43-47. 3.69g, 20mm, 3h. Near Mint State. Sound, lustrous metal. Better than all examples present on CoinArchives, and certainly one of the very finest known examples of this beautiful type, which is virtually impossible to find in high state of preservation.
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, diademed and draped, on crescent. RIC 52 var.; C. 1; BMC 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.
Octavian AR Denarius. Italian mint (Rome?), autumn 31 - summer 30 BC. Winged bust of Victory right / Octavian, as Neptune, standing left, foot set on globe, holding aplustre and sceptre; CAESAR DIVI•F across fields. RIC 256; CRI 409; RSC 60; BMCRE 615 = BMCRR Rome 4341; BN 12-17. 3.90g, 21mm, 9h. Near Mint State. Very rare in such high state of preservation.
Constantine I, as Caesar, BI Nummus. London, circa May – end of November AD 307. CONSTANTINVS NOB C, laureate and cuirassed bust right, with decorated shoulder straps / GENIO POP ROM, Genius standing left, holding patera and cornucopiae; PLN in exergue. CT 5.01.008; RIC 88b. 7.01g, 29mm, 6h. Extremely Fine.
Julia Domna AV Aureus. Rome, AD 193-196. IVLIA DOMNA AVG, draped bust right, with hair in six waves and bound up at the back / VENERI VICTR, Venus standing right, seen from behind, half nude with drapery hanging low beneath her posterior, holding a palm branch in her left hand, a globe in her right and leaning with her left elbow on a low column to her left. BMC 47; Calicó 2641a; Hill 100; RIC 536 (Severus). 7.35g, 20mm, 12h. Extremely Fine.
Trebonianus Gallus Æ30 of Seleucia ad Calycadnum, Cilicia. AD 251-253. AVK ΓA OYIB CABIN ΓAΛΛOC, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right / CЄΛЄYKEΩN TΩN ΠΡΟC KΛΔN, Athena advancing right, thrusting spear at serpent-legged giant throwing stones. SNG Levante 780; SNG BN 1055. 12.04g, 31mm, 5h. Good Very Fine. The reverse of this coin depicts a scene from the Gigantomachy, the great battle fought between the Giants and the Olympian gods for supremacy of the cosmos. The most important divine struggle in Greek mythology, the Gigantomachy was the second major conflict of Zeus' reign. In this scene we see Athena spearing a serpent-legged Giant, perhaps Enkelados.
Constantine I Æ Nummus. London, AD 314-315. IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right / ADVENTVS AVG N, Constantine on horseback left, right hand raised, holding spear in left hand; S-F across fields, PLN in exergue. RIC 1. 3.47g, 20mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare. This type, the earliest struck at the London mint under Constantine I, commemorates the emperor's arrival in the city.
Marc Antony AR Denarius. Athens, 38-37 BC. III•VIR•R•P•C•COS•DESIG•ITER•ET•TERT, radiate bust of Sol right / M•ANTONIVS•M•F•M•N•AVGVR•IMP•TER, Antony standing right, dressed as priest, veiled, wearing toga and holding a lituus. Crawford 533/2; CRI 267; Sydenham 1199; RSC 13a. 3.70g, 20mm, 7h. Near Mint State. Among the finest known examples. Ex Leo Benz Collection, Numismatik Lanz 88, 23 November 1998, lot 844. This coin is a truly outstanding example of the type, being well struck on sound metal, lacking the always-present areas of flatness, and having been barely circulated. Of the hundred or so examples present on CoinArchives, this is by a very significant margin the finest.
Arcadius AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 403-408. D N ARCADIVS P F AVG, helmeted, diademed and cuirassed bust facing, holding spear over right shoulder and shield, ornamented with a horseman spearing a fallen foe / NOVA SPES REIPVBLICAE Δ, Victory seated right on cuirass, supporting shield inscribed XX XXX; star in left field, CONOB in exergue. Depeyrot 34/2; RIC 29. 4.48g, 22mm, 6h. Mint State; rare thus. Struck on an extraordinarily broad flan.
Constantine I BI Nummus. London, AD 319-320. IMP CONSTAN-TINVS P AVG, radiate and trabeate bust left, with raised right hand, holding globe with left / VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, two Victories standing facing one another, holding together a shield inscribed VOT/PR set on altar decorated with cross within wreath; PLN in exergue. CT 9.01.019; RIC -. 2.27g, 19mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare.
Maximian BI Radiate. Struck under Carausius. London, AD 291-292. IMP C MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right, with decorated shoulder straps / PA-X AVGGG, Pax standing left, holding olive branch and transverse sceptre; S-P across fields, MLXXI in exergue. RIC 34; Webb 1254. 3.58g, 22mm, 5h. Extremely Fine. Rare.
Carinus, as Caesar, AV Aureus. Siscia, AD 282. M AVR CARINVS NOB CAES, laureate and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA AVG, Victory standing left on banded globe, holding laurel wreath in outstretched right hand and palm frond over left shoulder. RIC -, cf. 190E (Victory carrying trophy); cf. Cohen 139 (same); Sear 12287 (this coin); Calicó 4372 (this coin). 4.84 gm, 20mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Rare. From the Ambrose Collection; Ex Andre Constantine Dimitriadis Collection; Ex McLendon Collection, Christie’s New York, 12 June 1993, lot 191. Raised to the rank of Caesar in the West in AD 282 under his father Carus, who had been proclaimed emperor after the assassination of the emperor Probus, Carinus immediately set out on campaign against the Germanic Quadi tribes whom he met with some success. Returning to Rome in early 283, he celebrated a triumph and was proclaimed Augustus, and thus began his joint rule with his father. Meanwhile his brother Numerian, also Caesar, was on campaign with their father against the Sassanid Persians in the East. It was here that Carus died in July or August 283, but not before having made significant gains against the Sassanids under Bahram II: he had taken the capital Ctesiphon, crossed the River Tigris and was marching his troops further into Mesopotamia. Carus’ death is most likely attributable to natural causes (an unknown illness, though some sources claim it was a lightning strike), and Numerian succeeded him as Augustus unchallenged. The army however wished to return to the West, and Numerian was unable to do more than acquiesce. As the column proceeded slowly back toward Roman territory Numerian himself was taken ill and died under suspicious circumstances - the general Diocletian was proclaimed emperor by the troops and accepted the purple on a hill outside Nicomedia. Upon hearing the news, Carinus marched his army eastwards and the two met in Moesia at the Battle of the Margus River. Again, accounts differ as to the progress of the battle: some say that Carinus had the upper hand until he was assassinated by a tribune whose wife he had seduced, while others suggest that the battle was a complete victory for Diocletian and that Carinus’ army deserted him. Following the victory, both the eastern and western armies recognised Diocletian as sole emperor, and he marched unopposed on Rome. Struck in late 282 when Carinus still held the rank of Caesar, this aureus depicts him in military gear on the obverse, while the reverse type depicts the Victoriola, the cult statue of Victory standing on a globe. It symbolises the power and majesty conferred on an emperor by victory in battle, and is often shown on later reverse types being conferred on the emperor by Jupiter or another deity. Used in this context, it appears to attest to a recent military victory, perhaps Carinus’ own successes against the Germanic tribes. That this coin was struck shortly before Carinus was raised to the rank of Augustus might partly explain its relative rarity, however the Damnatio Memoriae which Diocletian wrought on Carinus after his death would also bear on the scarcity of gold coins in his name.
Octavian AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Octavian in Greece, autumn 42 BC. Helmeted and draped bust of young Mars right, spear over left shoulder; CAESAR III VIR•R•P•C around / Aquila between two signa, all set on ground line; above, trophy, holding oval shields; S-C flanking aquila. Crawford 497/3; CRI 138; Sydenham 1320; RSC 248. 2.61g, 18mm, 8h. Good Very Fine. Rare.
Marc Antony AR Denarius. Athens, 38-37 BC. III•VIR•R•P•C•COS•DESIG•ITER•ET•TERT, radiate bust of Sol right / M•ANTONIVS•M•F•M•N•AVGVR•IMP•TER, Antony standing right, dressed as priest, veiled, wearing toga and holding a lituus. Crawford 533/2; CRI 267; Sydenham 1199; RSC 13a. 3.72g, 18mm, 3h. Good Very Fine.
Allectus BI Radiate. London, AD 293-295. IMP C ALLECTVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / PROVID-ENTIA AVG, Providentia standing left, holding globe and transverse sceptre; S-A across fields, MSL in exergue. Burnett 66; RIC 38; Webb 56. 4.80g, 23mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Pleasant green patina.
Herennia Etruscilla Æ Double Sestertius. Rome, AD 249-251. HERENNIA ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed and draped bust right set on crescent / PVDICITIA AVG, Pudicitia, veiled, seated left, holding sceptre in left hand and drawing out veil with right; SC in exergue. RIC 136a; C. 21. 30.66g, 33mm, 12h. Very Fine. Very Rare; only six other examples on CoinArchives.
Troas, Alexandria Troas Æ24. Pseudo-autonomous issue, circa mid 3rd century AD. ALEX TRO, turreted and draped bust of Tyche right; vexillum behind / COL AVGO TROAD, she-wolf standing right, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus. Bellinger A495; SNG von Aulock 1465; SNG Copenhagen 104-7. 6.99g, 24mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Light 'Tiber' tone.
Phoenicia, Tyre AR Shekel. Dated year 33 = 94/3 BC. Laureate bust of Melkart right / ΤΥPΟΥ ΙΕΡΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΣΥΛΟΥ, eagle standing left on prow, palm branch at shoulder; ΓΛ (date) above club to left, Phoenician B between legs, monogram to right. DCA-Tyre 82; HGC 10, 357; DCA 919. 14.14g, 30mm, 12h. Very Fine.
Suevic Kingdom of Gallaecia AV Tremissis. Uncertain mint in Gallaecia, circa AD 558-585. LATINA EMERI MVNTA, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right with prominent jewelled fibula and jewelled paludamentum over left shoulder, three pellets in field; all within beaded border / Cross pattée within double wreathed circles, flanked by two lateral beaded and curved rectangles; COINOI (retrograde) in exergue. Peixoto Cabral and Metcalf, p. 300, 1; W. Reinhart, 'Die Münzen des Schwebenreiches', in Mittailungen der bayerischen Numismatiischen Gesellschaft 55, 1937, p. 186, 50; cf. Gomes, Moedas portuhesas, Lisboa 2003, p. 45, 02.11. 1.17g, 17mm, 5h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. The extraordinary issues with enigmatic legends based on Latin legends akin to Latina munita (i.e. ‘Latin mint’) belong to the late period of the Suevic kingdom after it had been defeated by Theodoric II and divided in two. The reverse legend is difficult to explain: it may refer to a municipal (‘Latin’) origin of the coins, possibly arising from an incompetent interpretation of the wording of an instruction to the moneyers to place on the coins a Latin name of the mint. The issues have been tentatively attributed to an unspecified new mint, possibly in the newly conquered territories north of the Minho in the time of king Miro (570-583). For an in depth analysis on the legends and mint identifications see: ‘The LATINA MVNTA Tremisses’, in J.M. Peixoto Cabral and D.M. Metcalf, A moeda sueva - Suevic Coinage, Lisboa 1997, pp. 89-97.
Constantine I BI Nummus. London, circa AD 311-312. CONSTANTINVS P F AVG, laureate, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding spear and shield / COMITI AVGG NN, Sol standing left, with raised right hand, holding globe in left; star in right field, PLN in exergue. CT 7.03.016; RIC 165. 4.10g, 23mm, 4h. Extremely Fine. Rare.
Loading...
