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Click here to subscribeSeverus Alexander Æ Medallion of Perinthos, Thrace. AD 222-235. AV K M AVP CEVH A?E?AN?POC AV?, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / ?EPIN?I?N ?IC NE?KOP?N, Serapis, bearded, wearing long chiton and himation, standing facing, head left, with his right hand raised and holding long sceptre, lit altar to left. Varbanov 442. 36.58g, 42mm, 6h. Good Very Fine, lightly smoothed. Very Rare.
Uranius Antoninus BI Tetradrachm. Emesa, Syria. AD 253-254. AYTOK COY?? ANTWNINOC CE, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / ?HMAPX E? OVCIAC V?ATO, Eagle standing facing, head and tail left, with wings spread, holding wreath in beak; S–C below wings, B in exergue. Unpublished in the standard references, cf. Prieur 1060 for similar with eagle's head and tail to right. 13.62g, 26mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Unique and unpublished.
C. Poblicius Q. f. AR Serrate Denarius. Rome, 80 BC. Draped bust of Roma right, helmet decorated with corn ears and control mark above head, ROMA behind / Hercules strangling the Nemean lion, club at his feet, bow and arrow on left, C. POBLICI. Q. F on right. Poblicia 9; Crawford 80/1; Sydenham 768. 3.91g, 20mm, 3h. Good Extremely Fine. Lustrous.
C. Mamilius Limetanus AR Serrate Denarius. Rome, 82 BC. Bust of Mercury right, draped and wearing winged petasos; caduceus and M behind / C•MAMIL LIMETAN, Ulysses walking right, holding staff in left hand and extending right hand to Argus. Crawford 362/1; Sydenham 471 ; Mamilia 6. 3.77g, 19mm, 3h. Near Extremely Fine. The Mamilia gens pretended to derive its origin from Mamilia, the daughter of Telegonus, the reputed son of Ulysses and Circe, and thus C. Mamilius, as monetal triumvir, caused this subject to be adopted on his coins. The reverse shows Ulysses, after a long absence, returning in beggar's dress to Ithaca, where he was recognised at once by his old dog, Argus, who died of joy at seeing his former master.
C. Mamilius Limetanus AR Serrate Denarius. Rome, 82 BC. Bust of Mercury right, draped and wearing winged petasus; caduceus and M behind / C•MAMIL LIMETAN, Ulysses walking right, holding staff staff in left hand and extending right hand to Argus. Crawford 362/1; Sydenham 741; Mamilia 6. 3.73g, 18mm, 9h. Extremely Fine, excellent quality. Lightly Toned.
A. Postumius A. f. Sp. n. Albinus AR Serrate Denarius. Rome, 81 BC. Draped bust of Diana right, with bow and quiver over shoulder, bucranium above / Togate figure standing left on rock, holding aspergillum over bull, between them, lighted altar, A POST A F S N ALBIN around. Postumia 7; Sydenham 745; Crawford 372/1. 4.06g, 19mm, 7h. Extremely Fine.
L. Procilius AR Serrate Denarius. Rome, 80 BC. Bust of Juno Sospita right, wearing goat skin; S•C behind / Juno Sospita driving biga right, holding spear and shield; serpent below; L•PROCILLI•F in exergue. Crawford 379/2; Sydenham 772; Procilia 2. 4.03g, 19mm, 4h. Extremely Fine. Attractively toned.
L. Plaetorius L. f. Cestianus AR Denarius. Rome, 74 BC. Diademed and draped bust of Juno Moneta right, MONETA behind / Victorious boxer running right, holding caestus and palm branch, L PLAETORI to left, L F Q SC to right, control mark below. Sydenham 792a; Crawford 396/1b. 3.44g, 18mm, 5h. Good Fine. Rare. From the Andrew McCabe Collection.
C. Vibius Varus AR Denarius. Rome, 42 BC. Bust of Minerva right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet and aegis / Hercules, naked, standing left, resting right hand on club set on ground and holding lion skin over left arm; C • VIBIVS downwards on right, VARVS downwards on left. Crawford 494/38; CRI 194; Sydenham 1140; Kestner 3748-9; BMCRR Rome 4303-5: Vibia 26. 3.79g, 20mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine.
Julius Caesar AR Denarius. African mint, 47 BC. Diademed bust of Venus right / Aeneas advancing left, carrying palladium in right hand and Anchises on left shoulder; CAESAR to right. Julia 10; Crawford 458/1; Sydenham 1013; Sear 55. 3.89g, 19mm, 5h. Extremely Fine. Attractively toned. Ex Schweizer Kreditanstalt, 1981, lot 60.
M. Junius Brutus AR Denarius. Rome, 54 BC. Bust of Libertas right, LIBERTAS behind / Consul L. Junius Brutus, between two lictors, preceded by accensus, all walking left; BRVTVS in exergue. Sydenham 906; Crawford 433/1; Junia 31. 3.64g, 20mm, 6h. About Extremely Fine, minor marks on obverse.
Octavian AR Denarius. Rome, 28 BC. Laureate bust of Apollo of Actium right, with features of Octavian / Octavian, veiled and in priestly robes, ploughing right with team of oxen; IMP•CAESAR in exergue. RIC 272; BMC 638; RSC 117. 3.66g, 18mm, 4h. Good Very Fine. Attractively toned. The obverse of this rare coin borrows from the Greek tradition of moulding the features of a deity to resemble the ruler, as was the case on the coinage of Alexander and his father Philip. The reverse depicts Octavian as city founder of Nicopolis in Epirus, established in 31 BC at the site of the battle of Actium in memory of his victory over Antony and Cleopatra. The sacred boundary was marked by a pomerium or sacred furrow. On the spot where Octavian's own tent had been pitched he built a monument adorned with the beaks of the captured galleys; and in further celebration of his victory he instituted the so-called Actian games in honour of Apollo Actius, who had an ancient temple on the promontory there.
Mauretania, Iol Æ20. Circa 2nd century BC. Head of Isis left with neatly combed hair rolled up into a fringe and three spiral locks falling over back of neck / Three grain ears, Neo-Punic letter 'beth' above, two pellets in left field. Unpublished in the standard references, for types cf. Müller p. 177, 290 (uncertain Mauretania); Mazard 554-5 (Iol-Caesarea); Alexandropoulos 147; SNG Copenhagen 684. 3.97g, 20mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Apparently unique and unpublished. The identification of the obverse bust is almost certainly that of Isis whose characteristic attribute, the vulture headdress of Hathor, is clearly depicted on the standard references.
Titus, as Caesar, AV Aureus. Rome, AD 77-8. T CAESAR IMP VESPASIANVS, laureate bust right / Roma, helmeted, seated right on two shields, left foot on helmet, holding spear before her; wolf standing right at her feet, head turned back, suckling Romulus and Remus, in left and right fields, two eagles flying towards her; COS VI in exergue. RIC 954; BMC 223; Calicó 738a. 7.12g, 20mm, 6h. Near Very Fine.
Domitian and Domitia AV Aureus. Rome, AD 82-83. IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PM, laureate head of Domitian to right / DOMITIA AVGVSTA IMP DOMIT, draped bust of Domitia to right, her hair bound up in elaborate coiffure with end falling down neck in long plait. RIC 210; C. 3; Calicó 943a. 7.70g, 19mm, 6h. About Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare.
Domitian Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 85. IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XI CENS POT P P, laureate bust of Domitian right wearing aegis / Emperor standing left, holding spear; German captive kneeling right before, presenting shield set amongst various arms; S-C across fields, broken spear in exergue. RIC 357; C. 489; BMC 337; BN 358. 28.40g, 35mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Rare. An interesting historical type, and relatively well preserved for the issue. Having lived his whole life in the shadow of his father and brother's military victories, and having had none for himself, upon being proclaimed emperor Domitian soon found an opportunity to win glory for himself. Leaving Rome for Gaul in late AD 82-early 83, ostensibly to conduct a census, he unexpectedly launched a campaign against the Chatti in Germania, who had been part of Arminius' coalition of tribes that had annihilated Varus' column in the Teutoberg forest. For this purpose, Domitian raised a new legion, Legio I Minervia. Little information survives of the campaign, though apparently enough early victories were achieved for Domitian to return to Rome in late 83, where he awarded himself a triumph, conferred upon himself the title of Germanicus and struck a series of commemorative coinage depicting his subjugation of the Chatti. Domitian's campaign was viewed most unfavourably by ancient writers, who noted that it was an unprovoked attack and mocked his supposed accomplishments.
Trajan AV Aureus. Rome, AD 102. IMP CAES TRAIANVS AVG GERM DACICVS, laureate bust right with aegis on far shoulder / P M TR P COS IIII P P, statue of Hercules holding club and lion’s skin standing facing on low plinth. RIC -; Woytek 99e; BMC -; Calicó 1055. 7.03g, 19mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Struck at the end of the succssful campaign against the Dacians in AD 102, in which Trajan reduced their leader Decebalus to the status of client king, for which victory he celebrated a triumph, the obverse legend of this extremely rare aureus notes the new title of Dacicus Maximus which he was awarded upon his return to Rome. The reverse of this coin is believed to depict a statue of Hercules Gaditanus. Trajan had been born in the Spanish city of Italica in Baetica, an area where this cult of Hercules Gaditanus was especially popular. The emperor apparently viewed him as his patron, and between 100 and 115 produced a number of coins bearing his image, of which this is one. The statue itself was situated near the great altar of Hercules in the Forum Boarium, the Ara Maxima Herculis Invicti.
Trajan Æ As. Rome, AD 104/5-107. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate bust right, with drapery on left shoulder / SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI, decorated oval shield set before two spears, sword, vexillum and oblong shield; SC below. C. 569; BMC 951; RIC 584; CBN 532; Woytek 198bB. 11.83g, 27mm, 7h. Extremely Fine. Rare. This simple but very attractive type is part of a series of issues issued to mark Trajan’s victories over the Dacians, who he had vanquished now for a second time (see following lot). The pile of arms displayed on the reverse is clearly identifiable as ‘barbarian’ in origin; comparisons with surviving sculpture such as the friezes on Trajan’s column can attest to this. The Dacians were similarly equipped to contemporary Celtic tribes and Roman auxiliaries, and favoured shields that were flat or only slightly dished, usually oval but sometimes hexagonal in shape, and capable of covering most or all of the body for use in a shieldwall.
Trajan AV Aureus. Rome, AD 106. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI, Trajan as triumphator in slow quadriga to left, holding branch and sceptre; car ornamented with Victory bearing wreath. Calicó -; RIC -; BMC -; Woytek 195n. 7.29g, 20mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, possibly only the second known example. The reverse of this coin depicts Trajan’s second triumph in AD 106, which he celebrated for his great victory earlier that year in the Second Dacian War. Trajan had in 101-102 launched an offensive against the powerful Dacian king Decebalus with whom Domitian had signed an unfavourable (and some would argue shameful) treaty some twenty years before, the price of which was the payment of an annual ‘subsidy’ of eight million sestertii and the presentation of a diadem from Domitian to Decebalus. In that war, Trajan succeeded in defeating the Dacians in a series of pitched battles, and reduced Decebalus to the status of client king. The victory was celebrated with a triumph (Trajan’s first), and later by the construction of the Tropaeum Traiani. Although this victory had greatly eroded Decebalus’ power, he nonetheless began to rearm straight away, to harbour Roman runaways and to pressure the neighbouring barbarian tribes to ally themselves with him. In 104 he organised a failed attempt on Trajan’s life by means of some Roman deserters, as well as capturing Trajan’s legate Longinus who he tried to use as a bargaining chip; Longinus however took poison to avoid compromising his country and emperor. Then finally in 105 Decebalus launched an invasion of the Roman-held territories north of the Danube. Trajan was not unprepared; by 105 the concentration of Roman troops assembled in the middle and lower Danube regions amounted to fourteen legions – half of the entire Roman army. Trajan ordered the construction of a massive bridge over the Danube designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, which for over 1,000 years was the longest arch bridge ever built both in terms of total and span length. The counter-offensive consisted mostly of the reduction of the Dacian fortress network which the Romans systematically stormed while denying the Dacians the ability to manoeuvre in the open. At last Decebalus’ main stronghold of Sarmizegetusa was taken by storm and razed to the ground. Decebalus himself escaped, but soon after committed suicide as a Roman cavalry scout named Tiberius Claudius Maximus was closing on him. Maximus delivered the head and right hand of the enemy king to his emperor, by whom he was decorated and immortalised in a relief on Trajan’s column. Trajan’s second triumph was understandably a grand affair, which was accompanied by spectacular games that the emperor held in celebration: ten thousand gladiators fought in these games, and ten thousand animals were sacrificed in thanks to the gods. The riches of Dacia (estimated recently at 165 tons of gold and 331 tons of silver) were invested in a series of important public works, the jewels of which were the forum and great market in Rome which bore his name, and the magnificent celebratory column depicting the glorious achievements of the campaign.
Trajan Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 113. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / PORTVM TRAIANI, aerial view of Trajan's hexagonal harbour at Ostia, with entrance at bottom, buildings and colonnades surrounding the harbour, and three ships anchored within. RIC -, cf. 632 (bust variant); C. -, cf. 306 (same); BMC -; Lanz 106, 27 November 2001, lot 381 (same dies); Woytek 470f. 23.76g, 34mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Dark green patina. Extremely Rare. Ex Numismatik Lanz 156, 2 June 2013, lot 304. The first proper harbour at Ostia was excavated under Claudius and finished in AD 64, and became the main trading centre for goods entering Rome from the western half of the Empire while Puteoli, on the Bay of Naples, continued to receive shipments from the east. However the harbour silted up over time, and so Trajan ordered the construction of a new basin, designed in hexagonal form and behind the original harbour, to offer better protection. Finished in AD 113, Trajan's new harbour at Ostia proved so popular that the the grain fleet from Alexandria in Egypt sailed to Ostia instead of Puteoli, and in the course of the second century Ostia became the main harbour of Rome for goods from the entire Empire.
Trajan Æ Dupondius. Rome, AD 114-116. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, radiate and draped bust right / SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ROMANVS, Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and cornucopiae; S-C across. RIC II 674; Woytek 535v. 12.13g, 27mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Beautiful patina and superb, untouched surfaces.
Trajan AV Aureus. Rome, AD 116. IMP CAES NER TRAIAN OPTIM AVG GER DAC PARTHICO, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R, Parthia seated right, head facing, in attitude of mourning, and Parthian seated left in attitude of mourning below trophy, PARTHIA CAPTA in exergue. RIC 324; Woytek 560f; BMC 603; Calicó 1035a. 7.12g, 19mm, 6h. Very Fine. Commemorating his final great campaign, this aureus of Trajan is a clear indication to the people of Rome that the Emperor had succeeded in expanding the Empire still further through his conquest of Parthia and the capture of the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon. However, the areas of Armenia and Mesopotamia that Trajan conquered were unwieldy and difficult to secure, and it was left to the new Emperor Hadrian in AD 117 to abandon these indefensible lands in favour of a smaller, but more easily governable, empire. Trajan's campaign against the Parthians was prompted by their installation of a puppet king in Armenia who was unacceptable to the Roman emperor. Both the Parthian and Roman Empires had shared a hegemony over the Armenian kingdom for fifty years, but Trajan decided to remove the king and annexe Armenia as a Roman province. After this success he moved southwards, receiving acknowledgement of hegemony from various tribes on the way to Mesopotamia, a large part of which he had conquered by the time this coin was struck in AD 116.
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 Trajan 733; BMC Trajan 529; Woytek 706. 2.81g, 21mm, 7h. Extremely Fine, faint brush marks. Extremely Rare, and in superb condition for the issue.
Hadrian AR Denarius. Rome, AD 117. IMP CAES TRAIAN HADRIAN OPT AVG GER DAC, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / PARTHIC DIVI TRAIAN AVG F P M TR P COS P P, Justitia seated left, holding patera and sceptre, IVSTITIA in exergue. RIC 6; RSC 875; RCV 3500. 3.53g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine.
Hadrian Æ As. Rome, AD 119-122. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate bust right, drapery on left. shoulder / PONT MAX TR POT COS III, Pietas standing slightly to left, raising both hands; altar before; PIE-AVG S-C across fields. RIC 579c; C. 1022. 10.08g, 26mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine; well detailed reverse.
Hadrian AR Denarius. Rome, AD 119-122. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / P M TR P COS III, Pax seated left, holding Victory on globe and palm. RIC 95; C. 1147c. 3.10g, 19mm, 8h. Near Mint State. From the Mark Gibbons Collection; Ex A. Tkalec, 9 May 2011, lot 154.
Hadrian Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 134-138. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bareheaded and draped bust right / FELICITAS AVGVSTI, Hadrian standing to right holding scroll, clasping hands with Felicitas who stands to right holding caduceus; SC in exergue. RIC -; Strack 644; Banti 332; BMC 1501 note = E Gohl, RIN XX (1907), 98. 25.18g, 32mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare. From the Mark Gibbons Collection; Ex Robert O. Ebert Collection; Ex Coin Galleries, 14 June 1993, lot 260; Ex Buddy Ebsen Collection, Superior, 7 June 1987, lot 4477; Ex Virgil M. Brand Collection, Sotheby's 1 February 1984, lot 521; Ex Raffaele Garrucci Collection, J. Hirsch XXXIV, 5 May 1914, lot 1086.
Antoninus Pius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 140-143. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III, bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust right / GENIVS POP ROMANI, Genius of the Roman people standing facing, head right, holding sceptre and cornucopiae. RIC 70 var.; C -, cf. 405-407; Calicó -; BMC -. 7.13g, 19mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Apparently unique variant. The known coins of this type all feature a bare-headed or laureate left facing bust, or, much less frequently, a laureate bust to right. The present example with its bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust to right appears to be a very well preserved example of a previously unknown variety.
Diva Faustina Senior AV Aureus. Rome, after AD 141. DIVA FAVSTINA, diademed, veiled and draped bust of the deified Faustina to left / AVGVSTA, Ceres standing to left, veiled, holding torch in each hand. C. 76; BMC A. Pius 407; RIC A. Pius 357b; Calicó 1759 (this obverse die). 6.88g, 19mm, 11h. Fleur De Coin. A coin of great beauty and style. Annia Galeria Faustina was born into a distinguished and well connected family; her father Marcus Annius Verus was three times consul and prefect of Rome, and she counted Sabina and Matidia as her maternal aunts. Sometime between AD 110 and 115 she married Titus Aurelius Fulvius Boionius Arrius Antoninus (who would later gain favour with Hadrian, be adopted and succeed to the throne, and be known to history as Antoninus Pius). Her marriage to Antoninus was a happy one and she bore him two sons and two daughters; her namesake, the only one to survive to adulthood, would marry the future emperor Marcus Aurelius. Faustina was by all accounts a beautiful woman noted for her wisdom, though the Historia Augusta criticized her as having ‘excessive frankness’ and ‘levity’. Throughout her life, as a private citizen and as empress, Faustina was involved in assisting charities for the poor and sponsoring the education of Roman children, particularly girls. When she died in AD 140 shortly after her fortieth birthday her husband Antoninus was devastated. To honour her memory he had her deified, built a temple for her in the Forum and issued a prodigious coinage in her name as Diva Faustina. The most fitting and touching act of this grieving husband and emperor was to ensure her legacy of charitable work would be continued: he established an institution called Puellae Faustinianae (‘The Girls of Faustina’) to assist orphaned Roman girls, and he created a new alimenta or grain dole to feed the poor.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, March-December AD 161. IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / PROV DEOR TR XV COS III, Providentia standing left, holding globe and cornucopiae. Calicó 1904; BMC 14; C. -; RIC 20. 7.00g, 19mm, 5h. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare, only two other examples on CoinArchives, both in low grade.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 164. ANTONINVS AVG ARMENIACVS, laureate, cuirassed bust right / P M TR P XVIII • IMP II COS III, Victory standing right, holding stylus in right hand, resting left hand on round shield inscribed VIC AVG in two lines, set on palm tree. C. 466 (misdescribed); BMC 270 note; RIC 90 var. (with drapery); Calicó 1887 var. (with drapery). 6.76g, 18mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, December 164-August 165. ANTONINVS AVG ARMENIACVS, laureate and cuirassed bust right / P M TR P XIX • IMP II COS III, Victory standing right, holding stylus in right hand, resting left hand on round shield inscribed VIC AVG in two lines, set on palm tree. C. 475 var. (bare-headed); BMC 364 note; RIC 128; Calicó 1890. 6.80g, 19mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 171-172. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVI, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / IMP VI COS III, Victory standing right, holding shield inscribed VIC GER set on tree. RIC 256; C. 270; Calicó 1865. 7.00g, 19mm, 12h. Mint State. Extremely Rare. No examples have appeared at auction in over 15 years. In the early 160s Germanic tribes and other nomadic people began launching a series of raids along the northern border of the empire, particularly into Gaul and across the Danube. This new impetus westwards was probably due to attacks from tribes further east. A first invasion of the Chatti in the province of Germania Superior was repulsed in 162. A far more serious incursion happened in late 166 or early 167 when a force of 6,000 Langobardi and Lacringi invaded Pannonia. This invasion was defeated by local forces (vexillations of the Legio I Adiutrix and the Ala I Ulpia Contariorum) with relative ease, but they marked the beginning of what was to come. In the same year, Vandals (Astingi and Lacringi) and the Sarmatian Iazyges invaded Dacia, and succeeded in killing its governor, Calpurnius Proculus. In 169 the Iazyges defeated and killed Claudius Fronto, Roman governor of Lower Moesia, who was attempting to subdue the tribes living between the Danube and the province of Dacia. While the Roman army was bogged down in this campaign other tribes took the opportunity to raid across the border. To the east, the Costoboci crossed the Danube, ravaged Thrace and descended the Balkans, reaching Eleusis, near Athens, where they destroyed the temple of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The worst was yet to come. In the west the Marcomanni, led by Ballomar, had formed a coalition of Germanic tribes. They crossed the Danube and won a decisive victory over a force of 20,000 Roman soldiers near Carnuntum. The larger part of this host then proceeded southwards towards into, while the remainder ravaged Noricum. The Marcomanni razed Opitergium (Oderzo) and besieged Aquileia - this was the first time hostile forces had entered Italy since 101 BC, when Gaius Marius defeated the Cimbri and Teutones. The praetorian prefect Furius Victorinus was defeated and slain while trying to relieve the city. The invaders would not be ejected until 171, a ‘victory’ which required stripping various border regions of their forces to concentrate against the Marcomanni, the establishment of a new military command, the fortification of the Alpine borders and the strengthening of the Danubian fleet. In 172 Aurelius led a counter-invasion across the Danube into Marcomannic territory. Few details survive of this punitive campaign, but it is clear that the Romans achieved success. The Marcomanni and their allies, the Naristi and the Cotini were subjugated, and the chief of the Naristi was killed by the Roman General Marcus Valerius Maximianus. The reverse of this coin celebrates the successes of Aurelius’ counter-attack, and perhaps to a lesser extent the expulsion of the Germanic invaders that had ravaged the Alpine provinces.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 172. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVI, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Marcus Aurelius to right / IMP VI COS III, Marcus Aurelius in military dress standing to left, holding thunderbolt in his right hand and reversed spear in his left; behind him stands Victory, who crowns him with a wreath held in her right hand, and holds a palm with her left; between them, pellet. Biaggi 856; BMC 566; C. 308; Foss 46; RIC 264; Sear II 4860; Calicó 1873. 6.95g, 20mm, 6h. Near Mint State. Very Rare. The image of the emperor on the reverse of this coin is not only unusual, but also historically very interesting. Aurelius has here assumed the symbols of Jupiter, holding a thunderbolt and spear while Victory crowns him with laurels; we should interpret this image as representing the close connection between the supreme god Jupiter and the person of the emperor who was not only the head of state but also the pontifex maximus. Yet the dating of this issue seems to precede two important events that occurred across the Danube in the campaign of 172-4: namely, the 'lightning miracle' and the 'rain miracle', which two incidents are recorded on the column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. The Historia Augusta (Marcus 24.2) tells us that in the case of the 'lightning miracle' the emperor 'summoned a thunderbolt from heaven against a siege-engine of the enemy by means of his prayers' - the column clearly shows a stone enclosure filled with Romans, and outside a siege tower struck by a bolt of lightning that has burst into flames. The second and more important of the two events, the 'rain miracle' as related by Cassius Dio, describes how the legio XII Fulminata was surrounded and entangled in a defile, suffering from thirst, and almost forced to surrender. A sudden storm then gave abundance of rain which refreshed the Romans, while hail and thunder confounded their enemies who were struck down by bolts of lightning. Thus the Romans were able to achieve a near bloodless victory. This was considered for a long time afterwards to have been a miracle and nothing less than divine intervention by Jupiter on behalf of the Romans. That the issue pre-dates the rain miracle seems relatively certain, since it is well attested that Aurelius' seventh acclamation as Imperator occurred in the immediate aftermath of the rain miracle. The depiction then of Aurelius on the reverse of this coin, wielding the power of Jupiter, seems curiously prophetic.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 173-174. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVIII, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / IMP VI COS III, Marcus Aurelius on horseback right, raising right hand, parazonium at his side. Calicó 1869; RIC 294; C. 303. 7.09g, 19mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare, no examples have been offered at auction for more than 15 years. Perhaps struck to coincide with a triumph relating to his campaigns against the Marcomanni, Quadi and Iazyges which was delayed until after a revolt in the east led by Avidius Cassius could be put down, the reverse of this coin depicts the famous equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Cast in bronze and clad in gold, it is today the only fully surviving bronze statue of a pre-Christian emperor. Although there had been many imperial equestrian statues, most were melted down for their metal to be used either for coin or new sculptures. Many were also destroyed for no better reason than because medieval Christians thought that they were pagan idols. It is only because this statue was erroneously believed to be of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, that it was not also destroyed. The original position of the statue is debated, though the Forum Romanum and the Piazza Colonna (where Aurelian’s column stands) are likely suggestions. In the 8th century it stood in the Lateran Palace in Rome, from where it was relocated in 1538 to the Piazza del Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) during Michelangelo’s redesign of the Hill. Though he disagreed with its central positioning, he designed a special pedestal for it. The original statue is now on display in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, and a replica now overlooks Rome in its stead. Standing at over 4 metres tall, the statue shows Marcus Aurelius holding his right hand out and slightly open in the traditional gesture of peace and clemency; some historians assert that a fallen enemy may have been sculpted begging for mercy under the horse’s raised hoof (based on accounts from medieval times which suggest that a small figure of a bound barbarian chieftain once crouched underneath the horse’s front right leg). It is a fitting representation of an emperor who has been universally admired as a philosopher-emperor, and who saw himself not as a conqueror but as a bringer of peace - an attitude evidenced by the emperor being garbed in a toga rather than military dress.
Faustina Junior AV Aureus. Rome, circa AD 145. Struck under Antoninus Pius. FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust left, wearing hair fastened in bun at back of head / CONCORDIA, dove standing to right. RIC III 503b (Pius); Strack 507; Calicó 2044c (same dies); Biaggi 922 (same obv. die); BMCRE 1090. 7.32g, 20mm, 4h. Near Mint State; very minor marks, light brush mark on left obv. field. Rare. Struck under her father Antoninus Pius, this magnificent aureus commemorates the April AD 145 marriage of Annia Galeria Faustina Junior to her maternal cousin Marcus Aurelius. The marriage was arranged by her father Antoninus at the time of his adoption and nomination as successor by Hadrian. Faustina had previously been engaged to Lucius Verus, whose father had been Hadrian’s designated heir until the time of his death. At the time of the engagement Antoninus also formally adopted Aurelius. Since Aurelius was therefore legally Antoninus Pius' son, under Roman law he was marrying his sister; Antoninus would thus have had to formally release Faustina from his paternal authority for the ceremony to take place. Little is specifically known of the ceremony, but the Historia Augusta claims it to have been noteworthy. The reverse type featuring the dove and the legend CONCORDIA relate directly to the invocation of the goddess for a harmonious and stable marriage, while the dove is known to be monogamous throughout its lifetime. Faustina accompanied Aurelius on various military campaigns, which perhaps gave rise to the vicious rumours and negative views that Roman sources generally give of her character. The Historia Augusta alleges that she consorted with soldiers, gladiators and men of rank, and that she was perhaps behind the revolt of Avidius Cassius against her husband in 175. However, she was held in high esteem by her husband and was given divine honours after her death.
Lucilla Æ Sestertius. AD 169-183. LVCILLA AVGVSTA, draped bust right, hair in bunch at back of the head / IVNO REGINA, Juno standing facing in long dress, veiled head turned left, holding sceptre and patera; at her feet, peacock left, S-C across fields. RIC 1751; C. 43; BMC 1207. 25.98g, 34mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Lightly tooled and smoothed.
Commodus, as Caesar, Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 175-176. Struck under Marcus Aurelius. L AVREL COMMODO CAES AVG FIL GERM SARM, bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust right / IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left, holding sceptre and thunderbolt and unfolding mantle above Commodus standing left, holding palladium and parazonium; S-C acorss fields. RIC 1525; BMC 1524; C. 244. 29.95g, 31mm, 11h. Good Very Fine. Rare. From the Mark Gibbons Collection; Ex Numismatik Lanz 157, 9 December 2013, lot 330.
Commodus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 177. IMP L AVREL COMMODVS AVG GERM SARM, laureate and draped bust right / TR P II COS P P, two captives seated at foot on trophy of arms, one with hands bound, the other in attitude of mourning; DE SARM in exergue. RIC 634 (Aurelius); Calicó 2239 (this coin); Mazzini 98 (this coin); Biaggi 985 (this coin). 7.20g, 19mm, 5h. Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 49, 21 October 2008, lot 291; Ex Biaggi Collection, privately purchased in 1958. That this was the best example which could be found by either Biaggi for his superlative collection or by Calicó for his comprehensive illustrative work on the Roman aurei is an indicator of how rare this coin actually is. It is furthermore the only example present on CoinArchives, being the only specimen of its type to have been offered to the market since electronic records began. The victory to which the reverse of this coin refers is that achieved by Marcus Aurelius over the Sarmatian Iazyges in AD 175, in the closing phase of the First Marcomannic War. After several military successes, Aurelius ended hostilities by signing a treaty with the Iazyges which secured the release of over 100,000 Roman captives, and which additionally required that 6,000 Sarmatian auxiliary cavalrymen be provided to the Roman army. Most of these (approximately 5,500) were immediately dispatched to Britain, a deployment which has been theorised by Susan V. Tomory (A New View of the Arthurian Legends, Institute of Hungarian studies) to have played a part in the development of the Arthurian legend. This was a decisive victory for Aurelius, and indeed the Iazyges never again represented a threat to the empire. Assuming the title Sarmaticus, Aurelius and Commodus celebrated a joint triumph on 23 December 176, in commemoration of which the Aurelian column was erected to mirror the achievements of his predecessor Trajan. Four days later Commodus was granted the title of Imperator, and in the middle of the following year he was proclaimed Augustus to formally share power alongside his father.
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