Trajan AV Aureus. Rome, AD 112-113. IMP TRAIANVS AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / Frontal view of the hexastyle façade of Trajan's Forum, with central entrance and two alcoves containing statues to either side, an elaborate statue group comprised of facing quadriga between three statues on each side atop the roof; FORVM TRAIAN in exergue. RIC 257; C 168 var. (not cuirassed); Calicó 1031; BMCRE 509; Biaggi 494; Woytek 409f. 7.30g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. The finest example of this desirable type to have been offered in many years. Trajan became consul for the sixth and final time on January 1, AD 112; on the same day he dedicated his new Forum complex. It is thought to have been designed by the architect Apollodorus who accompanied Trajan on his campaigns in Dacia and is famous for building a bridge across the Danube river recorded by ancient authors and artists. When complete, the vast complex consisted of the area fori (main square), the Basilica Ulpia, the column of Trajan, and two libraries, all situated adjacent to the Markets of Trajan on one side and the Forum Augustum on another. The project sought to exceed previous imperial fora in plan, scale and ornamentation while focusing directly on Trajan’s military achievements in Dacia. Each imperial forum had specific architectural and decorative schemes which created specific ambiences; thus, Trajan’s military theme is vastly different from the Forum of Vespasian (also known as the Temple of Peace and not officially called a forum since there is no evidence of it serving a political function) which instead contains gardens, fountains and promenades. One ancient account tells us that “all along the roof of the colonnades of Trajan’s forum there are placed gilded statues of horses and representations of military standards, and underneath is written Ex manubiis [from money obtained through spoils]” (Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 13.25.1). Perhaps the message the emperor wished to send was that his rule saw such great military achievement that his successes alone were capable of creating the greatest public architectural space in Rome. Following Trajan’s death, Hadrian is reported to have added a colossal temple to the deified Trajan and his wife Plotina (of which very little survives) so that the completed Forum focused not only on Trajan’s military victories, but also on his apotheosis. The magnificence of this complex in comparison to previous imperial fora is emphasised by ancient witnesses, one of whom, when describing the emperor Constantius II’s reaction when he first visited Rome in AD 357, says it was “a construction unique under the heavens, as we believe, and admirable even in the unanimous opinion of the gods…” (Ammianus Marcellinus 16.10.15). It was later a space where various important events occurred; Hadrian and Aurelian ordered the burning of notes of debt to the state here (Historia Augusta, Hadrian 7.6, Aurelian 39.3), Marcus Aurelius held a sale of imperial treasures here following a period of war as an alternative to taxing the provinces (Historia Augusta, Marcus Aurelius 17.4) and here laws were frequently fastened up on bronze tablets to be read by the public. This coin was produced following the dedication of the forum and depicts the magnificent arch commemorating Trajan’s victories in Dacia which acted as its entrance. Martin Beckmann (see The Early Gold Coinage of Trajan’s Sixth Consulship in The American Journal of Numismatics Vol. 12 (2000), pp. 119-156) argues that it was part of the first production of AD 112 which contained a group of types focusing on commemorating the forum such as depictions of the Basilica Ulpia, and Equus Traiana (the following year saw the production of coins showing the newly built Trajan’s Column). His study reveals that there were ten dies for this reverse type and that “from the die links it appears that the forum type carried on strongly, perhaps to the end of the entire series…” implying that significant importance was attached to the promulgation of this great architectural work, the grandest of all imperial fora to date, made possible by the emperor’s military victories.
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Hadrian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 124-128. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder / COS III, Capitoline wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus. RIC 193d; Strack 195θ; Calicó 1233a; BMCRE 449; Biaggi 598. 7.33g, 21mm, 6h. Mint State. A superb aureus of Hadrian with this ever-popular motif of the foundation myth. From the property of B.R.S., United Kingdom. The only shared component in the foundation legends recorded since the third century BC is that Romulus and Remus were the twin sons of a Vestal Virgin called Rhea Silvia. For the rest of the myth, there are many variances, but one of the most commonly attested narratives is the one told by Livy in his History of Rome. According to Livy, Rhea Silvia was the daughter of Numitor, the rightful king of Alba Longa (the city founded by Ascanius, the son of Aeneas, at the foot of the Alban hills) who was usurped by his brother Amulius and his progeny killed or, in his daughter’s case, deprived of hope of having children through being forced to be a Vestal Virgin. Rhea Silvia became pregnant through an encounter with the god Mars and the twins were set afloat on the flooded Tiber in the hope they would drown as ordered by the king of Alba Longa. Their crying attracted the attention of a she-wolf who nursed them and was so gentle that the shepherd Faustulus who found them, saw the wolf licking the human babies. The twins were then taken in by Faustulus and his wife and raised in the area around the Palatine hill until, as adults, they overthrew the usurper king and decided to found their own community where they had grown up. This type can be traced back to the earliest coinage of the Republic; a silver didrachm (Crawford 20/1) dated to circa 264-255 BC depicts on the obverse a youthful Hercules wearing a lion skin around his neck, and upon the reverse are the twins being suckled by the she-wolf. The type, either alone or as an adjunct motif, was sporadically reused into imperial times and was prominently featured on aurei and denarii of Domitian. Perhaps it was useful for Hadrian, who spent more than half his reign outside Italy, to draw upon a traditional Roman image as a reminder of his connection to home while away on his travels across the empire. Later examples of the type include coins produced under Constantine I, who, from AD 330, issued a vast number of small coins celebrating Rome by pairing a helmeted head of Roma with the twins and she-wolf motif following his foundation of Constantinople as a new capital in the East. The coin type was probably inspired by ancient statues of the wolf and twins, which unfortunately do not survive but their existence is verified by several ancient accounts; Livy’s History of Rome (10.23) states that in 295 BC a statue was placed near the Ficus Ruminalis (the fig tree at the foot of the Palatine hill which the legend says is the spot where the twins landed having floated along the Tiber) and Cicero reports how a statue of Romulus being suckled by the she-wolf was struck by lightning in 65 BC (Against Catiline, 3.19).
Marcus Aurelius Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 163. IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG P M, laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder / SALVTI AVGVSTOR TR P XVII, Salus standing facing, head left, feeding out of patera in right hand a snake coiled around and rising from an altar, cradling sceptre in left arm, S-C across fields; COS III in exergue. RIC 844; MIR 18, 54-6/32; Banti 287; BMCRE 1042. 24.94g, 32mm, 11h. Good Extremely Fine. Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker 216, 8 October 2012, lot 1037; Ex Triton XII, 6 January 2009, lot 633. This coin displays a beautiful 'Tiber' patina and very good preservation of detail. Beautiful, untouched fields.
Sicily, Katane AR Tetradrachm. Circa 450-445 BC. Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving slow quadriga to right / Head of Apollo right, hair elaborately tied up with laurel wreath; KATANAION around. Mirone 34; HGC 2, 566; SNG München 428; SNG ANS -; Rizzo, pl. 10, 7; Weber 1267 (same dies); C. Boehringer, Dokumentation Des Schatzfund von Pachino 1960, SNR 64 (1985), pl. 5, 18 (this coin). 17.39g, 26mm, 11h. Very Fine. Rare. Ex Sternberg XXXII, 28 October 1996, lot 7; Ex Sternberg XII, 18 November 1982, lot 67; Ex Leu 13, 29 April 1975, lot 47 (CHF 22,000 hammer); Ex Santamaria, 4 May 1961, lot 41; Ex Pachino hoard, IGCH 2090.
Lucius Verus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 168. L VERVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laureate and draped bust right / TR P VIII•IMP V COS III, Aequitas seated to left, holding scales and cornucopiae. RIC 593; C. -; BMCRE 480; Calicó 2203 = Triton V, 2000. 7.28g, 20mm, 5h. Fleur De Coin. Far superior to the Calicó plate coin, and most likely the finest known example. Extremely Rare; only three examples on CoinArchives. From the property of B.R.S., United Kingdom. The years prior to the striking of this coinage had witnessed a successful invasion of Parthian territory under the command of Lucius Verus that ensured peace with Parthia for many years, but closer to home Germanic invasions striking into the heart of the empire required the renewed attention of the emperors to military matters. Thus in AD 168 Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius left Rome to wage war against the Marcomanni. This war would last until 180, but Verus did not see the end of it - the legionaries returning from Parthia had brought with them a terrible disease that would come to be known as the Antonine Plague, or the Plague of Galen, which may have been either smallpox or measles. The plague claimed the life of Lucius Verus in 169 as he returned to Rome from campaign, and those of some five million other Romans, it is estimated.
Septimius Severus Æ 8 Assaria of Apameia, Phrygia. AD 193-211. AVT K Λ CЄΠT CЄOVHPOC ΠЄP, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / ЄΠI AΓΩNOΘE TO V APTEMAΓ APAMEΩN, representation of the story of Noah: to right, upper parts to waist, tunicate and stolate respectively, of Noah and his wife, latter also veiled, seen standing left in enclosing square chest (Lat., arca; Gr. kibotos) floating on waves, inscribed with NΩE and with raised lid, on which perches a dove(?) facing left; to left, standing figures as above but full-length, of Noah and spouse raising right hands in salutation and gazing upwards at dove flying right above them, grasping olive-branch in claws. Head, Historian Numorum, p. 667, 313; Lanz sale 150, 2010, 330 (same obverse die). 16.97g, 35mm, 12h. Very Fine; light bend in flan at 8 o'clock obv. Extremely Rare. From the collection of V.B., United Kingdom. This reverse depiction of the Noah and the Ark saga is the only event recorded in the Old Testament to be commemorated on an ancient coin and is unique to Apameia, Phrygia. Founded by Antiochus I in 270 BC, the city was well located at the source of the Maeander and the central point from which many trade routes were accessed. Goods arriving from the caravan routes in the east were purchased in bulk by the city’s merchants and repackaged into kibotoi (chests) to be forwarded to other ports. The distinctive wooden shipping crates became the symbol of the city’s economic activity and eventually the city was known by the nickname ‘ή Kίβωtός’ (the chest). A local myth claimed, perhaps by the large Jewish community living within the city, that the mountain situated behind the city was Ararat, the place where Noah’s ark (ή Kίβωtός) rested after the deluge. The depiction of Noah and his wife standing within an Apamean kibotos floating above water and inscribed ‘NΩE’ (Noah) is a visual representation of the connection between the Old Testament parable and the city itself. This reverse type provides visual evidence for the double meaning of the city nickname ‘ή Kίβωtός’ as both chest and ark. The acceptance of this Jewish tradition by the city of Apameia and its portrayal on the coins can be seen within the context of the city’s relatively recent foundation. Paul R. Trebilco has argued that the association between Apameia's nickname and the Noah’s ark saga gave the city a foundation story with ancient significance, something it had previously lacked (Jewish Communities in Asia Minor, 2006), endowing it with famous ancestors and evoking commercial importance.
Septimius Severus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 194. L•SEPT•SEV•PERT•AVG•IMP II, laureate head right / DIS•AVSPICIB•TR P II, Hercules standing to left, holding club and with lion’s skin draped over arm, with Bacchus at his right, also standing to left, holding oinochoe over panther; COS II P P in exergue. RIC 25; C. 113; BMCRE 58; Calicó 2445a. 7.35g, 20mm, 6h. Near Mint State; beautifully lustrous. A most charming reverse composition. Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker 94, 27 September 2004, lot 1974; Ex Leu 91, 10 May 2004, lot 590; Ex M. Aubery Collection, Sotheby's, 19 February 1969, lot 33. The tutelary deities of Septimius Severus’ home city of Lepcis Magna (also spelt Leptis) were the Phoenician gods Shadaphra and Melqart, who were equated with Liber Pater or Bacchus, and Hercules respectively. Their importance to the city is attested by several inscriptions there, their prominence in Lepcitanian sculpture, the fact that their temples occupied central locations within the old forum, and the joint appearance of both Liber Pater and Hercules (or their attributes) on the coinage of Lepcis Magna from the first century BC to the first century AD. That these gods were important to Severus on a personal level is also evident, as they clearly served as the tutelary deities of his regime, appearing on several other coin issues during his reign, and on the provincial coinage in his sons’ names. On an extremely rare series issued in 204, the two gods are specifically referred to as the ‘Di Patrii’; A. Peck (University of Warwick, 1 March 2015) cohesively argues that since “in literature also, the phrase di patrii appears to have been used almost exclusively in relation to the gods of Rome, particularly with regards to the penates that were according to legend brought to Italy from Troy by Aeneas”, the issue is intended to demonstrate the “equal importance that was placed upon local and imperial identities, proudly displaying the emperor’s attachment to his local patria, whilst also honouring the religious elements that were at the heart of Rome’s conceptualisation of patria”. However, J. Rantala (The Ludi Saeculares of Septimius Severus: The Ideologies of a New Roman Empire, 2017) suggests that the appearance of these gods is closely connected to Septimius’ sons Caracalla and Geta, with whom the imperial propaganda closely linked them in order that they were seen as patron deities for the young princes. Indeed, on the provincial coinage in the name of Caracalla reverse types of Hercules dominate, while on those of Geta, Liber or Bacchus appear with great frequency. Similarly, on a parallel issue of aurei of extreme rarity the reverse type for Caracalla portrays Hercules feasting (Leu 93, 68), whereas Bacchus and Ariadne, thronged by the god’s company of maenads and satyrs, were chosen for Geta (Leu 87, 66). Thus to Rantala the reverse of the present aureus is associated with the young princes: “the deities represented the future of the dynasty and the continuation of the empire”. More likely than not, the reverse meaning is multi-faceted like the gods themselves and serves the combined role of honouring the gods of Septimius’ home and hearth, promoting their standing throughout the empire, and helping to build the foundations of the formal association between these gods and his sons by calling upon Hercules and Liber Pater in their role as divine heralds of peace and prosperity to mark the beginning of a new golden age.
Septimius Severus AV Aureus. Possibly struck in India, circa AD 193-211. IMPER AEL SEPTI SEVER PERT III, laureate head of Septimius Severus to right / CONCORDI AVGVSRVM RTP III, two bareheaded and togate figures (possibly representing Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus) standing vis-à-vis, clasping hands; COS IIIII in exergue. Unpublished in the standard references, but cf. NAC 102, 531 (same dies). 6.64g, 20mm, 4h. Fleur De Coin. Apparently the second known example. From a central European collection. The cataloguer of the specimen which appeared in NAC 102 argued for an interpretation of this type as a hybrid imitative utilising an obverse clearly depicting Septimius Severus but a reverse type derived from the earlier CONCORDIA AVGVSTOR aurei of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, rather than the similar CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM aurei of Septimius himself, which presents a Victory on globe between the two standing figures. The mint facility from which this and the following lot are derived is also clearly the mint which produced a further type (Triton XXI, 772) in the name of Marcus Aurelius using the Castor reverse of Commodus, with the similarly nonsensical legends II M ANTONINVS I AV COS T GERM I / TR P III IMP II COS P P III. The engraving style produced by this mint closely mimics the regular Imperial issues, but the blundered legends suggest either an illiterate individual, or a deliberate ploy to avoid charges of counterfeiting by reason of the imitations not being direct copies of Roman currency.
Septimius Severus AV Aureus. Possibly struck in India, circa AD 193-211. IMPER AEL SEPTI SEVER PERT III, laureate head of Septimius Severus to right / P M I PT II P VIII COS NI AV II, Victory advancing to left, holding wreath in outstretched right hand, trophy over left shoulder. Unpublished in the standard references, but cf. preceding lot and NAC 102, 531 (same obverse die). 7.18g, 20mm, 5h. Fleur De Coin. Unique and unpublished. From a central European collection.
Caracalla AV Aureus. Rome, AD 198. IMP CAE M AVR ANT AVG P TR P •, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / MINER VICTRIX, Minerva standing left, holding Victory and inverted spear; shield at her side, trophy to right. RIC 25b; Calicó 2696 = Biaggi 1183 (same rev. die). 7.36g, 20mm, 12h. Near Mint State; superbly lustrous and undoubtedly one of the finest known examples of the type. Very Rare. From the property of B.R.S., United Kingdom. The reverse type of this coin had ancient roots; the evolution of the type can be traced back as far as the denarii of C. Vibius C. f. Pansa in 90 BC, which featured the figure of Minerva, holding a trophy over her shoulder, in a galloping quadriga (Crawford 342/5). Julius Caesar further popularised the Minerva Victrix type with his use of a standing design upon his bronze issue of 45 BC (Crawford 476/1), and in this standing form the type would be popularised under Domitian, who adopted Minerva as his patron deity; Domitian’s provincial coinage also features the first appearance of Minerva standing with a trophy behind her (RPC II 2304). Yet the type in its present form was instituted comparatively late on, in the reign of Commodus c. AD 188/9, when it was used on very rare aurei (Calicό 2290a) and bimetallic medallions (Gnecchi II, p. 57, 48), sestertii and denarii. It may seem strange that the Severans should wish to prominently re-use a type commisioned for Commodus, particularly given how fresh the excesses and outrages committed by that former emperor would still have been in the minds of Roman citizens everywhere. However, Caracalla’s father Septimius Severus was himself a usurper, albeit to an emperor who had shamefully bought the imperial throne at auction. Thus Septimius, in order to shore up his ambitions to forge an imperial dynasty, was required for appearances’ sake to legitimise his rule in the eyes of mob. This inevitably manifested itself, as with the Flavians a century before, in the form of piety towards the earlier ‘good’ emperors. In Septimius’ case, he owed his rank and position to advances gained under Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, the latter of whom had himself appointed Septimius as governor of Pannonia Superior in AD 191. He therefore sought to apply a veneer of validity to his assumption of the helm of empire by force, which he did by styling himself the ‘son of Marcus’, and renaming his eldest son (who would be known to history by his nickname Caracalla) Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. In so doing, Septimius effectively adopted himself and his heir into the Antonine family. He furthermore made efforts to rehabilitate the memory of Commodus, and forced an unwilling Senate to deify the late emperor in 195. In 197, the year before this aureus was struck, Septimius was faced with a large-scale Parthian incursion into Roman Mesopotamia, only recently pacified after a campaign in 195 against rebellious local vassal states. Septimius’ military response began with the rapid subjugation of the Parthian-allied kingdom of Armenia, from where he marched to the relief of the strategically important city of Nisibis. Septimius then divided his army into three; the main force he led along the Euphrates to attack the dual metropolis of Seleucia-on-the-Tigris and Ctesiphon, while the second force would ravage eastern Mesopotamia, and the third would recross the Tigris into Adiabene. Babylon and Seleucia-on-the-Tigris were taken without resistance, and in January 198 the Parthian king Vologases chose to meet the Roman army in the field before the walls of the capital Ctesiphon. The battle resulted in a resounding defeat for the Parthians; the city itself was breached and thoroughly sacked - the male population was exterminated and ancient sources attest to 100,000 being enslaved. On January 28, the exact centenary of Trajan’s accession, Septimius proclaimed that he had conquered Parthia, and took the title that Trajan had first held, ‘Parthicus Maximus’. On the same day he conferred the rank of Augustus and status of co-emperor on his nine year old son Caracalla. This aureus, like many Severan issues struck in 198, makes reference to this victory over Rome’s old nemesis.
Otacilia Severa (wife of Philip I) AV Aureus. Rome, AD 245-247, in a contemporary gold pendant with an openwork border of leaf-pattern with a ribbed suspension loop, on an ancient necklace. M•OTACIL SEVERA AVG, draped bust of Otacilia right, wearing stephane, hair in six tight waves with turned up plait / CONCORDIA AVGG, Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopiae. R. Bland, ‘The gold coinage of Philip I and family’, in RN 171, 2014, pp. 93-149, 30 (OS10/O3); RIC 125 (Philip I); Calicó 3264. For a similar openwork gold setting with loop see: F.H. Marshall, Catalogue of the Jewellery, Greek, Etruscan and Roman, in the Department of Antiquities, British Museum, London 1969, pl. 68, 2937 (Philip I). 25.17g (including mount and chain), 28mm (coin in mount), 1h (coin). Good Extremely Fine. Lustrous metal and unmarked surfaces with light reddish tone. Rare. Ex Roma Numismatics XI, 7 April 2016, lot 849; Ex private German collection. Little is known about Otacilia, the wife of Philip I, and the coinage struck in her name is rather typical of a third century empress. Honorary and milestone inscriptions tell us that Otacilia received the title 'Mater Castrorum' (mother of the camps) and may indicate that she accompanied Philip on his military campaigns, although the title does not appear on any of her surviving coinage. The reverse types of Otacilia emphasise her piety and role within the imperial family, as the personification of Concordia on this rare aureus. Concordia embodied harmony and her attributes, the patera and cornucopia, allude to the act of sacrifice and material abundance that arise from stable conditions. The concept of concord was often used to describe imperial marital harmony and represented the political relations which underpinned the empire as a whole. Sixteen men would be given or claim the title of Augustus during the years 244 to 260, and many were met with an untimely death. Otacilia's husband Philip I was the first of this series of short-lived emperors, who reigned for just five years between 244 and 249. Philip was a praetorian commander serving under Gordian III on a campaign against Persia, when the army stationed in camp at Circesium on the Euphrates declared Philip emperor and murdered the young Gordian. Philip quickly agreed to pay 500,000 denarii, in addition to an annual indemnity, in order to secure peace terms with the Sasanian king Shapur so that he could return to Rome and consolidate his power. Upon Philip's accession, Otacilia was given the title Augusta and their son, Philip the younger, was raised to the rank of Caesar and later promoted to Augustus in 247. The events of the following three years are unclear however; Philip seems to have spent much of his time on the Danube frontier fighting the Carpi for which he celebrated a triumph in Rome. The most significant event of his reign was the commemoration of the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the city, marked by a series of games in 248. In the same year, the legions of Moesia and Pannonia declared their commander Tiberius Claudius Marinus Pacatianus emperor. The uprising on the Danube frontier was short lived for Pacatian was killed by his own men, but a second would soon break out in the east when Jotapian was proclaimed emperor. The rebellion was not crushed until the following year, and two other abortive rebellions are known from the coins struck by Silbannacus on the Rhine, and Sponsianus on the Danube. Philip appointed a respected senator Quintus Decius Valerinus to be governor of the provinces of Moesia and Pannonia in an attempt to secure the loyalty of the legions in the Danube and repel an incursion by the Goths. This placed several legions under the control of Decius who were known to wish for a change of emperor. After Decius defeated the Goths in 249, he was proclaimed Augustus by his legions and marched on Rome. Philip was defeated near Verona and killed in the battle, and it is thought that once the news reached Rome, his son was murdered by the Praetorian Guard. It is unknown whether Otacilia suffered the same fate as her son or was allowed to live in retirement.
Numerian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 284. IMP NVMERIANVS P F AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust right / VIRTVS AVGG, Hercules standing to right, leaning on club with his left hand and resting his left on his hip. RIC 407; C. -; Calicó 4334. 4.66g, 20mm, 5h. Extremely Fine - Good Extremely Fine; pierced in antiquity. Extremely Rare, no other examples on CoinArchives. From the collection of D.I., Germany, purchased before 1992. The great rarity of this coin is in large part due to the brevity of Numerian's reign. In 282, the legions of the upper Danube in Raetia and Noricum rebelled and proclaimed the praetorian prefect Marcus Aurelius Carus emperor in opposition to Probus. Probus' army, stationed in Sirmium, decided they did not wish to fight Carus and assassinated Probus instead. Carus, already sixty, immediately elevated his sons Carinus and Numerian to the rank of Caesar. In 283 Carus determined to take advantage of a succession crisis within the Sassanid empire, and marched east at the head of an army along with Numerian, while Carinus was left in charge in the West. The invasion met with great success, and the army was able to make huge incursions into Persian lands, and even capture the capital Ctesiphon. The campaign came to a premature end when Carus died suddenly (according to some sources, from a lightning strike). Numerian made an orderly retreat from Persia, and subsequently died in mysterious circumstances during the journey west. Amid rumours of murder, the prefect Aper was executed by the man who went on to become emperor. Diocletian, previously an officer under Carus, was acclaimed by the army and proceeded to continue the march west, meeting Carinus' army in battle in Moesia and emerging as victor and emperor. The reverse of this stunning aureus typifies the propagandist nature of Roman coinage, and bestows on Numerian the quality of 'virtus', which encompassed valour, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth - the necessary attributes of a Roman and especially of an emperor. Coupled with the standing figure of Hercules, with his usual attributes of club and lion's skin, this reverse references the military victories that Numerian and Carus achieved in the east and likens them to the completion of Hercules' labours.
Diocletian AR Argenteus. Thessalonica, AD 302. DIOCLETIANVS AVG, laureate bust right / VICTORIAE SARMATICAE, four-turreted camp gate with doors thrown open; •TS•B• in exergue. RIC -, cf. 10. 3.42g, 20mm, 12h. Near Mint State. Unique. From a central European collection. RIC cites a single coin (Ratto 19 January 1956, 290) struck at Thessalonica with the VICTORIAE SARMATICAE reverse legend, which is otherwise unknown at this mint. That example differs from the present piece however in the legend arrangement and mintmark.
Maximian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 293-294. MAXIMIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / HERCVLI VICTORI, Hercules seated facing on rock, head to right, lion's skin on lap, holding club with left hand; bow and quiver resting to right; PR in exergue. RIC -; Depeyrot 5B/5 (these dies); Calicó 4682 (this obverse die); C. 306 var.; A. Baldwin Brett, The Aurei and Solidi of the Arras Hoard, NC 1933, p. 297, 41. 6.02g, 20mm, 7h. Near Mint State. Very Rare. Ex Hess-Leu 41, April 24 1969, lot 540. Given the title 'Herculius' by Diocletian, Maximianus' role was always that of the military might to Diocletian's strategic planning. Whilst the title reflected the adoption of Hercules as the heavenly father of Maximianus and thus, his familial ties to divinity, it was also representative of his role as junior emperor. Taking the cognomen of 'Jovius', Diocletian assumed familial ties to the more authoritative deity of Jupiter, as the father of Hercules, and so indicated his superiority over Maximianus as the director of imperial policy. The reverse depiction of Hercules on this stunning aureus displays this imperial theology with the inscription HERCVLI VICTORI ("Hercules the Victor"). Hercules is depicted seated in repose with his attributes: the club, the lion’s skin, as well as the bow and quiver set beside him. The representation and accompanying legend evokes the famous victories of the Twelve Labours and serves as an allegorical celebration of Maximianus’ own military success. The top-heavy musculature of the seated figure, with head turned and crossed resting arms closely resembles that of the Hellenistic Greek sculpture ‘Terme Boxer’ excavated in Rome in 1885 and now in the collection of the National Museum of the same city. The colossal masculinity of this sculptural figure of Hercules alludes to the strength of the emperor as ‘Herculius’. Despite the suggestion of superior strength and victory, Maximianus was beginning to falter in his role as a military instrument of the empire. His failed invasion of Britain in 289, against the ever-increasing threat of Carausius, led Diocletian to conclude that their divinely sanctioned diarchy was insufficient to manage the Empire. Constantius was appointed to the office of Caesar in the West and Galerius was granted the same position in the East, establishing a Tetrarchy that would relieve Maximianus of his military responsibilities. This coin was most probably produced in response to the increase in bureaucracy that the appointment of two new Caesars in 293 will have occasioned, as well as the ever present needs of the army protecting the eastern frontier of the Empire.
Sicily, Syracuse AR Tetradrachm. Time of Dionysios I, 405-400 BC. In the style of Eukleidas. Charioteer, holding kentron in right hand and reins in both, driving fast quadriga to left; above, Nike flying to right, crowning charioteer with wreath held in both hands, dolphin to right in exergue / Head of Arethusa left, hair in bands, wearing double-loop earring and plain necklace with frontal pendant; ΣYPAKOΣIΩN and four dolphins around. W. Fischer-Bossert, Coins, Artists, and Tyrants, ANSNS 33, 2017, 92a-r = Tudeer 92 (33/64); HGC 2, 1345; SNG ANS 297 (same dies); Dewing 857–8 (same dies); Jameson 808 (same dies); Gulbenkian 297. 17.20g, 27mm, 2h. Good Very Fine; worn obverse die as usual. Highly artistic reverse die. From the collection of J.T.B., United States; Ex Triton XVII, 7 January 2014, lot 70; Ex Münzen und Medaillen 24, 17 November 1962, lot 423; Ex Hollschek Collection, Dorotheum 112, 22 April 1961, lot 1073; Ex Egger XLV, 12 November 1913, lot 396. This magnificent coin depicts the goddess Arethusa in her natural environment, her hair gently drifting in the current while dolphins play around her. Arethusa, a Nereid and attendant of Artemis, one day came upon a clear stream and began bathing, not knowing it was the river god Alpheus. He fell in love during their encounter, but she fled after discovering his presence and intentions, as she wished to remain a chaste attendant of the Goddess of the Hunt. After a long chase, she prayed to her goddess to ask for protection. Artemis hid her in a cloud, but Alpheus was persistent. She began to perspire profusely from fear, and soon transformed into a stream. Artemis then broke the ground allowing Arethusa another attempt to flee; her stream travelled under the earth to the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, Sicily.
Galerius AR Argenteus. Serdica, AD 305. MAXIMIANVS AVG, laureate head right / VIRTVS MILITVM, camp gate with three turrets with open arch and no doors; •SM•SDЄ• in exergue. RIC 11b; Gautier 26 var. (unlisted officina); RSC 228†a. 3.25g, 20mm, 12h. Fleur De Coin. From a central European collection.
Galerius AV Aureus. Serdica, AD 305-306. IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate bust right / CONSVL AVGG NN, Galerius, togate, standing to left, holding globe, sceptre at side; retrograde Σ in right field, •SM•SD• in exergue. RIC 5b; Calicó 4894 (this coin); Depeyrot 2/2. 5.33g, 19mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare; only two examples on CoinArchives. From the collection of Z.P., Austria.
Maximinus II, as Caesar, AV Aureus. Serdica, AD 305. MAXIMINVS NOB CAES, laureate head right / PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS, Maximinus in military dress, standing left, holding globe and reversed spear in left, two signa behind; retrograde Σ in left field, •SM•ST• (sic) in exergue. RIC 8b; Calicó 5028a (this coin). 5.16g, 19mm, 6h. About Very Fine. Probably ex-jewellery, reverse mintmark incorrectly repaired to read ST instead of SD. From the collection of Z.P., Austria; Ex Santamaria, 6 June 1956, lot 81.
Valentinian I AV Solidus. Arelate, AD 364-367. D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / RESTIVTOR REIPVBLICAE, Emperor standing facing, head right, holding labarum inscribed with a Christogram and Victory on globe; KONSTAN in exergue. RIC 1b; Depeyrot 13/1. 4.44g, 21mm, 12h. Fleur De Coin. Exceptionally well detailed reverse.
Valens AR Siliqua. Constantinople, AD 367-375. D N VALENS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VOT X MVLT XX in four lines within wreath with jewel at apex; (palm)C(Christogram)S(wreath) in exergue. RIC 37b; RSC 96†d. 2.31g, 18mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Scarce. Ex Chapdelaine Collection.
Valentinian II AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 375-378. D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / CONCORDIA AVGGG Є, Constantinopolis seated facing on throne, head right, holding sceptre and globe; right foot on prow, CONOB in exergue. RIC 69b1; Depeyrot 47/5; Biaggi 2288. 4.50g, 21mm, 12h. Fleur De Coin.
Valentinian II AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 380-381. D N VALENTINIANVS IVN P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / CONCORDIA AVGGG, Constantinopolis seated facing with head to right, holding long sceptre and globe; CONOB in exergue. RIC 44b; C. 1; Depeyrot 32/2. 4.44g, 21mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Very Rare. Privately purchased from Divus Numismatik, Germany.
Romulus Augustus AV Tremissis. Ravenna, AD 475-476. D N ROMVLVS AGVSTVS P F A, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / Cross within wreath; COMOB below. Lacam 27 corr. (obv. legend, this coin); RIC 3410 var. (obv. legend, recorded under Rome but see note under Ravenna); Depeyrot -. 1.44g, 11mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; a highly attractive example of this most desirable type, featuring a bold portrait and complete legend. From the collection of Z.P., Austria; Ex Münzen & Medaillen XVII, 2-4 December 1957, lot 655. On 31st October AD 475, the usurper Romulus Augustus was crowned Western Roman emperor. Placed on the throne as a proxy by his father, Romulus’ rule was short lived and unremarkable for he made no notable achievements. Despite this, the end of Romulus Augustus’ ten-month reign was popularised by famed historiographer Edward Gibbon as “the extinction of the Roman empire in the West”, meaning following his reign, Western emperors were no more than ineffectual puppets (The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1776–88). Romulus Augustus was the son of the Western Empire’s Magister Militum, Orestes. While serving the emperor Julius Nepos, Orestes staged a military coup forcing Nepos to flee into exile in Dalmatia. Having deposed Julius Nepos, Orestes proclaimed his son as emperor, a strange candidate since he was thought to be around fourteen years old at the time. Although not officially in charge, Orestes ruled with his son fulfilling the symbolic requirements of imperial tradition and his armies supplying military support. However, legitimacy to rule could only be achieved with the consent of the Eastern emperor who throughout Romulus Augustus’ reign still considered Julius Nepos (living in exile in Salonae near Split) the constitutional emperor. Historiographers have disagreed whether Julius Nepos was in fact the final Western emperor since following his death in AD 480, the Eastern emperor Zeno declared himself sole Roman Emperor. However, Julius Nepos never returned from his exile to rule as emperor in the West and following his usurpation by Orestes and Romulus Augustus, he was in fact completely powerless, thus, Romulus Augustus was undeniably the last de facto ruler of the West. Another more poetic reason for choosing Romulus Augustus as the final Western emperor over Nepos is that the names Romulus and Augustus tie the final emperor with both the mythical founder of Rome, and its first emperor. In AD 476 Orestes’ troops mutinied and he was executed at the hands of their new leader Odovacar. Odovacar advanced on Ravenna and captured the city and the young ruler. Romulus Augustus was compelled to abdicate and a signed letter was taken along with his imperial regalia to the Eastern emperor, Zeno, in Constantinople. Odovacar’s message to the East was that there was no longer need for the Empire to be split between Byzantium and Ravenna and that one ruler based in Byzantium would suffice. Romulus Augustus’ life was spared and he was sent by Odovacar to Campania to live with his relatives apparently with a pension. A letter by Cassiodorus in the name of Theodoric the Great in AD 507 seems to be written to the ex-emperor suggesting he was still alive in the sixth century. He is also mentioned by Count Marcellinus, a writer under Justinian, where he is called Augustulus, a diminutive often given to Romulus Augustus highlighting his youth. The coinage struck in the name of Romulus Augustus survives as part of very limited evidence of his reign. The standardised portraits are the only surviving images of Romulus Augustus and yet they tell us nothing about the person behind the imperial façade. Unfortunately, scholars thought the boy of little importance compared with the political crisis his reign concluded in and no information regarding his character survives.
Justinian I AV Solidus. Rome, circa AD 542-546. D N IVSTINIANVS P F AG, helmeted and cuirassed facing bust, holding globe cruciger in right hand, shield over left shoulder / VICTORIA AVGG A (with bar in the form of a pellet), angel standing facing, holding long staff surmounted by staurogram in right hand and and globe cruciger in left; star in right field, CONOB in exergue. MIBE 343; BCI 62; cf. Monte Judica hoard 63. 4.36g, 21mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare. From a private English collection.
Constantine V Copronymus, with Leo III, AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 741-755. A CONSTANTINЧ NC, crowned and draped bust of Constantine facing, holding cross potent and akakia / C LЄON P A MЧL, crowned and draped bust of Leo facing, holding cross potent and akakia. DOC 1; Sear 1550. 4.44g, 21mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. From a private Swiss collection.
Nicephorus I, with Stauracius, AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 803-811. ҺICIFOROS ЬASILЄI, crowned facing bust of Nicephorus, wearing chlamys, holding cross potent in right hand and akakia in left / STAVRACIS ∂ЄSPOI Θ, crowned facing bust of Stauracius, wearing chlamys, holding cross potent in right hand and akakia in left. DOC 2b.3; Sear 1604. 4.43g, 21mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. From a private Swiss collection.
Epeiros, Ambrakia AR Stater. Circa 360-338 BC. Pegasos standing to right; A below / Helmeted head of Athena left, A above; to left, serpent coiled around tortoise; to right, nude male, wearing pilos and seated half-left, holding short staff. Ravel, Colts 135j (this coin); Pegasi II, p. 462, 86; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC 35-6 (same dies); de Sartiges 301 (this coin). 8.26g, 22mm, 9h. Good Very Fine. From the collection of J.T.B., United States; Ex Dr. Busso Peus Nachf. 380, 3 November 2004, lot 352; Ex Vicomte Louis Edmond Paul de Sartiges Collection, Paris 1910, pl. XVII, 301.
Italy. Papal State, Pius IX, Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti di Senigallia, (1846-1878) AV 10 Lire. Rome, 1867 R, year XXI. PIVS IX PON MAX A XXI, bust left / STATO PONTIFICIO around wreath containing 10 LIRE 1867 in three lines; small R below. CNI XVII, 307, 224; Muntoni IV, 109, 43a; Pagani 541; Montenegro 356; Berman 3335; Friedberg 281. 3.23g, 19mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare.
Portugal. Sancho I (1185-1211) AV Morabitino (180 Dinheiros). Coimbra mint. SANCIVS REX PORTVGAIIS, stylized figure of King charging to right on warhorse, holding sword and cross-tipped sceptre / + IN NE PTRIS I FILII SPS SCIA, cross of five shields with a star in each angle. Friedberg 1; Almeida, Basto & Piombino 1; Gomes S1 04/09. 4.04g, 28mm, 6h. Mint State. Extremely Rare. From a private German collection. Sanchos I, Portugal’s second monarch, was born in Coimbra in 1154, son and successor of King Alfonso I and his wife Maud of Savoy. In 1170 Sanchos was knighted by his father and became second in command in both administrative and military matters. The independence of Portugal declared in 1139 was still contested by the kings of León and Castile. A marriage alliance between Sanchos and Dulce of Aragon, the sister of King Alfonso II, in 1774 secured military assistance from the Crown of Aragon to contain the expansionism of León and Castile. Following the death of his father, Sanchos became king in 1185. Sanchos dedicated much of his reign to political and administrative organisation of the new kingdom. Efforts to populate the remote northern Christian regions of Portugal earned Sanchos the nickname ‘the Populator’. The one notable military campaign of the reign was the conquering of the southern town of Silves in 1189 from the Almohads with the aid of Northern European crusaders, for which Sanchos added ‘King of Silves’ to his titles. The victory was short lived however, as the territory was soon regained by the Almohads in 1191. This exceptional morabitino is a remarkably rare example of the first gold coin of the kingdom of Portugal introduced by Sanchos during his reign. The new denomination was equal to the value of 180 silver dinheiros. The name morabitino was the nickname used by Christians in the Iberian Peninsula to describe the golden dinars struck by the Almoravids, which were similar in both metric and weight.
Lucania, Herakleia AR Stater. Circa 330 BC. Eu- and Apol-, magistrates. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with Skylla throwing a rock; EY before / Herakles standing facing, half-turned to right, wrestling the Nemean lion; oinochoe below, club and [APOL] to left, [|-HPAKΛEIΩN] above. Work 47 (same dies); Van Keuren 51 (same obv. die); HN Italy 1378; SNG ANS 66; SNG Lloyd -; Basel -; Bement 138 (same obv. die); Gulbenkian -; Hunterian 7 (same dies); McClean 825 (same obv. die); Weber 706 (same dies). 7.54g, 21mm, 2h. Extremely Fine. Rare. From the collection of C.S., Germany; purchased before 1991. The flourishing of an artistic culture in Herakleia is attested by the beauty and variety of its coinage, and that they survive in relative profusion is demonstrative of the wealth and commercial importance of the city. Despite this, it is not often that one encounters them in as good a state of preservation as is the case with the present coin. The depiction of Herakles on the reverse of this coin places the hero in a typical fighting stance of the Greek martial discipline Pankration, or Pammachon (total combat) as it was earlier known. Indeed, this fighting style was said to have been the invention of Herakles and Theseus as a result of their using both wresting and boxing in their encounters with opponents. The stance portrayed on this coin is paralleled on an Attic black-figure vase in the BM depicting two competitors, one in a choke hold similar to that of the lion here. The composition of this design is very deliberate - as the lion leaps forwards, Herakles, who had been facing the lion turns his body sideways. The myths tell us that Herakles had first stunned the beast with his club, and now he dodges the lion’s bite and reaches his right arm around its head to place it in a choke hold. Impressively careful attention has been paid to the detail on this die, including realistic rendering of the hero’s musculature, which has been engraved in fine style.
Lakonia, Lakedaimon (Sparta) AR Hemidrachm. Circa 125-75 BC. Laureate head of Herakles right / Amphora between the pilei of the Dioskouroi, monograms above and below; all within olive wreath. SNG Copenhagen 557; BCD Collection 853ff. 2.34g, 15mm, 9h. Fleur De Coin. Rare. Ex Gerhard Hirsch Nachf. 195, 5-7 May 1997, lot 208.
Sikyonia, Sikyon AR Stater. Circa 335-330 BC. Chimaera advancing left, right paw raised; ΣE below, wreath above / Dove flying left, A before; all within laurel wreath. BCD Peloponnesos 220 (this coin); HGC 5, 201; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC -; Pozzi 1793 (same obv. die); Traité III 775, pl. CCXX, 11. 12.22g, 23mm, 1h. Extremely Fine. Attractive old tone with iridescent highlights. From the last issue of staters struck by Sikyon. From the collection of J.T.B., United States; Ex Goldberg 63, 31 May 2011, lot 2454; Ex BCD Collection, LHS 96, 8 May 2006, lot 220; Ex Sotheby's, 27 March 1987, lot 407.
Attica, Athens AR Drachm. Circa 500-490 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing earring and crested Attic helmet ornamented with beaded decorations on crest holder and spiral on bowl / Owl standing to right with head facing, olive branch behind, ΑΘΕ before; all within incuse square. Svoronos pl. 7, 23; cf. Seltman pl. XXII, υ; Gorny & Mosch 232, 207 (same dies). 4.27g, 16mm, 10h. Good Extremely Fine; attractive old cabinet tone. Very Rare; a marvellous example of this extremely desirable type. Privately purchased from Gorny & Mosch. Athens was one of the few Greek cities with significant silver deposits in their immediate territory, a remarkable stroke of fortune upon which Xenophon reflected: 'The Divine Bounty has bestowed upon us inexhaustible mines of silver, and advantages which we enjoy above all our neighbouring cities, who never yet could discover one vein of silver ore in all their dominions.' The mines at Laurion had been worked since the bronze age, but it would be only later in 483 that a massive new vein of ore would be discovered that enabled Athens to finance grand new schemes such as the construction of a fleet of 200 triremes, a fleet that would later prove decisive in defending Greece at the Battle of Salamis. This coin was produced in the period before the discovery of the new deposits at Laurion, around the time of the Ionian Revolt and the subsequent first Persian invasion of Greece. Athens aided the Ionian Greeks in their rebellion against Persian tyranny with both coin and soldiers, participating in the 498 BC march on Sardes which resulted in the capture and sack of that city – the only significant offensive action taken by the Ionians, who were pushed back onto the defensive and eventually subjugated once more. Vowing to punish Athens for their support of the doomed rebellion, the Persian king Darius launched an invasion of Greece, landing at Marathon in 490 BC. Just twenty five miles from Athens, a vastly outnumbered Athenian hoplite army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persians, who after suffering horrendous casualties turned to their ships and fled.
Vintage skin clutch bag, embossed gilt frame, interior of brown silk and inner framed section opens to half silk half white kid interior, together with very small neat black handbag, the interior fitted with coin purse and pockets of green grosgrain and containing original leather bound mirror, leather card purse, grosgrain pouch, pencil and chrome powder puff, large Italian leather purse with gold fleur de lis, white leather clutch bag (4)
A collection of predominantly 20th century British and international mixed denomination coinage, stamps and medals to include New Zealand Proof Set and Coins of USSR 1980 set, Royal Windsor Coin and Stamp Collection, first day covers, boxed UN 1973 Sterling Silver Proof Peace Medal, coronation medals, commemorative crowns etc.
A small collection of coins comprising a cased four coin set of Queen Victoria double florins from 1887 to 1890, a cartwheel penny dated 1797, a set of eight coins from half crown to farthing for 1932, a set of brass threepences from 1937 to 1952 in a case, and a similar set from 1953 to 1967, and a collection of shillings from 1922 to the 1960s, twenty-six pre-1947, a cased set of coins for 1965 and a small collection of bank notes in the Rothmans Cambridge Collection.
A collection of British coinage to include a silver proof Trafalgar Bicentenary coin, a worn cartwheel penny, a commemorative medal of 1897 for four generations of the British Royal Family, a collection of commemorative crowns, a ten shilling note and a ten cents US postage currency, plus collections of half crowns including fifteen pre-1947 examples, plus sixpences, shillings, pennies, etc.
A 19th century coin operated walnut wall mounted polyphon with arched pediment above glazed door flanked by ring turned columns and with ring turned drop finials, sold with twenty eight 50cm diameter disks, height of cabinet 125cm, width 69cm.Please note - a video recording of the polyphon working is available upon request. CONDITION REPORT: As detailed in the description, the discs are 50cm in diameter, a video can be found at https://www.facebook.com/adampartridgeauctioneers/videos/10155440685234013/
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