There are 209236 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribePhilistia, uncertain mint AR Drachm. 5th-4th centuries BC. Hybrid janiforn head composed of bearded male to right and youngster facing / Horned lion-like animal seated right, with wing ending in a bovine head, all within dotted border within incuse square. Gilter-Tal series XXVII, IDa-b (different dies). 3.27g, 16mm, 6h. About Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare, only 2 examples cited by Gitler-Tal.
Southern Arabia, Qataban AR Hemidrachm. Unknown ruler(s). Timna, circa 350-320/00 BC. Imitating Athens. Head of Athena right, Γ on cheek, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor / Owl standing right, head facing; [olive sprig] and crescent behind, Royal Qatabanian monogram, composed of South Arabian letters h and l, and ÅQE to right. Munro-Hay p. 71, 1.0aii, pl. 48, 30-32; HGC 10, 711. 1.98g, 11mm, 9h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Southern Arabia, Qataban AR Hemidrachm. Unknown ruler(s). Timna, circa 350-320/00 BC. Imitating Athens. Head of Athena right, Γ on cheek, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor / Owl standing right, head facing; [olive sprig] and crescent behind, Royal Qatabanian monogram, composed of South Arabian letters h and l, and ÅQE to right. Munro-Hay p. 71, 1.0aii, pl. 48, 30-32; HGC 10, 711. 2.00g, 11mm, 9h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Eukratides I 'the Great' AR Tetradrachm. Circa 171-145 BC. Diademed and draped bust right, wearing helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear / ΒAΣΙΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛOY EYKPATIΔOY, the Dioskouroi on horseback to right, holding palms and lances; monogram to lower left. Mitchiner 177aa; cf. Bopearachchi 6I (curved legend); Bopearachchi & Rahman 239; SNG ANS -. 15.67g, 34mm, 11h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare. From the Ambrose Collection; Ex Roma Numismatics II, 2 October 2011, lot 373. Only two examples of this extremely rare variety with a horizontal legend have been seen on the market in the last decade, and the present specimen is remarkably preserved, whereas the other was in relatively poor condition. The type is known from perhaps as few as half a dozen examples, if that. Struck from dies of a fine and elegant style on a remarkably large flan, this coin has a truly medallic appearance, and is preserved in excellent condition. This is one of the great rarities of Eukratides' coinage. Eukratides The Great was one of the last but most important Greco-Baktrian kings, responsible for the overthrow of the Euthydemid dynasty and for waging numerous campaigns against the Indo-Greek kings, temporarily holding territory as far east as the Indus. By the range, quantity and quality of his coinage, which included the above mentioned medallion, we can surmise that his was a reign of considerable significance and prestige. Eukratides was murdered on his way home from India, apparently by his son, who hated his father so much that he 'ran with his chariot over the blood of his father, and ordered the corpse to be left without a sepulture' (Justin XLI,6). The subsequent civil war between rival members of the dynasty, combined with external pressures from the Indo-Greeks, Sogdians and Parthians led to the ultimate collapse of the Greko-Baktrian Kingdom a mere fifteen years later, when it was conquered by the Parthians under Mithradates.
Indo-Greek Kingdom, Antialkidas AR Tetradrachm. Circa 130-120 BC. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ ΑΝΤΙΑΛΚΙΔΟΥ, diademed heroic bust left, seen from behind, aegis on shoulder and brandishing spear with right hand / 'Maharajasa jayadharasa Amtialikidasa' in Kharosthi, Zeus standing facing, with elephant prancing to left behind him, holding a transverse, lotus-tipped sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, Nike standing right on a globe and crowning the elephant with a wreath held in her right hand; monogram to left. Mitchiner 274a; HGC 12, 254. 9.72g, 26mm, 12h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare.
Indo-Greek Kingdom, Philoxenos Aniketos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 125-110 BC. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANIKHTOY ΦΙΛOΞENOY, diademed heroic bust left, seen from behind, wearing crested helmet, aegis on shoulder and brandishing spear with right hand / 'Maharajasa apadihatasa Philasinasa' in Kharosthi, Philoxenos, in military attire, on horse rearing right; Σ and monogram to upper left. Mitchiner 343c; Bopearachchi 9C; SNG ANS 1198. 9.75g, 27mm, 12h. Near Mint State. Lustrous; superb metal quality for the issue. Extremely Rare.
Indo-Greek Kingdom, Diomedes Soter AR Tetradrachm. Circa 115-105 BC. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΔIOMHΔOY, diademed and draped bust right / 'Maharajasa tratarasa Diyamitasa' in Kharosthi, the Dioskouroi on rearing horses right, holding palm fronds and spears; monogram to lower right. Mitchiner 338d; Bopearachchi 3A; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS 1215. 9.77g, 26mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Exceptional metal quality for issue. Very Rare.
Indo-Greek Kingdom, Hermaios Soter, with Kalliope AR Tetradrachm. Circa 105-90 BC. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ EPMAIOY KAI KAΛΛIOΠHΣ, conjoined busts of Hermaios, diademed and draped, and Kalliope, draped and wearing stephane, right / 'Maharajasa tratarasa Hiramayasa Kaliyapaya' in Kharosthi, Hermaios, in military attire, on horse rearing right, bow in bow case and spear attached to saddle; monogram to lower right. Mitchiner 407a; Bopearachchi 1B; Bopearachchi & Rahman 518; SNG ANS 1317-1318. 9.74g, 26mm, 11h. Extremely Fine. Superb metal quality for the issue. Very Rare.
Indo-Skythians, Maues AR Tetradrachm. Uncertain northwestern mint, circa 95-57 BC. BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓΛΛOY MAYOY, radiate deity, holding sceptre, and driver, holding wand and reins, in biga right / Zeus enthroned facing slightly left, holding torque and sceptre; monogram to left. Senior 2.5T. 9.23g, 27mm, 11h. Good Extremely Fine, nearly as struck. Some light deposits. Extremely Rare, and exceptional for the type. Maues is considered to be the first Indo-Skythian king in India to strike coins bearing his own name. He styles himself a grandiose sounding title which may be on account of the clan nature of Skythian society, Maues being the supreme ruler over his fellow clan chiefs. His rise to power seems to have been sudden, judging by the quality of his coinage and the lack of any issues predating his assumption of a royal title. Maues established Skythian power in Gandhara (modern day Pakistan and Afghanistan region) by seizing Taxila and Sirkap from the Indo-Greek kingdom, and gradually he extended his rule over swathes of north-western India. His coins clearly show an adoption of the Greek language, as well as many Greek deities and types. This seems to suggest a policy of assimilation towards the Greeks conquered by Maues, a hypothesis supported by the existence of a coin naming 'Artemidoros, son of the King of Kings, Maues'.
Septimius Severus BI Tetradrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Year 2, AD 193/4. AYT K Λ CЄΠT CЄOYHPOC ΠЄPT CЄB, laureate head right / Zeus enthroned left on ground line, holding thunderbolt in right hand and sceptre in left; L-B across fields. Köln 2268 (same rev. die); cf. Dattari 4000; K&G 49.6. 12.19g, 24mm, 11h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare. Retaining original silver appearance; exceptional for an Alexandrian tetradrachm of this period.
Caracalla AR Tetradrachm of Ascalon, Judaea. 215-217 AD. AΥT K M ANTONEINOC, laureate bust right / ΔH EΞ ΥΠΑΤΟC TO Δ (Tribunician power, Consul fourth time), eagle standing facing on palm branch with spread wings, head turned to left; below, small dove holding olive spray in beak; (power of Tribune, Consul fourth time). Prieur 1654; Bellinger 376; Sofaer pl. 97,177. 12.00g, 25mm, 12h. Very Fine. Very Rare, only six recorded by Prieur, and three other examples in CoinArchives.
Geta, as Caesar, BI Tetradrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Year 10 = AD 201/2. Π CΕΠΤΙΜΙΟC ΓΕΤΑΣ KAICAP, draped bust right / Eagle standing right, head turned left with wreath in beak, I/L in left field. Unrecorded for this date, cf. Emmett 2795. 13.40g, 25mm, 12h. Very Fine. Very Rare. Retaining original silver appearance; exceptional for an Alexandrian tetradrachm of this period.
Diadumenian AR Tetradrachm of Ascalon, Judaea. AD 217-218. M OΠ ANTWNI KAI, bare-headed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / ΛHMAPX EΞO, eagle standing facing, head left, wreath in beak, on palm branch; below, dove to right, olive branch in its beak. Prieur 1656 var. (same obverse die, different reverse legend); CNG 67, lot 1158 (same dies). Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare, only one coin of Diadumenian cited by Prieur from this mint.
Julia Mamaea BI Tetradrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Year 14, AD 234/235. IOV MAMAIA CЄB MHTЄ CЄB K CTPA, draped bust right, wearing stephane / Severus Alexander left on horseback, raising hand and holding sceptre; palm frond to left; LIΔ date to right. Dattari 4455. 14.13g, 23mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. Retaining original silver appearance; exceptional for an Alexandrian tetradrachm of this period.
Balbinus BI Tetradrachm of Alexandria, Egypt. Year 1 = AD 238. Α Κ ΔΕΚ ΒΑΛΒΙΝΟC CΕΒ, laureate and draped bust of Balbinus right / Nike advancing left, holding wreath and palm, LA in left field. Dattari a684; Emmett 3356. 13.14g, 24mm, 12h. Very Rare. Retaining original silver appearance; exceptional for an Alexandrian tetradrachm of this period.
Cornelia Supera Æ20 of Parium, Mysia. AD 253. Draped bust right, wearing stephane / She-wolf standing right, head left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus. Cf. SNG France 1518 (capricorn; same obv. die); cf. SNG von Aulock 7448 (same; same obv. die); Helios 5, 406 (same dies). 5.11g, 20mm, 6h. Very Fine. Very Rare.
Roman Republic Æ Currency Bar. Rome, circa 280-250 BC. Bull walking to right / Bull walking to left. RRC 5/1; HNItaly 257; ICC 15; Haeberlin p. 143-4, 1-5, pl. 57, 1-3, pl. 59, 1, pl. 93. 862g, 156mm x 91mm, 12h. Very Fine, corner cut off. Very Rare, only six complete examples recorded, only one of which is in private hands. From an old English collection, attested as being outside of Italy since before 19 January 2011. Amongst the first cast bronze coins issued at Rome from about 280 are the lead-rich bronze quadrilateral currency bars which cannot readily be tied into the currency of the period, but which do occasionally bear the legend ROMANOM. In form they are reminiscent of the earlier ‘ramo secco’, herringbone and associated bars, but they have never been found in the same context. These bars may be seen not as coins but as ingots probably produced for the distribution of war booty at the time of the Pyrrhic and First Punic War (275-241). The weights for complete specimens range from about 1642 to 1746 grams, which would indicate that they were intended to be 5-as pieces (quincusses), based on a Roman libra of about 324 grams. They are usually found in fragments, indicating that they circulated as bullion with cast coins throughout central Italy. The Romans of later times lacked a coherent history for their early coinage, the surviving literary tradition on the early bronze currency being composed of relentlessly modernising Roman accounts. These accounts are inclined to invent historical as well as monetary events, and characteristically make the beginning of coinage respectably antique and Roman by associating it with the reigns of the semi-mythical kings Numa Pompilius (traditional date, 715-673) and Servius Tullius (traditional date, 578-535). The famous statement of Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD explicitly states that: ‘Servius rex primus signavit aes. Antea rudi usos Romae Timaeus tradit. Signatum est nota pecudum, unde et pecunia appellata’ (king Servius was the first to mark bronze; Timaeus relates that previously they used raw metal at Rome. It was marked with the image of animals from which pecunia also was supposed to draw its name), (HN 33.13.43). This statement was confirmed by Cassiodorus as late as the 6th century AD: ‘monetae curam habere praecipimus, quam Servius rex in aere primum impressisse perhibetur’ (we advise you to take care of money, which king Servius is held to have first marked in bronze), (Variae 7.32.4.). Pecunia: ‘money or wealth’ from pecus ‘livestock’ (Varro, Ling 5.92). Modern philologists believe that the word may be connected to the Indo-European word *peku ‘movable personal property’ and the Latin peculium ‘private property, savings.’
Anonymous Æ Obol. Neapolis or Cosa (?) circa 273-269 BC. Helmeted head of Minerva right / ROMA, bridled horse’s head right; RRC 17/1d; HN Italy 278; Balbi de Caro, RIN 1988, p. 120, 1949; RBW collection 16. 6.03g, 17mm, 11h. Very Fine. Very rare variety. The entire RRC 17 series may have been struck at Cosa, whose coins share the same types and metrology. The bronze Romano coinage (RRC 17/1a-i) and its parallel issue of the Latin colony of Cosa in Etruria (Vecchi, EC 1, 1-6) have since the 19th century been termed litrai and half-litrae, which has led to confusion for it has no justification in the observed behaviour of the 3rd century central Italian economy. The ancient use of the word litra, a Greek term for a Sicilian bronze unit, in the context of a purely Romano-Etruscan coinage without any contemporary parallel in Italy, seems unlikely and certainly not of contemporary usage. It may be better to describe these interesting military issues in Italian Greek or Roman weight terms with their customary nomenclature. From the mid 4th century Metapontine bronzes of 7.5-9.5g bear the denomination OBOΛΟΣ (HN Italy 1639-40) and from c.326 the standard Æ unit of Neapolis weighs between 5 and 10 grams which probably represents a fiduciary obol, which comfortably accommodates the Romano and Cosa bronzes which range between about 5 and 8 grams. For an in depth analysis of Neapolitan bronze issues, see A. Campana, ‘A proposito dell’obol di bronzo’ in Panorama Numismatico 94, 1996, pp. 12-16.
Anonymous Æ As. Luceria, 211-208 BC. Laureate head of Janus; [below, L]; above, - / Prow of galley right; above, l; before L; ROMA below. Crawford 97/22a; BMC Italy 168. 27.67g, 37mm, 10h. Good Extremely Fine. Rare. From the Ambrose Collection; Ex A. Tkalec AG, 8 September 2008, lot 236. A superb example of this rare issue, in very good condition for the type, and displaying an attractive, evenly toned patina. Struck on a broad flan with nearly all fine detail surviving.
C. Fabius C. f. Hadrianus Æ As. Rome, 102 BC. Laureate head of Janus; I above / Prow of galley right; C • FABI • C • F above, bird to right, ROMA below. Crawford 322/2 (citing only 5 specimens in Paris); Sydenham 591. 23.32g, 32mm, 1h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare. From the Andrew McCabe Collection; Privately purchased from CNG, 2008; Ex V.C. Collection.
L. Cornelius Sulla AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Sulla, 84-83 BC. Diademed bust of Venus right; L•SVLLA below; cupid with long palm branch before / Capis and lituus between two trophies; IMPER above; ITERVM below. Crawford 359/2; Sydenham 761; Cornelia 29. 3.64g, 18mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine; attractively toned. Rare.
L. Cornelius Lentulus and C. Claudius Marcellus AR Denarius. Apollonia, 49 BC. Head of Apollo right; L. LENT. C. MARC. COS. around / Jupiter standing right, eagle in left hand over garlanded altar, thunderbolt in right; star and Q in left field. Crawford 445/2. 3.46g, 18mm, 5h. Extremely Fine. Attractively toned. Rare.
Sextus Pompey AR Denarius. Mint moving with Sextus Pompey, probably on Sicily, under the fleet commander Q. Nasidius, 42-38 BC. NEPTVNI, bare head of Cn. Pompeius Magnus to right; below, dolphin swimming downwards; before, trident upwards / Q.NASIDIVS, Galley sailing right; in the prow to right, commander standing right with his right hand raised in salute; in the stern, helmsman holding rudder; above left, star. Babelon (Nasidia) 1, (Pompeia) 28; Crawford 483/2; CRI 235; Sydenham 1350. 4.02g, 20mm, 12h. About Extremely Fine. Rare.
Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Struck under Mark Antony. P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer. Rome, April-May 44 BC. Tetrastyle temple with globe in pediment; CLEMENTIAE • CAESARIS around / Desultor (horseman who leaps from one horse to another), wearing conical cap and holding whip, right on horseback, second horse behind; palm frond and wreath to left; P • SEPVLLIVS above, MACER below. Crawford 480/21; Alföldi Type XXII, 32-40 (A2/R2); CRI 110; Sydenham 1076; Kestner 3692; BMCRR Rome 4177; RSC 44. 3.71g, 19mm, 1h. Very Fine; test punch on rev. Very Rare. From the Andrew McCabe Collection.
M. Junius Brutus AR Denarius AR Quinarius. Military mint travelling with Brutus and Cassius in western Asia Minor or northern Greece, spring-early summer 42 BC. Diademed head of Libertas right, LEIBERTAS before / Stem of prow and anchor in saltire. Crawford 506/3; CRI 210; King 79; Sydenham 1288; RSC 5a. 1.66g, 14mm, 10h. Good Very Fine. Rare. From the Andrew McCabe Collection; Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 78, 26 May 2014, lot 500; Ex Gorny & Mosch 130, 8 March 2004, lot 1966.
Marc Antony AR Quinarius. Lugdunum (Lyon) mint, late summer-autumn 43 BC. Winged bust of Victory (with likeness of Fulvia) right / Lion advancing right on ground line; retrograde and inverted DVNI above; LVGV in exergue; A to left, XL to right. Crawford 489/5; CRI 122; King 75; Lyon 2; RPC 512; RSC 4 (Fulvia); Sydenham 1160; Kestner 3717; BMCRR Gaul 40. 1.55g, 14mm, 1h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare. The reverse XL (=40) denotes Antony's age at the time this coin was struck.
Marc Antony AR Quinarius. Lugdunum (Lyon) mint, late summer-autumn 43 BC. Winged bust of Victory (with likeness of Fulvia) right / Lion advancing right on ground line; retrograde and inverted DVNI above; LVGV in exergue; A to left, XL to right. Crawford 489/5; CRI 122; King 75; Lyon 2; RPC 512; RSC 4 (Fulvia); Sydenham 1160; Kestner 3717; BMCRR Gaul 40. 1.55g, 14mm, 1h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare. The reverse XL (=40) denotes Antony's age at the time this coin was struck.
Marc Antony AR Denarius. L. Plancus, moneyer. Mint moving with M. Antony, 40 BC. M·ANTON·IMP·AVG III VIR·R·P·C, lituus and jug / L·PLANCVS·PRO·COS, thunderbolt, jug and caduceus. Antonia 58 and Munatia 5; Sydenham 1190; Sear Imperators 253; Crawford 522/2. 3.58g, 19mm, 1h. Very Fine. Very Rare. From the Andrew McCabe Collection; Privately purchased from Mike Vosper, 2006.
Fulvia, first wife of Marc Antony, Æ20. Eumeneia (as Fulvia) in Phrygia, circa 41-40 BC. Zmertorix, the son of Philonides, magistrate. Laureate female head of Fulvia as Nike to right / Athena standing left, holding shield and spear; ZMEPTOPIΓOΣ ΦIΛΩNIΔOY in two lines to left. RPC 3139; SNG München -; Copenhagen -. 5.94g, 20mm, 11h. Good Very Fine. Rare. Fulvia was the first wife of Marc Antony, having married him in 44 BC. She appears to have been a devoted spouse, and was an outspoken defender of his interests in Rome while he was away in the East. Antony's partisans renamed the Phrygian city of Eumeneia in her honour.
Augustus AR Denarius. Q. Rustius, moneyer. Rome, circa 19 BC. Q RVSTIVS FORTVNAE, jugate busts of Fortuna Victrix wearing round helmet and Fortuna Felix, diademed, ANTIAT in exergue / CAESAR AVGVSTO, ornamented rectangular altar inscribed FOR RE, EX SC in exergue. RIC 322. 3.79g, 19mm, 3h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
Caligula AR Denarius. Lugdunum (Lyon), AD 40. C CAESAR • AVG • PON • M • TR • POT • III • COS • III, laureate head right / S • P • Q • R •/P • P OB • C • S • in three lines within oak wreath. RIC 28 (Rome); Lyon 183; RSC 21; cf. BMC 29-30 (aureus); BN 39. 3.60g, 18mm, 2h. Attractive dark tone, Good Very Fine. Rare.
Vitellius AV Aureus. Rome, August - December AD 69. A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head right / XV VIR SACR FAC, tripod lebes with dolphin above and raven standing right below. BMC 38; BN 75; C. 110; RIC 108; Biaggi 288; Calicó 585. 7.26g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Lustrous, beautifully struck and possessing a superb portrait. Easily among the finest surviving aurei of Vitellius. Emperor for only eight months, Vitellius was the third to take the purple during the Year of the Four Emperors in AD 69. Consul in 48 and Proconsul of Africa in 60/61, Vitellius commanded the army of Germania Inferior in 68, where he made himself extremely popular with the officers and soldiery through lavish extravagance and lax discipline. It was because of two of his legion commanders on the Rhine that he was acclaimed emperor by the legions in Germania, and they were soon joined by the armies of Britannia, Gaul and Raetia. With Otho’s suicide, Vitellius gained the throne without the need for excessive bloodshed. His short lived reign was characterised by excessive feasting, gambling and indolence. Suetonius records some of the greater outrages which led to his being deserted in favour of Vespasian: ‘Acting more and more in open violation of all laws, both divine and human, he assumed the office of Pontifex Maximus, upon the day of the defeat at the Allia; ordered the magistrates to be elected for ten years of office; and made himself consul for life.’ The reverse of this coin makes reference to Vitellius’s membership of one of the four priestly colleges, the Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis (the other three being the Pontifices, Augures, and the Epulones), and so also his new self-appointed position as Pontifex Maximus. The raven refers to the college of Augures who interpreted the will of the gods through the study of the flight of birds. The tripod lebes can be linked with the college of Epulones, which arranged the religious feasts and festivals. The dolphin holds several symbolic meanings including that of messenger, protector and guide, and can be associated directly with various gods including Neptune, but when viewed as a symbol for protection and guidance, is associated with the college of Quindecimviri Sacris Faciundis. Members of this college were responsible for keeping the Sybilline Books in safety and secrecy. At the command of the Senate, they consulted the Books in order to discover not exact predictions of definite future events in the form of prophecy, but the religious observances necessary to avert extraordinary calamities and to expiate ominous prodigies (comets and earthquakes, showers of stones, plague, and suchlike).
Titus, as Caesar, AV Aureus. Rome, AD 72-73. T CAES IMP VESP PON TR POT, laureate head right / NEP RED, Neptune standing left, resting right foot on globe, holding acrostolium and spear. Biaggi -; BMC -; RIC 365; Calicó 743. 7.36g, 20mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and extremely well preserved for the type.
Titus AR Denarius. Rome, 23-31 June, AD 79. IMP T CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head right / TR POT VIII COS VII, bearded captive, wearing trousers and cape, kneeling right at base of trophy. RIC 1; RSC 334a; BMC 1. 3.53g, 19mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare. Light graffito on reverse. Only two specimens in the Reka Devnia Hoard, not in the Paris collection or Cohen. An attractive issue from the first week of Titus' reign as Augustus.
Diva Faustina Senior AV Aureus. Rome, AD 141. DIVA AVG FAVSTINA, draped bust left with hair waved and coiled on top of head / CONSECRATIO, Faustina standing facing in quadriga galloping to left, holding hasta pura, and accompanied by Sol(?), who leans forward, his arm outstretched toward the horses. RIC 383; Calicó 1780; BMC 302. 7.27g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. Two other examples of this reverse type are recorded on CoinArchives, both heavily worn, and neither with a left facing bust. Stevenson, in his Dictionary of Roman Coins, rightly refers to this coin as one of the rarest reverses of Faustina (p.374). 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). During her life, Faustina Senior was an advocate for the underprivileged, as well as for girls' education. When she died in AD 141, Antoninius Pius was said to be 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. Additionally he established an institution called Puellae Faustinianae ('The Girls of Faustina') to assist orphaned Roman girls. The commemorative coinage of Faustina Senior is unusual in that it survives in large numbers with a wide variety of reverse types, this being explained by the fact that her coins continued to be struck until the death of Antoninus Pius in AD 161. This particularly beautiful consecration aureus is notable for the form in which the apotheosis of Faustina is displayed; a parallel issue displays the funeral pyre of the empress and thus the manner of her ascension to godhood, and here we see her being conveyed to her place among the gods and other deified emperors and empresses. Faustina now holds the hasta pura, one of the insignia of the gods, and of the augusti and augustae after their apotheoses. Two other contemporary issues display further elements of Faustina’s deification; one shows the carriage of her divine effigy in a wagon pulled by two elephants, the other illustrates its destination: the temple that Antoninus Pius built along the Via Sacra on the northeastern side of the Roman Forum for the ongoing worship of Diva Faustina. It is both a charming and moving type that must have been particularly affecting to Antoninus, and on the obverse we see Faustina still draped, in the manner of a living Augusta and beloved wife, and not yet veiled in death and divinity.
Lucius Verus Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 163-164. L AVREL VERVS AVG ARMENIACVS, laureate bust right / VICT AVG TR P IIII IMP II COS II Victory standing to right, holding trophy in both hands over Armenian captive seated at foot ; S-C across fields. RIC 1410 (Aurelius); C. 335; Banti 195. 22.53g, 32mm, 11h. Extremely Fine. Attractive, untouched surfaces. Rare, only one example listed in Banti; two examples on CoinArchives.
Pescennius Niger AR Denarius. Antioch, AD 193-194. IMP CAES C PESC NIGER IVST, laureate head right / CERERI FRVFER (sic), Ceres standing left, holding sceptre and corn ears. C -; RIC 7 note cf. De Quelen sale, 14 May 1888, 1272. 3.00g, 18mm, 1h. About Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 78, 26 May 2014, lot 2318.
Septimius Severus AV Aureus. Uncertain Eastern mint (Emesa or Alexandria?), AD 193. IMP CAE L SEP SEV PEPT (sic) AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / LEG VIII AVG II COS, legionary Aquila between two standards, TR P COS in exergue. RIC -; C. -; Calico -; H.-J. Kellner, Neue Fundmünzen aus Bayern, JNG 28/29, 1978/1979, 43 pl. 9, 1. 7.23g, 20mm, 12h. Fleur De Coin. Of the Highest Rarity, only the second known after a unique but worn specimen was found in Bavaria in 1974. A highly important and fascinating issue. This exceedingly rare and important aureus is one of only four recorded gold types in the extensive ‘legionary’ series that Septimius issued after his accession in June of 193. Cassius Dio records that he paid an accession donative of 250 denarii (10 aurei) per soldier, and it is therefore highly likely that the Rome mint legionary issues were intended to satisfy this immediate requirement. The silver denarii were struck in vast quantities, with Legio VIII Augusta at Strasbourg being honoured with a particularly large issue, though not quite as large as that of Legio XIIII. The eastern issues are by comparison all extremely rare, having evidently been issued on a much smaller scale, and only the legions III, VIII and XIIII are honoured. Furthermore, at least some of the coins may not have been struck until after January 194, when Septimius became consul for the second time. This represents a gap of six months or more between the Rome legionary issues, and those of the eastern mints. The explanation for both the small scale of these issues and the time differential may be that they represent a belated donative payment to loyal troops stationed in the eastern provinces. It is known that Pescennius Niger’s support in the East was not universal; Septimius evidently had forces strong enough to block Legio II Traiana Fortis from sending military aid to Niger from Egypt. It is very possible therefore that locally stationed vexillationes (detachments) of the three aforementioned legions were present in the region and remained loyal to Septimius, and that they were paid their donatives with locally struck coinage after Septimius’ defeat of Niger in May 194. This hypothesis is supported by the known findspot of the only other aureus of this type, for Bavaria is only a short distance from the Legion’s home at Strasbourg, and that coin may have easily been lost there after returning home with a member of Legio VIII. The specific mint location for this aureus remains uncertain, though Emesa or Alexandria are considered the most likely options on the basis of practical, stylistic, and metrological considerations. The type mirrors a denarius issue attributed by the British Museum to ‘Emesa’, which also curiously puts both II COS and TR P COS on the reverse.
Septimius Severus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 201. SEVERVS AVG PART MAX, laureate head right / FVNDATOR PACIS, Severus, veiled, standing left, holding branch and scroll. RIC 160; Calicó 2459; C. 202; BMC 189. 7.25g, 19mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Very Rare. From the Ambrose Collection; Ex Numismatik Lanz 112, 25 November 2002, lot 598. Severus' rise to power required him to remove the threats of two others who had been proclaimed emperor, Pescennius Niger in the East and Clodius Albinus in the West. Having routed Niger and pacified the eastern provinces, and after his victory against Albinus at the Battle of Lugdunum, Severus consolidated support in the western provinces and then turned his attention back to increasing the bounds of the Roman Empire eastwards. In 197 Severus invaded Parthia and captured the Parthian capital Ctesiphon. The sack of Ctesiphon was particularly devastating. Severus gave his soldiers liberty to plunder the city at will and brutal slaughter ensued. According to Cassius Dio, as many as 100,000 women and children were sold into slavery, and an enormous amount of treasure was carried off from the city. Ctesiphon was however not garrisoned, and Severus withdrew from the city. Though he failed to reduce the city of Hatra, which had also held out against Trajan, the northern half of Mesopotamia was annexed to the empire, and for this victory Severus took the title parthicus maximus, as seen on the obverse legend of this type. While he could not claim total victory over the Parthians, he had dealt a severe blow to that kingdom, which endured no more than another twenty seven years before a revolt by the Sassadids overran the weakened empire. The reverse however reiterates Severus' role as a bringer of peace and stability, who had successfully dealt with both the usurpers within the empire and Rome's external enemies. Indeed, the reign of Severus can be considered to have been a prosperous and largely stable period - a last golden period before the coming of an age of iron and rust.
Septimius Severus AV Quinarius. Rome, AD 205. SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate bust right / COS III P P, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm. RIC -, cf. 258 (silver quinarius); BMC -; C. -; Hill -, cf. 714 (silver quinarius). 3.56g, 14mm, 12h. Very Fine. Apparently unique and unpublished. Found at Crondall, Hampshire in early 2015. The silver quinarii of Septimius are extremely rare; his gold quinarii exceedingly so. Hill dates the silver quinarii of this type to Septimius' fifth largess in AD 205; the gold quinarius must have been a companion issue, of which this is the first known example.
Septimius Severus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 207. SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right / RESTITVTOR VRBIS, Roma seated left on shield, holding palladium and sceptre. RIC 288; Calicó 2529; BMC 358; Hill 840. 6.76g, 21mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Lustrous metal. Rare. Septimius Severus was credited with restoring stability to the Roman Empire after the turbulent reign of Commodus and the civil wars that erupted in the wake of his murder, and by the time this coin was struck he had enlarged the empire in the East and strengthened the southern borders through the expansion of the Limes Tripolitanus, a frontier zone of defensive forts in north Africa. The improved security of the empire enabled Severus to undertake restorative works in Rome itself, the theme of this reverse type. Roma, personification of Rome, is portrayed here as a direct reference to Severus' having restored peace and prosperity to the city.
Loading...
![Anonymous Æ As. Luceria, 211-208 BC. Laureate head of Janus; [below, L]; above, - / Prow of galley right; above, l; before L;](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/fd0beea0-94bb-4568-87e5-a50800efba14/ba00fd69-b834-4d3c-c594-727dbd0cd59d/468x382.jpg)
