We found 208980 price guide item(s) matching your search
There are 208980 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribe- List
- Grid
-
208980 item(s)/page
Lot 312
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Head of Athena left, wearing Corinthian helmet; tunny fish behind / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 63; Boston 1432. Gulbenkian II, 608. 16.14g, 19mm. Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and among the finest known of the type. Two unobtrusive control marks on obverse.
Lot 313
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Archaic male head with a pointed beard to left, tunny fish below to left / Quadripartite incuse square. Rosen 446; Greenwell 78, pl. III, 31; Imhoof-Blumer, p. 242, 69; Von Fritze 66, pl. II, 19; SNG von Aulock -. 16.06g, 22mm. Very Fine. Very Rare. Superb archaic style.
Lot 314
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Winged sphinx crouching to left; tunny fish below / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 72, pl. II, 25; Boston 1450; SNG France 200. 16.14g, 20mm. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and easily the finest and most complete of only nine examples offered in the past fifteen years.
Lot 317
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Siren, with two spiralled plumes on crown of head, standing to left, holding tunny fish by the tail in right hand, left hand outstretched / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 74, pl. II, 29; Boston 1441; cf. SNG France 203 (hekte). 16.10g, 18mm. Very Fine. Very Rare.
Lot 319
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Head of Athena to left, wearing crested Attic helmet, base of crest decorated with zig-zag and pellet pattern; below, tunny fish to left / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 76; Greenwell 25; SNG France –; SNG von Aulock –; Boston MFA 1446; Dewing –; Gillet 1053 = Kunstfreund 3 = Jameson 2171 = Weber 4971; Gulbenkian 609 (all from the same obv. die). 16.08g, 20mm. Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
Lot 326
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Winged dog seated to left, head reverted to right; tunny fish below to left / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 104; BMFA 1433; SNG France 245. 16.07g, 21mm. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, and undoubtedly the finest of very few specimens known. Kyzikos, purportedly the first Milesian colony, was located on the southwest shore of the Propontis in ancient Mysia next to the river Aisepos. Its prosperity was due principally to its two fine harbours, which made the city a convenient stopping point for merchant ships trading between the Aegean and Black Seas. Its principal export was the tunny, of which its waters had abundant stock. The prevalence of winged beings in Kyzikene coinage is a reflection of archaic mythological convention that assigned wings to most divine or sacred entities as an immediately visible and understandable symbol of their nature, and in the case of gods, of their power to move at will across great distances. In the case of the winged animals, we should probably understand these to be attributes of or animals sacred to a particular Olympian god.
Lot 335
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 450-400 BC. Nike crouching left, sacrificing with knife she holds in her right hand a ram she holds by the horn with her left; tunny fish below to left / Quadripartite incuse square. Cf. Hurter & Liewald 8 (stater and myshemihekte); cf. Triton XVII, 7 January 2014, 375 (twelfth stater); otherwise unpublished. 2.65g, 11mm. Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, apparently unique and unpublished as a hekte.
Lot 339
Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 400-380 BC. Nike, bare to the waist, kneeling to left while holding aplustre in her raised right hand, kneeling left; tunny fish below to left / Quadripartite incuse square. BMFA 1546; SNG Paris 301; Von Fritze 154. 15.97g, 19mm. About Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and in excellent condition for the type. Brett (BMFA p. 202) suggests that this reverse type commemorates the Athenian admiral Konon’s annihilation of the Persian fleet at Knidos in 394; Kyzikos participated in an alliance coinage in celebration of this event.
Lot 346
Mysia, Kyzikos AR Stephanophoric Tetradrachm. Circa 170-150 BC. Draped bust of Kore right, wearing oak wreath / KYZI-KHN?N, torch; monograms above and below; all within laurel wreath. Cf. Von Fritze II 33 (for type); SNG France -; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -; Triton XI, 8 January 2008, lot 213; otherwise apparently unpublished. 16.87g, 33mm, 12h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare, apparently the second known example.
Lot 358
Kings of Lydia, Kroisos AV Hekte - 1/6 Stater. Light standard. Sardes, circa 560-546 BC. Confronted foreparts of lion and bull / Incuse rectangular punch. Walburg group IV, 3 (same punches); Berk 8; Traité I 406 = de Luynes 2801; SNG Kayhan –; SNG von Aulock –; Weber 6772 (same punches). 1.35g, 9mm. Good Very Fine. Very Rare.
Lot 359
Lydia, Apollonis AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. In the name of the Pergamene pretender Eumenes III Aristonikos. Year 3 = 132/1 BC. Cista mystica with serpent in ivy wreath / ??-??, two serpents entwined around bow and quiver; to left and right heads Zeus and Dionysos; to left and right of serpent’s coil, BA and EY; on lower part of bow case, ?. Klein-Noe p. 103, Series 2, 2 a-h; SNG von Aulock 2897. 12.37g, 27mm, 12h. Very Fine. Rare.
Lot 36
Calabria, Tarentum AR Didrachm. Circa 480-470 BC. Taras seated on dolphin to right, shell below, TAPA? (retrograde) behind / Wheel with four spokes. Vlasto 73; HN Italy 833; SNG ANS 827; Fischer-Bossert 77b (this coin). 8.07g, 20mm. Good Very Fine. Rare. Ex Vlasto Collection; Ex Pearce Collection; Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge, 27 October 1898, lot 561b.
Lot 360
Lydia, Sardes-Synnada AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Circa 166-160 BC. Cista mystica with serpent within ivy wreath / Two serpents entwined around bow and quiver; civic monogram to left, thyrsos to right. Kleiner-Noe, Series 1, 1-4; SNG Berry 1142; SNG von Aulock 3121. 12.64g, 28mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Rare.
Lot 361
Karia, uncertain dynast AR Stater. Kaunos (?), circa 480-460 BC. Winged male figure, nude, with winged heels, in kneeling stance to right; Karian monogram over right wing / Lion standing to left, head right, raising right forepaw, Karian letters and monogram above; all within incuse square. Troxell, Winged 41; E.S.G. Robinson, 'A Find of Archaic Coins from South-west Asia Minor,' NC 1936, 10; Rosen 624 var. (letters); K. Schefold, Meisterwerke griechischer Kunst (Basel/Stuttgart, 1960), 448. 11.83g, 20mm, 9h. Double-struck, otherwise Near Extremely Fine. Rare.
Lot 363
Satraps of Karia, Hekatomnos AR Diobol. Mylasa, circa 392/1-377/6 BC. Bearded head of Hekatomnos right / Forepart of bull left, E to left; all within incuse square. Winzer 13.1; Traité II 2494 (Pergamon). 1.38g, 12mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine, lightly porous. Rare, and in excellent condition for the issue.
Lot 364
Satraps of Karia, Pixodaros AV 1/24 Stater. Circa 341-335 BC. Laureate head of Apollo left / Labrys; ?-I flanking handle. Babelon, Perses 411–3; Traité II 107; SNG von Aulock 2374; SNG Kayhan –; SNG Copenhagen –. 0.32g, 5mm, 1h. About Good Very Fine. Rare, and well preserved for the issue.
Lot 366
Karia, Knidos AR Drachm. Circa 350-330/20 BC. Rhodian standard. Teleas, magistrate. Head of Aphrodite right, wearing stephane, earring and necklace, TE monogram behind / Forepart of lion to right, TE?EA? before, KNI below. BMC 46; SNG Keckman 181; SNG Copenhagen 272. 3.13g, 14mm, 12h. Very Fine. Very Rare.
Lot 368
Islands off Karia, Kos AR Tetradrachm. Athamas, magistrate, circa 345-340 BC. Head of bearded Herakles (with features of Maussolos?) right, wearing Nemean lion skin headdress / Veiled head of Demeter (with features of Artemisia?) left, A?AMA to right, K?ION below. Ingvaldsen 7a (this coin); Pixodaros 8c (this coin). 15.13g, 23mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Struck on a very broad flan, well centred, and with a beautiful old tone. Ex Leu 91, 10 May 2004, lot 166; Ex CNG XIV, 20 March 1991, lot 169; Ex Leu 45, 26 May 1988, lot 227; From the Pixodarus Hoard of 1978 (CH 9, 421). It has been suggested that the reverse portrait is that of Artemisia in the guise of Demeter, based on similarities between her features as they appear on the statue of Aretmisia from the Mausoleum, now in the British Museum, and those as they appear on the coinage. If that were the case, then almost certainly the obverse portrait we see would be that of Mausolos himself as Herakles.
Lot 373
Dynasts of Lycia, Vekhssere II and Ddimi AR Stater. Patara, circa 400-390 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing decorated Attic crested helmet / UKHSSER DDIMI PTTR-RA (in Lycian), head of Hermes right, wearing winged petasos. Müseler/Nollé VII, 1; Peus 407, 2012, 768. 8.37g, 24mm, 4h. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare.
Lot 401
Cilicia, Tarsos AR Stater. Tarkumuwa (Datames), Satrap of Cilicia and Cappadocia. Circa 375 BC. Baaltars seated right, torso facing, cradling eagle-tipped sceptre in right arm, holding grain ear and grape bunch in extended left hand; B’LTRZ in Aramaic to left, thymiaterion to right; below throne, forepart of sphinx right; all within crenelated wall / Satrap, wearing Persian dress, seated right, inspecting arrow held in both hands; TRDMW in Aramaic to left, winged solar disk to upper right, bow to lower right. Casabonne Type 2; Moysey Issue 6, 17a corr. (same dies; sphinx not dog); SNG France –; SNG Levante –; SNG von Aulock –; Pozzi 2849. 10.51g, 24mm, 11h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and better than the published examples.
Lot 403
Kingdom of Bithynia, Prusias I AR Tetradrachm. Nikomedia, circa 210-182 BC. Diademed head right / ???????? ????????, Zeus standing left, holding wreath in right hand, lotus tipped sceptre in left, thunderbolt above AN? monogram in inner left. Cf. Rec. gén. p. 220 pl. 29.10-11; SNG von Aulock 6878; HGC 7, 614. (all with an additional ME monogram). 16.65g, 35mm, 11h. Extremely Fine, sharply struck and boldly detailed. Extremely rare variant.
Lot 405
Kings of Bithynia, Nikomedes III Euergetes AR Tetradrachm. Nikomedia, year 203 = 96/5 BC. Diademed head right / ???????? ????????? ?????????, Zeus Stephanophoros standing left, holding wreath and long sceptre; in inner left, eagle standing left on thunderbolt above monogram and ??. Rec. gén. p. 232; cf. De Callataÿ p. 60, D143 (different monogram); HGC 7, 645. 16.93g, 32mm, 12h. Near Mint State, very rare in such excellent condition.
Lot 408
Cyprus, Kition AR Stater. Baalmelek II, circa 425-400 BC. Herakles in fighting stance to right, wearing lion skin upon his back and tied around neck, holding club overhead in right hand and bow extended before him in left hand; monogram or ankh to right / Lion attacking stag crouching right; L B'LMLK (in Aramaic) above; all inside dotted border within incuse square. Tziambazis 19; Babelon, Perses 678; BMC 35; Sunrise 110 (this coin). 10.75g, 25mm, 3h. Extremely Fine. Rare. Exceptional state of preservation - apparently the finest known example of the type, which is otherwise nearly uniformly badly struck and preserved. Ex Gorny & Mosch 185, 8 March 2010, lot 176. Various attempts have been made to explain the meaning of the lion attack motif, often centred on possible astrological or cosmological significances, or associations with particular deities. One interpretation that has gained traction in recent years is that the motif is apotropaic in nature, serving to ward off evil in a similar function to the gorgoneion, which like the lion attack motif is very prevalent in ancient Greek coinage, though there is little evidence to support such a notion. G. E. Markoe ('The Lion Attack in Archaic Greek Art', Classical Antiquity Vol. 8, 1, 1989) convincingly suggests that a more likely explanation may be found in the examination of archaic Greek epic poetry, particularly in Homeric literature, wherein a lion attacking cattle or sheep is repeatedly employed as a simile for the aggression and valour of combatant heroes. In notable passages, Agamemnon's victorious advance against the Trojans in the Iliad (11.113ff and 129) and Hektor's successful pursuit of the Achaeans (15.630ff) are both likened to a lion triumphing over its hapless prey. In both of these cases the allusion is completed by the defeated being compared to fleeing prey animals. In all, there are twenty five examples present in the Iliad of heroic warriors being compared to leonine aggressors, with the victims variously compared to boars, sheep, goats, bulls or deer. The repetition of this literary device is clearly demonstrative of how deeply rooted the imagery was in the Greek (and perhaps more generally human) consciousness. Of further and great significance is the involvement of the gods as the primary instigators of heroic leonine aggression in almost every case, and as it is made clear that the lion itself is an animal that is divinely directed to its prey (11.480, by a daimon), so then is the lion attack a metaphor for divinely inspired heroic triumph. Greek art of the seventh century BC frequently pairs the motif with a scene of heroic triumph. On the New York Nessos amphora for example, the image of a lion attacking a deer is prominently displayed above the main scene, which shows Herakles defeating the centaur Nessos. The present coin therefore represents a continuation of the artistic response to a heroic literary tradition expressed in Homeric poetry.
Lot 409
Cyprus, Salamis AR Stater. Euelthon, circa 515-480 BC. Ram kneeling left, ethnic above and below / Blank. Cf. Asyut 787–803; Tziambazis 95; BMC 2; Traité II, 919; SNG Copenhagen 31. 11.10g, 18mm. Attractive old cabinet tone with golden highlights. Rare. From the Mark Christenson Collection.
Lot 425
Seleukid Kings of Syria, Seleukos I Nikator AV Distater. Cappadocian, Syrian, or Mesopotamian mint after 305 BC. Attic standard. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet ornamented with serpent on bowl / Nike standing left, holding wreath in right hand and stylis in left, monogram in lower left field; ???????? to left, ?E?EYKOY to right. BMC -, cf. 4, 37; SC 195 (same dies); Kritt, The Early Seleucid Mint at Susa, p. 126, AH (same dies); Newell, The Coinage of the Eastern Seleucid Mints from Seleucus I to Antiochus III, NS 1, 1938, - cf. 417. 17.13g, 23mm, 4h. Extremely Fine, minor marks and die-shift on reverse. Of the highest rarity, apparently one of only three specimens known. It seems highly probable that the exceedingly rare distaters of Seleukos I were struck for some ceremonial or commemorative purpose rather than for circulation alongside the regular Alexandrine staters - the paucity of surviving specimens would seem to rule this out. Possible events that would have warranted the striking of such a grand type are the foundation of Seleukeia on the Tigris in 305/4, at which time Seluekos also claimed the title Basileos, or the defeat of Antigonos at the Battle of Ipsos in 301, a victory which seems to have been celebreated on the Seleukid coinage with the tetradrachms of Nike erecting a trophy of Macedonian arms. A later date also remains possible, since Alexandrine type staters continued to be struck into the 280s, and the defeat of Lysimachos at Corupedion in 281 also represents a momentous event for Seleukos’ empire. This last battle of the diadochi gave Seleukos control of nearly every part of Alexander’s former realm except for Ptolemaic Egypt. This reunification of the Macedonian empire was to be short lived however; not long after the battle, after crossing the Hellespont to take control of Lysimachos’ European territories, Seleukos was assassinated by Ptolemy Keraunos.
Lot 43
Calabria, Tarentum AR Nomos. Circa 280-272 BC. Nude youth on horseback right, crowning horse that raises left foreleg; EY above, ?????? and two amphorae below / Taras riding dolphin left, holding kantharos and cradling long trident; B in right field, ????? below. Vlasto 764; SNG ANS 1118. 6.59g, 23mm, 9h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare.
Lot 441
Baktria, Indo-Greek Kingdom, Strato I Soter AR Tetradrachm. Circa 105-85/0 BC. BA?I?E?? ??????? KAI ??????? ?????????, helmeted, diademed, and draped bust right / 'Maharajasa pracachasa dhramikasa Stratasa' in Kharosthi, Athena Alkidemos standing left, brandishing thunderbolt and aegis; monogram to left. Bopearachchi 23A; Haughton, Silver 14; Bopearachchi & Rahman -; SNG ANS 996 (same dies). 9.89g, 28mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Exceptional condition and metal quality for the issue. Very Rare.
Lot 442
Baktria, Indo-Greek Kingdom, Strato I Soter AR Tetradrachm. Circa 105-85/0 BC. BA?I?E?? ??????? ?????????, diademed heroic bust left, seen from behind, wearing aegis on shoulder and brandishing spear / 'Maharajasa tratarasa dhramikasa Stratasa' in Kharosthi, Athena Alkidemos standing left, brandishing thunderbolt and aegis; monogram to left. SNG ANS 993. 9.77g, 28mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Exceptional condition and detail. Extremely Rare.
Lot 443
Baktria, Indo-Greek Kingdom, Strato I Soter AR Tetradrachm. Circa 105-85/0 BC. BA?I?E?? ??????? ??????? ?????????, diademed and draped bust right / 'Maharajasa tratarasa dhramikasa Stratasa' in Karosthi, Athena Alkidemos standing left, brandishing thunderbolt and aegis; monogram to left. Bopearachchi 26; SNG ANS 994 var. (monogram to right). 9.63g, 28mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Exceptional condition and metal quality for the issue. Very Rare.
Lot 446
Baktria, Indo-Greek Kingdom, Diomedes Soter AR Tetradrachm. Circa 115-105 BC. BA?I?E?? ??????? ?IOMH?OY, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, wearing crested helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear / 'Maharajasa tratarasa Diyamitasa' in Kharosthi, the Dioskouroi, holding palm fronds and spears, on horses rearing right; monogram to lower right. Bopearachchi 5A; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS 1220. 9.81g, 28mm, 12. Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Lot 451
Sasanian Kings, Shapur I AV Dinar. Ctesiphon, AD 260-272. Draped bust right, wearing diadem and mural crown surmounted by a korymbos; one pellet above and two below diadem ties / Fire-altar flanked by two regal attendants wearing mural crowns, symbol to left of flames. SNS type IIc/1b, style P, group d/1 (pl. 31, 143); Göbl type I/1; Saeedi AV5; Sunrise 740. 7.38g, 21mm, 3h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare. Shapur was the second shahanshah (king of kings) of the Sasanian empire, apparently joining his father Ardashir I as king in joint rule in AD 240, and then succeeding in around 242 as sole ruler. Shapur had accompanied his father on campaign against the Parthians who then still controlled much of the Iranian plateau, and already before his accession was praised for his intelligence and learning, as well as for boldness and kind-heartedness. Continuing his father's war with the Roman empire, Shapur conquered the Mesopotamian fortresses of Nisibis and Carrhae, advancing into Syria, which required the young emperor Gordian III to set out with a vast army to counter the Sasanian threat. Gordian's army won battle after battle, at last routing the Sasanian army at Resaena, forcing Shapur to hand back all of his gains. Gordian's death and the succession of Philip 'the Arab' ended the Roman campaign against Shapur, who was able to extract considerable advantages from Philip including an enormous indemnity in gold. Shapur soon resumed his attacks on Rome, and in 253 met and annihilated a Roman army of 60,000 at the Battle of Barbalissos, and proceeded then to burn and ravage the Roman province of Syria. Armenia was conquered, and Georgia submitted to Sasanian control. With his northern borders secure, Shapur then led an army which penetrated deep into Syria, plundering all the way to Antioch which quickly fell to his forces. The Roman counter-offensive under emperor Valerian was slow, but by 257 Antioch had been recovered and the province of Syria returned to Roman control. Shapur's speedy retreat caused the Romans to launch a hasty pursuit of the Sasanians all the way to Edessa, where they were severely defeated by the Persians, and Valerian along with the survivors of his army were led away into captivity. The defeat and capture of Valerian surely marks the greatest achievement in the reign of Shapur, who is also called 'the Great', and the submission of Valerian is commemorated in a mural at Naqsh-e Rustam, which shows the emperor bending the knee before Shapur on horseback. Valerian's army was sent to Bishapur, and the soldiers were used in engineering and development works, such as the Band-e Kaisar (Caesar's dam) near the ancient city of Susa.
Lot 452
Sasanian Kings, Shapur I AV Dinar. Ctesiphon, AD 260-272. Draped bust right, wearing diadem and mural crown surmounted by a korymbos; one pellet above and two below diadem ties / Fire-altar flanked by two regal attendants wearing mural crowns, symbol to left of flames. SNS type IIc/1b, style P, group d/1 (pl. 31, 143); Göbl type I/1; Saeedi AV5; Sunrise 740. 7.39g, 21mm, 3h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare.
Lot 456
Sasanian Kings, Vahr?m (Bahram) II AV Dinar. AD 276-293. Draped bust right, wearing curved winged crown surmounted by a korymbos / Fire-altar flanked by two regal attendants, the one to left wearing winged crown with korymbos, the one to right wearing mural crown. SNS type I/1; Göbl type I/1; Saeedi -; Sunrise 765 (listed as unpublished with curved wing). 7.35g, 22mm, 9h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, apparently only the second known example.
Lot 463
P. Cornelius P. f. Lentulus Spinther, as Imperator, AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Laodicea in Phrygia, circa 57-54 BC. Serpents emerging from cista mystica; the whole within wreath / P LENTVLVS P F IMP, Bow-case between two serpents, caduceus in right field, ??? in left; below, ?????????? ?????????? ??????? in three lines. Stumpf 76, pl. 2, 28; BMC18. 11.67g, 28mm, 12h. Very Fine. Very Rare. Ex Monnaies et Médailles Liste 178 avril 1958 N°21.
Lot 479
Julia Domna Æ26 of Philadelphia, Lydia. AD 193-217. ?????? ???????, draped bust right / ???????????, nude Apollo standing to right, tending a laurel tree; behind, a stele inscribed ??? ???????. SNG Copenhagen -; von Aulock -; BMC -; Imhoof-Blumer, Stadtmünzen p. 125, 40, and pl. V, 15. 8.29g, 6h, 26mm. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare.
Lot 48
Calabria, Tarentum AR Reduced Nomos or Half-Shekel. Punic Occupation, circa 212-209 BC. Nude youth on horseback right, crowning horse with laurel wreath and hand holding filleted palm frond over shoulder, riding horse right; KPITO? below / Taras astride dolphin left, holding trident and Nike; EK monogram to left, Z? monogram to right; TAPA? below. Vlasto 978–80; HN Italy 1080. 3.74g, 18mm, 4h. Extremely Fine. Rare. From the Mark Gibbons Collection; Ex A. Tkalec, 27 October 2011, lot 10.
Lot 480
Caracalla Æ33 of Amisus, Pontus. Year 241 = AD 209/10. ????????C C???C?, laureate and cuirassed bust left, holding spear and shield; countermark: capricorn / ???C? ????????, Amazon standing left gathering fruit, at foot of tree Amazonian shield and bipennis; in exergue, ETCMA. A. Malloy, The Coinage of Amisus, New York 1970, 161; for countermark: Howgego 299. 18.65g, 33mm, 7h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. The figure in this image can be identified as an Amazon on account of the axe and the shape of the shield set against the tree, which conforms to Roman ideals of Amazonian apparel. A close parallel may be found on a relief adorning a marble sarcophagus in the Capitoline museum (inv. scu 726), in which an Amazon battles Greeks armed with such a shield and double-bladed axe. Here we see this Amazon in a moment of rest, gathering fruit from a laden tree she has come upon. According to Apollonios of Rhodes' in Argonautica, the mythical Amazons lived just to the east of Amisos in three towns near Themiscrya near the mouth of the Thermodon (modern Terme) river.
Lot 481
Caracalla Æ34 of Tarsus, Cilicia. Circa AD 214-217. ??? ??? ? ??? C??????C ?????????C C?? ? ?, bust of Caracalla to right, wearing the diadem and robes of a Demiourgos / ?????????C C?YHP A?P MHT TAPCOY AMK ?B, Caracalla on horseback to left, right hand raised; before him stands Tyche, presenting him with the diadem of a Demiourgos. SNG France 1525. 17.34g, 34mm, 7h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare.
Lot 482
Caracalla AR Tetradrachm of Tyre, Phoenicia. AD 213-217. AYT KAI ANT?NINOC C?, laureate head right; beneath neck, eagle right passing head behind truncation; in right field, club with haft upwards / ?HMAPX ?? Y?AT?, laureate head of Melkart right, lion skin around neck. Prieur 1543. 15.00g, 25mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Rare.
Lot 487
Severus 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.
Lot 49
Calabria, Tarentum AR Reduced Nomos or Half-Shekel. Punic occupation, circa 212-209 BC. Nude youth on horseback to left, crowning horse with wreath; I? to right, ???ENH? below / Taras astride dolphin to left, holding cornucopiae and Nike who crowns him with wreath; TAPA? below. Vlasto 975-7; HN Italy 1079. 3.86g, 18mm, 9h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. The climax of the Carthaginian invasion of Italy was reached when Tarentum changed sides in 212 BC. The takeover of the city was a carefully planned coup by Hannibal and members of the city's democratic faction who opened the gates to Hannibal's army. The Carthaginians failed to take the citadel, but subsequent fortifications around this enemy stronghold enabled the city to remain under Punic control. Hannibal installed his own magistrates and struck coinage based on the Punic half shekel standard.
Lot 497
Anonymous Æ Aes Grave Quadrans. Circa. 225-217 BC. Reduced libral standard. Head of Hercules left, wearing lion skin headdress, three pellets below / Prow of galley left, ear of barley above, three pellets below. Vecchi ICC 98; Haeberlin pl. 45, 3; Sydenham –; Thurlow-Vecchi 66b; Crawford 40/1a. 32.25g, 33mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare - only two examples on CoinArchives.
Lot 520
Gargilius, Ogulnius and Vergilius AR Denarius. Rome, circa 86 BC. Head of Apollo right, wearing oak wreath; thunderbolt below / Jupiter in quadriga to right, holding reins and hurling thunderbolt, control mark above; GAR below, OGVL VER in exergue. Gargilia 1; Ogulnia 5 and Vergilia 3; Sydenham 721; Crawford 350A/1a. 3.70g, 19mm, 3h. Good Very Fine. Rare.
Lot 53
Bruttium, Kroton AR Stater. Circa 400-325 BC. Head of Hera Lakinia facing slightly right, wearing necklace and stephane decorated with palmettes; B to right / Young Herakles, nude, holding cup in extended right hand and club in left, reclining left on lion skin draped over rock; KPOT?NIATA? around, bow below. Attianese 138; HN Italy 2169; SNG ANS 375 (same dies); SNG Lloyd –; Gulbenkian 131 (same dies); Kraay & Hirmer 270 = de Luynes 728 (same dies). 7.74g, 23mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Rare in this grade. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 10, 9 April 1997, lot 74. The depiction of Hera on the obverse is that of a local aspect of the deity, whose sanctuary the Heraion Lakinion was situated 10 kilometres away from Kroton at Lakinion, now Cape Colonna. The site takes its name from the sole surviving column of the temple built upon that spot in around 470 BC, which was largely intact until the sixteenth century when it was extensively quarried. Theokritos’ Korydon sings the praises of the ‘Lakinian shrine that faces the dawn’, and Livy 24.3.3-7 tells us that it was ‘a building more famous even than the city itself and held in reverence by all the peoples there around’ and that within were countless masterpieces and treasures including a column of solid gold dedicated to the goddess. By the time of Livy's writings however, the temple had long been plundered. This facing portrait of Hera can be considered to be directly inspired by Kimon's famous facing Arethusa tetradrachm that was widely admired and imitated throughout the ancient world; the difficulty of creating an attractive facing portrait apparently led to engravers considering the undertaking of such a die as a challenge and proof of their skill. Hera's headdress, a low crown known as a polos, was no longer worn in classical times but was common in Mycenaean art. Many of the terracotta figurines from late Helladic IIIA Mycenaean period circa 1400–1300 BC seem to wear poloi, and its use can thus be seen as a deliberate archaism for representing a Mother Goddess. Herakles appears on the reverse of this coin in his role as ‘founder’ of Kroton. Later Krotoniate tradition conveniently bypassed Myskellos (see lot 341) in favour of associating the city with a past more ancient even than the Trojan War; according to myth Herakles landed the nearby promontory with the oxen of Gerion and was hospitably received by one Kroton and his wife Laureta. Her father Lakinio however, was discovered trying to steal on ox from Herakles' sacred herd, resulting in Herakles fighting and killing him. In the confusion, it transpired that Herakles had also mortally wounded his host Kroton. Saddened, Herakles gave Kroton an honourable burial, and predicted the founding of a great city there that would bear his name. We see also on the reverse of this coin the fabled bow of Herakles, that Philoktetes was said to have taken with him to the land between Sybaris and Kroton, where he founded the non-Greek cities Petelia, Chrone, Krimisa and Makalla. A prophecy arose as in the Trojan War, that victory would be Kroton's if the bow and arrows of Herakles would be theirs. Thus, these sacred relics of Philoktetes were removed from his tomb and deposited in the Krotoniate sanctuary of Apollo Aleos. This coin is therefore rare among Greek coins in that it may be considered to have a threefold significance - referring directly to the sanctuary of Hera, to Herakles as ‘founder’ of the city, and to the sanctuary of Apollo.
Lot 536
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.
Lot 542
Q. Pomponius Musa AR Denarius. Rome, 56 BC. Laureate head of Apollo right, wearing hair rolled back and loose locks over forehead; flower on stem behind / Erato, the Muse of Erotic Poetry, standing slightly right, head facing, wearing long flowing tunic and peplum, playing lyre; Q • POMPONI to left, MVSA to right. Crawford 410/6; Sydenham 814; Kestner -; BMC 3612; Pomponia 12. 3.67g, 19mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Light graffito and edge flaw on obverse. Extremely Rare, one of very few examples. Q. Pomponius Musa's issue of coinage featuring the Muses of Greek mythology are pun alluding to the moneyer’s name. Of all the nine Muses, coins featuring Erato, the Muse of Erotic Poetry, are far rarer than any other. Seemingly based on the celebrated group of statues by an unknown Greek hand from Ambracia, which were brought to Rome by M. Fulvius Nobilior after his capture and plunder of the city in 189 BC, these statues were the centrepiece of the temple built by him after his triumph in 187. The remains of the Aedes Herculis Musarum have been found situated near the Circus Flaminius, where an inscription has been found during excavation that attests to their presence.
Loading...-
208980 item(s)/page