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Click here to subscribeSextus Pompey AR Denarius. Massilia, 44-43 BC. Bare head of Pompey Magnus right, NEPTVNI behind, trident before, dolphin swimming to right below / Galley with billowing sail and bank of rowers moving to right, star in left field, Q NASIDIVS below. Sear 235; Crawford 483/2; Sydenham 1350; RSC 20. 3.80g, 19mm, 11h. Extremely Fine. Rare.
Marc Antony and Octavian AV Aureus. M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. Mint moving with Antony (Ephesus ?), spring – summer 42 BC. M·ANT·IMP AVG III VIR·R·P·C M·BARBAT·Q·P, bare head of M. Antony right / CAESAR·IMP·PONT·III·VIR·R·P·C, bare head of Octavian right. Babelon Antonia 50 and Barbatia 1; C. 7; Bahrfeldt 77; Sydenham 1180; Sear Imperators 242; Calicó 109; Crawford 517/1a. 8.15g, 21mm, 3h. Near Extremely Fine, very well preserved for the type. Rare.
Marc Antony and Lucius Antony AV Aureus. M. Cocceius Nerva, proquaestor pro praetore. Mint moving with M. Antony in the East, 41 BC. M·ANT·IMP·AVG VIR·R·P C·M·NERVA PRO Q·P, bare head of Marc Antony / L·ANTONIVS COS, bare head of Lucius Antony to right. Bahrfeldt 80 var. (III VIR); Sydenham 1184 var. (same); C 2 var. (same); Sear Imperators 245a; Calicó 111; Crawford 517/4b. 8.13g, 22mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. An extremely rare variant (only 6 specimens known) of an already extremely rare type; in exceptional condition for the issue, and certainly finer than the example of NAC 250, 18 November 2013, lot 250 (CHF 350,000). Following the victory at Philippi over the Liberators Brutus and Cassius, Antony assumed direct control of the East. Ruling from Ephesus as a king in all but name, he consolidated Rome’s hegemony in the East, receiving envoys from Rome’s client kingdoms and intervening in their dynastic affairs, extracting enormous financial ‘gifts’ from them in the process. Meanwhle Octavian had returned to the West, tasked with the difficult and unpopular job of assigning land grants to the demobilised legionaries. Since there was insufficient state-controlled land to fulfil the alotments to the veterans, Octavian was faced with the difficult choice of alienating the citizen-body by confiscating private land, or alienating many Roman soldiers who might back a military rebellion against the Triumvirate’s rule. Octavian chose the former; as many as eighteen Roman towns through Italy were affected by the confiscations, with entire populations driven out. Exploiting the hostile sentiments of the Senate over the issue of the land grants, Antony’s wife Fulvia schemed with Antony’s younger brother Lucius, who was consul that year. Together they encouraged the Senate to oppose Octavian’s land policies; Fulvia it seems hoped to delay the land settlements until Antony returned to Rome, so that he could share credit and the gratitude of the soldiers. The conflict between Octavian and Fulvia caused great political and social unrest throughout Italy. Tensions escalated into open war when Octavian divorced Clodia Pulchra, Fulvia’s daughter from her first husband. Together Fulvia and Lucius raised an army to oppose Octavian militarily. They raised eight legions and held Rome for a brief time before being forced to retreat to Perugia. Lucius had expected that his brother’s legions in Gaul would come to their aid, but Antony, facing the grave political embarrassment caused by Fulvia’s actions, gave no instructions to his legions. Octavian laid siege to the city, eventually causing it to surrender out of starvation. While Octavian pardoned Lucius for his role in the war and even granted him the governorship of Spain, Fulvia was exiled along with her children to Sicyon in Greece. Struck in early 41 BC prior to Lucius and Fulvia taking up arms against Octavian, this extremely rare aureus type, which was accompanied by a significant issue of denarii, is evidence of Antony’s pride at his younger brother’s assumption of the consulship.
Marc Antony AR Denarius. Uncertain (Corcyra?) mint, Summer 40 BC. Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus, imperator. Bare head right; lituus to left; ANT • IMP • III • VIR • R • P • C around / CN • DOMIT • AHENOBARBVS IMP, Prow right; star of sixteen rays above; CN • DOMIT • AHENOBARBVS IMP around. Crawford 521/2; CRI 258; RSC 10a; Sydenham 1179; Kestner -; BMCRR East 112. 3.62g, 19mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Rare.
Marc Antony Legionary AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony (Patrae?), 32-31 BC. Praetorian galley to right / CHORTIS SPECVLATORVM, three legionary standards, each decorated with prow and two wreaths. Crawford 544/12. 3.68g, 16mm, 6h. About Extremely Fine. Rare. One of the rarest of the legionary denarii, this issue pays tribute to Antony's speculatores. The cohortis speculatorum was a selection of the ablest naval soldiers formed into a single force, whose main role was to accompany Antony on his nautical explorations, acting in some sense as a personal guard. The prows decorating the three standards refer to the original role of the speculatores as mounted soldiers positioned on an elevated part of the ship from where they were able to look out.
Octavian AR Denarius. Rome, 28 BC. Laureate bust of Apollo of Actium right, with features of Octavian / Octavian, veiled and in priestly robes, ploughing right with team of oxen; IMP•CAESAR in exergue. RIC 272; BMC 638; RSC 117. 3.66g, 18mm, 4h. Good Very Fine. Attractively toned. The obverse of this rare coin borrows from the Greek tradition of moulding the features of a deity to resemble the ruler, as was the case on the coinage of Alexander and his father Philip. The reverse depicts Octavian as city founder of Nicopolis in Epirus, established in 31 BC at the site of the battle of Actium in memory of his victory over Antony and Cleopatra. The sacred boundary was marked by a pomerium or sacred furrow. On the spot where Octavian's own tent had been pitched he built a monument adorned with the beaks of the captured galleys; and in further celebration of his victory he instituted the so-called Actian games in honour of Apollo Actius, who had an ancient temple on the promontory there.
Vitellius AR Denarius. Lugdunum (Lyon), March-July AD 69. A VITELLIVS IMP GERMAN, laureate head right, globe at point of neck / IO MAX CAPITOLINVS, Jupiter Maximus Capitolinus seated left within distyle temple, holding thunderbolt and sceptre. RIC 56; Lyon 6; RSC 39. 3.28g, 18mm, 6h. About Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and in excellent condition for the issue. Ex Helios 6, 9 March 2011, lot 136; Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 46, 2 April 2008, lot 523.
Titus, as Caesar, AR Denarius. Ephesus, AD 76. T CAES IMP VESP AVG, laureate head right, annulet below / COS V, bull standing to right on ground line. C. 56; BMC 486 (Vespasian); RIC 1483 Vespasian (Vespasian); CBN Vespasian 374; RPC 1458; BN 374. 2.75g, 20mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare, and in exceptional condition for the issue. Minor flan crack. Ex Triton V, 15 January 2002, lot 1927. Aesthetically, this Ephesian denarius of Titus is highly impressive. The quality of the engraving on both obverse and reverse is extremely high, far surpassing that of the companion Rome mint issue. The portrait of the emperor is bold and vigorous, and is possessed of far more lifelike qualities than most contemporary issues. Titus' head and facial features are well proportioned, and the crown of laurels set upon his head seems to rest farther back than normal – the effect is quite charming, and further enhances what is a most fair and pleasing likeness. The reverse of this coin is an example of the favour demonstrated by the Flavians towards the types employed by Augustus, evoking the memory of that golden period of stability and prosperity.
Titus Æ Sestertius. Uncertain Mint in Thrace, AD 80-81. IMP T CAES DIVI VES P F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII, laureate head right / IVD CAP and S C across fields, palm tree; to left, Jewess, in attitude of mourning, seated left on shields and helmet; to right, Jew standing right, head left, hands bound behind back, helmet and shield before. RIC II -; H.A. Cahn, 'An Imperial Mint in Bithynia,' INJ 8 (1984-5), 3 var. (Jew's head right); RPC II 503 var. (same); cf. BMCRE 169; Hendin -. 24.25g, 34mm, 7h. Very Fine. An apparently unpublished variety. Very Rare.
Domitian and Domitia AV Aureus. Rome, AD 82-83. IMP CAES DOMITIANVS AVG PM, laureate head of Domitian to right / DOMITIA AVGVSTA IMP DOMIT, draped bust of Domitia to right, her hair bound up in elaborate coiffure with end falling down neck in long plait. RIC 210; C. 3; Calicó 943a. 7.70g, 19mm, 6h. About Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare.
Domitian Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 85. IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XI CENS POT P P, laureate bust of Domitian right wearing aegis / Emperor standing left, holding spear; German captive kneeling right before, presenting shield set amongst various arms; S-C across fields, broken spear in exergue. RIC 357; C. 489; BMC 337; BN 358. 28.40g, 35mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Rare. An interesting historical type, and relatively well preserved for the issue. Having lived his whole life in the shadow of his father and brother's military victories, and having had none for himself, upon being proclaimed emperor Domitian soon found an opportunity to win glory for himself. Leaving Rome for Gaul in late AD 82-early 83, ostensibly to conduct a census, he unexpectedly launched a campaign against the Chatti in Germania, who had been part of Arminius' coalition of tribes that had annihilated Varus' column in the Teutoberg forest. For this purpose, Domitian raised a new legion, Legio I Minervia. Little information survives of the campaign, though apparently enough early victories were achieved for Domitian to return to Rome in late 83, where he awarded himself a triumph, conferred upon himself the title of Germanicus and struck a series of commemorative coinage depicting his subjugation of the Chatti. Domitian's campaign was viewed most unfavourably by ancient writers, who noted that it was an unprovoked attack and mocked his supposed accomplishments.
Trajan AV Aureus. Rome, AD 98-99. IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM, laureate head right / P M TR P COS II P P, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder set on prow with her right hand and cornucopiae with her left. BMC 31; Woytek 53a; Calicó 1042; Hill 50; RIC 4; Biaggi 501. 7.30g, 18mm, 8h. Fleur De Coin. Rare, and in exceptional state of preservation. Well centred and boldly struck, this aureus possesses a brilliant and mirror-like mint lustre; it is both a highly impressive and visually exceptionally pleasing coin. Aged forty-five when this coin was issued, the portrait here is of a vigorous and forceful ruler in the prime of his life. After the peaceful but politically strained rule of the aged Nerva, the seamless transition of power into the hands of a popular general who was already named Caesar and a serving consul when the emperor passed must have seemed like nothing less than a total (and near miraculous) rejuvenation of the principate. Indeed, the early years of the reign of Trajan were hailed as the beginning of a new golden age, a time of peace and prosperity which would last for nearly a century until the megalomania of Commodus and his ruinous fiscal policies wrought an inevitable return to civil war and economic decline. The aurei of Trajan, like those of his predecessor Nerva, are most difficult to find in such exemplary condition. This is on account of the predominantly peaceful state of affairs within the Roman territories at this time, and the economic stability this conferred. There was consequently very little hoarding of newly-minted coins as is associated with times of uncertainty or war.
Trajan AV Aureus. Rome, AD 102. IMP CAES TRAIANVS AVG GERM DACICVS, laureate bust right with aegis on far shoulder / P M TR P COS IIII P P, statue of Hercules holding club and lion’s skin standing facing on low plinth. RIC -; Woytek 99e; BMC -; Calicó 1055. 7.03g, 19mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Struck at the end of the succssful campaign against the Dacians in AD 102, in which Trajan reduced their leader Decebalus to the status of client king, for which victory he celebrated a triumph, the obverse legend of this extremely rare aureus notes the new title of Dacicus Maximus which he was awarded upon his return to Rome. The reverse of this coin is believed to depict a statue of Hercules Gaditanus. Trajan had been born in the Spanish city of Italica in Baetica, an area where this cult of Hercules Gaditanus was especially popular. The emperor apparently viewed him as his patron, and between 100 and 115 produced a number of coins bearing his image, of which this is one. The statue itself was situated near the great altar of Hercules in the Forum Boarium, the Ara Maxima Herculis Invicti.
Trajan Æ As. Rome, AD 104/5-107. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate bust right, with drapery on left shoulder / SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI, decorated oval shield set before two spears, sword, vexillum and oblong shield; SC below. C. 569; BMC 951; RIC 584; CBN 532; Woytek 198bB. 11.83g, 27mm, 7h. Extremely Fine. Rare. This simple but very attractive type is part of a series of issues issued to mark Trajan’s victories over the Dacians, who he had vanquished now for a second time (see following lot). The pile of arms displayed on the reverse is clearly identifiable as ‘barbarian’ in origin; comparisons with surviving sculpture such as the friezes on Trajan’s column can attest to this. The Dacians were similarly equipped to contemporary Celtic tribes and Roman auxiliaries, and favoured shields that were flat or only slightly dished, usually oval but sometimes hexagonal in shape, and capable of covering most or all of the body for use in a shieldwall.
Trajan AV Aureus. Rome, AD 106. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI, Trajan as triumphator in slow quadriga to left, holding branch and sceptre; car ornamented with Victory bearing wreath. Calicó -; RIC -; BMC -; Woytek 195n. 7.29g, 20mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, possibly only the second known example. The reverse of this coin depicts Trajan’s second triumph in AD 106, which he celebrated for his great victory earlier that year in the Second Dacian War. Trajan had in 101-102 launched an offensive against the powerful Dacian king Decebalus with whom Domitian had signed an unfavourable (and some would argue shameful) treaty some twenty years before, the price of which was the payment of an annual ‘subsidy’ of eight million sestertii and the presentation of a diadem from Domitian to Decebalus. In that war, Trajan succeeded in defeating the Dacians in a series of pitched battles, and reduced Decebalus to the status of client king. The victory was celebrated with a triumph (Trajan’s first), and later by the construction of the Tropaeum Traiani. Although this victory had greatly eroded Decebalus’ power, he nonetheless began to rearm straight away, to harbour Roman runaways and to pressure the neighbouring barbarian tribes to ally themselves with him. In 104 he organised a failed attempt on Trajan’s life by means of some Roman deserters, as well as capturing Trajan’s legate Longinus who he tried to use as a bargaining chip; Longinus however took poison to avoid compromising his country and emperor. Then finally in 105 Decebalus launched an invasion of the Roman-held territories north of the Danube. Trajan was not unprepared; by 105 the concentration of Roman troops assembled in the middle and lower Danube regions amounted to fourteen legions – half of the entire Roman army. Trajan ordered the construction of a massive bridge over the Danube designed by Apollodorus of Damascus, which for over 1,000 years was the longest arch bridge ever built both in terms of total and span length. The counter-offensive consisted mostly of the reduction of the Dacian fortress network which the Romans systematically stormed while denying the Dacians the ability to manoeuvre in the open. At last Decebalus’ main stronghold of Sarmizegetusa was taken by storm and razed to the ground. Decebalus himself escaped, but soon after committed suicide as a Roman cavalry scout named Tiberius Claudius Maximus was closing on him. Maximus delivered the head and right hand of the enemy king to his emperor, by whom he was decorated and immortalised in a relief on Trajan’s column. Trajan’s second triumph was understandably a grand affair, which was accompanied by spectacular games that the emperor held in celebration: ten thousand gladiators fought in these games, and ten thousand animals were sacrificed in thanks to the gods. The riches of Dacia (estimated recently at 165 tons of gold and 331 tons of silver) were invested in a series of important public works, the jewels of which were the forum and great market in Rome which bore his name, and the magnificent celebratory column depicting the glorious achievements of the campaign.
Trajan Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 113. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / PORTVM TRAIANI, aerial view of Trajan's hexagonal harbour at Ostia, with entrance at bottom, buildings and colonnades surrounding the harbour, and three ships anchored within. RIC -, cf. 632 (bust variant); C. -, cf. 306 (same); BMC -; Lanz 106, 27 November 2001, lot 381 (same dies); Woytek 470f. 23.76g, 34mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Dark green patina. Extremely Rare. Ex Numismatik Lanz 156, 2 June 2013, lot 304. The first proper harbour at Ostia was excavated under Claudius and finished in AD 64, and became the main trading centre for goods entering Rome from the western half of the Empire while Puteoli, on the Bay of Naples, continued to receive shipments from the east. However the harbour silted up over time, and so Trajan ordered the construction of a new basin, designed in hexagonal form and behind the original harbour, to offer better protection. Finished in AD 113, Trajan's new harbour at Ostia proved so popular that the the grain fleet from Alexandria in Egypt sailed to Ostia instead of Puteoli, and in the course of the second century Ostia became the main harbour of Rome for goods from the entire Empire.
Plotina AR Denarius. Rome, AD 112-114. PLOTINA AVG IMP HADRIANI, draped bust right, wearing double stephane / CAES AVG GERMA DAC COS VI P P, altar decorated with figure of Pudicitia standing on curule chair; ARA PVDIC in exergue. RIC Trajan 733; BMC Trajan 529; Woytek 706. 2.81g, 21mm, 7h. Extremely Fine, faint brush marks. Extremely Rare, and in superb condition for the issue.
Sicily, Akragas Æ Tetras. Circa 420-406 BC. AKPA, eagle, with head lowered, standing right on hare; crab behind / Crab, crayfish left below; three pellets below crab. SNG ANS 1037; Calciati I pg. 178, 50; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG Morcom -; Laffaille -; Virzi 603. 10.52g, 22mm, 5h. Extremely Fine. Very rare variety with crab in left obverse field. Exceptional for the type, and for Akragantine bronze in general. From the Eckenheimer collection.
Hadrian Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 134-138. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bareheaded and draped bust right / FELICITAS AVGVSTI, Hadrian standing to right holding scroll, clasping hands with Felicitas who stands to right holding caduceus; SC in exergue. RIC -; Strack 644; Banti 332; BMC 1501 note = E Gohl, RIN XX (1907), 98. 25.18g, 32mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare. From the Mark Gibbons Collection; Ex Robert O. Ebert Collection; Ex Coin Galleries, 14 June 1993, lot 260; Ex Buddy Ebsen Collection, Superior, 7 June 1987, lot 4477; Ex Virgil M. Brand Collection, Sotheby's 1 February 1984, lot 521; Ex Raffaele Garrucci Collection, J. Hirsch XXXIV, 5 May 1914, lot 1086.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, March-December AD 161. IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / PROV DEOR TR XV COS III, Providentia standing left, holding globe and cornucopiae. Calicó 1904; BMC 14; C. -; RIC 20. 7.00g, 19mm, 5h. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare, only two other examples on CoinArchives, both in low grade.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 171-172. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVI, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / IMP VI COS III, Victory standing right, holding shield inscribed VIC GER set on tree. RIC 256; C. 270; Calicó 1865. 7.00g, 19mm, 12h. Mint State. Extremely Rare. No examples have appeared at auction in over 15 years. In the early 160s Germanic tribes and other nomadic people began launching a series of raids along the northern border of the empire, particularly into Gaul and across the Danube. This new impetus westwards was probably due to attacks from tribes further east. A first invasion of the Chatti in the province of Germania Superior was repulsed in 162. A far more serious incursion happened in late 166 or early 167 when a force of 6,000 Langobardi and Lacringi invaded Pannonia. This invasion was defeated by local forces (vexillations of the Legio I Adiutrix and the Ala I Ulpia Contariorum) with relative ease, but they marked the beginning of what was to come. In the same year, Vandals (Astingi and Lacringi) and the Sarmatian Iazyges invaded Dacia, and succeeded in killing its governor, Calpurnius Proculus. In 169 the Iazyges defeated and killed Claudius Fronto, Roman governor of Lower Moesia, who was attempting to subdue the tribes living between the Danube and the province of Dacia. While the Roman army was bogged down in this campaign other tribes took the opportunity to raid across the border. To the east, the Costoboci crossed the Danube, ravaged Thrace and descended the Balkans, reaching Eleusis, near Athens, where they destroyed the temple of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The worst was yet to come. In the west the Marcomanni, led by Ballomar, had formed a coalition of Germanic tribes. They crossed the Danube and won a decisive victory over a force of 20,000 Roman soldiers near Carnuntum. The larger part of this host then proceeded southwards towards into, while the remainder ravaged Noricum. The Marcomanni razed Opitergium (Oderzo) and besieged Aquileia - this was the first time hostile forces had entered Italy since 101 BC, when Gaius Marius defeated the Cimbri and Teutones. The praetorian prefect Furius Victorinus was defeated and slain while trying to relieve the city. The invaders would not be ejected until 171, a ‘victory’ which required stripping various border regions of their forces to concentrate against the Marcomanni, the establishment of a new military command, the fortification of the Alpine borders and the strengthening of the Danubian fleet. In 172 Aurelius led a counter-invasion across the Danube into Marcomannic territory. Few details survive of this punitive campaign, but it is clear that the Romans achieved success. The Marcomanni and their allies, the Naristi and the Cotini were subjugated, and the chief of the Naristi was killed by the Roman General Marcus Valerius Maximianus. The reverse of this coin celebrates the successes of Aurelius’ counter-attack, and perhaps to a lesser extent the expulsion of the Germanic invaders that had ravaged the Alpine provinces.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 172. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVI, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Marcus Aurelius to right / IMP VI COS III, Marcus Aurelius in military dress standing to left, holding thunderbolt in his right hand and reversed spear in his left; behind him stands Victory, who crowns him with a wreath held in her right hand, and holds a palm with her left; between them, pellet. Biaggi 856; BMC 566; C. 308; Foss 46; RIC 264; Sear II 4860; Calicó 1873. 6.95g, 20mm, 6h. Near Mint State. Very Rare. The image of the emperor on the reverse of this coin is not only unusual, but also historically very interesting. Aurelius has here assumed the symbols of Jupiter, holding a thunderbolt and spear while Victory crowns him with laurels; we should interpret this image as representing the close connection between the supreme god Jupiter and the person of the emperor who was not only the head of state but also the pontifex maximus. Yet the dating of this issue seems to precede two important events that occurred across the Danube in the campaign of 172-4: namely, the 'lightning miracle' and the 'rain miracle', which two incidents are recorded on the column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. The Historia Augusta (Marcus 24.2) tells us that in the case of the 'lightning miracle' the emperor 'summoned a thunderbolt from heaven against a siege-engine of the enemy by means of his prayers' - the column clearly shows a stone enclosure filled with Romans, and outside a siege tower struck by a bolt of lightning that has burst into flames. The second and more important of the two events, the 'rain miracle' as related by Cassius Dio, describes how the legio XII Fulminata was surrounded and entangled in a defile, suffering from thirst, and almost forced to surrender. A sudden storm then gave abundance of rain which refreshed the Romans, while hail and thunder confounded their enemies who were struck down by bolts of lightning. Thus the Romans were able to achieve a near bloodless victory. This was considered for a long time afterwards to have been a miracle and nothing less than divine intervention by Jupiter on behalf of the Romans. That the issue pre-dates the rain miracle seems relatively certain, since it is well attested that Aurelius' seventh acclamation as Imperator occurred in the immediate aftermath of the rain miracle. The depiction then of Aurelius on the reverse of this coin, wielding the power of Jupiter, seems curiously prophetic.
Marcus Aurelius AV Aureus. Rome, AD 173-174. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVIII, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / IMP VI COS III, Marcus Aurelius on horseback right, raising right hand, parazonium at his side. Calicó 1869; RIC 294; C. 303. 7.09g, 19mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Extremely Rare, no examples have been offered at auction for more than 15 years. Perhaps struck to coincide with a triumph relating to his campaigns against the Marcomanni, Quadi and Iazyges which was delayed until after a revolt in the east led by Avidius Cassius could be put down, the reverse of this coin depicts the famous equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Cast in bronze and clad in gold, it is today the only fully surviving bronze statue of a pre-Christian emperor. Although there had been many imperial equestrian statues, most were melted down for their metal to be used either for coin or new sculptures. Many were also destroyed for no better reason than because medieval Christians thought that they were pagan idols. It is only because this statue was erroneously believed to be of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, that it was not also destroyed. The original position of the statue is debated, though the Forum Romanum and the Piazza Colonna (where Aurelian’s column stands) are likely suggestions. In the 8th century it stood in the Lateran Palace in Rome, from where it was relocated in 1538 to the Piazza del Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) during Michelangelo’s redesign of the Hill. Though he disagreed with its central positioning, he designed a special pedestal for it. The original statue is now on display in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, and a replica now overlooks Rome in its stead. Standing at over 4 metres tall, the statue shows Marcus Aurelius holding his right hand out and slightly open in the traditional gesture of peace and clemency; some historians assert that a fallen enemy may have been sculpted begging for mercy under the horse’s raised hoof (based on accounts from medieval times which suggest that a small figure of a bound barbarian chieftain once crouched underneath the horse’s front right leg). It is a fitting representation of an emperor who has been universally admired as a philosopher-emperor, and who saw himself not as a conqueror but as a bringer of peace - an attitude evidenced by the emperor being garbed in a toga rather than military dress.
Faustina Junior AV Aureus. Rome, circa AD 145. Struck under Antoninus Pius. FAVSTINA AVG PII AVG FIL, draped bust left, wearing hair fastened in bun at back of head / CONCORDIA, dove standing to right. RIC III 503b (Pius); Strack 507; Calicó 2044c (same dies); Biaggi 922 (same obv. die); BMCRE 1090. 7.32g, 20mm, 4h. Near Mint State; very minor marks, light brush mark on left obv. field. Rare. Struck under her father Antoninus Pius, this magnificent aureus commemorates the April AD 145 marriage of Annia Galeria Faustina Junior to her maternal cousin Marcus Aurelius. The marriage was arranged by her father Antoninus at the time of his adoption and nomination as successor by Hadrian. Faustina had previously been engaged to Lucius Verus, whose father had been Hadrian’s designated heir until the time of his death. At the time of the engagement Antoninus also formally adopted Aurelius. Since Aurelius was therefore legally Antoninus Pius' son, under Roman law he was marrying his sister; Antoninus would thus have had to formally release Faustina from his paternal authority for the ceremony to take place. Little is specifically known of the ceremony, but the Historia Augusta claims it to have been noteworthy. The reverse type featuring the dove and the legend CONCORDIA relate directly to the invocation of the goddess for a harmonious and stable marriage, while the dove is known to be monogamous throughout its lifetime. Faustina accompanied Aurelius on various military campaigns, which perhaps gave rise to the vicious rumours and negative views that Roman sources generally give of her character. The Historia Augusta alleges that she consorted with soldiers, gladiators and men of rank, and that she was perhaps behind the revolt of Avidius Cassius against her husband in 175. However, she was held in high esteem by her husband and was given divine honours after her death.
Commodus, as Caesar, Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 175-176. Struck under Marcus Aurelius. L AVREL COMMODO CAES AVG FIL GERM SARM, bareheaded, draped and cuirassed bust right / IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left, holding sceptre and thunderbolt and unfolding mantle above Commodus standing left, holding palladium and parazonium; S-C acorss fields. RIC 1525; BMC 1524; C. 244. 29.95g, 31mm, 11h. Good Very Fine. Rare. From the Mark Gibbons Collection; Ex Numismatik Lanz 157, 9 December 2013, lot 330.
Commodus AV Aureus. Rome, AD 177. IMP L AVREL COMMODVS AVG GERM SARM, laureate and draped bust right / TR P II COS P P, two captives seated at foot on trophy of arms, one with hands bound, the other in attitude of mourning; DE SARM in exergue. RIC 634 (Aurelius); Calicó 2239 (this coin); Mazzini 98 (this coin); Biaggi 985 (this coin). 7.20g, 19mm, 5h. Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 49, 21 October 2008, lot 291; Ex Biaggi Collection, privately purchased in 1958. That this was the best example which could be found by either Biaggi for his superlative collection or by Calicó for his comprehensive illustrative work on the Roman aurei is an indicator of how rare this coin actually is. It is furthermore the only example present on CoinArchives, being the only specimen of its type to have been offered to the market since electronic records began. The victory to which the reverse of this coin refers is that achieved by Marcus Aurelius over the Sarmatian Iazyges in AD 175, in the closing phase of the First Marcomannic War. After several military successes, Aurelius ended hostilities by signing a treaty with the Iazyges which secured the release of over 100,000 Roman captives, and which additionally required that 6,000 Sarmatian auxiliary cavalrymen be provided to the Roman army. Most of these (approximately 5,500) were immediately dispatched to Britain, a deployment which has been theorised by Susan V. Tomory (A New View of the Arthurian Legends, Institute of Hungarian studies) to have played a part in the development of the Arthurian legend. This was a decisive victory for Aurelius, and indeed the Iazyges never again represented a threat to the empire. Assuming the title Sarmaticus, Aurelius and Commodus celebrated a joint triumph on 23 December 176, in commemoration of which the Aurelian column was erected to mirror the achievements of his predecessor Trajan. Four days later Commodus was granted the title of Imperator, and in the middle of the following year he was proclaimed Augustus to formally share power alongside his father.
Commodus Æ Bimetallic Medallion. Rome, AD 189. M COMMODVS ANTONINVS PIVS FELIX AVG BRIT, laureate draped and cuirassed bust right / MINER VICT P M TR P XIIII IMP VIII, Minerva, helmeted, wearing chiton and himation, standing left, holding spear in left hand and Victory on right; oval shield at feet to left, trophy of arms with shields at base to right; COS V P P in exergue. Gnecchi II, p. 57, 48; MIR p. 18, 1132 (issue 59/60). 70.01g, 41mm, 6h. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Ex Numismatik Lanz 145, 5 January 2009, lot 127; Ex Egger XXXIX, 15 January 1912, lot 1057; Deaccessioned from the collection of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria. Medallions were struck relatively often during this period, produced by the mint of Rome toward the end of the year, their purpose being not for financial circulation but for distribution as commemorative gifts to foreign dignitaries or other persons of merit. Their bimetallic composition was for primarily aesthetic reasons, and a means by which Rome (and the mint workers) could show off a technical accomplishment. Commodus is often credited by the ancient sources with the near destruction of the Roman Empire, through a combination of disinterest in the governance of Rome and an all-consuming belief that he was of god-like status. With his accession, says the contemporary historian Cassius Dio, 'our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust, as affairs did for the Romans of that day' (LXXII.36.4). By the latter years of his reign when this medallion was struck, Commodus believed Hercules was his divine patron, and he worshipped him so intensely that eventually he came to believe himself an incarnation of the mythological hero, reinforcing the image he was cultivating of himself as a demigod who, as the son of Jupiter, was the representative of the supreme god of the Roman pantheon. The growing megalomania of the emperor permeated all areas of Roman life, as is witnessed in the material record by the innumerable statues erected around the empire that had been set up portraying him in the guise of Hercules, and his coinage.
Didia Clara, Daughter of Didius Julianus, AV Aureus. March-May AD 193. DIDIA CLARA AVG, draped bust right / HILAR TEMPOR, Hilaritas standing left, holding palm branch in right hand and cornucopiae in left. C. 2; BMC 13 (Didius Julianus); RIC 10 (same); Calicó 2402. Very Fine. Scattered marks and scratches. Extremely Rare. Ex Sotheby's 'Collection of Highly Important Greek and Roman Coins', 20 June 1979; lot 123; Ex Münzen & Medaillen XXI, 9 March 1960, lot 64; Ex Vicomte de Quelen Collection, Rollin-Feuardent, 7 May 1888, lot 1267. This aureus, struck in the year her father bought the throne of the Roman Empire at auction, shows Didia Clara as the proud bearer of the title Augusta which she and her mother Manlia Scantilla had assumed. Although she was allegedly the most beautiful woman in all of Rome, we know hardly anything about her life. She was married to Cornelius Repentinus, who served as a prefect of Rome during her father’s brief reign. Silver coins of this enigmatic Augusta are rare, and in gold they are very seldom seen.
Pescennius Niger AR Denarius. Antioch, AD 193-194. IMP CAES C PESC NIGER IVST AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIAE AVG, Victory advancing right, holding wreath and palm branch. RIC IV 86 var. (obv. legend and bust type); RSC 74 var. (same). 2.30g, 18mm, 2h. Near Very Fine, porous, scrapes on bust. Rare bust type, apparently unpublished with this reverse type. From the Mark Gibbons Collection.
Sicily, Gela AR Didrachm. Circa 425 BC. Warrior on horseback galloping to right, spearing a fallen hoplite beneath him / Horned and diademed head of the river-god Gelas to left within olive-wreath tied on the right. Jenkins 463; Jameson 594 (same dies); Antikenmuseum Basel 287 (same dies). 8.43g, 22mm, 3h. Very Fine. Very Rare.
Septimius Severus, with Caracalla and Geta, AV Aureus. Rome, AD 209. SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right / CONCORDIA AVGVSTORVM, Caracalla and Geta, both laureate and togate, standing facing one another, supporting between them a globe surmounted by Victory standing left, holding wreath in right hand and palm frond in left. RIC IV 255; Calicó 2435a; Biaggi 1064; BMCRE 312. 7.30g, 21mm, 12h. Near Mint State. Very Rare. This reverse type neatly shows the hope Severus held for unity and amity between his two sons, and his wish for them to rule together following his death and thus continue the dynasty he had founded. Imperial propaganda presented the image of a happy family that shared the responsibilities of rule: Severus' wife Julia Domna was his trusted counsellor, his older son Caracalla his second in command, and his younger son, appointed Augustus in 209, was entrusted with administrative and bureaucratic duties. Yet the brothers' disdain for one another is well-attested; Dio Cassius relates that 'the two pretended to love and commend each other, but in all that they did they were diametrically opposed, and anyone could see that something terrible was bound to result from the situation.' Following Severus' death whilst on campaign in Caledonia in 211, the two brothers returned to Rome from Britannia to their joint rule under the watchful eye of their mother. The brothers argued and fought over every law and every appointment, the situation becoming sufficiently unbearable that by the end of the year during the festival of Saturnalia, Caracalla attempted to have Geta murdered, without success. Later, under the pretext of meeting for a reconciliation, Caracalla had his brother slain in his mother's arms by members of the Praetorian Guard loyal to him. After a tumultuous and bloodthirsty reign of less than six years, Caracalla was assassinated by an officer of his personal bodyguard while relieving himself at a roadside near Carrhae. Although after a brief interlude the line of Septimius' father Bassianus would continue for some time yet in the form of Elagabalus (Caracalla's first cousin, once removed) and later Severus Alexander, Caracalla's death firmly extinguished Septimius' dream for his sons to continue the Severan dynasty he had laboured to establish.
Macrinus AR Denarius. Rome, AD 218. IMP C M OPEL SEV MACRINVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / AEQVITAS AVG, Aequitas standing left, holding scales and cornucopiae. RIC IV 53; Clay Issue 3; RSC 2b (Antioch). 3.41g, 20mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine, area of roughness on reverse. Rare bust type for issue. From the Mark Gibbons Collection.
Divus Valerian II Æ Sestertius. Rome, circa AD 258. Consecration issue, struck under Valerian I and Gallienus. DIVO CAES VALERIANO, bareheaded and draped bust right / CONSECRATIO, Funeral pyre in five tiers, the highest and lowest ornamented with festoons, the three between with standing figures, surmounted by Valerian II in spread biga; SC in exergue. RIC 35; Banti 3; Hunter 6.18.61g, 29mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Rare.
Britannia, Catuvellauni AV Quarter Stater. Tasciovanus, circa 25-20 BC. Cruciform wreaths extending from back to back crescents, teardrop ornaments in angles / Horse prancing to left, acorn-like object below. ABC 2586; VA 1688; BMC 1651-1653; S. 221. 1.03g, 14mm. Extremely Fine. Light contacts on obv. Very Rare.
Claudius II Gothicus Æ Antoninianus. Mediolanum, circa AD 268-269. IMP CLAVDIVS PF AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / FIDES MILIT, Fides standing facing, head left, holding standards; S in exergue. Cf. RIC V 149 (bust type); Huvelin, 'Chronologie du règne de Claude II le Gothique,' QT XXI (1992), pg. 312; Venèra 9251; cf. Cohen 89 (same). 4.10g, 20mm, 12h. Near Mint State. Rare.
Aurelian AV Binio (Double Aureus). Antioch, January-September AD 275. IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right / RESTITVTOR ORIENTIS, Sol standing left with one hand raised and the other holding whip, chlamys over shoulder; at feet, two captives looking to left; IL in exergue. RIC -; C. -; BN -; MIR -; Calicó -; NAC 27, 12 May 2004, 479. 6.99g, 23mm, 12h. Near Mint State. Extremely Rare, apparently the second known specimen. In 272, Aurelian turned his attention to the lost eastern provinces of the empire, the so-called Palmyrene Empire ruled by Queen Zenobia, which encompassed Syria, Palestine, Egypt and large parts of Asia Minor. Despite a pragmatic acknowledgement of Zenobia and Vabalathus at the beginning of his reign, and having granted them both the titles they craved, Aurelian's driving ambition was to reunify and secure the sundered parts of the Roman empire. Marching east, Asia Minor was recovered with minimal resistance. Every city but Byzantium and Tyana surrendered quickly, and having spared Tyana from sack and despoliation supposedly because Apollonius of Tyana (a first century philosopher whom he greatly admired) appeared to him in a dream and implored him to mercy, many more cities submitted peacefully knowing that they would be treated leniently. Within six months, Aurelian stood at the gates of Palmyra. Zenobia was captured while attempting to flee, and paraded in golden chains in Aurelian's triumph in Rome. The recovery of Egypt by the future emperor Probus and a return to Palmyra to deal with a Palmyrene rebel named Antiochus finally secured the eastern provinces. Aurelian was given the title of Restitutor Orientis (Restorer of the East) by the Senate, who would soon after confer upon him the title of Restitutor Orbis (Restorer of the World) when he brought the breakaway Gallic provinces back into the fold, thus reunifying the empire. In 275, Aurelian was preparing another campaign against the Sassanids. The deaths of Shapur I and Hormizd I in quick succession (272 and 273 respectively), and the rise to power of a weaker ruler (Bahram I), set the conditions for an invasion of the Sassanid Empire. Aurelian however never reached Asia Minor. He was assassinated by officers of the Praetorian guard who had been tricked by one of the emperor's secretaries into believing Aurelius had ordered their executions. Zosimus tells us the secretary's name was Eros, and that he feared punishment because he had told a lie on a minor issue. Thus perished one of the most competent and promising emperors of the age.
Zenobia Æ Antoninianus. Antioch, March-May AD 272. S ZENOBIA AVG, draped bust right, set on crescent / IVNO REGINA, Juno standing facing, looking left, holding patera and sceptre; at feet left, a peacock; star in left field. RIC 2 corr. (no star); Carson, Q. Tic VII, 1978, 4; BN 1267a. 3.79g, 20mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare. The wife of the ruler of Palmyra, Septimia Zenobia came to power as regent for her son Septimius Vabalathus in AD 267 after the murder of her husband Septimius Odenathus, who had been entrusted with the defence of the Roman provinces in the east by the Emperor Gallienus. A strong character and very ambitious, Zenobia expanded her sphere of influence through the capture of the province of Egypt and the expulsion of the Roman prefect Tenagino Probus and his forces in 269, a campaign aided in its success in part due to the turmoil inside the Roman Empire after the death of Gallienus. The Roman east remained under the control of the kingdom of Palmyra under the subsequent emperors Claudius II and Quintillus, and when Aurelian came to power in 270 he pragmatically chose to acknowledge Zenobia and Vabalathus in order to allow himself time to first deal with various barbaric incursions and usurpers. Though the mint for the rare portrait coins of Zenobia has long been a topic of debate, it is generally agreed now that they were struck in Syria, most likely at Emesa or Antioch, both Roman mints that were taken by Zenobia during her advance into Roman territory and expansion of her empire. The imperial title Augusta is proudly displayed on her coinage, but Zenobia's power was not to last. Having subdued the uprisings in the west, Aurelian marched on her with an army. Their forces met outside Antioch, resulting in a battle that routed Zenobia's army, which fled to Emesa. Zenobia and her son attempted to escape through the desert with the help of the Sassanid Persians, but were captured by Aurelian's horsemen and subsequently taken to Rome to be displayed during the emperor's triumphant return to the city.
Numerian AV Aureus. Rome, AD 284. IMP NVMERIANVS P F AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / VIRTVS AVGG, Hercules standing to right, leaning on club with his left hand and resting his left on his hip. Biaggi -; Calicó 4332-33; C. 100; RIC 407. 4.66g, 21mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. 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.
Sicily, Thermai AR Tetradrachm. Circa 350 BC. Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving fast quadriga to right; altar in exergue / Head of Demeter to left, wearing grain wreath, triple pendant earring and necklace; around, four dolphins swimming, prow behind. Jenkins, Punic 4; London NC 1913, p. 226, 3; Lloyd 1039. 17.35g, 25mm, 8h. Very Fine. Very Rare. Ex Gorny & Mosch 191, 11 October 2010, lot 1111. Thermai was founded in the wake of the utter destruction of Himera and the slaughter of the majority of its citizens by the Carthaginian general Hannibal Mago, when the survivors of this devastation relocated to the nearby hot springs whose original discovery lay in myth associated with the wanderings of the hero Herakles (Diodorus Siculus IV. 23, v. 3). Though the site had long been inhabited, it was now swelled by the displaced Himerans, and the newly enlarged town was thereafter considered to be the successor to the old city of Himera, and in time appears to have become a sizeable settlement, though now subject to Carthaginian rule.
Severus II, as Caesar, AR Argenteus. Serdica, AD 305-306. SEVERVS NOB C, laureate head right / VIRTVS MILITVM, three-turreted camp-gate with no doors, pellet in doorway, ·SM·SDB· in exergue. RIC -; Gautier 24 var. (officina); RSC -; Cf. NAC 62, 6 October 2011, lot 2089 (same obv. die). 3.29g, 21mm, 12h. Fleur De Coin. Of the Highest Rarity. Most likely struck to mark the commencement of the Second Tetrarchy in AD 305, this extremely rare coin is one of only a handful known, a few having come to light in a hoard about a decade ago. Struck using the same obverse dies as several known specimens, the reverse die of this issue is new, having the inclusion of a pellet in the doorway of the camp gate. The scarcity of these types might be explained by the short period of time during which Severus held the position of Caesar before being elevated by Galerius after the death of Constantius I in summer 306 - in a matter of months he was raised from the senior ranks of the army to Augustus in the West. However, his time as Augustus came to an abrupt end when he was tasked with the suppression of the revolt of Maxentius in Rome: he marched on the city at the head of an army previously commanded by Maximian, father of Maxentius, to whom his soldiers deserted. Severus fled to Ravenna where, in 307, he was persuaded by Maxentius to surrender. Despite Maximian’s assurances that he would be treated with respect, Severus was nonetheless displayed as a captive and later imprisoned at Tres Tabernae. When Galerius invaded Italy to suppress Maxentius and Maximian himself, Maxentius ordered Severus’ death. He was executed (or forced to commit suicide) on 16 September 307.
Licinius I AV Aureus. Thessalonica, circa AD 310. LICINIVS AVGVSTVS, laureate head right / IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG, Jupiter standing left, chlamys hanging from left shoulder, holding thunderbolt in right hand and vertical sceptre in left; to left, eagle standing left, holding wreath in beak; A in right field, •SM•TS• in exergue. RIC VI 44a var. (control letter); Calicó 5121a (this coin); Depeyrot 5/2. 5.37g, 21mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
Constantine I AV Solidus. Trier, AD 312-313. CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laurel and jewel diademed head right / VIRTVS EXERCITVS GALL, Mars walking to right, carrying spear and trophy, chlamys over left shoulder; TR in exergue. RIC -; Depeyrot 26/1. 4.39g, 20mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, Depeyrot notes only one example. The reverse of this coin honours the army of Gaul which was responsible for supporting Constantine's (illegal) elevation to the purple upon the death of his father at Eboracum (York) in AD 306, fought under him against the Frankish and Germanic tribes in several campaigns between 306 and 310, and which ultimately delivered him Rome and sole rule of the West in 312. The army of Gaul was a battle-hardened and effective force, regularly tested against the barbarian tribes which at this time made frequent incursions into Roman lands. They had also demonstrated a strong sense of loyalty to Constantine in 308 when the former emperor Maximian, then an exile in his realm, attempted to subvert a contingent of the army by declaring that Constantine was dead, taking the purple and pledging a large donative to any who would support him. Maximian failed to win them over and was forced to flee, and then commit suicide. It was on account of this devoted and veteran army that Constantine was able to win a crushing victory over the numerically superior force of Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. The army of Gaul was drawn up in two lines, according to their customary tactics, but Constantine, perceiving that the opposing force outnumbered him and could envelop his line, suddenly reduced the second line and extended the front of his first to match that of Maxentius. Such manoeuvres in the moment of danger can only be executed without confusion by experienced troops, and commonly prove decisive. Yet because the battle was begun towards the end of the day and was contested with great obstinacy throughout the night there was, in the words of E. Gibbon, 'less room for the conduct of the generals than for the courage of the soldiers' (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 1, Ch. XIV, 150). Maxentius' units were forced back until he had no choice but to attempt a desperate retreat over the wooden pontoon bridge he had hastily built across the Tiber, the stone one having been destroyed in the course of siege preparations. This bridge collapsed, trapping Maxentius' soldiers who either surrendered or, like his Praetorian cohorts, were killed to a man. Maxentius himself drowned while trying to swim across the river in desperation for escape. Thus from the very moment he had defeated Maxentius, gold, silver and bronze coins were struck at Constantine's former capital and stronghold of Augusta Treverorum (Trier) celebrating the glory and heroism of the Gallic Army ('GLORIA EXERCITVS GALL' and 'VIRTVS EXERCITVS GALL').
Constantine I AV Solidus. Nicomedia, AD 335. Rosette diademed head right, with uplifted gaze / VICTORIA CONSTANTINI AVGVSTI, Victory, wearing long dress, seated to right on cuirass inscribing VOT XXX on shield held by Genius; SMNC in exergue. RIC 175; Depeyrot 44/1. 4.48g, 21mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine; slightly wavy flan. Rare.
Constantine I AV Solidus. Nicomedia, AD 335. CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA CONSTANTINI AVG, Victory seated to right on cuirass, inscribing VOT XXX on shield supported by winged Genius; SMNC in exergue. RIC 178; Depeyrot 44/2. 4.39g, 21mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Rare.
Constantine II AV Solidus. Siscia, AD 337-340. CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laurel and rosette diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA CONSTANTINI AVG, Victory standing to right, holding shield inscribed VOT XXX, foot on captive seated before; •SIS• in exergue. RIC 4. 4.40g, 22mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, no examples on CoinArchives. Constantine II had a brief and somewhat wretched reign. When his father Constantine I 'the Great' died in AD 337 he became senior Augustus, ruling jointly with his brothers Constans and Constantius II. Possessed of a milder temper than his younger siblings, at the meeting at Sirmium in Pannonia where the empire was divided between the three, Constans and Constantius managed to trump Constantine by handing him only Britannia, Gaul and Hispania, a poor share of the empire for the senior Augustus. An uneasy peace characterised the years after the division of the empire, with Constantine having some control over the lands of his brother Constans as he was his guardian, and so feeling consoled in his position. However, after the death of Hannibalianus and the division of the lands under his control between Constans and Constantius, trouble flared: Constantine demanded that Constans hand over the provinces of Africa to recompense his elder brother for the gains he had made in Thrace and Macedonia. Growing increasingly bitter, and after further infighting over the borders of certain African provinces controlled by Carthage had occured, in 340 Constantine launched an unsuccessful invasion of Italy. The 24-year old emperor was killed in battle, and disgraced by being flung into a river by Constans’ men. Probably struck early in his reign, this particularly rare solidus uses a reverse type of his father's. At the time of his death, Constantine I had recently celebrated thirty years as emperor, and Constantine II twenty years as Caesar. The elder Constantine had also successfully reconquered Dacia by 336, a province relinquished under Aurelian sixty years before.
Constantius II AV Solidus. Cyzicus, AD 347-361. FL IVL CONSTANTIVS PERP AVG, pearl-diademed, helmeted, and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear over shoulder and round shield decorated with cavalryman motif / GLORIA REIPVBLICAE, Roma and Constantinopolis seated on thrones facing one another, holding between them shield inscribed VOT XXX MVLT XXXX in four lines; SMK in exergue. RIC 39. 4.52g, 21mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare.
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