CAESARS AND HADRIAN
MAY 18, 2026
CNG Feature Auction 132
Session 1
May 18, 2026
To Be Conducted Live and Online at the CNG Lancaster Auction Center
Featuring:
Julius Caesar Portrait Aureus from the Finest Die for this Emperor
Rare Augustus and Tiberius “Altar of Lugdunum” Sestertii
Extremely Rare High Grade Aureus of Caligula
“Adlocutio” Sestertius of Caligula
“Three Sisters” Sestertius of Caligula
Exceptional “IMPER RECEPT” Aureus of Claudius
“Port of Ostia” Sestertius of Nero
Exceptional Portrait of Galba Sestertius
Perhaps the Finest Known AE of Vitellius
High Grade Vespasian “Judaea Capta” Denarius
Exceptional Vespasian “Judaea Capta” Sestertius
Extremely Rare and Artistic Minerva Aureus of Domitian
Exceptional Hadrian’s Travel Series Aurei and Sestertii
“Bar Kochba” Victory Aureus of Hadrian
Exceptional High Grade Aurei and Denarii of each of the twelve Caesars
US Office PO Box 479 Lancaster, PA 17608-0479
Phone (717) 390.9194 • Fax (717) 390.9978
California Office
CNG Authorized Partner
4040 Macarthur Blvd., Suite 307
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Phone (949) 932.0500
UK Office
De Morgan House, 57-58 Russell Square London WC1B 4HS, UK Phone +44.20.7495.1888 Fax +44.20.7499.5916
EU Office
Noordeinde 64a
2514GK, The Hague, NL
Phone +31.851.301.541
Grading Conditions
English Deutsch Français Italiano
Proof Polierte Platte
Mint State/Uncirculated Stempelglanz
Extremely Fine (EF) Vorzüglich
Very Fine (VF)
Sehr Schön
Flan Bruni Fondo Specchio
Fleur de Coin Fior di Conio
Superbe Splendido
Très Beau Bellissimo
Fine Schön Beau Molto Bello
Good/Fair Gut
Common Abbreviations
AD Anno Domini
Bien
Bello
BE Bithynio-Pontic Era IY Indictional Year
Æ Bronze BI Billon MBS Mail Bid Sale
AE Actian Era CE Common Era mm Mintmark
AH Anno Hegirae Cf. Confer (compare) PB Lead
AR Silver c/m Countermark p. Page
AV Gold CY Civic Year (Era) pl. Plate
BBS Buy or Bid Sale EL Electrum RPE Roman Provincial Era
BC Before Christ FPL Fixed Price List RY Regnal Year
BCE Before the Common Era g Gram SE Seleukid Era
See Bibliography on our website, www.cngcoins.com, for a complete list of reference abbreviations.
Bank Accounts
Beneficiary: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.
US$ Account:
Northwest Bank
€ Account:
HSBC Bank plc
£ Account:
HSBC Bank plc
100 Liberty St., Warren PA 16365 60 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4TR 60 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4TR
Account Number: 7216021910
ABA Number: 243374218
BIC or SWIFT: NWBIUS33
Account Number: 84309198
Sort code: 40 12 76
IBAN: GB82HBUK40127684309198
BIC or SWIFT: HBUKGB4B
Account Number: 71170910
Sort code: 40 11 60
IBAN: GB45HBUK40116071170910
BIC or SWIFT: HBUKGB4B
Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. is a United States limited company. Auction license number AY002406. United Kingdom Registration No. FC035702, Branch No. BR020787.
All lots in this auction were in the possession of CNG in CNG’s Lancaster, Pennsylvania office no later than 27 March 2026. This information is provided for the protection of buyers in the event that US import restrictions are introduced subsequent to that date on any of the types of coins that are included in this auction.
Notice Regarding “Slabs”
Coins that have been encapsulated (“slabbed”) by a grading and/or authentication service may not be returned for any reason, including authenticity, if they have been removed from the encapsulation (“slab”).
Acknowledgement
CNG would like to thank Jan Moens (jan.moens@bvdmc.com) for creating and providing the Numismatica Medievalis font used in this sale.
CNG would like to thank Lyle Engleson for the photography and catalog design of the PLZ Collection.
AUCTION TERMS
This is a public and Internet auction conducted by Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (CNG). Bidding in the auction constitutes acceptance of the following terms:
1. The property listed in this catalogue is offered for sale by CNG for itself and as agent for various owners and other consignors. We reserve the right to reject any bid, to determine the opening price, to set bidding increments, to vary the order of the auction, to reopen bidding in the case of a dispute, to withdraw any lot, to bid on behalf of CNG, to bid on behalf of the consignor, to permit the auctioneer to bid on his own behalf, and to permit the consignor, where reserves have been agreed, to bid on his own lots. CNG may loan or advance money to consignors or prospective bidders, and may have an interest other than commission charges in any lot. CNG may bid on its own account as an “insider” with information not available to the public.
2. A buyer’s fee will be charged to all successful bidders as follows on the hammer price:
A. 25% for written, fax, email, and telephone bids.
B. 22.5% for floor bids placed in person at the auction and electronic bids placed directly on www.cngcoins.com. All written bids, email bids, nonlive telephone bids, live internet bid registrations, and live telephone bid registrations must be received before 5PM Eastern time on the day before the auction begins. CNG reserves the right to change the format of www. cngcoins.com at any time.
3. All coins are guaranteed genuine. Attribution, date, condition, and other descriptions are the opinion of the cataloguer, and no warranty is expressed or implied. Please note that an auction sale is not an approval sale. Grading is subjective and the opinion of the cataloger. The photographs and videos (when available) of each coin provide additional information for the bidder and supplement the written description found in the catalog. It is the responsibility of the bidder to view photographs and videos and draw their own conclusion as to the quality of the coin they are bidding on. CNG expressly makes no guarantee that our grade and coin descriptions will match those provided by others. No refund will be provided due to grade or “adjectival” comments by a third-party grading service if a coin is submitted for grading after the sale. Any claim of lack of authenticity must be made in writing by the original purchaser immediately after discovery that an item is not authentic, and upon making such a claim the original purchaser must immediately return the lot to CNG in the same condition as at the time of the auction. Any coin returned as “not authentic” which CNG feels is genuine will be submitted to the International Association of Professional Numismatists Authentication Bureau (IBSCC) for final decision of authenticity. No refund shall be made on such coins until the IBSCC makes their determination. This includes coins that have been submitted to a thirdparty grading service after the auction. Coins that have been previously encapsulated (“slabbed”) by a grading and/or authentication service may not be returned for any reason, including authenticity, if they have been removed from the encapsulation (“slab”). If payment is made by credit card, rights of return are governed by these Auction Terms which supersede any rights of return promulgated by the card issuer. Estimates are intended as a guide only and not as a statement of opinion of value.
4. Invoices are due and payable immediately upon receipt. Interest and late fees of 2.0% per month, or at the highest rate permitted by law, whichever is less, from the date of the auction, shall be payable on invoices not settled within 30 days of the auction date. Payment may be made by check or bank wire. Credit cards (Visa or MasterCard) will be accepted; credit card payments will not be accepted more than 14 days after the sale date. Payment by credit card for printed sale auctions will be charged a 2.5% handling fee. Payment by check must be made in either US dollars ($) drawn on a US bank or British sterling (£) drawn on a British bank. All successful bidders outside North America and the United Kingdom will be charged an additional $20 fee for bank charges that are the result of international wire transfer fees; this fee will be deducted for credit card or check payment as described above. CNG may reduce or compromise any charge or fee at its discretion.
5. Bidders not known to us must provide us with satisfactory credit references or pay a deposit as determined at CNG’s discretion before bidding. Minors are not permitted to bid without written consent of a parent guaranteeing payment. CNG may require payment in full from any bidder prior to delivery of lots. Title does not pass until lots are paid in full. Upon receipt of lots, the buyer assumes full responsibility for loss or damage. Delivery to the buyer’s address of record shall constitute receipt by the buyer regardless of the identity of the person accepting delivery. 6. Estimates are in U.S. dollars ($US) and bids must be in even dollar ($)
amounts. CNG will execute mail bids on behalf of mail bidders. Subject to reserves and opening prices, mail bids will be executed at one bidding increment (approximately 10%) over the next highest bid. In the case of identical bids, the earliest bid wins. A mail bid has priority over an identical floor bid. Bid by lot number. No lots will be broken. Bidders are responsible for errors in bidding. Check your bid sheet carefully.
7. All lots are subject to reserve unless otherwise indicated.
8. Bidders personally guarantee payment for their successful bids, including bidders executing commission bids from other parties and bidders representing corporations or other entities. Buyers accepting commission bids from other parties do so at their own risk and remain responsible for payment under these Auction Terms.
9. At the conclusion of bidding for each lot, the sale contract is concluded and the successful bidder becomes liable for immediate payment under these Auction Terms. In the event a successful bidder fails to make full payment within 30 days of the auction date, CNG reserves the right either: (a) to require payment as provided under these Auction Terms; or (b) to deem the sale incomplete and to re-auction the material, in which case the successful bidder agrees to pay for the reasonable cost of such a sale and also to pay any shortfall between the re-auction price and the successful bidder’s purchase price. CNG reserves all rights that it is entitled to under the Pennsylvania Uniform Commercial Code, including the right to offset any sums due from a successful bidder against any future consignment or purchase or monies or goods in possession of CNG.
10. Sales tax, postage, handling and insurance are the responsibility of the buyer and are added to all invoices where appropriate. For buyers in the United Kingdom, CNG may import lots into the United Kingdom prior to shipment and charge buyers the import Value Added Tax. On any tax not paid by the purchaser which should have been paid, even if not invoiced by CNG, the purchaser agrees to pay the same on demand together with any interest or penalty that may be assessed. It is the responsibility of the buyer to comply with foreign customs and other regulations.
11. Prices realized are published after the sale and are mailed with CNG’s next publication. Prices realized are also posted after the sale on CNG’s web site: www.cngcoins.com
12. Bidders hereby waive any claim for incidental, consequential or exemplary damages arising from this auction. The sole remedy that any participant in the auction shall have for any claim or controversy arising out of the auction shall be a refund, without interest, of all or part of the purchase price paid by the participant.
13. All rights granted by CNG or otherwise available to bidders and purchasers, under these Auction Terms or otherwise, are personal and may not be assigned or transferred to any other person or entity, whether by operation of law or otherwise. No third party may rely on any benefit or right conferred by these Auction Terms. Bidders acting as agents must disclose the agency in writing to CNG prior to the auction; otherwise rights are limited to the agent and are not transferable to the undisclosed principal.
14. Any dispute regarding this auction shall be governed by the laws of Pennsylvania and shall be adjudicated only by the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas or the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; all bidders submit themselves to the personal jurisdiction of these courts for this purpose, consent to service of process by registered or certified mail, and waive any contrary provisions of Articles 14 or 15 of the French Civil Code and any similar provisions in any jurisdiction. All bidders consent to the confidentiality of consignors’ identities and waive any right to require disclosure of the name of the consignor or owner of any auction lot, whether such right is based on New York GOL §5-701(a) or any other provision in any jurisdiction. In any dispute regarding this auction, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable costs and attorney fees.
Meet the Team
Mike Gasvoda Managing Director
England Consulting Director
Steve Lloyd Numismatist Islamic Specialist
Manager Shows & Consignments
Consignments
Lance Hickman Vice President Sales
Consignments
Consignments
Julian Okun-Dubitsky Numismatist Consignments
Numismatist Consignments British & World Coinage
Consignments
Victor
Eric McFadden Consulting Director
Dave Michaels
Caroline Holmes Numismatist Consignments
Bill Dalzell Vice President Numismatics
Angelien Ponsioen Numismatist
Paul Hill Director, London
Max Tursi Director, EU
Steve Pruzinsky Chief Financial Officer
Travis Markel Vice President Operations
Kan Liu (Vera) Manager Consignments
Katie Vint Numismatist Consignments
Aleeza Brown Numismatist
Miles Thompson Numismatist
Marten Scherpenzeel Numismatist
Oliver Reece
Meet the Team
Bradley R. Nelson Senior Numismatist Cataloging
Jared Goldfarb Librarian/Numismatist Cataloging
Goldfarb Administration & Shipping
Lynn Gasvoda
Administrative
Assistant
Scott VanHorn Senior Numismatist Cataloging
Christian Ventura Photography Lead
Jeffrey B. Rill Numismatist Cataloging
Numismatist Cataloging
Numismatist Cataloging
Sharon Pruzinsky Accounting
Rill Customer Relations Manager
Additional Support
A.J. Gatlin IT Consultant
Tim Wilkes Islamic Consultant
John W. Yurchak Printing Control
Jeffrey B. Rill Auctioneer PA License No. AU006206
Brian Callahan Auctioneer PA License No. AU005870
D.
Tom Mullally
Daniel Burch
David James III Photographer
Nate Penwell Photographer
Dylan Ossman Office Manager, London
Jennifer Ventura Shipping
Kate
Julia Motter Shipping
Siska
With the CNG Bidding Portal, you can:
• Log on and bid at any time at auctions.cngcoins.com
• View the lots, follow the bidding, and see hammer prices as they are sold
• Hear and see the auctioneer live
• Enjoy all the advantages of an auction room bidder to win your favorite lots
To bid live in this Feature auction:
• Visit our new Bidding Portal before the auction at auctions.cngcoins.com
• Register online with your email address and a password
• Once approved, you may place pre-bids up until the moment the lot opens in the auction room
• On the auction day, login to join the auction and participate live
Please Note
• If you have not already registered for our bidding platform, you must create a new registration at auctions.cngcoins.com/register. Your old cngcoins.com handle and password will not allow you to log on or bid.
• You must register to bid before 5PM EST on Friday, May 15, 2026
• All lots won through the CNG Bidding Portal will be subject to a 22.5% buyer’s fee
Lot Viewing
Lancaster, PA
Auction lots may be viewed at our Lancaster Office from April 13 – May 4, 2026, by appointment only, except when they are on exhibition at the viewings below. Lancaster Office Hours: 10 AM - 5 PM (Monday - Friday).
Hong Kong
Select lots will be available for viewing at the Hong Kong Coin Show, April 10–12, 2026, at The Mira Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
Schaumberg, IL
Auction lots will be available for viewing at the Central States Numismatic Convention, April 22–25, 2026, at the Schaumberg Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, 1551 North Thoreau Drive, Schaumberg, IL.
Newport Beach, CA
Auction lots may be viewed at our California Office on May 8 – 10, 2026, by appointment only
Online Viewing
Enlargements of all single lots and selected multiple lots may be viewed on the internet at
We are sorry, but photographs of individual coins in multiple lots cannot be provided
Auction Location
This sale will be conducted live online from our Lancaster, PA Office
Lot Pickup
Lots will be mailed from our Lancaster, PA office subsequent to the sale
ORDER OF SALE
Session One – Monday Morning – May 18 – 9:00 AM
Session Two – Monday Afternoon – May 18 – 2:00 PM
Session Three – Tuesday Morning – May 19 – 9:00 AM
Session Four – Tuesday Afternoon – May 19 – 2:00 PM
PLZ SELECTIONS IN THE UPCOMING SESSIONS
My fascination with ancient Rome started when I first visited Italy on a class trip during spring break of my junior year in high school in the 1960s. As with most Americans of my generation, I’m of mixed heritage – half Italian, the other half being a mixture of Scottish/Irish/English. As soon as daylight woke me up in Rome, I felt an immediate connection to the Italian side of my heritage.
Everything about Rome appeared wondrous, from the anarchy of its modern-day automobile traffic, to the multitude of ancient ruins that seemed to be everywhere. In my short six-day visit, I saw the Forum, marveled at the Colosseum, was awed by trips to Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli and the ruins of ancient Pompeii. Our itinerary even managed to include a trip to Florence – via bus in those days long before the Frecciarossa.
My ancient coin collecting interests started in 2008. As I began my collection, I quickly focused on the 12 Caesars since I found this formative period of the Roman Empire to be one of the most historically interesting and diverse collecting areas. Guided by the inestimable expertise of Steve Rubinger, over the course of my first two years I acquired stunning examples of aurei and denarii for each Emperor in this period. Steve’s knowledge and eye for both beauty and quality helped me quickly assemble complete collections that look even better as a set than their individual pieces.
When I revisited Italy fifty years later, my wife and I spent three all-too-short weeks traveling and visiting ancient sites. It was every bit as magical and imagination-provoking as my spring break trip years earlier. Even better, our itinerary had been guided by some of the ancient coins that I had started collecting eight years earlier, including the evocative Port of Ostia sestertius of Nero. Ancient Ostia was the number one ancient site on our list.
During the first two years of collecting, I developed a growing interest in AEs of the 12 Caesars, and I decided to extend my collecting interests to a (sort of) “mint set” for each emperor – small AE (as or dupondius), sestertius, denarius and aureus. The larger canvas of the sestertius especially provided the opportunity for some great artistry in these coins, and in the case of Caligula, I was enticed into acquiring four different types of Caligula sestertii.
One of my most indelible impressions of Roman ruins was Hadrian’s Villa, and I soon found myself getting interested in Hadrian’s travels, so my collection branched out into this area as well. My small subcollection of Hadrian, starting with a magnificent she-wolf aureus, is mainly focused on his travels. I personally found the Romans’ personification of Africa, the Nile, etc. on these travel coins to be intriguing examples of Rome’s ancient mythology. Our later trip to Italy of course included a revisit to this historical site.
I’ve also acquired the occasional non-Roman coin (Knossos tetradrachm with the Labyrinth on the reverse – what an intricate and bizarre myth!) as well as a small sub-collection of four Celtic coins. This latter collection includes a beautiful Parisii stater – my favorite work of abstract art on a coin. Who would have thought that modern abstract art may have begun with the Celts 2000 years ago? I loved this coin from the instant I saw my first example, and despite being outside my main area of collection, it will forever be one of my favorite coins… and art.
It’s time for these coins to move on to their next custodians, and I encourage anyone with an artistic, historic, or collecting interest in these coins to view this catalog and enjoy them too!
PLZ
Collage image provided by consignor
When I first had a chance to see this collection in person I was struck by several thoughts. Naturally, I immediately saw the incredible quality of the collection. This group of coins, when seen in hand, is almost mind-boggling. I know because I spent more than 30 years building my own collection of twelve Caesars coinage. These coins, in the condition presented here, are extremely difficult to find. Our consignor, with the help of his advisor, Steve Rubinger, managed to find and buy exceptional examples of every Caesar whether in gold, silver or bronze.
The second thing that struck me was how genuinely intelligent “PLZ” was regarding each of the coins in the collection. He wasn’t just taking advice from an advisor and buying coins. He was genuinely knowledgeable about each piece, knowing their historical backstory and where each stacked up in terms of quality against other known examples. PLZ is not an accumulator. He is a connoisseur collector in the finest way. We talked about various coins over and over and he never failed to impress me with his understanding and love of the history of this period.
The third thing that struck me was that this was a collection that was taken out and enjoyed. Given the value of these coins, it would be easy to imagine them being put away in a safety deposit box and forgotten about. Not so with PLZ. The collage photo above is just one example of his effort to have a continuous memory of each coin. A poster of this photo hangs in his office. How cool is that? In my humble opinion, this is what collecting should be about.
The last thing I will mention is PLZ, who built this collection over the last twenty years, was actually working with the same advisor, Steve Rubinger, that I was when building my own collection. I can’t stress enough how valuable it is to have a trusted advisor when building a high grade set of coins. Although Steve is now retired, I had the chance to talk with him on the phone just a couple days before writing this introduction. He is struggling with Parkinson’s disease, but he still has the same joyful and caring disposition that PLZ and I both always appreciated.
I was given the opportunity to add my own commentary for each lot. I wrestled with this idea quite a bit and chose the following plan. I feel the consignor’s comment is the most important and where he had input, we placed his commentary immediately after the coin provenance. This is deservedly a “place of pride” for the lot listing. For my own shared thoughts, I can say that I wrote almost all the stories that appear in this auction and I chose to place any comments I had about a specific coin at the end of each story. Our consignor shared personal anecdotes. I shared my specific thoughts about each coin.
The result of these efforts is a carefully curated collection with what we think is an artistically presented auction layout. This collection and this collector deserve the best. We hope you will agree that we have accomplished giving him that with this catalog.
Mike Gasvoda
JULIUS CAESAR
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC)
1. The Caesarians. Julius Caesar. February-March 44 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 4.05 g, 1h). Lifetime issue. Rome mint; P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer. Laureate head right; CAeÍAr downward to right, DiCT perpeTuO upward to left / Venus Victrix standing left, holding Victory in extended right hand and vertical scepter with star at base in left; p • ÍepuLLiuÍ downward to right, ÂACer downward to left. Crawford 480/11; Alföldi Type VI, 1-4 (A1/R21); CRI 107b(1); Sydenham 1072; RSC 40; BMCRR Rome 4168; Kestner –; RBW 1684. Toned. EF. ($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 40 (16 May 2007), lot 579.
Gaius Julius Caesar, born in 100 BC, would have a military and political career that would become the most storied, influential and famous in the history of the Roman Republic. Born to a patrician family that claimed descent from Aeneas, a son of Venus, the heritage of Caesar was well promoted throughout his lifetime. His ancestors had been consuls during the Republic on three occasions. Caesar’s aunt, Julia, married Gaius Marius, the famous “new man” who had marshalled Rome’s lower classes to attain a record seven consulships. Although a patrician, Caesar would thenceforth favor the cause of the Populares, or common citizens, over the Optimates, or aristocratic faction.
As a young man, Caesar left Rome in 89 BC to serve in Asia during the Mithridatic Wars, where he participated in the Siege of Mytilene. Here he received the Corona Civica for saving his fellow soldiers (an award that would become a recurring theme on Julio-Claudian coinage). In the ensuing years Caesar traveled the republic from one assignment to the next. He was elected military tribune in 71, held a quaestorship in 69, and was curule aedile in 65. At this time, he would become an adherent of Pompey the Great, who likely assisted in his election as praetor and Pontifex Maximus (chief priest) in 63 BC. He would be elected consul in 59 BC, at which time he reconciled differences between Pompey and Crassus and then went on to use his consulship to advance their agendas. This three-way power sharing arrangement is known to us as the “First Triumvirate.”
Following his consulship, Caesar assigned himself the province of Transalpine Gaul, which was threatened with an invasion by Celtic tribes. He took full advantage of this governorship, raising multiple legions and launching a campaign of conquest that gained Rome its largest province. Caesar’s “Commentaries,” dispatches to the senate describing his Gallic battles, was seen even then as a literary masterwork and first-rate propaganda. His willingness to share the burdens of his troops and place himself in harm’s way endeared himself to his soldiers. Over the next decade his governorship was renewed several times while he subjugated all of Gaul, likely slaughtering more than a million Celts and Germans in the process. Along the way, he sharpened his already formidable military skills and created a fanatically loyal army of 11 legions, filling his political foes in Rome with dread.
The death of Crassus in 53 BC sundered the First Triumvirate and Caesar was soon deeply at odds with Pompey, who had been slowly seduced by Caesar’s opponents into supporting the Optimates. At the end of 50 BC, the Senate refused to let Caesar stand for a second consulship in absentia and ordered him to lay down his command and return to Rome as a private citizen to face prosecution for perceived abuses of power. Instead, on 10 January 49 BC, Caesar crossed the river Rubicon into Italy with a single legion, Legio XIII, and marched on Rome, catching Pompey and his senatorial foes flat-footed. Over the next four years, he repeatedly outmaneuvered and defeated first Pompey, then the other Republican leaders, bringing the whole Roman Empire under his control. Named Dictator by a rump senate in 49 or 48 BC, he had the office renewed annually while he dealt with resistance until 45 BC, when he crushed the last Republican army at Munda. He was ultimately given the title “Dictator Perpetuo” (Dictator for life) in February of 44 BC, when coinage bearing his war-weary portrait commenced. He would be assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15) before he could depart Rome for a planned Parthian invasion.
The present offering is perhaps the most important coin type for Julius Caesar as it is a portrait issue minted with the legend “CAESAR DICT PERPETVO,” placing its minting within a few weeks of his death. Unlike many of Caesar’s portrait denarii, which were often hastily struck from dies of indifferent style, this example bears a perfectly-centered portrait of excellent veristic style, with full legends and sound metal. It thus forms a perfect cornerstone for a superlative Twelve Caesars set in silver.
OCTAVIAN
Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14)
Extremely Rare Octavian and Julius Caesar Aureus
2. The Triumvirs. Octavian and Julius Caesar. August 43 BC. AV Aureus (18mm, 8.15 g, 11h). Military mint travelling with Octavian in Italy. Bare head of Octavian right, wearing slight beard; C • CAeÍAr • COÍ • pO¸ • ég • around / Head of Julius Caesar right, wearing wreath; C • CAeÍAr • DiCT • perp • pO¸ • Vx • around. Crawford 490/2; CRI 132; Sydenham 1321; Bahrfeldt 28; Calicó 52a (same rev. die as illustration); Biaggi 78–9; BMCRR Gaul 74–5; Kestner –; RBW 1714. Small field marksm faint hairlines. Good VF. Well centered on both sides. Extremely rare. Only five specimens recorded by both Bahrfeldt and Crawford. The most artistic portrait of Julius Caesar on an aureus. ($100,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Triton XII (6 January 2009), lot 514.
When I first saw this coin in the catalog I knew I had to have it. Large, well-centered portraits and an almost wistful Julius Caesar described as “The most artistic portrait of Julius Caesar on an aureus.” The coin fully lives up to its description and is one of the most evocative aurei I’ve seen. (PLZ)
In the lead up to Caesar’s planned march on the Parthian empire to retrieve the Roman legionary standards lost by Crassus, he minted massive quantities of silver denarii which, for the first time, included his image on the obverse of each coin. These coins were to be used to pay the many legions that would be traveling with him as well as the huge supply train that would be needed to support the expedition. Unfortunately, adding his portrait to the coinage likely contributed to the fateful events of March 15, the infamous Ides of March. Nonetheless, the die had been cast for Roman coinage of the future.
Events following the death of Julius Caesar unfolded quickly and chaos ensued throughout the Roman world. The conspirators seemed to hold the upper hand in Rome, but the fact remained that no one was certain who would ultimately control the empire. Caesar, as dictator for life, had certainly rewritten the gamebook but his death left no certain future. As a result, Marc Antony, Caesar’s right-hand man, was impelled to flee Rome and head north. For the moment it appeared the senate and the conspirators were in power. The senate even decided to send the two current consuls, Gaius Vibius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius, in pursuit of Antony. The first battle of Forum Gallorum saw heavy losses including the death of Pansa. Antony retreated to Mutina (modern Modena) where the pursuers laid siege to the city. Octavian became a part of this effort which continued to see heavy battles and further losses to both sides, this time including death of the surviving Consul, Hirtius. Antony would escape Mutina fleeing Italy completely. For the moment it appeared that Octavian, leading legions of Julius Caesar and now the troops committed to Hirtius, had led the senatorial troops to victory.
But upon this victory in the summer of 43 BC, following the battle of Mutina, Octavian demanded from the Senate one of the consulships recently left vacant by the deaths of Hirtius and Pansa. When the Senate refused, Octavian marched into Rome and organized consular elections. He was named consul on August 19 of 43 BCE. Octavian would go on to reconcile with Antony who, with the addition of Lepidus, would form the second triumvirate.
The present coin was struck by Octavian shortly thereafter and marks the first appearance of a living portrait on a Roman aureus. This type is known from a handful of different dies and, like the lifetime denarii issues of Julius Caesar, had been engraved by celators of widely differing talent levels. The key factor for this coin is that this Julius Caesar die is almost universally accepted as being the finest die for the type. His portrait is spectacular. Thus, this die is likely the finest representation of Julius Caesar found on a Roman gold coin.
BRUTUS
Marcus Junius Brutus (c. 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC)
3. The Republicans. Marcus Junius Brutus. Early 42 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.85 g, 12h). Military mint, probably at Smyrna; P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther, legatus. Emblems of the pontificate: securis, simpulum, and secespita; BruTuÍ below / Emblems of the augurate: capis and lituus; LeNTuLuÍ/ÍpiNT in two lines below. Crawford 500/7; CRI 198; Sydenham 1310; RSC 6; BMCRR East 80-1; Kestner 3770; RBW 1766. NGC Photo Certificate 8559788-005, graded MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface, 4/5. ($6000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua.
Marcus Junius Brutus was a blue-blooded Roman who had attained a fortune by lending money at exorbitant interest rates when he was suborned into the conspiracy against his former benefactor, Julius Caesar. As his distant ancestor had entered history as a great tyrannicide, Brutus soon became the de-factor leader and spokesmen for the assassins. After the Ides of March, Brutus induced a cowed senate to give him a governorship in northern Greece and promptly departed to raise money and arms for the brewing civil war against Caesar’s adherents. He cut a brutal swath through Greece, Thrace and Asia Minor, looting city treasuries and enforcing horrendous taxes at the point of a sword. He turned his ill-gotten gains into silver denarii to pay his growing army and navy
The impending confrontation with Antony and Octavian finally happened at the battle of Phillipi in 42 BC. Cassius died during in the initial skirmishes however the legions led by Brutus were successful. The fighting continued and eventually the forces of Antony and Octavian overran the remaining conspiratorial legions. Brutus took his own life to prevent capture. A legend grew up crediting him as a paragon of virtue and martyr for liberty against the advancing tyranny of the Caesars. But, in reality, he was a rather unsavory character undeserving of his libertarian renown.
This coin type of Brutus depicts the tools of the Pontificate on the obverse and the tools of the Augurate on the reverse. The coin offered here is perfectly centered and in exceptional condition for the issue.
CASSIUS LONGINUS
Gaius Cassius Longinus (Classical Latin: c. 86 BC – 3 October 42 BC)
The Republicans. C. Cassius Longinus. Spring 42 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.85 g, 6h). Military mint, probably at Smyrna; P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther, legatus. Tripod surmounted by cortina and two laurel branches, fillet hanging on either side; C • CAÍÍi upwards to left, iÂp upwards to right / Capis and lituus; LeNTuLuÍ/ÍpiNT in two lines below. Crawford 500/1; CRI 219; Sydenham 1308; RSC 7; BMCRR East 79; Kestner –; RBW 1761. NGC Photo Certificate 8559788-006, graded MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface, 4/5. ($2000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua.
Born into a senatorial family but lacking any real talent for politics, Gaius Cassius Longinus found soldiering more to his liking and joined the triumvir Crassus on his doomed expedition against the Parthians in 53 BC. Cassius managed to rescue himself and a handful of others from the massacre and escaped to Roman Syria, where he remained for another two years ably defending the province from Parthian attack. He returned to Rome as a war hero in 51 BC and fell in with the Pompeian faction, serving as tribune and commander of Pompey’s fleet during the civil war of 49-48 BC.
After Pompey’s defeat and death, Cassius accepted a pardon from Caesar and loyally served him for the next four years. Cassius had a high opinion of himself and perhaps hoped to attain supreme power once Caesar retired, but it soon became apparent the dictator had no intention of stepping down. Thus, Cassius suborned his close friend Marcus Junius Brutus and several other senators into a conspiracy, and he was one of the first to plunge his dagger into Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BC. After fleeing Rome with the other conspirators, Cassius returned to Syria and commandeered several seasoned legions and a fleet, which he used to attack and pillage the wealthy island of Rhodes in order to procure gold for the approaching civil war. He joined forces with Brutus in 42 BC and the two marched into Thrace to meet the pro-Caesarian legions led by Mark Antony and Octavian. Though their army outnumbered the Caesarians, Cassius and Brutus seemed oddly fatalistic and made a suicide pact should either meet defeat or capture. At the first clash at Philippi in early October, Cassius suffered a reverse and rashly fell on his sword before he could be told that Brutus had counterattacked and saved the day. Demoralized by his friend’s death, Brutus was easily defeated three weeks later and took his own life.
The present coin is perfectly centered with exceptional remaining details.
4.
MARC ANTONY
Marcus Antonius (14 January 83 BC – 1 August 30 BC)
5. The Triumvirs. Mark Antony and Octavian. Spring-early summer 41 BC. AV Aureus (19.5mm, 8.12 g, 12h). Ephesus mint; M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. Bare head of Mark Antony right;  • ANT if Yg iii uir • r • p • C •  BArBAT • œ • p around / Bare head of Octavian right, with slight beard; CAeÍAr • iÂp • pONT • iii • uir • r • p • C • around. Crawford 517/1a; CRI 242; Sydenham 1180; Bahrfeldt 77; Calicó 109; Biaggi 66; BMCRR East 98; Kestner 3792; RBW 1797. Bankers’ marks on reverse. Good VF. Very rare. ($20,000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Künker 124 (16 March 2007), lot 7553; Giessener Münzhandlung 67 (2 May 1994), lot 388; Münzen und Medaillen AG 44 (15 June 1971), lot 24.
Following the murder of Julius Caesar, power fell into the hands of Marc Antony, Caesar’s loyal lieutenant and commander of cavalry. Antony’s position was soon challenged from an unexpected direction when Caesar’s 18-year-old grand-nephew, Gaius Octavianus, arrived in Rome to claim his legacy as Caesar’s heir. The youth proved unnaturally canny at securing the loyalty of Caesar’s followers and undermining Antony’s authority. By 43 BC, Octavian had actually induced the Senate to declare Antony a public enemy, but quickly reversed himself and struck a deal with Antony by which they would share supreme power with a third broker, Lepidus, with the ultimate aim of hunting down Caesar’s assassins. This task accomplished, Lepidus soon faded into the background, leaving Octavian and Antony to rule the Roman world jointly for the better part of a decade until their inevitable falling out. This aureus, struck in mid-41 BC in the eastern half of the Empire ruled by Antony, puts the political situation in stark terms, with Antony and Octavian, still sporting youthful long sideburns, on opposite sides. While Antony occupies the dominant obverse, Octavian calls himself by the magical name Caesar, which would soon become a title for all Roman emperors. Minted under Antony, his portrait is not only larger, but it is also more refined than his youthful colleague. Even the obverse legends are more carefully created.
With respect to the offering here, there is likely no more important “thirteenth” coin in a set of twelve Caesars than that of Mark Antony. Much of the time between the fall of Julius Caesar and the naming of Augustus was focused on the rivalry between Antony and Octavian to determine who would be the ultimate survivor. Had things gone differently, we might today be completing this set with Mark Antony being our “Second Caesar.” Thus, this is a coin of significant historical importance with a properly pugilistic portrait of Mark Antony.
6. The Triumvirs. Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Autumn 34 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.74 g, 12h). Alexandria mint(?). Bare head of Mark Antony right; Armenian tiara to left, ANTONi • ArÂeNiA • DeuiCTA around / Diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra right; at point of bust, prow right; CLeORATrAe re2iNAe • re2u • FiLiOru • re2u around. Crawford 543/1; CRI 345; Sydenham 1210; RSC 1; BMCRR East 179–81; cf. Kestner 3836; RBW 1832. Toned, scratch on obverse. Near EF. ($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 45 (2 April 2008), lot 56; Superior (8 December 1995), lot 872; Massachusetts Historical Society/John Quincy Adams Family Collection (Part I, Stack’s, 5 March 1971), lot 688.
Great provenance and portraits on a denarius that’s hard to find in this grade. (PLZ)
Cleopatra VII Philopator Thea Neotera (“father-loving new goddess”) was a key player in the power struggles of the waning Roman Republic and the only female to contend for supreme power. The last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, she was born in 69 BC and succeeded her father Ptolemy XII “Auletes” in 51 BC. However, her weakwilled younger brother and co-ruler, Ptolemy XIII, was dominated by a circle of courtiers who feared Cleopatra’s keen intellect and resolute will. Consequently, they ousted and exiled her in 48 BC, shortly before the Roman general Pompey the Great arrived in Alexandria fresh from his defeat by Julius Caesar at the battle of Pharsalus. Ptolemy ordered Pompey’s murder, but this only outraged Caesar, who showed up days later and occupied the royal palace. Cleopatra had herself smuggled in to Caesar wrapped in a carpet, and this display of moxie by the nubile 20-year-old enchanted the dictator. The two likely became lovers that night. Caesar tarried a while longer in Egypt while Cleopatra conceived and bore him a son. When Caesar returned to Rome in 47 BC, he summoned Cleopatra to join him the following year. She was thus in Rome when Caesar was murdered on March 15, 44 BC.
Returning to Alexandria, she was summoned to meet the Triumvir Mark Antony at Tarsus in 41 BC. Once again, a powerful Roman succumbed to Cleopatra’s charms, and within a year she had borne Antony twins, a boy and a girl. In 37 BC, Cleopatra provided money and supplies in support of Antony’s abortive invasion of Parthia and a punitive raid on Armenia the following year. In 34 BC, Antony held a Roman-style triumphal parade in Alexandria, and afterwards staged an elaborate ceremony, the “Donations of Alexandria,” in which he bestowed most of Rome’s eastern possessions upon Cleopatra and her children. These acts shocked the Roman people and gave his partner in power, Octavian, the excuse he needed to declare war on Egypt in 32 BC. Antony fought a lethargic campaign and suffered a heavy naval defeat at Actium in September, 31 BC, after which he and Cleopatra fled back to Alexandria. Upon Octavian’s approach in 30 BC, Antony committed suicide and Cleopatra followed suit days later, utilizing the poisonous bite of the sacred asp.
Cleopatra struck Egyptian coinage in her own name, with some issues bearing her portrait. As her empire grew, provincial mints began striking coins with her image and titles, including some pairing her portrait with that of Mark Antony. This silver denarius issue, bearing the dual portraits of Cleopatra and Antony, is believed to have been struck at Alexandria circa 34 BC and is likely tied to Antony’s triumph and the infamous donations. Remarkably for an ostensibly Roman coin, it bears the portrait of a foreign queen who is shown as coequal to the Triumvir and Proconsul Antony. Whether Cleopatra or Antony occupies the obverse is open to conjecture. The legends may be translated as “[coin] of Antony, with Armenia being Conquered, for Cleopatra, Queen of Kings and of her Sons, being Kings.” The Armenian crown behind Antony represents his victorious Roman army, the prow beneath Cleopatra (which appears on no other Roman coin of hers) stands for the mighty Egyptian fleet; combined they symbolize the full array of forces that Antony would marshal against Octavian at Actium.
Nicely centered with complete legends and old cabinet toning. A difficult coin to find in this grade with these attributes.
7. The Triumvirs. Octavian. Autumn 30-summer 29 BC. AR Denarius (21mm, 3.84 g, 3h). Uncertain mint in Italy (Rome?). Bare head right / Naval and military trophy facing, composed of helmet, cuirass, shield, and crossed spears, set on prow of galley right; crossed rudder and anchor at base; iÂp CAeÍAr across field. CRI 419; RIC I 265a; RSC 119; BMCRR Rome 4352 = BMCRE 625; BN 57-63. Attractive cabinet tone. Superb EF. ($6000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 51 (5 March 2009), lot 137; Münzen und Medaillen AG 81 (18 September 1995), lot 154.
The inevitable confrontation between Octavian and Mark Antony finally occurred at the Battle of Actium, off the western coast of Greece in the Ionian Sea, in 31 BC. The naval battle involved an immense number of ships, reportedly 500 for Antony and Cleopatra and 400 for Octavian. The smaller and more maneuverable ships of Octavian, led by his friend and most important military advisor, Marcus Agrippa, easily handled the more sluggish ships of Antony. The battle soon turned into a rout and Antony and Cleopatra were forced to flee to Egypt. Octavian pursued them to Alexandria the following year and they committed suicide to avoid capture. Octavian was left as the sole surviving leader of the Roman Empire.
Several interesting reverse types were minted by Octavian shortly after Actium. The rostral column reverse replicated an actual structure he had erected at the battle site. Like that issue, it is quite likely the trophy reverse, as shown on the present example, also imitated a trophy erected at the battlefield. Of particular note, here the trophy rests atop the prow of a ship and includes rudder and anchor, all indicative of the naval victory. This anepigraphic obverse is one of the finer types to portray a lifelike image of Octavian, still a young man in his early thirties with decades of world rule ahead of him. A beautiful coin.
AUGUSTUS
Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14)
Ex Biaggi and Trau Collections
8. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AV Aureus (21mm, 7.90 g, 6h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck 11-10 BC. AVGVSTVS DIVI • F, laureate head right / IMP XII across field, SICIL in small letters in exergue, Diana as huntress, wearing long tunic, wearing low polos on head, advancing right, drawing with right hand an arrow from quiver slung behind her and holding bow in left. RIC I 196; Calicó 234; Bahrfelt 217.1 (this coin); BMCRE 489; BN 1437; Biaggi 122 (this coin). Minor marks, slight edge bend. Near EF. Well centered and struck on a very broad flan. Bold portrait. The finer of two in CoinArchives. ($30,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 51 (5 March 2009), lot 160; Numismatica Ars Classica 27 (12 May 2004), lot 299; Franz Trau Collection (Gilhofer & Ranschburg – A. Hess, 22 May 1935), lot 97. Found in Reggio, 1873.
I love this aureus with its “action figure” depiction of Diana drawing an arrow from her quiver on the reverse. Fabulous provenance. (PLZ)
Gaius Octavius, widely known as Octavian, was born on 23 September 63 BC to Atia of the Julii, Julius Caesar’s niece. He was thus the grandnephew of Caesar, who had no male children of his own with a Roman woman. In 45 BC, Octavian traveled with Caesar on his military campaign in Spain, where he obviously endeared himself to his powerful relation. He was away from Rome, in Illyricum, when Caesar was assassinated on March 14, 44 BC. He soon learned Caesar had adopted him in his will and named him his principal heir. Still only 18, he took the name Gaius Julius Caesar and quickly embarked for Rome to claim his legacy. To say his following political machinations were brilliantly implemented would assuredly be an understatement.
Unfortunately for the Roman Empire, what followed Caesar’s death were 13 more years of civil war. Rome was still reeling from Caesar’s seemingly endless campaigns and longed for a respite, but the clashes of the Second Triumvirate with the assassins of Caesar and their adherents would further weary the citizenry. Eventually it came down to Octavian and Mark Antony vying for sole supremacy. For the better part of a decade, Octavian wrestled with the challenges of managing the Italian peninsula while Antony dallied in the east with Cleopatra. War broke out in 32 BC; the final battle of Actium, in 31 BCE, was a huge naval clash, with Octavian winning through the invaluable help of his closest friend and advisor, Marcus Agrippa. All that remained was to determine how Octavian would transition from Caesarean sole rule to a form of autocracy that was supported, or at least tolerated, by the Roman Senate. Once again, his skill in managing this transition was masterly and, in 27 BC, the senate granted him virtually unlimited control over the empire along with the unprecedented title of Augustus (“revered one”).
Many challenges remained for Rome’s first true emperor. Settlement of troops, rebuilding across Rome and the provinces, and once and for all retrieving the lost standards of Crassus. Augustus, in his own words, is said to “have found Rome in brick but left it in marble.” What had been a merciless time of civil war during his early years ended with him setting the style for how an emperor was expected to perform. Almost every emperor after him would seek to emulate Augustus in one form or another. Perhaps no man was more suited to set the stage for Imperial Rome.
A mark of the Augustan “Golden Age” was his clever use of the arts, including coinage, to further his public image. With few exceptions, his divinely handsome features never changed or aged over the course of his long reign, and a multiplicity of reverse types proclaimed his program to the Roman people.
The coin offered here is quite rare and easily the finest of its type to appear in Coin Archives. Struck from masterfully engraved dies, the idealized portrait of Augustus is sublime. The reverse personification of Sicily is both artistic and informative, celebrating one of Rome’s principal breadbaskets. This concept of honoring the provinces would be greatly expanded by Hadrian as seen later in this catalog.
Augustus’ Triumphal Coinage
9. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. Æ Dupondius (33mm, 20.33 g, 12h). “Triumphal Coinage” issue. Rome mint; M. Salvius Otho, moneyer. Struck 7 BC. CAESAR AVGVST PONT MAX TRI BVNIC POT, laureate head of Augustus left; behind, Victory, draped, touching fillet of laurel wreath with right hand and holding cornucopia in left / M • SALVIVS • OTHO
III
VIR
F
around large S • C. RIC I 429; BMCRE 224-5 = BMCRR Rome 4689-90; BN 685-6. Brown-green patina, some deposits on obverse. VF/Good VF. Rare. ($6000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Gasvoda Collection (Part II, Numismatica Ars Classica 94, 6 October 2016), lot 76; Antiqua FPL XIII (2006), no. 132.
The triumviri monetales were the elected moneyers of Rome. More specifically, they were the tresviri aere argenton auro flando feriundo (“three men for the striking of bronze, silver and gold”). The title would be abbreviated “III VIR AAAFF” as seen on the offered example minted by M. Salvius Otho, one of three moneyers elected for this year. These officials would be responsible for the oversight of Roman coinage. This relatively minor position was considered a first stepping stone to a political career. In republican times, the moneyer’s name was almost always present on the coinage. This would change under Augustus, although the moneyers retained a titled role for a brief time before disappearing altogether from Imperial coinage.
The type offered here is somewhat challenging to define. The issue is very rare and has been extensively counterfeited in recent times. Struck in 7 BC, it is likely this type refers to a triumph held for Tiberius for his various military campaigns. It is notable that it is Augustus who is receiving the crown from Victory on the obverse. This is likely because, at the time, Augustus was still hoping to name his grandsons, Caius and Lucius, as his heirs. There was no need to glorify Tiberius with his grandsons soon to come of age.
The challenge with defining this type is that the known survivors are found with a widely variable weight, which makes identifying a denomination uncertain. Mattingly refers to these pieces as “triumphal coinage” rather than give them a denomination such as As or Dupondius. The offered coin is outstanding for the type.
The Celebrated Altar of Lugdunum
10. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 26.20 g, 12h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck AD 10-14. CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head right / ROM ET AVG in exergue, the Great Altar of Lugdunum: altar enclosure with panels decorated with corona civica flanked by figures holding laurel branches; decoration along roofline; altar flanked by columns surmounted by statues of Victory standing vis-àvis, each holding palm frond in left hand over left shoulder and wreath in right hand. RIC I 231a; Lyon 95 (D453/R– [unlisted rev. die]); BMCRE 565; BN 1695-1706; Elkins, Monuments Figure 66. Brown patina. Good VF. Bold portrait of Augustus and an unusually detailed reverse composition. Very rare and among the finest specimens known of this difficult issue. ($15,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Gasvoda Collection (Part I, Numismatica Ars Classica 86, 8 October 2015), lot 83; Triton XVII (7 January 2014), lot 630.
One of the few upgrades in my 12 Caesars, I jumped at the chance to acquire this coin and to this day have never seen a better one available. (PLZ)
The cult of worship for the ruling king was long established among the ancient Greeks. The expansion of the Roman Empire to include the entire Greek world left a void in ruler-worship that Augustus was quick to exploit. While he officially styled himself as “first citizen” and refused attempts to form a cult in his name, outside of Italy he was more open to the idea. In central Gaul, he commissioned a large temple complex to be built in a grove near the city of Lugdunum (modern Lyon), which also contained one of the empire’s official mints. Known as the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls, the complex was centered on a massive altar atop a stepped platform flanked by columns topped by winged Victories, with an inscription reading ROM ET AVG, dedicating it to the goddess Roma and to Augustus himself as a semi-divinity.
The temple complex was first planned in 15 BC and dedicated in 10 BC by Nero Claudius Drusus. The altar would become part of an annual gathering of the tribes of Gaul. The altar and “ROM ET AVG” legend would appear on various coin types for some time. Interestingly, the mint at Lugdunum would issue the altar type in five bronze denominations: Sestertius (as seen here), Dupondius, As, Semis, and Quadrans. The Dupondius and Sestertius denominations are both rather rare while the smaller denominations are quite common.
This would be the only appearance of Augustus’ portrait on a Roman-mint sestertius, making the coin a must-have for collectors trying to add this denomination to their Twelve Caesars set. It was recognized for its rarity as far back as Renaissance times. In fact, demand for the type among collectors then so outstripped supply that the workshop of Giovanni Cavino, a 16th century Paduan medalist, began producing its own replicas of the type that remain collectible to this day
A difficult coin to find in any grade above Fine. Thus, the present coin is at the top tier of surviving examples for this issue.
Tiberius as Caesar/Altar of Lugdunum
11. Tiberius. As Caesar, AD 4-14. Æ Sestertius (36.5mm, 26.12 g, 1h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck under Augustus, AD 10. TI CAESAR AVGVSTI F IMPERATOR V, bare head of Tiberius left / ROM ET AVG in exergue, the Great Altar of Lugdunum: altar enclosure with panels decorated with corona civica flanked by figures holding laurel branches; decoration along roofline; altar flanked by columns surmounted by statues of Victory standing vis-à-vis, each holding palm frond in left hand over left shoulder and wreath in right hand. RIC I 240 (Augustus); Lyon 99 (Augustus); BMCRE 572-3 (Augustus); BN 1737-40 (Augustus); cf. Elkins, Monuments Figure 66 (for rev. type). Brown surfaces. VF. Rare. ($7500)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Roma XVIII (29 September 2019), lot 1068.
The Altar of Lugdunum issues of Augustus and his designated successor, Tiberius, were struck circa AD 9-14. Nothing remains in situ of the Altar in modern Lyon; however, various fragments do survive, including the two columns seen on the coins. These were cut in half and reused, now as four columns, in the medieval 12th century church of Saint Martin d’Ainay, which still stands today. Altar fragments also have been found and are on display elsewhere in the city.
As with Augustus, this is the sole official Roman type that bears a traditional portrait of Tiberius in this largest bronze denomination (a couple of other sestertii bear fulllength seated effigies of the emperor). Unfortunately for most collectors, Lugdunum sestertii of Tiberius usually display extensive wear and even circulation damage from chop marks and counterstamps. The type is so rare that an example, in any grade, only shows up once or twice a year. The present coin is attractive in hand and must be considered a top tier survivor of this important Tiberius sestertius.
TIBERIUS
Tiberius Augustus (16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37)
12. Tiberius. AD 14-37. AV Aureus (19.5mm, 7.64 g, 4h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Group 4, AD 18-35. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate large head right, one ribbon on shoulder / PONTIF MAXIM, Livia (as Pax) seated right on chair, holding scepter in right hand and olive branch in left, feet on footstool; ornate chair legs, single line below. RIC I 29; Lyon 149; cf. Calicó 305a var. (spear); BMCRE 46-7; BN 25. Underlying luster, faint hairlines. EF. ($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex a North American Collection (Triton XI, 8 January 2008), lot 882; Antiqua FPL XIV (December 2006), no. 134.
The son of Augustus’ wife Livia by her previous marriage to a member of the Claudian family, Tiberius Claudius Nero was born in 42 BC in the waning days of the Roman Republic. Augustus had ambivalent feelings toward his stepson, finding him dour and humorless, but still provided him with an excellent education and an accelerated career. He found his true calling as a soldier, where he spent years in the field with his legions expanding the Empire’s holdings in the Balkans and Germany. In 12 BC, Augustus arranged for his widowed daughter Julia to marry Tiberius, seemingly a mark of high favor. But Julia was promiscuous and capricious, and the marriage was a failure. A despairing Tiberius went into exile in Rhodes in 6 BC, seemingly ending his public life.
Augustus had clear intentions with his planned succession with the adoption of his childhood friend, and most important ally, Agrippa. Unfortunately, Agrippa died unexpectedly while campaigning in what would become the Roman province of Pannonia. His loss shook Augustus deeply. He next turned to his two grandsons, Gaius and Lucius, whom he took great joy in both raising and training. Sadly, both Gaius (4 AD) and Lucius (2 AD) would also die prematurely. With these deaths, Tiberius was reluctantly recalled to Rome, officially adopted, and granted the Tribunican power, marking him out clearly as successor. From then forward, he was essentially coemperor and succeeded to the throne without challenge upon Augustus’ death on August 19, AD 14. By this time Tiberius was an embittered man of 56 who no longer really wanted supreme power. His long, immensely conservative reign reflects this, and he spent the last decade of his life in semi-retirement at a luxurious villa on the island of Capri while his Praetorian prefects, first Sejanus and then Macro, ran affairs in Rome with brutal efficiency. He surely never knew about the most momentous event of his reign, the ministry and crucifixion of Jesus Christ in far-off Judaea.
His first coinage issues quite understandably stressed his dynastic connections and the deification of his adoptive father. Tiberius’ later coinage in silver and gold was likely the most uninspired over the course of the entire duration of the Roman Empire, with a single reverse type predominating for more than two decades. This coinage is perhaps most fondly referred to today as the biblically inspired “Tribute Penny” type.
13. Tiberius. AD 14-37. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.63 g, 10h). “Tribute Penny” type. Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Group 4, AD 18-35. TI CΛESΛR DIVI ΛVG F ΛVGVSTVS, laureate head right, one ribbon on shoulder / PONTIF MΛXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right, holding scepter in right hand and olive branch in left, feet on footstool; ornate chair legs, single line below. RIC I 30; Lyon 150; RSC 16a; BMCRE 48-60; BN 28-31. Superb EF. ($3000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua.
There is perhaps no more collected, and more available, coin of the twelve Caesars than the “tribute penny” minted by Tiberius. Struck for almost the complete duration of his reign with only minor deviations to the reverse details, this denarius type is found in many collections not just for its twelve Caesars importance but for its biblical association.
Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give. But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, “Why tempt ye me? Bring me a penny, that I may see it.” And they brought it. And he saith unto them, “whose is this image and superscription?” And they said unto him, Caesar’s. And Jesus, answering, said unto them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:14-17). Since Tiberius was the reigning Caesar at the time this famous incident took place in Jerusalem, it is widely assumed the “penny” (a James-era English translation of “denarius”) in question was a silver denarius of Tiberius.
The coin offered here has a spectacular portrait in a realistic portrayal. As such, this is a very desirable type for this issue which more often comes with a rather bland image of the emperor.
14. Tiberius. AD 14-37. Æ Dupondius (30mm, 16.87 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 16-22. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVST IMP VIII, laureate head left / CLEMENTIAE above, S C across field, small bust of Tiberius within laurel wreath, the whole in the center of a large shield with palmettes and raised petals. RIC I 38; Sutherland, Two 1 (dies A7/P13); BMCRE 85-9; BN 125-7. Brown patina, minor corrosion. EF. Rare. ($5000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Berlin Surgeon Collection (Part II, Hirsch 279, 8 February 2012), lot 2279; Auctiones AG 23 (17 June 1993), lot 480.
Struck early in the reign of Tiberius, this Dupondius is one of those few coins that show a portrait of the emperor on both sides – in profile on the obverse and a smaller facing effigy on the reverse. The CLEMENTIA legend on the reverse is speculated by some to indicate that the senate granted him the Clipeus Clementiae (“shield of clemency”), which would have been in the form of a circular shield with a raised boss, as shown here. If this is true, it would demonstrate a markedly different relationship between Tiberius and the Senate at the start his reign, compared to the treason trials he held toward the end.
With respect to the coin offered here, it is at the very top end of survivors for this difficult issue. Like most Roman middle bronzes from this period, the coins saw heavy circulation and are only rarely found in the condition seen on this example.
CALIGULA
Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August AD 12 – 24 January AD 41)
The Second Known – Ex Biaggi Collection – Illustrated in Calicó
15. Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. AV Aureus (19.5mm, 7.66 g, 3h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. 2nd emission, 2nd phase, late AD 37-early 38. C • CAESAR • AVG
GERM
P
M
POT, laureate head right / S
P
C
S in three lines within oak wreath. RIC I (first edition) 4; Lyon 173 (unlisted dies); Calicó 328 (this coin illustrated); BMCRE p. 148, note *; cf. BN 30 (Denarius); Adda –; Biaggi 188 (this coin); Jameson –; Mazzini –; CNR XII 1. NGC Photo Certificate 8559743-006, graded Ch XF, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Of the highest rarity, this is only the second example known of this issue. The other specimen was sold from the Sir Hyman Montagu Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 20 April 20 1896), lot 132. ($150,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 54 (24 March 2010), lot 327; Numismatica Ars Classica 33 (6 April 2006), lot 422; Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection (1906-1979).
This extremely rare, well-centered ex-Biaggi aureus of Caligula was an immediate draw for me. I especially liked the slightly unhinged look in Caligula’s portrait. (PLZ)
Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, popularly known as Caligula, was the son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder. This heritage would make him a descendant of both the Julio and Claudian families. While on campaign with Germanicus, Agrippina would routinely dress Gaius in a child-sized military kit, complete with a tiny set of military boots or caligae. This gained him his lifelong moniker Caligula, which translates to “little boot” or “bootikins.”
His father had been extraordinarily popular with the Roman citizenry but was destined to die young in AD 19. Agrippina openly blamed his death on Tiberius, who reacted by subjecting her and her two elder sons, Nero and Drusus, to a campaign of persecution that eventually led to their deaths. Her youngest son, Caligula, was eventually brought to live with Tiberius at his villa on the island of Capri, where he grew up under the emperor’s baleful eye. His three younger sisters, Agrippina the Younger, Drusilla, and Livilla, all survived into Caligula’s reign and onto one of his most endearing coins types (see lot 18).
When Tiberius died in AD 37, Caligula was immediately hailed as emperor by the Praetorian Guard and quickly ratified by the Senate. He entered Rome in late March with unprecedented authority and power. He acted professionally in dealing with Tiberius’ will and distributed a great deal of money to the guard and to the citizens of Rome. Caligula began his reign, in the words of Philo, being “universally admired.” Indeed, the first few months were cause for celebration throughout the empire. Unfortunately, sometime in the fall of AD 37, he took seriously ill and recovered a changed man. In short order he disposed of Gemellus, the grandson of Tiberius, and several powerful senators whom he perceived had acted suspiciously during his illness. He followed this with the forced suicide of Macro, the Praetorian prefect who had largely been responsible for his survival and rise to the throne. His troubles would continue with the death of his beloved sister, Drusilla, in 38 AD. Whether a result of his illness, the loss of his sister, or his actual temperament all along, his love affair with the Roman political system quickly began to fade.
Caligula is reported to have continually spent money beyond his means, totaling some 2.7 billion sesterces, to the detriment of the treasury coffers. As a result, he increased taxes, made loans at exorbitant interest rates, condemned wealthy Romans on spurious charges to seize their estates, and even held two public auctions of Imperial possessions, the latter acting as auctioneer. Reputedly he demanded to be worshipped as a god and ordered the heads of Olympian statues to be replaced with his own. While he remained popular with the wider populace, who seemed to enjoy his antics, his downward spiral with the Senate was accompanied by souring relations with the Roman legions and, fatally, a senior officer of the Praetorians, Cassius Chaerea, who arranged his assassination on 24 January AD 41. His relatively short reign of just under four years, which had started so promisingly, ended in dysfunction and disgrace.
The rare gold aureus offered here depicts his portrait paired with the Corona Civica, or Civic Crown, reprising an important reverse type first issued under Augustus. The corona was awarded to a soldier who had saved the life of another Roman in battle. At the beginning of his reign, the Senate had voted Caligula the honor for saving the entire citizenry from the tyranny of Tiberius. Additionally, the reverse inscription P P recognizes him as Pater Patriae, or “father of the fatherland.” Today, this is the rarest surviving gold issue of Caligula. Just as importantly, it carries an exceptionally high grade and a remarkable portrait. Truly an exceptional coin.
Ex Laughlin Collection – Pedigreed to 1933
16. Gaius (Caligula), with Divus Augustus. AD 37-41. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.68 g, 5h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. 2nd emission, AD 37-38. C • CAESAR • AVG • GERM • P • M • TR • POT, laureate head of Gaius (Caligula) right / DIVVS • AVG • PATER • PATRIAE •, radiate head of Divus Augustus right. RIC I 16; Lyon 167/9 (D96/R93 – this coin cited); RSC 2; BMCRE 17; BN 21; CNR XIII 45 (this coin). Attractive cabinet toning. EF. ($20,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Triton XII (6 January 2009), lot 547; R. Laughlin Collection (A. Hess, 18 December 1933), lot 368.
Coinage during Caligula’s four-year reign focused almost exclusively on his family. His types in silver and gold included: Divus Augustus (as here); Agrippina the Elder, his mother; Germanicus, his father; and the oak wreath or Corona Civica, another reference to Augustus. His bronze coinage types are more diverse, extending the number of family members to include his deceased brothers, his three sisters (see lot 17), and Marcus Agrippa, his maternal grandfather.
As his great-grandfather Augustus did with Divus Julius Caesar, Gaius had coins struck depicting his own portrait backed by a deified ancestor, in this case Divus Augustus himself. The coin here is from the second emission which includes the legend DIVVS AVG PATER PATRIAE. The first emission, without the legend, was more ambiguous: it is anepigraphic, the inclusion of stars argue for recent divinity (Augustus had been deified 23 years earlier), and the features on some of these first emission coins somewhat resemble those of Tiberius. Combined with the historical evidence that Gaius had personally given Tiberius’ funeral oration and had asked the Senate to consider deification for Tiberius, this suggests that Gaius was testing the idea. The Senate, however, refused to pursue the matter further, and the portrait was soon altered to more closely resemble Divus Augustus and include the appropriate legend.
The offered coin has wonderful old cabinet toning as would be expected with this extensive provenance. Both portraits are of excellent style.
First Adlocutio Issue
17. Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. Æ Sestertius (34.5mm, 28.88 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 37-38. C • CAESAR • AVG • GERMANICVS • PON • M • TR • POT •, laureate head left / ADLOCVT above, COH in exergue, Gaius, bareheaded and togate, standing left on daïs, extending right hand in gesture of address; behind him a sella castrensis (chair); in front of him stand five soldiers right, all helmeted, holding shields, and parazonia; four aquilae behind them. RIC I 32; BMCRE 33-35; BN 45-46. Gently smoothed in the fields. Near EF. Attractive green patina. ($20,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Paulo Leitão Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 59, 4 April 2011), lot 910; Luc Giard Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 54, 24 March 2010), lot 330; Numismatica Ars Classica 23 (19 March 2002), lot 1487.
The first Ad Locutio delivered by a Roman emperor, I can only imagine what the troops were thinking. (PLZ)
Gaius “Caligula” here fulfills the role of imperial innovator, minting the first example of a coin type that would be repeated, in variant forms, for the next three centuries. The reverse type displayed on this issue portrays an event known as an adlocutio cohortium (address to the cohorts). Caligula is shown standing on a platform, dressed in a civilian toga, his hand extended in a classic oratorical pose. Arrayed before him are five soldiers in close file, dressed in full armor complete with plumed helmets, representing a large formation arrayed in ranks. Four Aquilae, or eagles, are depicted, no doubt held by standard bearers in adjoining ranks. The troops are undoubtedly the Praetorian Guard, as confirmed by a remarkable detail on this beautifully preserved sestertius: The rear soldier’s rectangular shield, angled toward the viewer, is clearly emblazoned with a scorpion, the natal sign of Tiberius, regarded as a second founder of the Praetorians for building their imposing camp within the city. The scorpion is known to have been subsequently adopted by the Praetorian cohorts as their shield blazon.
Caligula’s oration is probably thanking the Praetorians for their support, and likely promising them a sizeable bonus. In fact, without the support of the guard and their prefect, Macro, it is unlikely Caligula would have ever gained the purple. Also interesting on this reverse is the lack of the “S C” legend which, at least in name, would indicate the senate was in approval of the coin issuance. Perhaps as a direct slight to them, this coin was issued under authority of the emperor alone.
The coin offered here is certainly in the top tier of survivors for this issue. The portrait is wonderful and the reverse composition shows a die clearly created by a master of the mint. This is the finest example to appear on the market in more than a dozen years.
Three Sisters Reverse
18. Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. Æ Sestertius (36.5mm, 28.56 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck AD 37-38. C • CAESAR • AVG • GERMANICVS
• PON • M • TR • POT, laureate head left / AGRIPPINA on left, DRVSILLA above, IVLIA on right, S C in exergue, Gaius’ three sisters standing facing: Agrippina (as Securitas), head right, holding cornucopia in right hand and leaning on column, and placing left hand on shoulder of Drusilla (as Concordia), head left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopia in left; on right, Julia (as Fortuna), head left, holding rudder in right hand and cornucopia in left. RIC I 33; BMCRE 36-7; BN 47-9. Wonderful reddish-green patina. EF. Very rare and in superb condition for the issue. A lovely portrait and a finely detailed reverse composition. ($40,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Gasvoda Collection (Part II, Numismatica Ars Classica 94, 6 October 2016), lot 96; The Millennia Collection (Goldberg 46, 26 May 2008), lot 85; Numismatica Ars Classica 29 (11 May 2005), lot 472.
One of the most iconic sesterti in Roman history, I was thrilled to finally acquire this particularly high grade example. The reverse always reminds me of the Three Graces sculptures, especially the sculpture I remember from the Ostia museum. (PLZ)
The coinage of Caligula departs sharply from the simple and static issues of his predecessor, Tiberius. His themes largely focus on his family and his inherited right to rule. His immediate family all make appearances: Divus Augustus (grandfather), Germanicus (father), Agrippina (mother), brothers Nero and Drusus, and his three sisters Agrippina the Younger, Drusilla, and Julia Livilla. The relationship between Caligula and his sisters draws much commentary from the ancient sources. Both Suetonius and Josephus describe the relations as incestuous, with Caligula’s favorite purported to be Drusilla. Whether these tales are true or not, the sestertius depicting the three sisters, as offered here, was certainly shocking to contemporary Romans in its overt celebration of the emperor’s fondness for his female siblings. The graceful figures of each sister are shown in the guise of the goddesses Securitas (Agrippina), Concordia (Drusilla), and Fortuna (Julia Livilla). Since each sister is named, there is no mistaking their identity. The type would appear twice, once in AD 37/8 and again in AD 39/40.
Drusilla would tragically die of an illness in June of 38 AD, plunging Caligula into violent grief. Relations with his surviving sisters quickly cooled, and both would be sent into exile after their alleged involvement in a purported plot to overthrow Caligula led by Drusilla’s husband, Marcus Lepidus. Naturally, at this point the production of the three-sisters sestertius terminated.
The example offered here is surely one the best surviving examples of the type, with a strong portrait of Caligula, a detailed depiction of the three ladies in their diaphanous finery, and possessing a marvelous reddish-green patina.
Gaius Caligula as Pontifex Maximus
19. Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. Æ Sestertius (35.5mm, 28.65 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 37-38. C • CAESAR • AVG • GERMANICVS • P • M • TR • POT, PIETAS in exergue, Pietas, veiled and draped, seated left on stool, holding patera in extended left hand and resting right forearm on small draped figure standing facing on basis / DIVO AVG above S C across field, Gaius, toga draped over his head, standing left, holding patera over garlanded altar; victimarius standing facing, holding bull for sacrifice; second attendant standing behind Gaius, holding a patera on either side; garlanded hexastyle temple of Divus Augustus in background, pediment decorated with sacrificial scene; triumphal quadriga and Victories as acroteria, statues of Romulus and Aeneas along roof line. RIC I 36; BMCRE 41-3; BN 51; Elkins, Monuments, Figure 70. Brown surfaces, speckled with red and dark green, light smoothing. EF. Well struck with fresh dies. ($5000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 125 (23 June 2021), lot 625; Ernst Ploil Collection (Part III, Numismatica Ars Classica 101, 24 October 2017), lot 113; Hess-Divo 308 (24 October 2007), lot 148; Tkalec (7 May 2006), lot 131; Triton IX (10 January 2006), lot 1391.
The temple of Divus Augustus was erected on the site of the house that Augustus lived in during his youth located between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills. The temple was begun under Tiberius and finally completed in AD 37. Caligula led the dedication of the temple in his role as pontifex maximus. He commemorated the dedication with extravagant events including horse races and a variety of wild animal slaughters. The dedication took place in August, a month by then renamed in honor of Augustus, and culminated on Caligula’s birthday. It was quite the opportunistic timing for the young emperor.
On the offered example, one feature stands out. Almost the entirety of the temple details are present. This is rarely seen for this type as the reverse design often exceeds the borders of the struck examples with detail above the architrave often being mushy or even nonexistent.
C • CAESAR • AVG • GERMANICVS • PON • M
• TR • POT •, bare head left / VESTA above, S C across field, Vesta, veiled and draped, seated left on ornamental throne, holding patera in outstretched right hand and transverse scepter in left. RIC I 38; BMCRE 45-8; BN 54-71. Green and brown patina. EF ($2000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua.
Caligula was given all the titles and authorities granted to Augustus upon his ascension to the throne. This included the title of Pontifex Maximus (chief priest), which automatically placed him in charge over the order of Vestal Virgins. These six priestesses were guardians of the sacred fire of Vesta and each held greater prestige than any other non-imperial woman in Rome. Together with the Pontifex, they led in celebrations of the Vestalia, which took place each year from June 7 to 15 and was regarded as one of the most important of Roman holidays. Vesta appears in many ways on Roman coinage and her temple in the Forum is shown in profile on the coinage of Nero, among others. The depiction of Vesta on this type, enthroned, sometimes seems to have the features of the emperor.
This is the most common coin type for Caligula and comes with a wide variety of detail. Countless dies, both obverse and reverse, are known for this issue. As a result, the quality of the engraving varies widely. For the coin offered here, the portrait is of the finest quality, reflecting those found on the much larger sestertii. The reverse composition is also exemplary, with incredible detail found on both Vesta and the throne upon which she rests.
20. Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. Æ As (28mm, 11.31 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 37-38.
21. Gaius (Caligula). AD 37-41. Æ Sestertius (34mm, 29.95 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck AD 40-41. C • CAESAR • DIVI • AVG • PRO • N • AVG • P • M • TR • P • IIII • P • P •, laureate head left / S • P • Q • R/ P • P/ OB • CIVES/ SERVATOS in four lines within oak wreath. RIC I 53; BMCRE p. 157, note *; BN 116. Green patina, some roughness. EF. A magnificent portrait. Rare. ($7500)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Geoffrey Cope Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 144, with Classical Numismatic Group & Numismatica Genevensis SA, 8 May 2024), lot 1023; Numismatica Ars Classica 64 (17 May 2012), lot 1106; Numismatica Ars Classica 54 (24 March 2010), lot 333; Numismatica Ars Classica 40 (16 May 2007), lot 658.
The extensive use of the OB CIVIS SERVATOS (“For Service to the Citizenry”) type by Caligula lends credence to how importantly the Corona Civica was viewed by all levels of Roman society. The type would be minted in all three metals by Caligula, in contrast to every other type minted by him that were dedicated specifically to members of his family. Here, the legend is preceded by “S P Q R” (for Senatus Populesque Romanus, “the Senate and People of Rome”), indicating the approval of the whole Roman state in honoring the emperor.
The award of the Corona Civica to Caligula, reminiscent to the same as awarded to Augustus, assumes that his rise to the throne without protest prevented yet another civil war, as Tiberius had died without naming an heir and successor. It was also a backhanded “dig” at the unlamented Tiberius, who had come to be perceived as a tyrant. Certainly, this honor was granted in the hopes that Caligula would mirror Augustus in his relations with the senate. Initially, that would prove correct as Caligula ceased the treason trials of Tiberius; unfortunately, that good relationship with the senate would not last.
The coin offered here is an impressive example of this issue, with a wonderful portrait of the emperor and an impressive green patina.
CLAUDIUS
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54)
22. Claudius. AD 41-54. AV Aureus (18.5mm, 7.79 g, 3h). Rome mint. Struck AD 44-45. TI CLAVD • CAESAR • AVG • P • M • TR • P • IIII, laureate head right / Battlemented wall inscribed IMPER • RECEPT enclosing praetorian camp in which Fides Praetorianorum stands left, holding spear in right hand, aquila before him; behind, a pediment with fortified flanking walls. C. Alexander, “Additions to the Gallery of Greek and Roman Daily Life” in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 8 (August 1938), p. 185 (this coin); RIC I 25; von Kaenel type 21 (V-/R321 [unrecorded obv. die]); Calicó 361; BMCRE 23; BN 43-4 (Lugdunum mint); Elkins, Monuments Figure 71. Lustrous. EF. ($30,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Triton XI (8 January 2008), lot 891; Numismatica Ars Classica 40 (16 May 2007), lot 659; Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection (Sotheby’s, 10 November 1972), lot 35.
One of my first aurei, and always one of my favorites. Perfectly centered with mint luster and great provenance. A joy to hold in hand. I personally prefer this coin to any other Claudius aureus I’ve seen. (PLZ)
Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, known to history simply as Claudius, was the son of Nero Claudius Drusus (Drusus the Elder) and Antonia Minor, having been born at Lugdunum in 10 BC. He was thus a direct descendant of Mark Antony, brother to the popular Germanicus, and nephew to the emperor Tiberius. Despite these bloodlines, during his youth he struggled with a limp, a stammer, and a tremor, essentially keeping him ostracized from normal imperial responsibilities. These “flaws” likely worked to his advantage as he was ignored during the purges throughout the reigns of both Tiberius and Caligula. He was simply seen as too unfit to be a threat. Nonetheless, he did share consulship with Caligula in AD 37, perhaps as a kind of joke on the Roman people. The four years of Caligula’s reign would be fraught with fear and would only come to an end with his murder at the hands of several senators and Cassius Chaerea, a military tribune in the very Praetorian Guard who would elevate Claudius to power.
According to the historian Suetonius (Claud. 10.1-4), in the wake of Caligula’s assassination Pretorian soldiers found Claudius cowering behind a palace curtain and immediately hailed him as emperor. The befuddled Claudius was then removed to the Praetorian camp, which had been constructed almost 15 years earlier under the powerful prefect Sejanus and located at the northeastern outskirts of the capital. For the next several days, Claudius remained under the guard’s “protection” while diplomatic maneuvers secured senatorial acceptance of his succession. Because of the Praetorians’ strategic involvement in these events, Claudius rewarded them with a donative of 15,000 sesterces per member, renewed annually for the next several years, ostensibly commemorating their protection of him during the first days of his reign, but, in fact, acknowledging their central role in his accession.
With this inauspicious beginning it is somewhat of a surprise that Claudius would go on to rule the empire admirably and ably. He extended the territories of the empire by annexing Thrace, Noricum, Judaea, and Lycia. His most well-known act was the conquest of Britain, which began in 43 AD. Perhaps the Praetorian Guard had elevated the most unlikely of candidates, but what Rome got was a capable administrator and ruler who served the empire well for 14 years.
This attractive gold aureus combines an excellent portrait of Claudius with a depiction of the Praetorian camp, which proved so instrumental in his survival and elevation to the throne. This is one of the most desired types for Claudius.
23. Claudius. AD 41-54. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.63 g, 1h). Rome mint. Struck AD 50-51. TI CLAVD CAESAR P M TR P X IMP P P, laureate head right / S P Q R/ P • P/ OB C S in three lines within oak wreath. RIC I 54; von Kaenel Type 42; RSC 93; BMCRE 66; BN –. Find patina. Near EF. ($7500)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Gorny & Mosch 146 (6 March 2006), lot 409.
Like Caligula before him, Claudius would take the throne without being named as successor. In fact, Claudius might have been the most unlikely of successors to his nephew. There can be no doubt, however, that Claudius becoming emperor saved Rome from what surely would have been a bloody battle for the throne. His “appointment” was through the sole efforts of the Praetorian Guard and perhaps it would be more fitting for this honor to have been presented to them rather than Claudius himself. But when you are emperor, you get the awards.
The legend here, SPQR / PP / OB C S, states that the senate and people of Rome recognize Claudius as Pater Patriae (father of the country) and award him the oak wreath, or Corona Civica, for saving the lives of Roman citizens. There are two issue dates for this type – 46/7 AD and again in 50/1 AD (as here). This later issue may be related to the naming of Nero as Claudius’ heir. Of the earliest Caesars, only Augustus had officially designated an heir. Unfortunately for Claudius, the naming of Nero would lead to his eventual poisoning by Nero’s mother, and Claudius’ wife, Agrippina.
The coin offered here is has a masterful idealized portrait of Claudius, with a perfect strike and virtually no wear. Collectors of this series know that high-grade denarii of Claudius are notoriously difficult to find. This coin is easily among the finest survivors of the type and destined for a top tier collection.
24. Claudius. AD 41-54. Æ Sestertius (34.5mm, 29.21 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 41-42. TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP, laureate head right / SPES AVGVSTA, S C in exergue, Spes, draped, advancing left, holding flower in right hand and raising skirt with left. RIC I 99; von Kaenel Type 55 (unlisted dies); BMCRE 124-5; BN 165-7. Green patina. Patina broken in places. EF. ($5000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Luc Giard Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 54, 24 March 2010), lot 336; Vinchon (20 November 1992), lot 175.
The illusion of Spes’ sheer gown on this coin’s reverse stands out as one of the most amazing examples of Roman engraving on a sestertius. (PLZ)
Spes, the goddess of hope and the future, makes her first appearance on a Roman Imperial coin with this issue, which itself, comes very early in the reign of Claudius. The appearance of Spes can relate to the emperor himself but it has a potential dual meaning, as this was also the year his son, Britannicus, was born.
With respect to the presently offered coin it should be noted that this issue portrays the idealized bust of Claudius. His coinage is somewhat evenly divided between the idealized and the realistic portrayal of his image. Here the likeness is “Augustan-like” and this was surely no accident. The historian Suetonius notes that Claudius, despite his often uncouth mannerisms, was regal in appearance, particularly when reclining.
25. Claudius. AD 41-54. Æ As (30mm, 9.41 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 42-43. TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG P M TR P IMP P P, bare head left / LIBERTAS AVGVSTA, Libertas, draped, standing right, holding pileus in right hand and extending left hand. RIC I 113; von Kaenel Type 77; BMCRE 202-5; BN 230-2. Green-brown patina. EF. ($2000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Paulo Leitão Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 59, 4 April 2011), lot 915.
The minor bronzes struck during the early empire saw some of the heaviest circulation of all denominations. This is certainly true of the copper As (seen here) as this was a workhorse denomination for everyday commerce. When engraved with care (also as here) and surviving in high grade (yet again, as here), the coin becomes genuinely rare. This coin has a wonderful realistic portrait and an equally impressive enamel like patina. Struck from fresh dies, it is among the finest survivors for the type, perhaps one of the finest surviving asses from the entire Claudius emission.
NERO
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68)
26. Nero. AD 54-68. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.22 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 64-65. NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS, laureate head right / ROMA in exergue, Roma, helmeted and draped, seated left on cuirass, right foot resting on helmet, holding Victory in right had and resting left hand on parazonium at side; round and oblong shield and greave to right. RIC I 54; WCN 27; Calicó 439a; BMCRE 81-2; BN 222-3. NGC Photo Certificate 8559759-002, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5. ($20,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 46 (2 April 2008), lot 513; Numismatica Ars Classica 5 (25 February 1992), lot 421.
Unbelievable detail on both the obverse and reverse. I would frequently view this coin with a loupe just to enjoy the fabulous engraving and strike. (PLZ)
There is no more divisive figure during the period of the twelve Caesars than Nero. It is only through his mother, Agrippina (the younger), that Nero came to power at all. It is widely reported that she poisoned Claudius before he could elevate his son, Britannicus, born from third wife Valeria Messalina. Britannicus was still young at 13 years of age when Claudius was murdered. Agrippina had spent the previous year convincing Claudius to replace the two prefects of the Praetorian Guard with someone who would support Nero as the heir when the time came.
Nero, himself, just 16 years of age when he rose to the throne, was early on influenced by his mother who sought to rule through him. He quickly tired of this arrangement, only to see Agrippina side with Britannicus. As a result, Britannicus was poisoned and eliminated as a threat. The relationship with Nero and Agrippina would continue to diminish until, in 59 AD, he contrived her rather messy execution.
The life and rule of Nero are complicated by conflicting accounts of his reign. His early years, when affairs of state were largely administered by his advisors Seneca and Burrus, are widely admired. His later years, particularly after the removal of Agrippina, are generally regarded as a litany of horrors. The question remains if his popular perception as a capricious tyrant is correct, or just propaganda by his detractors to raise enough doubt that his own “removal” would be met with little resistance. So much happened during Nero’s later years that conclusions are hard to draw for the modern historian. Did he turn to music and public “frolicking”? Almost assuredly. Did he act appropriately after the great fire of Rome in AD 64? The answer here is more complicated. Nero certainly provided much-needed relief to the people of Rome during and after the fire. But when rumors began to circulate that he was the “incendiary” who started it in the first place, he blamed the convenient new Christian religion and its followers. Tacitus, who is kind in reporting on Nero and his lack of involvement in causing the great fire, turns an about-face when discussing how Nero relished in the persecution of the Christians. No matter how involved Nero was in rebuilding Rome, it certainly did not help that he used the newly cleared land to build his Domus Aurea and the Colossus statue of himself.
The efforts to rebuild Rome came at great expense, both to the provinces through higher taxation, and by devaluing currency. This would eventually lead to a revolt by Gaius Julius Vindex, governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, who turned to Servius Sulpicius Galba, then governor of Hispania Tarraconensis. The end would come soon, and the reign of Nero would be no more. His last words, reportedly “what a great artist the world had lost in me,” are a suitable epitaph for his tragicomic reign.
Exceptional Nero Denarius
27. Nero. AD 54-68. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.53 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 64-65. NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS, laureate head right / IVPPITER CVSTOS, Jupiter, with cloak around lower limbs, bare to waist, seated left on throne, holding thunderbolt in right hand and long vertical scepter in left. RIC I 53; WCN 57; RSC 119; BMCRE 74-6; BN 220-1. NGC Photo Certificate 8559788-001, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. A superb coin and surely among the finest known. ($15,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Millennia Collection (Goldberg 46, 26 May 2008), lot 89; Triton VII (13 January 2004), lot 869.
Possibly the most pristine coin in my collection, with suberb detail and sharpness. (PLZ)
This reverse type commemorates the protection of Nero from the Pisonian Conspiracy. Events of the years 64-65 AD defined the subsequent reputation of Nero as a cruel and self-indulgent ruler. His excesses resulted in a conspiracy to overthrow and replace him with Gaius Calpurnius Piso, a respected senator from a venerable family. Among the conspirators were many high-ranking members of Nero’s court including Seneca the Younger, the poet Lucan, and Petronius, who called himself Nero’s “arbiter of elegance.” To Nero, the failure of a conspiracy made up of those so close to him could have been achieved only through divine intervention. As the king of the gods oversaw the security of the Roman state, Nero believed it was Jupiter the Guardian (Custos) who had saved him from harm. Not everyone enjoyed such divine favor: In all, 19 alleged conspirators, including Piso himself, were put to death or forced to commit suicide, while 13 others were exiled.
The offered coin is simply spectacular. Struck from fresh dies, the details on both obverse and reverse place this coin at the very top of known survivors. Truly a coin destined for the finest collection.
Port of Ostia
28. Nero. AD 54-68. Æ Sestertius (35mm, 25.56 g, 6h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck circa AD 65. NERO CLΛVD CΛESΛR ΛVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head left, globe at point of neck / S C above, PORT AVG in exergue, Port of Ostia: eight ships within the harbor; at the top is a pharus surmounted by a statue of Neptune; below is a reclining figure of Tiber, holding a rudder in right hand and dolphin in left; to left, crescent-shaped pier with portico, terminating with building; to right, crescent-shaped row of breakwaters or slips. RIC I 441; WCN 427; Lyon 118; BMCRE –; BN –. Dark green patina. EF. Very rare with laureate head left. ($30,000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Hess-Divo 314 (4 May 2009), lot 1531; Hess-Divo 311 (22 October 2008), lot 517; Künker 133 (11 October 2007), lot 8651; Tkalec (7 May 2006), lot 135.
This coin inspired me to make the port of Ostia a focus of our trip to Italy six years after acquiring it. The eight different ships depicted on the reverse really distinguishes this particular Port of Ostia coin for me. (PLZ)
Roman engineering achievements are not uncommon on Roman coinage going back to republican times. Although temples and arches are the most prevalent, aqueducts, bridges, military camps, columns and other structural projects all appear. Whatever his faults as a person, Nero was an innovative ruler and his bronze coinage, for the first time, depicts a bird’s eye view of an entire port, complete with docking facilities and visiting ships. The facility so depicted is certainly worthy of a closer look.
Virtually all ancient cities relied heavily on water for drinking, sanitation and navigation. Ancient Rome in AD 64 was the world’s most populous city, but was not situated directly on the sea. This posed a challenge to the task of feeding the city’s immense population. The Tiber River was navigable and exited to the sea near the town of Ostia, about 16 miles away. Ostia, however, was far from ideal as a port, possessing a narrow and shallow inlet that could allow only a few ships at a time to enter, and frequently became clogged by riverine silt. For most of Rome’s Republican and early Imperial history, the far better port of Puteoli, more than 170 miles away, actually imported far more grain and other merchandise to Rome than did the Tiber inlet at Ostia.
Julius Caesar first proposed building a large artificial harbor at the mouth of the Tiber to turn Ostia into a proper port, but the project lay dormant for more than eight decades until the Emperor Claudius took up the challenge and initiated construction of a massive breakwater and a circular ring of docks, called simply Portus (“Harbor”). By any standards, Portus was an engineering marvel. A huge ship that had been used by Caligula to transport an Egyptian obelisk to Rome was filled with concrete and sunk to provide a firm foundation for the mole, which also bore a huge statue of Neptune and a lighthouse, modeled on the Pharos of Alexandria, that guided ships toward a safe docking.
While initiated and sustained by Claudius, it appears the project’s final completion occurred in the reign of his successor, Nero. In any case, he claimed credit for the engineering feat by striking the impressive Port of Ostia sestertii, of which this lovely example must rank as one of the finest surviving specimens.
As a postscript, despite further improvements by Trajan and Hadrian, Portus eventually silted up to the point where it became unusable and it was largely abandoned by the fourth century AD. However, this resulted in a great deal of ancient Ostia, now called Ostia Antica, surviving to the present day. Modern visitors can now tour ancient buildings and warehouses that are as complete as those of Pompeii.
29. Nero. AD 54-68. Æ As (23.5mm, 7.56 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 64. NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, radiate head right / GENIO AVGVSTI, S C across field, Genius, naked except for cloak around waist, standing left, holding cornucopia in left hand and sacrificing out of patera in right hand over lighted altar; I (mark of value) in exergue. RIC I 215; WCN 276; BMCRE 251; BN 328-9. Attractive green patina. Near EF. Wonderful reverse. ($1500)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 52 (7 October 2009), lot 347.
The origin of the Genius Augusti (“spirit of Augustus”) for Imperial Rome dates back to Augustus. This changed the Genius from a personal attribute to that of the emperor himself, and in turn all the people under his leadership. Altars of the “Genii” have been found all over the Roman Empire.
The coin offered here has an attractive green patina with an exceptional reverse. This type, with the radiate head of Nero, would normally imply the denomination is a dupondius. The weight range however, somewhere between 7 and 8 grams, would place it as an As.
TWELVE CAESARS IN GOLD
GALBA
born Servius Sulpicius Galba, (24 December 3 BC – 15 January AD 69)
Ex Biaggi Collection – Illustrated in Calicó – Pedigreed to 1960
30. Galba. AD 68-69. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.57 g, 6h). Uncertain Spanish mint (Tarraco?). Struck circa April to late AD 68. SER • GΛLBΛ • IMP
• CAESΛR • ΛVG P M TR • P, laureate head right, globe at point of neck / LIBERTAS PVBLICA, Libertas, draped, standing left, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC I 56; CSB 34; Calicó 484 (this coin illustrated); BMCRE p. 339, note 176; BN –; Biaggi 258 (this coin). Several marks in fields, faint edge marks. Near EF. The only example of the type in CoinArchives. Very rare. ($40,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 49, 21 October 2008), lot 147; Münzen und Medaillen AG XXI (19 March 1960), lot 27.
An excellent portrait of the gruff, dour Galba as he must have appeared to his subjects. Great provenance. (PLZ)
Servius Sulpicius Galba, born in 3 BC into a wealthy family, would hold positions of importance through his early career. He was known to be close with Livia, wife of Augustus and to whom Galba claimed distant relations. He would retire from public life during the reign of Claudius. Nero would later restore his political importance with the granting of the governorship of Hispania. It is while in this role that Galba joined Gaius Julius Vindex in revolt against Nero, the very man who summoned him back in public life.
The rebellion would see Vindex defeated and his subsequent suicide. Nevertheless, Nero lost his nerve and his regime abruptly collapsed, leaving Galba to be acclaimed as emperor by the Senate after Nero’s death. His rule lasted only seven months and was never comfortable. From the start his unpopular decisions, alleged cruelty and legendary parsimony, alienated his supporters and further distanced his detractors. In the end, he was a man with hardly any support, even from his closest advisors.
The end for Galba began when the troops of Germania Inferior refused to support his rule and instead declared for their own governor, Aulus Vitellius. Ironically, like Nero placing Galba in Hispania, it was Galba himself who sent Vitellius to Germania Inferior. The revolt, plus his refusal to pay the Praetorians a heavy bonus, prompted a cascading series of events that led to Galba’s murder by his erstwhile guardians in the Roman Forum on January 15, AD 69. The acerbic verdict of Tacitus was that Galba “was commonly agreed to possess the makings of a great ruler— had he never ruled.”
His portrait on coinage has a couple of unique styles but his countenance is always stern and unfriendly in appearance. The portrait seen here, from Tarraco in Spain, is exceptional in its realism and this coin is surely at the top tier of surviving examples of Galba in gold. This is truly an exceptional coin from a leader whose reign was, perhaps deservedly, brief.
31. Galba. AD 68-69. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.71 g, 6h). Spanish mint (Tarraco?). Struck circa April-late AD 68. SER • GALBA • IMP • CAESAR • AVG • P • M • TR • P, laureate head right, globe at point of neck / VIRTVS, Virtus, bareheaded, wearing short tunic, standing left, holding Victory in extended right hand and parazonium in left. RIC I 64; CSB 74; RSC 339; BMCRE p. 342 note; BN 33. Lustrous, faint hairlines. EF. High relief. Rare. ($4000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Triton X (9 January 2007), lot 588.
At the age of 70, Galba found himself hailed by the senate as emperor, the first from outside the Julio-Claudian family. Once installed, he embarked on an austerity program to restore the state’s finances. The Praetorian Guard had been promised an enormous bonus by one of Galba’s supporters, but he refused to pay up, remarking “I choose my soldiers, I do not buy them.” He also demanded back many of the lavish gifts Nero had distributed to officials. Although meaning well, Galba proved oblivious to the realities of his situation and soon managed to offend nearly every segment of Roman society. The disaffection quickly spread to the provinces, and on January 1, AD 69, the Rhine legions rebelled, hailing their commander, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. Galba attempted to salvage the situation by adopting a likable young aristocrat, L. Calpurnius Piso, as his designated successor, but this only alienated another key supporter, M. Salvius Otho, who had hoped to be chosen Caesar himself.
Otho bribed Praetorian officers, and on January 15, AD 69, they attacked Galba and Piso in the Forum, hacking them to pieces. His entire reign had lasted seven months and proved only the opening act in the disastrous “Year of the Four Emperors.”
The coin offered here, with the “VIRTVS” reverse minted at Tarraco, is quite rare. There is little doubt that Galba considered himself to be virtuous, as is told in the above story so the selection of this type by him makes perfect sense. This coin was first struck before he was declared emperor by the senate and his claim of his personal “virtue” is likely a plea to them to accept his rule. The coin is in superb condition and quite possibly the finest known for the type.
Exceptional Galba Portrait
32. Galba. AD 68-69. Æ Sestertius (36mm, 28.10 g, 6h). Rome mint, 5th officina. Struck August-October AD 68. IMP • SER • SVLP • GALBA • CAES • AVG • TR P, laureate and draped bust right / LIBERTAS PVBLICA, S C across field, Libertas, draped, standing left, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC I 309; ACG – (unlisted dies); BMCRE 71; BN 147-8. Green-brown patina, light pitting and deposits on reverse. EF. Exceptional portrait. ($30,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 64 (17 May 2012), lot 1132; Sternberg XVII (9 May 1986), lot 557.
Again and again I would hold this coin in hand and marvel at the stunning detail in Galba’s portrait. A masterpiece of Roman engraving! (PLZ)
One of the most common types for a sestertius of Galba, this issue, with the LIBERTAS PVBLICA reverse is known for producing the finest portraits of the emperor. Known from a number of different obverse dies, all have one overriding characteristic: Each portrays Galba with a stern countenance consistent with his reported demeanor. The offered example has a superb portrait with a wonderful patina. It is an exceptional coin that is destined to be a part of the finest cabinet for this series.
AD 68-69. Æ Dupondius
olive branch in right hand and caduceus in left. RIC I 323 var. (caduceus winged); ACG –; BMCRE 132 var. (same); BN 153 var. (same). Brown patina. Near EF. ($3000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Joseph Melchione Collection (Goldberg 70, 4 September 2012), lot 3235; Sternberg XXVIII (with Freeman & Sear, 30 October 1995), lot 47; Arethusa 3 (25 November 1994), lot 256.
There are two distinct PAX reverse varieties issued under Galba. The more common, clearly engraved by an inexperienced celator, has the simple three-letter word PAX split by the olive branch being held by the goddess. It is one of the more unusual mistakes seen from the mint at Rome. The offered example is of the proper style, with PAX written entirely below the olive branch. Ironically, this is the rarer variety for the type. As is often the case with Galba’s bronzes, the coin displays a superb portrait of the emperor in a style reminiscent of Republican verism.
33. Galba.
(29mm, 13.55 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa August-October AD 68. IMP SER SVLP GALBA CAES AVG TR P, laureate and draped bust right / PAX AVGVSTA, S C across field, Pax, draped, standing left, holding
OTHO
Otho (born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April AD 32 – 16 April AD 69)
Very Rare Otho Aureus
34. Otho. AD 69. AV Aureus (19.5mm, 7.26 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck 15 January-8 March. IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P, bare head right / PAX ORB IS T ERRARVM, Pax, draped, standing left, holding olive branch in right hand and cradling caduceus in left arm. RIC I 3; Muona Group 1, Type 5A, Portrait Type B; Calicó 524; BMCRE 1-2; BN 2; Biaggi 270. Faint hairlines. Near EF. Attractive portrait. Very rare. ($40,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 52 (7 October 2009), lot 362.
Marcus Salvius Otho came from a wealthy noble Etruscan family. He was a minor functionary in the court of Nero, known more for his enthusiastic participation in the emperor’s revels than for any real competency. His one mistake was in introducing his beautiful wife Poppaea Sabina to his master. Very soon, Otho got the governorship of the remote province of Lusitania, and Nero got Poppaea. During the revolt of 68 AD, Otho aligned himself with his fellow governor Galba, fully expecting to be named the elderly emperor’s successor. When Galba instead designated Piso as his successor, the disappointed Otho joined the conspiracy against him. A bribe from Otho induced the Praetorian Guard to assassinate Galba on January 15, AD 69, after which Otho was proclaimed emperor and the Senate cowed into accepting his elevation. Recognizing the populace favored the fresh memory of Nero to that of Galba, Otho had the recently removed statues of Nero restored throughout Rome. Nero’s freedmen and officers were also reinstated.
The new emperor quickly learned of the serious threat posed by troops to the north, who had proclaimed Vitellius emperor. Roused to action, Otho moved his few loyal legions and the supportive Praetorians to engage those of Germania in northern Italy. The decisive battle of Bedriacum was a close-run affair but ended with a significant defeat of Otho’s forces. In perhaps his most noble gesture, Otho committed suicide rather than submit the empire to further civil war and bloodshed. His rule had lasted just three short months during the Year of the Four Emperors.
Otho’s Roman coinage is exclusively in silver and gold, hastily minted to pay the Praetorian officers and rank-and-file. His rather pudgy portrait depicts him with a suspiciously helmetlike head of hair, likely a wig worn to cover his bald head. The offered coin has an exceptional portrait in very high grade for an aureus of this emperor. A coin destined for the finest collection.
35. Otho. AD 69. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.54 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck 15 January-8 March. IMP M OTHO CΛESΛR AVG TR P, bare head right / PΛX ORB IS TERRΛRVM, Pax, draped, standing left, holding olive branch in right hand and cradling caduceus in left. RIC I 4; Muona Group 1, Type 5B, Portrait B; RSC 3; BMCRE 3; BN 3. NGC Photo Certificate 8559788-002, graded AU, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5, flan flaw. ($7500)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Millennia Collection (Goldberg 46, 26 May 2008), lot 93.
Born in AD 32 to a nouveau riche family, Marcus Salvius Otho grew up as a pampered playboy with a taste for the finer things in life. He had a peculiar abhorrence for bodily hair and depilated every part of his body, including his head, to cover his baldness. He then wore a carefully made wig, which can be detected in his later coin portraits. Otho became one of Emperor Nero’s high-living friends, but this changed abruptly when Nero took a fancy to his beautiful wife, Poppaea. Otho was thus packed off to govern Lusitania (modern Portugal), where he stewed and plotted revenge. When Nero’s regime collapsed in AD 68, Otho was one of Galba’s early supporters and followed him back to Rome. He fully expected to be named the old man’s heir apparent. Instead, Galba chose a young aristocrat of better breeding, and the furious Otho began plotting his removal. Playing on Galba’s stingy reputation, he bribed the Praetorian Guards to murder Galba on January 15, AD 69, after which the Senate reluctantly confirmed Otho as emperor. But he immediately faced another rebellion, this time by Vitellius, the governor of lower Germany, whose sizeable army marched on Italy, defeated Otho’s hastily gathered forces, and impelled his suicide to prevent further bloodshed. His noble end gained him a respect that had eluded him in life.
As previously noted, Otho’s Roman coinage is exclusively in silver and gold. The superb denarius offered here, besides clearly depicting his infamous wig, bears the ironic reverse legend PAX ORBIS TERRARVM (“Peace in the world”). Given Otho’s position as brief ruler in the war-filled Year of the Four Emperors, he certainly could hope for nothing more. This coin is struck on a large round flan with complete legends, making it a desirable addition to any first-rate set of Roman imperial denarii.
TWELVE CAESARS IN SILVER
VITELLIUS
Aulus Vitellius (24 September AD 15 – 20 December AD 69)
Ex Sir John Evans and Ponton D’Amécourt Collections – Pedigreed to 1887
36. Vitellius. AD 69. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.33 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP TR P, laureate head right / LIBERTAS RESTITVTA, Libertas, draped, standing facing, head right, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC I 80; Calicó 563 (this coin illustrated); BMCRE –; BN –; Adda 45. Near EF. Wonderful portrait. Extremely rare, one of four in CoinArchives. ($50,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 51 (5 March 2009), lot 214; Numismatica Ars Classica 10 (9 April 1997), lot 596; Numismatica Ars Classica 8 (3 April 1995), lot 783; Sir John Evans Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 26 May 1909), lot 51; Vicomte Gustave Ponton d’Amécourt Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 25 April 1887), lot 122.
A wide-eyed Vitellius is the hallmark of this sharp, top-notch aureus, and the wonderful provenance just adds to its attractiveness. (PLZ)
Aulus Vitellius could be described as a man who enjoyed good fortune through most of his life, until it abruptly fled him. The son of the influential senator Lucius Vitellius, he was born in AD 15 and raised in the luxury befitting a wealthy consul’s son. While his father played the sycophant and won the favor of Caligula, Claudius and Nero in succession, the younger Vitellius developed a penchant for gambling along with a gourmand’s appetites and corpulent physique. He served as Consul in AD 48, where he acquitted himself well, but resumed his disreputable habits in later years. He was named governor of Germania Inferior (lower Germany) by Galba in AD 69, only a few months prior to his being declared emperor by the legions there and in Germania Superior (upper Germany). Marching on Rome, his legions defeated those of Otho, forcing the latter’s suicide. For the moment, Vitellius seemed to have secured the ultimate prize in the tumultuous “long year” of AD 69.
As emperor, Vitellius would follow the plan of Otho in regard to Nero’s legacy. He honored the dead emperor and sacrificed to his spirit. Nero, last of the Julio-Claudian emperors, had remained extremely popular with the general public. Vitellius is most widely known as an enormous eater, with the historian Tacitus calling him a “hog.” He reportedly spent the equivalent of $2 billion on banquets during his brief reign.
The revelry was short-lived, however, as Vespasian was hailed emperor in Judaea only a few months later. Vitellius’ troops gave little resistance as legions loyal to Vespasian entered Italy. As Vespasian’s army approached Rome, Vitellius attempted to abdicate, but was prevented by the Praetorians and his backers, who rioted and burned down the Temple of Jupiter. This only delayed the inevitable: When Vespasian’s forces seized Rome, Vitellius was dragged out of his hiding place and brutally murdered, his body thrown down the Gemonian Stairs.
As for our coin offered here, it bears an appropriately bloated portrait of this notorious ruler. Libertas, personification of Liberty, appears on the reverse; according to A Dictionary of Ancient Roman Coins by John Melville Jones, the staff or vindicta, which Libertas carries, was “the rod with which a slave was touched during the ceremony of manumission or liberation.”
37. Vitellius. AD 69. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.44 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head right / LIBERTAS RESTITVTA, Libertas, draped, standing facing, head right, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC I 105; RSC 47; BMCRE 31; BN 67-9. Toned, faint hairlines. EF. ($3000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 29 (11 May 2005), lot 499.
As the ultimate loser in the Year of the Four Emperors free-for-all, Aulus Vitellius gets terrible press from historians ancient and modern. In truth, he is less of a villain than a lazy hedonist who was thrust into a role he never sought for himself.
Appointed to govern Germania, Vitellius found himself on the hot seat in late AD 68 as his soldiers grew disenchanted with Galba’s perceived parsimony. On January 1, AD 69, the soldiers smashed Galba’s images and proclaimed Vitellius emperor. The extent to which he was complicit in this revolt is unknown, but his subsequent march toward Rome took on the appearance of a Bacchic procession, with his soldiers drinking heavily and pillaging the countryside. By April 14, his forces had defeated those of Otho and induced the latter’s suicide. Arriving in Rome, Vitellius was confirmed as emperor by a reluctant Senate and treated his elevation as an excuse for one long banquet. As the legions of Vespasian drew closer, he tried to escape his predicament by abdicating, but his backers refused to let him step down. His pathetic last words, uttered as soldiers rousted him from his hiding place and began torturing him to death, were reputedly “but once I was your emperor!”
On the coin offered here presents a reverse depiction of Libertas, along with the legend LIBERTAS RESTITVTA (“liberty restored”); ironically, it had only recently been employed by Galba. The coin has a lifelike portrait of the imperial gourmand struck in high relief.
38. Vitellius. AD 69. Æ Sestertius (37mm, 29.73 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. A VITELLIVS GERMANICVS IMP AVG P M TR P, laureate and draped bust right / MARS VICTOR, S C across field, Mars, helmeted, in military dress, advancing left, holding Victory in right hand and trophy over left shoulder in left, parazonium at his left side. RIC I 115; BMCRE 52; BN 91. Dark green patina, smoothed. Near EF. Bold portrait. Very rare. ($5000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 52 (7 October 2009), lot 367.
The use of Mars Victor on the reverse of a coin of Vitellius relates to the military battles in his effort to gain the throne. The Roman god of war would have been seen as logical choice since Vitellius had claimed the throne by defeating the forces of Otho at the First Battle of Bedriacum. Alas, shortly after reaching Rome, he would learn that the eastern legions had proclaimed for Vespasian. While a military response was put forth, a lightning strike by the legions of Pannonia, led by Antonius Primus, placed Vitellius’ army at a grave disadvantage. The Vitellian troops were routed at the Second Battle of Bedracium, opening the pathway to Rome. Mars, it seems, had abandoned Vitellius and favored the cause of Vespasian.
Struck for only five months, sestertii of Vitellius are among the rarest Roman issues in bronze and are seldom found in even presentable condition. This example, with its imposing portrait of Vitellius and athletic figure of Mars, is surely in the top tier of surviving specimens.
Exceptional High Relief Portrait
39. Vitellius. AD 69. Æ As (27.5mm, 11.57 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG P M TR P, laureate head right / CONCORDIA AVGVSTI, S C in exergue, Concordia, draped, seated left, holding patera in right hand and cornucopia in left; to left, lighted altar. RIC I 171; BMCRE 72; BN –. Dark green-brown patina. Superb EF. Exceptional high relief portrait. ($20,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Gasvoda Collection (Part I, Numismatica Ars Classica 86, 8 October 2015), lot 157; Triton X (9 January 2007), lot 595.
This small bronze is one of the brightest jewels of my AES collection. I was overwhelmed by the relief of the obverse when I received it, plus a simply fantastic portrait on such a small canvas. (PLZ)
The bronze coinage of Vitellius includes a wide variety of types as the mint was clearly trying to supply a massive output to the new ruler, already the third in this year of four emperors. The engraving and coining staffs were surely working nonstop to meet this incredible demand. His resulting coinage is quite varied in reverse themes but it focuses on three distinct areas – military prowess, unity with the Roman senate, and the normal Roman pantheon of Gods. Seen here, the “Concordia” reverse is a direct plea to the Roman political system. This type appears in gold, silver and bronze. The theme was important for Vitellius: The empire had been in a brutal civil war for much of 69 AD, and losses by the supporters of all factions were significant. “Concord” along with the “Pax” (Peace) issues were part of the very public effort of Vitellius to not only remain in power but to have the Roman elite and plebs support him and his regime.
There is perhaps no better surviving bronze coin of this emperor than the example presented here. Struck in high relief with a wonderful green patina, this is a gem to behold and worthy of a true connoisseur.
VESPASIAN
Titus Flavius Vespasianus (17 November AD 9 – 23 June AD 79)
Illustrated in Calicó – Pedigreed to 1912
40. Vespasian. AD 69-79. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.35 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck July-December AD 71. IMP CAES VESP AVG P M, laureate head right / NEP RED, Neptune, naked, standing left, right foot set on globe, holding acrostolium in right hand and vertical scepter in left. RIC II.1 44; Calicó 653a (this coin illustrated); BMCRE 54; BN 37; Adda 56; Biaggi 328. Minor marks, edge marks. EF. Well struck and in high relief. ($15,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 51 (5 March 2009), lot 218; Numismatica Genevensis SA IV (11 December 2006), lot 165; Rev. W. L. Gantz Collection (Part 1, Glendining, 27 May 1941), lot 465; D. Anderson Collection (Glendining, 3 December 1929), lot 104; Hirsch XXXIV (5 May 1914), lot 1006; Hirsch XXXI (6 May 1912), lot 1194.
An atypical reverse with Neptune’s foot on a globe drew me to this attractive aureus, plus a provenance that is over a century old! (PLZ)
Titus Flavius Vespasianus (Vespasian) would today be described as coming from a family of “new money.” He was born outside Rome and raised in the countryside by his grandmother. He served as quaestor and then as aedile and he would be the first of his family to rise to senatorial rank. He made his reputation in the Roman army, serving in Thrace and the Claudian invasion of Britain in AD 43, where he was the legate of Legio II Augusta. His achievements in Britain are well recorded. In AD 51 he was elected consul, after which service he retired. Nero coaxed him out of retirement to govern Africa, but his most important military posting would come when Nero asked him to put down the Jewish rebellion in AD 66. While in Judaea the stage would be set for his rise to the throne where he would become the last man standing in AD 69, the Year of the Four Emperors.
Vespasian’s Judaean legions and those of neighboring Syria proclaimed him emperor on July 1, AD 69, and he quickly set sail for Egypt to secure the rest of the east. Unexpectedly, the Danube legions also declared for him and launched a lightning invasion of Italy that caught the forces of Vitellius flat-footed. Their victory, and the subsequent death of Vitellius, saw Vespasian confirmed as emperor by the Senate in absentia. He would not enter Rome until the late summer of AD 70. He immediately set about consolidating his support after the most tumultuous year in Rome’s history. A relative unknown to the general populace, the mint set upon a propaganda campaign related to his defeat of the Jews with the massive outpouring of “Judaea Capta” coinage for both Vespasian and his elder son and coleader in the Jewish war, Titus.
Upon the destruction of Jerusalem, Titus returned to Rome with the spoils of war, including a great number of enslaved Jewish combatants. Father and son celebrated with a terrific triumph and a substantial issue of Judaea Capta coinage (see lots 41 and 42). Vespasian used the wealth captured from the Jews to start construction on the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum). Sadly, it would not be completed during his lifetime. Besides the Colosseum, he also invested heavily in restoration projects throughout Rome.
Vespasian was a stern ruler but was widely perceived as fair-minded and generous to people in need. He was well known for his wit and pleasant manner. Even his image on coins seem to portray these jovial qualities. As he lay on his deathbed, he is reported to have uttered the famous phrase “dear me, I think I am becoming a God!” The Flavian dynasty he founded would rule the empire for a combined 27 years.
The coin offered here is one of only three examples to appear in Coin Archives. This is the finest of the three, and the Calico plate coin. Struck in high relief with a superb portrait.
41. Vespasian. AD 69-79. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.22 g, 5h). “Judaea Capta” commemorative. Rome mint. Struck circa 21 December AD 69-early 70. IMP CΛESΛR VESPΛSIΛNVS ΛVG, laureate head right / IVDAEA in exergue, trophy; to right, Judaea, veiled and draped, seated right on ground in attitude of mourning, knees drawn up, head resting in left hand, which is propped on knees. RIC II.1 2; Hendin 6509; RSC 226; BMCRE 35-42; BN 23-5. Toned, a couple of dark spots on reverse. Superb EF. ($3000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Tkalec (22 April 2007), lot 201.
The main Judaea Capta coinage was a series of imperial issues struck in gold, silver, and bronze, and provincial issues struck in silver and bronze, to celebrate the Roman defeat of Judaea, the capture of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the Jewish Second Temple during the First Jewish War (66-73 CE). Generally, the reverse of this coinage shows a Jewish female seated in an attitude of mourning beneath a palm tree. Sometimes a bound male captive, or the figure of the victorious emperor or Victory, is found standing on the other side amid weapons, shields, and helmets. While some gold and silver coins bear no legend on the reverse, most issues are inscribed IVDAEA CAPTA, IVDAEA DEVICTA, or simply IVDAEA. The imperial coins were struck for only Vespasian and Titus. Provincial drachms were minted in Asia Minor for Titus (who oversaw the capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple). The provincial bronze coinage for Titus and Domitian (who did not participate in any of the actions but was included by familial association) was struck in Judaea by the Roman administration at Caesarea Maritima and even by the Romanized Jewish ruler, Agrippa II, who was a friend of Titus and his supporter during the war.
The offered coin is of incredible quality. There is a tiny toning spot on the reverse that could be easily curated (removed).
Impressive Vespasian Judaea Capta Sestertius
42. Vespasian. AD 69-79. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 26.01 g, 6h). “Judaea Capta” commemorative. Rome mint. Struck AD 71. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III, laureate head right / IVDAEA CAPTA, S C in exergue, palm tree; to left, Vespasian standing right, left foot on helmet, holding spear in right hand, cradling parazonium in left arm; to right, Judaea, veiled and draped, seated right on cuirass, in attitude of mourning. RIC II.1 167; Hendin 6534; Brin 45; BMCRE 543-6; BN 497-8. Superb EF. A very impressive coin. ($50,000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex Sternberg XIII (17 November 1983), lot 610.
An especially poignant depiction on the reverse of this Judaea Capta sestertius places this coin at the apex of almost all of these types I’ve ever seen, and I was fortunate to acquire it from a private seller. (PLZ)
Few Roman coins are as evocative as the famous “Judaea Capta” issues of Vespasian and Titus, making them among the most widely sought-after types in the whole Roman series. No one took better advantage of a single military victory than the Flavian rulers, who were the final winners in the civil wars of AD 68-69.
Late in the reign of Nero, in AD 66, an anti-Roman rebellion erupted in the client kingdom of Judaea. After initial efforts to quell the revolt with local forces failed, the following year Nero sent the veteran general Vespasian to Judaea with a large legionary task force to crush the rebels. He was able to subdue most of Judaea but, in the midst of the campaign, Nero’s regime collapsed and a free-for-all ensued that would soon see Vespasian’s legions declare him emperor. He departed for Rome to claim the throne, leaving his elder son, Titus, to handle the conclusion of this First Jewish War. Titus prosecuted the war with grim efficiency, finally placing Jerusalem under siege until it fell, with the accompanying destruction of the second temple, in the summer of AD 70. Vespasian and Titus would celebrate a triumph back at Rome, the details of which can still be seen on the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum. The final resistance of the Jewish rebels ended with the fall of Masada in April, AD 73.
Perhaps the most recognizable result of the Jewish War is the Roman Colosseum, which was started by Vespasian and opened publicly by Titus in AD 79. This Flavian Amphitheater, later named after the Colossus of Nero which stood before it, was built from spoils seized from the war, among them thousands of enslaved Jews who labored in its construction.
The Judaea Capta coinage commenced in AD 71, capitalizing on the sensational triumph held in Rome to celebrate Titus’ victory. Flavian propaganda understandably wanted to stress this foreign conquest, rather than their defeat of fellow Romans in the recent civil war. The type almost always features a Jewess seated at the base of a palm tree, her face buried in her hands in abject mourning. Standing opposite the tree, on the present example, is a triumphant Vespasian standing in full armor, holding a spear, his foot placed on a helmet. Few images so concisely convey both the swelling pride of the conqueror and the utter desolation of the defeated.
Though Judea Capta coinage was struck in substantial numbers and is widely collected, this exceptional example must surely rank as one of the finest surviving specimens of the entire series. The portrait is superb and the reverse details are exceptionally well defined.
Pedigreed to 1922
43. Vespasian. AD 69-79. Æ Dupondius (30mm, 14.20 g, 6h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck AD 71. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG COS III, radiate head right, globe at point of neck / S C across field, ROMA in exergue, Roma, helmeted and draped, seated left on cuirass, right foot on helmet, holding Victory in outstretched right hand and resting left hand on parazonium; to right, shields set on ground. RIC II.1 1145 (R2); Lyon 30/1a (D82/ R85); BMCRE –; BN –. Attractive dark green patina. Near EF. Extremely rare. ($1500)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 78 (26 May 2014), lot 884; Sternberg XIII (17 November 1983), lot 613; V. J. E. Ryan Collection (Part V, Glendining, 2 April 1952), lot 2741; Ars Classica XVI (3 July 1933), lot 1616; Naville II (12 June 1922), lot 466.
The reverse type of Roma seated on cuirass holding Victory reprises the extensive outpouring of this same type under Nero. While not directly a “Judaea Capta” type, this coin was minted during the extensive run of that series for both Vespasian and Titus. Both the obverse portrait and the reverse of Roma are very delicately engraved and must have been created by the hand of a master celator. This is in stark contrast to this type minted under both Nero and Vespasian, where the depiction of Roma is often almost cartoonish in nature. It would appear the creation of this reverse die type was used as a training model for die engravers just learning their craft. The present example is most impressive as we are likely looking at a coin struck from the dies of the “master” given to the engraving staff as an example of the how the type was intended to be. It can, without exaggeration, be termed a masterpiece.
TITUS
Titus Flavius Vespasianus (30 December AD 39 – 13 September AD 81)
Titus as Caesar Ex Biaggi, Jameson, and Fellot Collections – Pedigreed to 1904
44. Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.39 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 76. T CAESAR IMP VESPASIAN, laureate head right / COS V, heifer of Myron standing right. RIC II.1 857 (Vespasian); Calicó 733a; BMCRE 185 (Vespasian); BN 162 (Vespasian); Adda 64; Biaggi 363 (this coin); Jameson 71 (this coin); Mazzini 51. Minor marks, slight edge bend. EF. A magnificent portrait. ($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 49, 21 October 2008), lot 162; Robert Jameson Collection (publ. 1913); M. Fellot Collection (Bourgey, 13 April 1904), lot 79.
Another great provenance with an iconic reverse. (PLZ)
Titus Flavius Vespasianus was the elder son of the emperor Vespasian. Like his father, he made his reputation in the Roman army, holding ever-more important positions in Germania and Britannia. Later, he led the 15th Legion to Judaea to join his father in the suppression of the Jewish rebellion known as the First Jewish War. In AD 69, “the Year of the Four Emperors,” Vespasian broke off the Judean campaign to make his own attempt to seize the purple. Titus remained behind in Judaea to finish the campaign against the Jewish rebels. Vespasian would already be emperor when Titus finally besieged the city of Jerusalem in AD 70. When Jerusalem fell, the city and its centerpiece, the Second Temple, suffered almost total destruction.
Titus returned to Rome in AD 71 and was given a grand triumph. Details of this event are still to be seen on the arch of Titus in the Roman Forum. Titus and Domitian were both declared Caesars by the Roman Senate, but Titus was clearly preferred and, as Praetorian Prefect, was virtually co-emperor with his father, holding seven consulships in total. Upon Vespasian’s death in June of AD 79, Titus succeeded to the throne without opposition.
He proceeded to rule with moderation, intelligence and compassion. Vespasian used the spoils of the Jewish war to build Rome’s most recognizable and enduring monuments, the great Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum). Although begun and largely constructed under his father, it would be Titus who officially opened the Amphitheater in AD 80. The inaugural games to open the Colosseum lasted for 100 days and included gladiatorial contests, naval battles, chariot and horse racing, and a wide variety of exotic animal events. To this day, even in ruins, it remains one of the most visited sites in Rome.
Unfortunately, Titus’ brief reign also included more than its fair share of tragedy. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, likely in October AD 79, shortly after he assumed office. His relief efforts, which included large personal donations, are widely admired, and Titus is known to have visited the area on two occasions. In AD 80, another major fire broke out in Rome, and many buildings were destroyed, including the Pantheon, Temple of Jupiter, and Theater of Pompey. Again, Titus provided money from his personal fortune to aid in the relief and repair efforts.
Unfortunately for Rome, his time was destined to be short. Titus was observed to weep at the games opening the Colosseum and took seriously ill shortly thereafter. He seems to have sensed his doom and lamented that he was going to an early grave with only one serious regret, the nature of which has been the subject of speculation ever since. He died on September 1, AD 81 at the age of 40, in the same house where his father had succumbed two years before.
This impressive aureus of Titus was struck while he was Caesar to Vespasian, in AD 73. Although the Flavian dynasty was on firm footing by the time of issue, the reverse design of a standing sacrificial cow reprises an issue of Augustus and is intended to further legitimize Flavian rule. Hailing from the prestigious Biaggi Collection, this piece has an exceptionally detailed portrait of Titus, depicting him as a “chip off the old block” of his father.
45. Titus. AD 79-81. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.31 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck 1 January-30 June AD 80. IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, laureate head right / TR P IX IMP XV COS VIII P P, elephant, wearing cuirass, walking left on exergual line. RIC II.1 115; RSC 303; BMCRE 43-6; BN 37-9. Lightly toned, faint hairlines. EF. ($3000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex CNG inventory 841747 (April 2009); Gorny & Mosch 176 (10 March 2009), lot 2212.
This ultra-sharp, nearly perfectly struck coin commemorating the opening of the Colosseum attracted me for the excellent Titus portrait and North African elephant (which sadly became extinct in ancient times) on the reverse. Wonderful in hand. (PLZ)
For the Romans, the elephant represented many different things. Its African origins made it a logical symbol of Africa. Consequently, the personification of Africa was usually represented wearing an elephant’s skin headdress. Its size, strength, and seemingly impervious hide also made it a natural symbol of power, and it appears in that connection on several Republican denarii, including those of Julius Caesar. Because of its longevity, the elephant was a symbol of eternity. As such, elephants were often employed in processions involving cult statues of deities. The issues of Divus Augustus and Divus Vespasian both show their cult statues being conveyed by such animals. Among the menagerie depicted on the Saeculares issues of Philip I is an elephant, as a hoped-for wish for the continued success of empire. Therefore, its presence among some of the earliest issues of the Flavians may express the hope that their dynasty, born as a result of Civil War, would endure long enough to bring a period of peace to the empire.
The elephant depicted here has also a specific and immediate reference. The elephant represents one of the numerous species displayed in the newly constructed Flavian Amphitheater, or Colosseum, built by prisoners of the Jewish War on the site of the Domus Aurea of Nero. Opened to the public during Titus’ rule, in AD 80, and commemorated by Martial in de Spectaculis, the Colosseum was inaugurated with great fanfare and games. During the opening ceremonies a great number of animals, including elephants, were both exhibited and slaughtered. This coin is directly tied to those events and the opening of the Flavian Amphitheater.
This coin must have been minted extensively at the time as it frequently appears at auction. That said, the type must have seen extensive circulation as almost all examples seen today grade “VF” or below. The coin offered here is truly a standout example of the type. The last example we offered (Triton XXVIII, lot 683) that had similar remaining details, but scratched, brought a hammer of $7,000. The present example is far superior and deserves spirited bidding.
46. Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. Æ Sestertius (34.5mm, 26.19 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 74. T CAES VESPASIAN IMP PON TR POT COS III CENS, laureate head right / S C across field, Spes, draped, advancing left, holding up flower in right hand and raising hem of skirt with left. RIC II.1 739 (Vespasian); BMCRE –; BN 728. Wonderful green patina. EF. Bold portrait in high relief. Very rare. ($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 78 (26 May 2014), lot 895.
Spes, the goddess of “hope”, was first seen as an Imperial coin type under Claudius (see lot 24). There the coin includes the legend “SPES AVGVSTA.” Spes was also the goddess of the future, and the type would become a common reverse theme for future heirs to the throne as seen here. The coin offered here is a very rare type with a wonderful high relief portrait and beautiful green patina.
47. Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. Æ Dupondius (30mm, 14.64 g, 6h). Rome mint, for circulation in Syria. Struck under Vespasian, AD 74. T • CAESAR • IMP • PONT •, laureate head right / TR • POT • COS III • CENSOR •, winged caduceus between crossed cornucopias. RIC II.1 761 (Vespasian); McAlee 386; RPC II 1991.7 (this coin); BMCRE 891 (Vespasian); BN 907 (Vespasian). Dark olive-green patina. EF. ($2000)
From the PLZ Collection, purchased from Antiqua. Ex New York Sale XXV (5 January 2011), lot 173; Numismatica Ars Classica A (27 February 1991), lot 1781.
The weight of this coin would place it firmly as a Dupondius even though it lacks the radiate head normally associated with this denomination. The reason might be that this piece is thought to have been struck for circulation in Syria, where examples of the type are normally found. The convention of radiate dupondii was evidently not yet established in this eastern province. Whatever the answer to this mystery, the offered coin is perfectly centered on a round flan with an enamel-like olive-green patina.
DOMITIAN
Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October AD 51 – 18 September AD 96)
Ex Biaggi Collection – Illustrated in Calicó – Pedigreed to 1955
48. Domitian. AD 81-96. AV Aureus (21mm, 7.43 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck AD 84. IMP CAES DOMI TIANVS AVG GERMANIC, laureate and draped bust left / P M TR POT III IMP V COS X P P, draped bust of Minerva right, wearing crested helmet. RIC II.1 195; Calicó 906 (this coin illustrated); BMCRE 45; BN –; Biaggi 441 (this coin). Unobtrusive edge marks. Good VF. Two superb portraits of fine style. Very rare, one of two in CoinArchives. ($7500)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 49, 21 October 2008), lot 169, purchased from Seltman in 1956 for $350; Münzen und Medaillen AG XV (1 July 1955), lot 750.
Words don’t do justice to wonderful reverse portrait of Minerva, along with a great provenance. (PLZ)
Titus Flavius Domitianus was born in AD 51 as son of the respected general Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus. A significant part of his adolescence was spent in Rome while Vespasian and Titus were abroad, engaged in military campaigns. His education was formal but did not include any early military postings. He was still in Rome during the Year of the Four Emperors, which would culminate with his father becoming emperor. Although his role in the coup d’état was nominal, Domitian would immediately become Vespasian’s emissary with the Roman Senate since it would be almost 10 months before Vespasian actually set foot in the city.
His role in his father’s 10-year reign remained relatively minor, although he was given the title of Caesar and served a single full consulship. Domitian held no major office or titles under the brief reign of Titus, but since Titus had no male child, Domitian was widely understood to be his nominal heir. When Titus died in June of AD 81, the Praetorian camp immediately proclaimed Domitian emperor and the senate concurred just a day later
Domitian’s rule was one of absolute power and he oversaw almost every aspect of the government. Suetonius, often a critic of the Twelve Caesars, openly admired Domitian’s even-handed approach to the management of the empire. He instituted a large building program which saw more than 50 structures either erected or repaired in Rome. Although now lost, his stadium of Domitian, today the Piazza Navona, endures in layout even if the above-ground portion is lost to history. His other famous building projects included the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the Flavian Palace, and completion of the Arch of Titus and a fourth level to the Colosseum.
As emperor, he spent significant periods away from Rome on military campaigns and inspections. Although not a natural soldier like his father and brother, he had one overriding need: to equal their deeds and prove himself a great conqueror. He toured Gaul, ordered excursions into Ireland and Scotland, traveled to Moesia to turn back incursions by the hostile Dacians, and undertook campaigns to strengthen the German frontier by defeating the Chatti and occupying the Agri Decumates, a region at the junction of the Rhine and Danube Rivers. Although none of these efforts provided any decisive victory, Domitian still celebrated triumphs in the capital, for which he was derided by later historians, perhaps unjustly.
In AD 89, major revolt by the governor of Germania Superior, Lucius Antonius Saturninus, proved a serious threat to Domitian’s rule, but his swift and ruthless reaction successfully put it down. Afterward, Domitian’s disregard for the Senate deepened into outright hatred, a sentiment returned by the senators. His final years of rule devolved into a reign of terror. His closest advisors soon came to fear for their own lives and ultimately launched a successful conspiracy that took his life on September 18, AD 96. The elderly Senator Nerva was acclaimed in his place, inaugurating the era of the so-called “Five Good Emperors.”
As a youth, Domitian came to favor the warrior goddess Minerva (equivalent of the Greek Athena) above all others. Indeed, his later coinage is dominated by images of Minerva, with 79 varieties depicting her image. He is known to have had a shrine to her in the palace and kept several effigies of her in his bedroom. This extremely rare gold aureus was engraved by a master celator with spectacular renditions of both Domitian and Minerva. Our consignor made an excellent choice including this specimen in his set.
49. Domitian. As Caesar, AD 69-81. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.59 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 73-early 75. CAES AVG F DOMIT COS II, laureate head right / Domitian, togate, cloak flying out behind him, on horseback, rearing left, raising right hand and holding scepter surmounted by human head in left. RIC II.1 680 (Vespasian); RSC 664; BMCRE 129-31 (Vespasian); BN 105-6 (Vespasian). Iridescent tone. NGC Photo Certificate 8559788-003, Ch AU★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Magnificent portrait. ($2000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 51 (5 March 2009), lot 239; Numismatica Ars Classica 2 (21 February 1990), lot 597.
Minted sometime between 73-75 AD, on or after Domitian’s second consulship, this type shows a rather youthful portrait of the future emperor with full Flavian features. The reverse, showing Domitian on horseback, harkens back to the Judaean triumph of AD 71, in which he rode a splendid white horse trotting behind the chariots bearing his father and brother.
The present example is one of the finest survivors of a rather scarce issue. The coin has an incredible portrait struck from a fresh die.
The Finest Known
50. Domitian. As Caesar, AD 69-81. Æ Sestertius (34.5mm, 26.88 g, 7h). Uncertain eastern mint (Thrace?). Struck under Titus, AD 80-81. CAES DIVI AVG VESP F DOMITIANVS COS VII, laureate head right / S C across field, Mars, helmeted, naked except for cloak over left shoulder, advancing right, holding transverse spear in right hand and trophy over left shoulder in left. RIC II 509 (Titus); RPC II 505; A. Burnett, “Regional Coinage in Thrace and Bithynia during the Flavian Period” in Travaux Le Rider, pl. 8, 1; H. Cahn, “An Imperial Mint in Bithynia” in INJ 8 (1984-5), 5; BMCRE –; BN 326 (Titus). An exceptional coin. Superb EF. Very rare. ($5000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Roma II (2 October 2011), lot 631.
Struck when Domitian was Caesar during the brief reign of Titus, the reverse type of Mars, the Roman god of war, is an interesting choice. It is also interesting from the standpoint that several major events had just occurred which certainly had nothing to do with war: The Colosseum had been completed and opened to 100 days of spectacular games, Mount Vesuvius had erupted destroying much of the area around the bay of Naples, and a second great fire had broken out in Rome. According to some accounts, Titus had promised his brother Domitian an essentially joint reign, but, in reality, he was given no major office or authority. Other than the series of denarii issued jointly with symbols of the Gods (proposed as both a reference to the opening of the Colosseum or in deference to the Gods after Vesuvius eruption), there was but a single issue of importance to the affairs of state minted for Domitian – this being the very rare Colosseum sestertius. So, here we have a type related to war that seemingly has little to do with the events of the time when it was minted. A rather odd choice but perhaps understandable given the desperate need for Domitian to place himself on equal foot with Vespasian and Titus.
The example offered here is an incredible coin. Its previous auction appearance has it described as “A beautiful imperial bronze of impressive proportions and stunning detail.” Indeed it is. The surfaces are amazingly clean for a coin of this size. This is without a doubt the finest example of its type known to exist.
51. Domitian. AD 81-96. Æ As (27mm, 10.10 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck AD 86. IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM COS XII CENS PER P P, laureate bust right, wearing aegis / FORTVNAE AVGVSTI, S C across field, Fortuna, draped, standing left, holding rudder in right hand and cornucopia in left. RIC II.1 488; BMCRE 386-8; BN 416. Green patina, lightly smoothed obverse. EF ($2000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Roma II (2 October 2011), lot 632.
As noted elsewhere in this catalog, finding a Roman As in high grade is extremely unusual. Finding one so delicately engraved is even more rare. The present coin has a beautiful depiction of Domitian with a portrait that all would describe as “being of the finest style”. Equally so, the depiction of Fortuna on the reverse is also delicately engraved with fine details. By this point in his reign, Domitian had gotten his wish as he had celebrated a triumph in Rome for his “victory” over Germania. Even though this was a mostly defensive effort to protect the empire’s borders, Domitian took great advantage of the effort to publicly place himself on equal footing with his deceased father and brother.
HADRIAN’S TRAVELS
Hadrian has been termed “the restless emperor” because he spent much of his reign touring the Roman Empire, visiting nearly every province between his accession in AD 117 and AD 136, when his health began to fail. Indeed, he spent as little time as possible in Rome, preferring to see the diverse people and places of his vast empire up close and personal. In this he seems to have been motivated by his insatiable curiosity as well as a genuine concern for the welfare of his subjects. Perhaps most importantly, the grand tours served a military purpose: Hadrian’s frequent visits to legionary camps and fortresses ensured the soldiery remained at a high pitch of readiness to defend the empire from hostile tribes without and anti-Roman rebels within.
Hadrian celebrated his famous journeys by minting a series of coins depicting many of the provinces, cities and landmarks he visited. The series was mainly minted in the period AD 130-134, during his final great tour. In addition to the types that simply name and show female personifications of provinces, there are other types which also allude to the emperor’s travels. These other Adventus types feature Hadrian clasping hands with some deity or personification, or reference the journey in some other way, for example depicting a galley under oar (see Lot 56).
Michael Grant, the late, great historian, biographer and numismatist, in The Roman Emperors: A Biographical Guide to the Rulers of Imperial Rome, refers to the Travel Series this way: “…[Hadrian] issued a varied and unparalleled series of coinages celebrating all these regions of the Roman world by name, and distinguishing them by different designs that personified the salient features of each... On these issues the provinces are represented as women of peaceful or warlike appearance, wearing the costume of their own country and carrying its attributes. “ (p. 77-78)
Also: “Hadrian was the first occupant of the throne to see his territories from any but a purely Roman standpoint. The Empire was to be a living organism not only in its center but in all its parts; not merely a collection of conquered, subject lands but a commonwealth in which each individual district and nation possessed its own proud identity.” (p. 78)
The Travel Series is popular with today’s collectors chiefly because the coins provide a direct link to the idea of traveling around the Empire, accompanying Hadrian on his journeys. They also provoke thoughts as to the motivation for Hadrian’s wanderlust. It includes gold aurei, silver denarii, brass sestertii and dupondii, and copper asses, with some of the series being produced across all denominations and others being limited to only a subset. Also shown are the city of Alexandria and the river Nile (RIC II.3 #1549, Triton 23 lot 266). Egypt, Alexandria and the Nile had a special significance to Hadrian due to their connection with the death of his handsome young lover, Antinous, who drowned in the Nile under mysterious circumstances during his final journey.
The PLZ Collection includes several Travel Series aurei of Hadrian, along with two sestertii. Like the rest of this collection, all are carefully curated for condition and eye-appeal, providing the modern collector a unique opportunity to augment their holdings with some of the rarest and most desirable coins in this unique series.
Lot 53
Lot 52
Lot 54
Lot 55
Lot 56
Lot 58
Lot 61
Lot 57
Lot 60
HADRIAN
Publius Aelius Hadrianus (24 January AD 76 – 10 July AD 138)
52. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (18mm, 6.87 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 124-125. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate bust right, slight drapery / COS above, III in exergue, she-wolf standing left, suckling the twins, Romulus and Remus. RIC II.3 709; Strack 195α; Calicó 1233a; BMCRE 449; Adda 131; Biaggi 598; Mazzini 422. Lustrous, lightly toned. NGC Photo Certificate 8559743-007, graded MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Bold portrait. ($40,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Triton XIX (5 January 2016), lot 540; Numismatica Ars Classica 84 (20 May 2015), lot 991.
This coin kicked off my Hadrian subcollection, and what better start than the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus. As with all of Hadrian’s coins, a fabulously artistic portrait. (PLZ)
Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born during the reign of Vespasian in AD 76, probably at the Spanish provincial town of Italica. His father died when he was 10 years old, at which point he became the ward of his distant relation Trajan, another Spaniard who had risen to become one of Rome’s most powerful generals. When he was 14 Trajan called him to Rome to further his education. A few years later, perhaps to please his guardian, he joined the Roman army as a tribune and served with two legions along the Danube frontier.
He would later go through a series of minor political positions that offered entry to the Roman Senate, becoming quaestor and praetor, but had to endure the snickers of his peers due to his provincial origins and accent. He never forgot the slight. He returned to the army in AD 97 and soon learned that Trajan had been named as the emperor Nerva’s chosen successor, whereupon he undertook an arduous journey on horseback and foot to bring the news to his guardian, who was in camp along the Rhine frontier. A few months later, Nerva died and quite suddenly Hadrian was the closest male relative, and likely heir, to the emperor of Rome.
He spent Trajan’s lengthy reign performing duties for the emperor, including two consulships, finally serving as governor of the critical province of Syria during the Parthian War of AD 115-117. In the war’s disastrous aftermath, Trajan weakened and died on August 8, AD 117, naming Hadrian as his successor on his death bed. Although the terms of the “adoption” were questioned by some, Hadrian advanced to the throne uncontested. He immediately moved to withdraw from the turbulent regions Trajan had overrun, bolstered threatened frontiers, and eliminated by proxy a cadre of ex-consuls who opposed his policy of retrenchment and consolidation.
Hadrian is known to modern scholars for four important reasons. Firstly, he seemed never to care much for the city of Rome and spent most of his reign on a series of extensive travels throughout the empire, visiting nearly every province. He took a keen personal interest in provincial affairs, usually with benefactions and improvements that were welcomed and appreciated by the local populace. His travel-series coinage, with many types found in this collection, are one of the most popular collecting themes in all of Roman coinage. Perhaps his most enduring legacy is “Hadrian’s Wall” constructed to separate the province of Britannia from the barbarians to the north. While in Rome, modern tourists can view one of Hadrian’s most impressive rebuilding projects with a visit to the Pantheon. Originally built by Marcus Agrippa, the building, except for the original façade, was completely rebuilt under Hadrian, including its splendid concrete dome. His fourth surviving legacy is the construction of his wonderful villa at Tivoli, perhaps one of the most widely visited Roman ruins by tourists outside Rome itself. Sadly, his largely positive legacy is tarnished by his needless instigation, and ruthless prosecution, of the Bar Kochba Revolt in Judaea, circa AD 132-135.
Hadrian made full use of the propaganda value of coinage and his types in all metals are extensive and attractive. The reverse type of the she-wolf suckling the twins, Remus and Romulus, as seen here, is one of the most enduring memories of Rome’s mythical foundation. The type first appeared on Roman Republican coinage around 265 BC. The design reappeared under the Flavians but would not be minted extensively until the reign of Domitian. It would be renewed by Hadrian at, or after, his third consulship. This firmly places the date of the coin to the period of AD 124 to 128. Although Hadrian was widely known for his admiration of Greek culture, his use of the wolf-and-twins type points to his reverence for Roman history and institutions, if not the city itself.
53. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.15 g, 6h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck 133-134. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head right / AFRICA, Africa, draped, wearing elephant-skin headdress, reclining left, placing right hand on neck of lion standing left, and resting left arm on basket; to right, two stalks of grain growing. RIC II.3 1487; Strack 296δ o; Beckmann, Gold dies a12/AFL1; Calicó 1197 (same dies as illustration); BMCRE 808 note. Faint hairlines. Near EF. Rare. Struck with fine style dies.($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Heritage 3049 (8 September 2016), lot 30259.
Hadrian’s visit to northern Africa, including the provinces of Numidia and Mauretania, took place as part of his second great provincial tour, which began in AD 128. As one of the Empire’s chief sources of grain, it was important that Africa remain secure from attack and loyal to the central government. During his inspection of the legionary fortress of Lambaesis, located in modern Algeria, he gave a lengthy oration praising the cavalry and infantry troops for their military prowess, the whole of which was carved into a stone inscription that has survived to this day. This lovely gold aureus pairs Hadrian’s portrait with a reverse showing Africa as a reclining woman wearing an elephant-skin headdress, her right hand stroking the mane of a lion lying next to her. A beautiful coin in hand.
54. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.20 g, 12h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck AD 133-134. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head left / AFRICA, Africa, draped, wearing elephant-skin headdress, reclining left, leaning on a rest, holding scropion in right hand and cornucopia in left; to left, a basket of fruit. RIC II.3 1492; Strack 2971/δ o; Beckmann, Gold dies j1/AF1; Calicó 1191 (same dies as illustration); BMCRE 811; Biaggi 577 (same dies). Good VF. Fine style. ($20,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Genevensis SA 10 (3 December 2018), lot 41; Gorny & Mosch 236 (7 March 2016), lot 449.
On Hadrian’s travel coinage, Africa is one of the few provinces depicted in multiple ways, with different poses and attributes. Here Africa reclines languidly to the left as on the previous specimen, but instead of resting her right hand on a lion, she rather bravely holds a scorpion in her right hand while cradling a cornucopia in the crook of her left arm. A fruit basket, symbolic of Africa’s agricultural bounty, rests at her feet. Interestingly, this issue also differs from the other Africa type (see Lot 53) by depicting Hadrian with a left-facing portrait. Another outstanding coin in high grade and worthy of a top tier collection.
55. Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 25.62 g, 11h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck circa AD 130-133. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, laureate and draped bust right / AFRICA above, S C in exergue, Africa, draped, wearing elephant-skin headdress, reclining left, holding scorpion in right hand and cornucopia in left, left elbow resting on rock; to left, basket of three grain ears between two poppies. RIC II.3 1609; Strack 709ζ; Banti 92; cf. BMCRE 1710 (number of grain ears; no poppies). Magnificent green-brown patina, small area of light pitting on obverse. EF. ($7500)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Gorny & Mosch 240 (10 October 2016), lot 501.
This marvelous Travel-Series sestertius of Hadrian depicts Africa similarly to the aureus (Lot 54), although the much larger flan gives the die engraver more scope to depict fully depict details not seen, or only sketchily shown, on the aureus. Africa’s bountiful figure is more fully realized and the rock supporting her left arm, and the grain ears emerging from the basket at her feet, and rendered with lifelike realism. A beautiful enamel-like green patina completes this numismatic masterpiece. Bronzes of Hadrian’s travel series are notoriously found in low grade with circulation wear (and problems). This is a stunning high-grade coin that is absolutely the exception to the rule for the series.
56. Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Sestertius (35.5mm, 23.62 g, 11h). “Travel series” issue. Rome mint. Struck circa AD 129-130. HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate and cuirassed bust right, slight drapery / FELICITATI AVG above, S C across field, COS III P P in exergue, galley moving left, with sail, five rowers, and steersman. RIC II.3 1290; Strack 837η; Banti 340; BMCRE 1404-5. Dark green patina, some faint smoothing. Near EF/ EF. ($2000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 106 (Part I, 9 May 2018), lot 942.
Wherever possible, Hadrian’s journeys throughout the empire were conducted by sea, as the Roman navy’s fast galleys provided the swiftest and most comfortable means of covering long distances. This attractive sestertius, struck in AD 129 or 130, likely commemorates the wandering emperor’s “happy return” from his second official imperial tour, which covered North Africa. His stay in Rome was quite brief, as by the end of AD 130 he had embarked for Egypt, where tragedy awaited.
This is another coin type that would prove so desirable during the renaissance that it was copied by Giovanni Cavino for sale to collectors who could not obtain an acceptable “ancient” example. The example offered here is certainly in the top tier of survivors.
Ex Rosen Collection – Cited in Beckmann
57. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.02 g, 6h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck AD 133-134. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bare head left / HISP ANIA, Hispania, draped, reclining left, holding up olive branch in right hand and resting left arm on rock; to left, a rabbit right. RIC II.3 1530 (same dies as illustration); Strack 3031/δ o; Beckmann, Gold dies j4/H1, aa (this coin); Calicó 1273 (same dies as illustration); BMCRE 844 (same dies); Biaggi 615 (same dies); Mazzini 828 (same dies). Good VF. Fine style. ($15,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Jonathan P. Rosen Collection (Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020), lot 733; Heritage 3056 (3 August 2017), lot 30016.
Hadrian is often identified as a “Spanish” emperor, one of four famous Spaniards who attained the imperial purple (the other three being his predecessor, Trajan, and the fourth-century rulers Theodosius I the Great and Magnus Maximus). Hadrian’s family, the Aelii, had centuries-long roots in Roman Spain and rose to wealth and prominence there. Hadrian spent much of his youth on family estates in Baetica, but upon entering public life his Spanish origins became something of an embarrassment when his peers laughed at him for speaking with a foreign accent. Upon becoming Emperor, Hadrian seems to have never felt comfortable in Rome and spent most of his 21-year reign traveling, eventually visiting nearly every province of the Roman Empire. He honored the unique ethnicity and cultural identify of each place he visited with a remarkable series of coins, including this beautiful aureus celebrating his homeland of Hispania. Here, the graceful figure of Hispania holds an olive branch, symbolic of the province’s huge production of olive oil, an important staple in the ancient world. A rabbit, then and now common to the plains of Spain, rests at her feet.
Pedigreed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
58. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.14 g, 12h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck AD 132. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Nilus, naked to waist, reclining right, holding reed in right hand and cornucopia in left, resting right arm on urn; to right, hippopotamus standing right; below, in water, crocodile left . RIC II.3 1439; Strack 310βo; Beckmann, Gold, dies e2/NN1; Calicó 1162; BMCRE 866 (same dies); Adda –; Biaggi –; Jameson –; Mazzini 1498 var. (bust type; same rev. die). Toned, faint hairlines. VF. Fine style. Rare. ($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 106 (Part II, 10 May 2018), lot 1503; Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection (Part I, Sotheby’s Zurich, 10 November 1972), lot 301; Judge E. E. Farman (1831-1911) Collection.
Hadrian’s extensive grand tours culminated in a lengthy visit to Egypt in AD 130-131, accompanied by a vast entourage that included his wife Sabina and the handsome Bithynian Antinoüs, his young protégé and lover. Antinoüs was a local youth whom Hadrian probably noticed on his visit to Bithynia in AD 123/4. He found a discreet place in Hadrian’s entourage and accompanied the peripatetic emperor on his various journeys for much of the next decade. Their relationship came to a mysterious end during Hadrian’s visit to Egypt in 130. During a barge trip up the Nile, Antinoüs drowned, probably on October 24. In his memoirs, Hadrian insisted the youth’s death was an accident, but other historians implied either that Hadrian had killed him in some sacrificial rite, or that Antinoüs had committed ritual suicide to preserve Hadrian’s health. Whatever the true story, Hadrian’s grief was such that he deified the youth and founded the city of Antinoöpolis near the spot of his drowning. The cult of Antinoüs spread rapidly throughout the Greek east, making him the last of the truly popular Pagan gods. His sculpted image also became ubiquitous as the very personification of male beauty. Hadrian finally returned from his travels in circa 132 and retired to his lavishly decorated villa at Tivoli, where Egypt and the Nile were given special prominence.
This remarkable aureus boasts an astonishing reverse depiction of the river god Nilus surrounded by the fauna of Egypt, rendered in the highest artistry of the age. Unusually, the reverse bears no legend, leaving the engraver’s work to speak for itself. Both the emperor’s portrait and the reclining figure of Nilus face to the right, as opposed to the following example, where both face to the left.
Lovely Nilus Aureus
59. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.14 g, 12h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck AD 132. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, bareheaded and draped bust left / NILVS, Nilus, naked to waist, reclining left, holding cornucopia in right hand and reed in left, resting left arm on sphinx; to left, hippopotamus standing right; below, in water, crocodile right. RIC II.3 1549 (same dies as illustration); Strack 3071/ζo; Beckmann, Gold, dies l3/N1; Calicó 1290 (same dies as illustration); BMCRE 855 (same dies); Biaggi 624 (same dies). Lustrous, a few hairlines. Near EF. Struck with dies of artistic merit. ($15,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 120 (11 May 2022), lot 847.
As noted previously, Hadrian’s visit to Egypt began triumphantly but ended in tragedy, when his young favorite Antinoüs drowned in the Nile in AD 130. Despite this, Egypt retained a special place in the emperor’s heart, and is depicted in three distinct types on his famous Travel Series of coinage. Two different aureus types depict the Nile, with this example explicitly naming the great river, depicting its male personification reclining to left upon a crocodile, which in turn swims in the river’s waters. To the left is a hippopotamus, another of the Nile’s fauna. Nilus holds a fruit-bearing cornucopia, a symbol of Egypt since the Ptolemaic dynasty. On this example, Hadrian’s draped bust also faces to the left.
The two Nilus aureus issues are widely recognized as being struck some from the most beautifully engraved of all Hadrian’s gold aurei die pairs with this example regarded as the finest reverse die for this type. A beautiful coin.
60. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (19.5mm, 7.23 g, 6h). “Travel series” issue (“Provinces cycle”) – The province alone. Rome mint. Struck AD 133-134. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, laureate and draped bust left / AEGYPTOS, Aegyptos, draped, reclining left, holding up sistrum in right hand and resting left arm on basket, snake to right of basket; to left, ibis standing right (not on column). RIC II.3 1478 (same dies as illustration); 2941/ζ; Beckmann, Gold dies n1/AE1; Calicó 1186 (same dies as illustration); BMCRE 796 var. (bust type; same rev. die); Adda –; Biaggi –; Jameson –; Mazzini –. Toned, a couple of faint hairlines. VF. Very rare. ($7500)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Jonathan P. Rosen Collection (Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020), lot 731; Roma XIV (21 September 2017), lot 726; Heidelberger Münzhandlung 64 (20 November 2014), lot 2559.
Egypt was home to the oldest civilization known to the Romans, and the Emperor Hadrian had a particular fascination with its history and mysteries. His third great imperial procession reached Alexandria in August of AD 130, where he set about bestowing his unusual benefactions while playing the royal tourist. Hadrian’s wife, the Empress Sabina, and her close friend, the well-known poetess Julia Balbilla, visited the Colossi of Memnon in November of AD 130, shortly after the mysterious drowning of Hadrian’s young favorite Antinoüs. The Colossi were two huge statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III located in Thebes, that were famous for uttering a “cry” when the sun rose. Balbilla recorded the imperial visit by engraving four of her own epigrams on the leg of one of the two huge statues, one of which rather provocatively praises Sabina:
Yesterday Memnon received [Hadrian’s] wife in silence, so that the beautiful Sabina might come back here again. For the lovely form of our queen pleases you. When she arrives, send forth a divine shout, so the king won’t be angry with you. As it is now, you’ve fearlessly detained for too long his noble wedded wife. And Memnon, trembling at the power of Hadrian, suddenly spoke, and she rejoiced to hear it
This attractive gold aureus celebrating Hadrian’s visit to Egypt depicts the reclining female personification of the province holding a sistrum, a type of rattle used in religious ceremonies, while resting her elbow on a basket from which a snake emerges. Perhaps this is a reference to the death of Egypt’s last queen, Cleopatra VII, who supposedly smuggled a deadly asp into her chambers in similar basket? An ibis, sacred in Egypt, stands at her feet.
Bar Kochba Victory Issue – Cited in Beckmann
61. Hadrian. AD 117-138. AV Aureus (18.5mm, 7.24 g, 6h). Bar Kochba Victory issue. Rome mint. Struck AD 136-137. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, Bareheaded bust right, slight drapery / VICTORI A AVG, Victory, naked to waist, standing left, holding eagle with wreath in beak on right hand and palm frond in left. RIC II.3 2234 (same rev. die as first illustration); Strack 278αο; Beckmann, Gold dies b25/V4, a (this coin); cf. Calicó 1397; BMCRE 768 (same rev. die); cf. Biaggi 665; Jameson –; Mazzini –; CNG 100, lot 1868 (same rev. die). VF. Rare. Fine style. ($10,000)
From the PLZ Collection. Ex Jonathan P. Rosen Collection (Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020), lot 745; Roma XIV (21 September 2017), lot 725; Roma IX (22 March 2015), lot 700.
In AD 132, the Roman Emperor Hadrian proclaimed that Jerusalem would be refounded as a Roman colony with the name Aelia Capitolina, and that a shrine to Jupiter would be built on the ruins of the Great Temple. As in the days of the Maccabees, the Jews of the Holy Land rose in revolt against this intolerable sacrilege, choosing as their leader a ferocious warrior named Simon Ben Kosiba, also known as Simon Bar Kochba (“son of a star”). Rabbi Akiba, spiritual leader of the rebels, proclaimed Bar Kochba as the Messiah who would deliver the Jews from Roman oppression. Several Roman garrisons in the Holy land were overwhelmed and wiped out, and Bar Kochba proclaimed the deliverance of Israel (although it is uncertain whether Jerusalem itself was liberated). However, the Romans massed a huge military force and counterattacked in CE 133. Years of bitter struggle followed, in which as many as a million Jews perished, along with tens of thousands of Romans. The final embers of the revolt died out in CE 135. The coin in our present offering was minted just a year later. Both Strack and Mattingly place this coin as an issue directly related to the Roman victory over the Jews.
This coin is scarce as a type and makes a nice addition to a collection of Bar Kochba types of Jewish coinage minted during this revolt. It is not surprising that in Hadrian’s travel series, issues directly naming Judaea are incredibly rare. This coin type fits nicely into the travel series as an acceptable alternative.
Banti
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
Please refer to our online bibliography at www.cngcoins.com for a complete listing of specialized and general references used, and abbreviations.
ANCIENT
A. Banti. I grandi bronzi imperiali. 9 Vols. Florence. 1983-1986.
BMC Various authors. Catalogue of Greek Coins in the British Museum. 29 Vols. London. 1873-1927.
BMCRE
H. Mattingly et al. Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum 6 Vols. London. 1932-1962.
BN J. Giard. Bibliothèque Nationale, catalogue des monnaies de l’empire romain. 3 Vols. Paris. 1976-present.
Bodenstedt F. Bodenstedt. Die Elektronmünzen von Phokaia und Mytilene. Tübingen. 1981. Boehringer E. Boehringer. Die Münzen von Syrakus. Berlin and Leipzig. 1929. Bopearachchi
O. Bopearachchi. Monnaies Gréco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques. Paris. 1991. Depeyrot
G. Depeyrot. Les monnaies d’or (Diocletian à Constantin I, Constantin II à Zenon). Wetteren. 1995-1996. Calicó X. Calicó. The Roman avrei catalogue 2 Vols. Barcelona. 2002.
CNS R. Calciati. Corpus Nummorum Siculorum: la monetazione di bronzo. 3 Vols. Italy. 1983-87. Crawford M. Crawford. Roman Republican Coinage. 2 Vols. Cambridge. 1974.
CRI
D. Sear. The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators 49-27 BC. London. 1998. Fischer-Bossert
W. Fischer-Bossert. Chronologie der Didrachmenprägung von Tarent 510-280 v.Chr. Berlin 1999. Flament
Hendin
HN Italy
C. Flament. Le monnayage en argent d’Athènes. De l’époque archaïque à l’époque hellénistique (c. 550-c. 40 av. J.-C.). Lovainla-Neuve. 2007.
D. Hendin. Guide to Biblical Coins. 6th Edition. New York. 2021.
N.K. Rutter, ed. Historia Numorum. Italy London. 2001.
Kumar S. Kumar. Treasures of the Gupta Empire. A Catalogue of Coins of the Gupta Dynasty. San Francisco. 2017.
Meshorer Y. Meshorer. A Treasury of Jewish Coins from the Persian Period to Bar Kokhba. Jerusalem. 2001.
MK R. Göbl. Münzprägung des Kušanreiches. Vienna. 1984.
MIR R. Göbl, et al. Moneta Imperii Romani. 5 Vols. Vienna. 1984-present.
Price M.J. Price. The Coinage in the Name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus. London. 1991.
Prieur M. Prieur. A type corpus of the Syro-Phoenician tetradrachms and their fractions from 57 BC to AD 253. Lancaster. 2000.
RIC H. Mattingly, et al. The Roman Imperial Coinage. 10 Vols. London. 1923-1994.
RPC A. Burnett, et al. Roman Provincial Coinage 9 Vols. London and Paris. 1992-present.
RSC D. Sear, et al. Roman Silver Coins. 5 Vols. London. 1978-1987.
SC A. Houghton & C. Lorber. Seleucid Coins: A Comprehensive Catalog. 2 Parts. Lancaster. 2002 and 2008. Sellwood D. Sellwood. An Introduction to the Coinage of Parthia 2nd edition. London. 1980.
SNG ANS Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, American Numismatic Society. New York. 1969-present.
SNG BM Black Sea Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, British Museum, 1: The Black Sea. London. 1993.
SNG Copenhagen Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Danish National Museum Copenhagen. 1942-1979.
SNG BN Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque Nationale. Paris. 1993-2001.
SNG Kayhan Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Turkey 1: The Muharrem Kayhan Collection. Istanbul. 2002.
SNG Levante Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Switzerland; E Levante - Cilicia. Bern. 1986.
SNG Lloyd Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Lloyd Collection. London. 1933-1937.
SNG Lockett Sylloge Nummorum Greacorum, Lockett Collection London. 1938-1949.
SNG München Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, München Staatlische Münzsammlung. Berlin. 1968-present.
SNG von Aulock Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Sammlung Hans Von Aulock. Berlin. 1957-1968. Starr C. Starr. Athenian coinage 480-449 BC London. 1970.
Svoronos J. Svoronos.
Athens. 1904-08.
Traité E. Babelon. Traité des monnaies grecques et romaines. 9 Vols. Paris. 1901-1932. Weidauer L. Weidauer. Probleme der frühen Elektronprägung Fribourg. 1975.
BYZANTINE, MEDIEVAL, WORLD, and BRITISH
Album S. Album. A Checklist of Popular Islamic Coins. 3rd ed. Santa Rosa. 2011. Biaggi E. Biaggi. Monete e zecche medievali italiane dal seculo VIII al seculo XV. Torino. 1992. Bitkin V. Bitkin. Composite Catalogue of Russian Coins. 2 vols. Kiev. 2003. BMC Vandals W. Wroth. Catalogue of the Coins of the Vandals, Ostrogoths and Lombards and of the Empires of Thessalonica, Nicaea and Trebizond in the British Museum. London. 1911. (Reprinted as Western and Provincial Byzantine Coins in the British Museum.)
CIS S. Goron and J.P. Goenka. The Coins of the Indian Sultanates. New Delhi. 2001. CNI Corpus Nummorum Italicorum. 20 Vols. Rome. 1910-1943. Davenport J.S. Davenport. Various works on European crowns. ESC H.A. Seaby & P.A. Rayner. The English Silver Coinage from 1649 London. 1992. Friedberg R. Friedberg. Gold Coins of the World. 8th ed. Clifton. 2009.
KM C.L. Krause & C. Mishler. Standard Catalogue of World Coins. Krause Publications. Iola. Levinson R.A. Levinson. The Early Dated Coins of Europe. Clifton, NJ. 2007. Lunardi G. Lunardi. Le monete delle repubblica di genova. Genoa. 1975.
MEC P. Grierson & M. Blackburn. Medieval European Coinage Cambridge. 1986.
MIB W. Hahn. Moneta Imperii Byzantini. 3 Vols. Vienna. 1973-81.
MIBE W. Hahn and M.A. Metlich. Money of the Incipient Byzantine Empire. Vienna. 2000.
MIR Various. Monete Italiane Regionali. 5 Vols. Pavia. ND.
NM G. Depeyrot. Le numéraire mérovingien. 5 vols. Wetteren. 1998-2001. North J.J. North. English Hammered Coinage. 2 Vols. London. 1963, 1975.
SB D. Sear, et al. Byzantine Coins and Their Values 2nd edition. London. 1987.
SCBC Standard Catalogue of British Coins. London. Annually.
SCBI Various authors. Sylloge of the Coins of the British Isles.
Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (PA License Number AY002406)
Jeffrey B. Rill (PA License No. AU006206); Brian Callahan (PA License No. AU005870)