CNR CNR August 2023

Production Staff

Managing Director: Mike Gasvoda

Consulting Directors: Victor England, Jr. (US)

Eric J. McFadden (UK)

Director - Sales and Consignments: Dave Michaels

Chief Financial Officer: Steve Pruzinsky

Managing Numismatists: Bill Dalzell (US)

Lance Hickman (US)

Directors (UK): David Guest

Paul Hill

Director (EU): Max Tursi

Senior Numismatists

Bradley R. Nelson (US)

D. Scott VanHorn (US)

Numismatists (US): Jeffrey B. Rill

Tom Mullally

Daniel Burch

Bryan Kohn

Numismatists (UK): Caroline Holmes

Stephen Lloyd

Numismatist Intern (US): Katie Vint

Lancaster Office Manager: Dylan Ossman

London Office Manager: Veronica Morris

Office Staff:

Julia Motter

Dawn Ahlgren

Jennifer Ventura

Customer Relations Manager: Kate Rill

Accounting: Sharon Pruzinsky (US)

Manager - IT and Production: Travis Markel

Photography:

Christian Ventura

Printing Control: Robert A. Trimble

IT Consultant: A.J. Gatlin

Classical Numismatic Review

Volume XLVIII, No. 2

Summer 2023

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the latest CNG fixed price list. We are pleased you are taking the time to review this offering. As most of you well know, the coin market remains vibrant. Auction prices continue to set new records with the buying of choice material becoming ever more challenging. The items on offer here are all one of a kind and span the entire range of our typical market. We hope there will be something of interest for everyone.

There are many new things happening at CNG. Most importantly, we are in the final stages of opening our new office in The Hague, The Netherlands. Max Tursi, an alumnus of the CNG London office, will be heading up the new operations in The Hague. Many of you know Max from his previous time at CNG or from his other endeavors, the latest being as a grader for NGC. This is an exciting time for us and we are thrilled to have Max leading this new office. He will be traveling about Europe attending shows and auctions and will be receiving consignments from the EU. This office will also become a shipping/receiving point for deliveries of coins sold in the US to our customers in the EU. If you are in the EU and considering consigning coins for auction, particularly for our premier Triton sale in January, now would be a great time to get reacquainted with Max. A separate email is forthcoming on this new office.

Many of you will be holding this Classical Numismatic Review (CNR) in your hands for the first time in several years. Although we have always provided print versions of the CNR, its distribution has been limited to the show venues where the coins are first offered. We have decided to reintroduce this document as a mass-mailed item for each of you. This is a document that receives serious attention at CNG with a well written introduction article of one aspect of coinage or another being located in the beginning pages. These articles, most of which appear nowhere else, provide at times a great primer on a specific field, or a wonderful in-depth look at a specific coinage or city. We hope to have all of the past articles available to you soon via our webpage where they will be found as PDF documents.

As mentioned above for the EU office, we are just beginning preparation for our marquee Triton XXVII auction to be held next January at the New York International Numismatic Convention. We believe this is the foremost auction venue for ancient and world coins anywhere in the world. It is one of the few remaining venues where you can walk into a fully packed auction room and have difficulty finding an open seat. If you have coins which would fit this platform, we would be pleased to discuss them with you.

We hope you enjoy this CNR and hope you find something to fit into your collection. As always, we thank you for your support and wish you happy collecting.

Sincerely,

Mike Gasvoda Managing Director

Terms of Sale

1. General Information. The point of sale for all items online is Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All orders are sent from Pennsylvania.

2. Guaranty and Return Privilege. All items are guaranteed genuine. Any coin order may be returned within fourteen days of receipt for any reason. 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”). The customer shall bear the cost of returning all items and shall insure them for their full value. Books are not sent on approval and are not subject to return.

3. Sales Tax. Several states require us to collect and remit sales tax. Where applicable the appropriate tax will be charged to the customer invoice.

4. Postage. All orders are charged for postage, insurance, and handling.

5. Payment. Orders may be paid by US$ check, credit card or wire transfer. US$ checks must be written on a US bank and may be sent to either office. We accept VISA and MasterCard; payment by credit card must be made within 14 days of the invoice date. Payment by credit card will be charged a 2.5% handling fee. Credit card payment may be arranged by phone, fax or mail. United States address and phone number: CNG, LLC, P.O. Box 479, Lancaster, PA, 17608., phone: 717-390-9194, fax: 717390-9978. United Kingdom address and phone number: CNG, LLC, 20 Bloomsbury St, London WC1B 3QA, phone +44 (20) 7495-1888, fax: +44 (20) 7499-5916. Office hours are 10AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. US$ bank account for wire transfers will be provided by phone, fax or mail.

6. Shipment. Please provide a specific shipping address and advise us of any special shipping instructions. Unless other specific shipping instructions are indicated, coins are sent by U.S. Insured or Registered

A Note on How to Order

As with our normal monthly uploads, these coins are available for purchase on our website, www.cngcoins.com. If you are viewing the virtual catalog, you may click on an image, which will bring you to the online lot description, where you can add the coin to your cart as usual.

Digital Publications Archive

Digital versions of this and previous issues of the CNR are available to view or download in our Digital Publications Archive.

Major Show Schedule

Additional Shows Listed on Our Online Calendar

52nd New York International

January 11-14, 2024

InterContienental New York Barclay

111 East 48th Street, New York

January 11, Noon-7PM Preview

January 12-14, 10AM-7PM (3PM on the 14th)

Feature Auction Schedule

CNG 124 - 19-20 September 2023

A Live Online Auction to be conducted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Triton XXVII - 9-10 January 2024

A Public Auction to be held in New York City

CNG 126 - May 2024

A Live Online Auction to be conducted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Consignment Deadlines

Feature Auction Consignment Deadlines

Triton XXVII - 15 September 2023

CNG 126 - 15 February 2024

Deadlines for Electronic Auction Consignments

Ongoing - About 90 days before scheduled sale

Contact us early, as sales do fill up quickly.

We may be contacted by email, fax, phone, or mail.

Classical Numismatic Group, LLC

Email: cng@cngcoins.com

Mailing addresses & phone numbers:

Attention: Mike Gasvoda

P.O. Box 479

Lancaster PA 17608

Phone: 717-390-9194

Fax: 717-390-9978 or

Attention: Paul Hill (Ancients) or David Guest (British and World)

20 Bloomsbury St.

London WC1B 3QA

Phone: +44-20-7495-1888

Fax: +44-20-7499-5916 or

Attention: Max Tursi

Noordeinde 64a

2514GK The Hague, NL

Email: max@cngcoins.com

Monetary Miracle

How a new coinage system helped Rome win the Second Punic War

By David S. Michaels

(Note: This article is an edited excerpt from an upcoming book entitled Legionary Loot: Money and the Roman Army.)

“War,” noted the great Greek historian Thucydides, “is a matter not so much of arms, as of money.” Perhaps no historical episode so illustrates this concept as the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage, in many ways history’s first “total war.”

The feud between the Italian metropolis of Rome and the North African city of Carthage was rooted in money: Who would control the immensely profitable trade routes of the western Mediterranean? Upstart Rome’s victory in the 24-year First Punic War (265-241 BC) was its coming-out party as a world power, placing it on an equal footing with Carthage as well as the Hellenistic Kingdoms. But, like the First World War, it also left a legacy of hatred and distrust between the two protagonists that led to an even deadlier conflict within a few short years.

The concept of coined money was relatively new to Rome, which started striking its own coins only in the 270s BC, while Carthage and its fellow Phoenician cities had been using coins for centuries. Following Rome’s win in the First Punic War, huge annual reparations payments from Carthage enabled Rome to continue and its regular issues of silver didrachms, which it used to pay the army that was now needed to pay soldiers to garrison all of Italy, plus most of Sicily, on a regular basis.

Relative Bargain

The historian Polybius, writing in the mid second century BC, records that Roman soldiers were paid two obols, or 1/3 of a Greek silver drachm, per day. This amounts to one silver didrachm every six days, a relative bargain compared to his counterparts in the Greek east, who received twice this rate. Most Roman soldiers still saw soldiering as a temporary diversion from their usual life of tilling the soil on their small family farms, although the campaign “season” now extended beyond a few months into years. Men of the upper classes still looked to spend minimal time as officers in the legions to earn bragging rights before moving into politics fulltime. There is, however, evidence that some troopers were starting to think of the military as a regular career. Some were even beginning to hire themselves out as mercenaries (for much better pay) to the Hellenistic armies in Macedon, Egypt and Syria.

From about 275 BC, the Roman mint struck new issues of silver didrachms of changing design about every five years. Huge bronze aes grave pieces, which were cast in molds, continued to be issued alongside the silver, although their clumsiness made it hard for them to be used as “small change” as the Greeks were doing in the east with more convenient struck pieces.

These five-year interval strikings could not keep up with demand, and so in 225 BC the Romans standardized the design of both silver and bronze coinage, and the Rome mint began to operate continuously. The silver didrachm now bore a youthful head of Janus, the two-faced god who looks to the past and future. Another interpretation of the head is as a “Janiform” effigy of the Dioscuri, the heavenly Gemini twins whose appearance at an early Republican battle saved the Roman army.

The reverse depicted a four-horse chariot bearing Jupiter, with Victory alongside holding the reins. Since this type of chariot is called a quadriga, the coin was quickly nicknamed a quadrigatus. The copper as also depicted Janus, older and bearded, with the reverse of a ship’s prow, celebrating Rome’s new naval power. These silver quadrigati were struck in vast numbers over the two decades and served as the main form of coinage for the early years of the Second Punic War.

For Carthage, the bitter legacy of defeat festered. Hamilcar Barca, one of Carthage’s leading generals and the defacto ruler of Punic Spain, instilled in his eldest son, Hannibal, an undying hatred for Rome and made him swear its destruction. Hannibal Barca grew into an unparalleled military genius who was determined to carry out his father’s dying wish.

Figure 1: Silver didrachm or “quadrigatus,” circa 225 BC. CNG Inventory Number 5640864

Carthage compensated for the loss of Sicily in the First Punic War by extending its control of Spain far to the north, where it found silver deposits so vast and rich that they dominated the word’s supply of silver bullion for the next 20 centuries. This flood of wealth enabled Carthage to rebuild its military power far faster than anyone could have imagined.

Hannibal Invades

In 218 BC, Hannibal besieged the Spanish city of Saguntum, a Roman ally. Rome predictably declared war. Both sides were eager to fight, but while Rome’s generals prepared for a reprise of Punic War I, with fighting mainly confined to Sicily and the sea, Hannibal had other ideas. He led his army, including several war elephants, on an epic march across Iberia, Gaul and the Alps, descending into northern Italy and catching the Romans totally off guard.

Then, in quick succession, Hannibal annihilated whole Roman armies at the battles of Trebia (218 BC) and Lake Trasimene (217 BC), where the Consul Flaminius and 15,000 legionaries perished.

These defeats stunned the Roman populace and political class – these were not close-run affairs, like the battles of the Pyrrhic war, but atrocious, one-sided routes with tens of thousands of Roman dead. This Hannibal was unlike any enemy the Romans had ever faced, a military magician who moved blocks of soldiers like pieces in a board game and conjured ways to turn Roman strengths into decisive weaknesses.

The Roman people’s first reaction to Trebia and Lake Trasimene was to elect as Dictator one Quintus Fabius Maximus, a wily general whose policy was to avoid any pitched battles with Hannibal while methodically rebuilding the Roman army. Instead of facing Hannibal head-on, Maximus harried his supply lines and shadowed his army up and down the Italian boot, nipping at his heels. This strategy, later termed “Fabian tactics,” earned Maximus the epithet Cunctator – “the delayer.” It was not bestowed in affection: The Roman public was furious at his seeming inaction and itching for revenge.

When his term as Dictator was up at the end of 217 BC, the voting public dismissed Fabius Maximus and elected two consuls, Gaius Terrentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paullus, who promised a more aggressive campaign to destroy Hannibal. They raised the biggest Roman field army yet assembled, totaling 86,000 soldiers. We are not sure of the breakdown of this huge force or how many Roman legions it represented. Whatever its makeup, by ancient standards, this was an enormous army – more than twice the number Alexander the Great used to conquer all of Asia.

The mint of Rome must have worked frantically to hammer out enough silver quadrigati to pay this immense force. There is some evidence that the supply of silver started to run low and the purity of the metal began to decline, although this was little noticed at first.

With this huge force at their disposal, albeit mostly raw recruits with little training, Varro and Paullus sought out a decisive battle with Hannibal in the summer of 216 BC. Hannibal accommodated them by seizing the small town of Cannae in Apulia, which had served as a Roman military storage depot. The Roman legions advanced on the city and confronted Hannibal’s much smaller force on a plain outside town that was ideally suited for the Roman way of combat – blunt force brutally applied on a huge scale.

But Hannibal proved his genius yet again. At Cannae, he painted his masterpiece in the blood of between 45,000 and 70,000 Roman dead, compared to 8,000 casualties of his own. There is no space here to examine this epoch battle in detail (this will be done in the full book to come!); suffice it to say that Hannibal’s one-sided triumph brought Rome to the brink of utter ruin.

Figure 2: Carthaginian silver half-shekel, circa 220-205 BC; the head of Melqart on the obverse may be a disguised portrait of Hannibal or one of his brothers.

Figure 3: Bust of Hannibal, said to have been found in Capua

Plague of Catastrophes

Trebia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae. No city or nation had ever faced anything like this plague of military catastrophes, and it remains astonishing that Rome continued to fight on when every precedent suggested the war was over and done. But fight on is what the Senate and popular Assembly decided to do, even while the defeats piled up and many of Rome’s closest allies defected to Carthage, including Tarentum, Neapolis and Capua, one of Rome’s staunchest socii.

Fortunately for Rome, Hannibal, perhaps history’s greatest tactician, seems to have had a peculiar blind spot when it came to overall strategy. After Cannae, he might have marched on the capital while its defenses were down, captured it, and razed it to the ground. Instead, he waited for the Romans to send envoys seeking terms. Like Pyrrhos, he was prepared to be fairly generous. Like Pyrrhos, he waited in vain.

Reluctantly, he resumed campaigning in southern Italy, placing garrisons in cities that had defected to him, ravaging the countryside of those that stuck with Rome, and ignoring or brushing aside the Roman armies shadowing his. Occasionally, a brash Roman commander would challenge Hannibal to a full-on battle, which Hannibal inevitably won in lopsided fashion, after which the Romans would slink back and resume their Fabian tactics.

The war dragged on, entering its grim middle years.

Annihilating as Cannae had been, some Romans survived and avoided capture, among them the Consul Varro and about 4,500 legionaries, whose number he joined with scattered garrison forces to form a field army of about 13,000. Another survivor of Cannae was a young patrician officer, Publius Cornelius Scipio, eponymous son of a former consul who was now fighting the Carthaginians in Spain. Here, at last, Rome found a military genius to equal Hannibal, but it would take many years for his gift to manifest itself.

First the Roman state would have to deal with an existential crisis: How do you raise and pay for a new army to continue fighting when your best recruiting grounds and richest tributaries have been lost to the enemy?

Early Punic War coinage

During the war’s early years, Rome continued to strike the silver quadrigatus to pay its soldiers, although this became increasingly difficult as silver supplies dwindled. After Cannae, the shortage reached crisis proportions, only partly alleviated by a massive loan from Rome’s one remaining loyal ally, old King Hieron II of Syracuse. This loan was partly paid out in gold staters, and, for the first time, Rome used this specie to strike its own gold coins.

These were issued in two denominations, a stater of about 6.75 grams, and a half-stater. Both had similar designs, with an obverse, like the silver quadrigatus, bearing a Janiform head of the Dioscuri, while the reverse depicted an oath-taking scene: Two soldiers standing facing one another, placing their sword points on a pig held by a third, kneeling soldier. This depicts an ancient Italic ritual to swear an oath of loyalty. It seems to be a plea for Rome’s Italian allies to remain loyal despite Hannibal’s onslaught.

These Roman gold staters were struck in limited numbers and we don’t really understand how they were used. They are extremely rare today, with only a handful in public and private collections.

It seems odd to consider that the striking of gold coins by an ancient state would actually signal a financial crisis, but the other actions of the Rome mint confirm the desperate situation. The silver content of the silver quadrigatus was further debased, dipping well below 80 percent, and many or most of these coins were now struck at military outposts rather than the mint of Rome. The style of these later quadrigati are decidedly inferior to the earlier issues, and were struck on small, dumpy planchets.

The giant copper Aes Grave as was reduced drastically as well, dropping to less than half its former weight (the

Figure 4: Gold half-stater, struck circa 216 BC.

Figure 5: Debased quadrigatus circa 216-212 BC

“semilibral” standard). Bronze was desperately needed for armor and other war material, and a huge, weighty copper coinage was a luxury Rome could no longer afford.

For the time being, Rome hung on by its fingernails, employing every desperate measure it could think of to recruit men into its armies and raise the funds to pay them. Slaves, criminals, and the urban poor were admitted into the army, and the total force slowly rose back to pre-Cannae levels. To pay them, taxes on landholders were doubled and even tripled, women donated their gold and silver jewelry, and household handed over their fancy dinner wear.

But Roman fortunes suffered another serious setback in 211 BC, when both Scipio brothers were killed in Spain, together with most of the army, in a series of clashes with the Carthaginian forces under Hannibal’s brothers, Hasdrubal, and Mago. With much of Spain lost and Hannibal still rampant in southern Italy, the future seemed bleak for the city on seven hills, and any outside observer would likely conclude that Carthaginian victory was inevitable. But the seeds of Roman revival had already been sown.

New System, New Coins

By 212-211 BC, the financial strains of the war prompted the Roman government to scrap its old monetary system based on the silver quadrigatus. Instead, Rome introduced a range of entirely new coins anchored by a silver piece that would prove to be the foundation of its economy for the next 500 years: The silver denarius. The design was standardized with a head of Roma wearing a winged Italo-Phrygian helmet on the obverse, while on the reverse the heavenly twins Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri, galloped along side-by-side on horseback, with two stars over their heads. The city name ROMA appeared on a tablet beneath the groundline. The coin’s name derived from its value of 10 copper asses (from the Latin deni, “tenner”), which was clearly marked on the coin in the form of the Roman numeral X. This coin weighed in at a theoretical 1/72 of a Roman pound, or 4.5 grams, and so used about 32 percent less silver than the quadrigatus.

Along with the denarius came two smaller silver fractions, the quinarius (half) and sestertius (quarter), both of similar design but each marked with its value in copper asses, V for the quinarius and IIS (the S standing for semis, “half”) for the sestertius. Also issued was another silver denomination, termed a victoriatus, which stood in a somewhat awkward relation to the denarius, weighing in at about 3.5 grams. This was about the same as an Italic drachm, and it is believed this coin was mainly used to pay allied soldiers from the Greek city states.

At the top end of the value scale, three gold coin denominations were now issued, all marked with their value in asses. All coins bore the same design: A helmeted head of Mars on the obverse, and an eagle standing on a thunderbolt on the reverse (the eagle represented Jupiter and was one of the identifying standards carried into battle by the legions). These included a gold 60-as piece, weighing about 3.4 grams, marked with a ↓X (VI times X); a 40-as piece (XXXX), and a 20-as piece (XX). A comparison of the weights of values of the precious metal denominations indicates the relative ratio of silver to gold at this time was about 12 to one.

The copper as was now a struck coin weighing roughly 28 grams, still a fairly large and impressive piece, though only an echo of the gigantic old cast Aes Grave coins. Its fractions included the semis (half), triens

Figure 8: Gold 60 asses, circa 211-208 BC.

Figure 7: Silver Quinarius, circa 211-208 BC. CNG Inventory Number 5637858

Figure 6: Early issue silver denarius, circa 211-208 BC CNG Inventory Number 5636901

(third), quadrans (fourth), sextans (sixth), uncia (twelfth), and semuncia (24th). Thus, Rome now had a full range of coin denominations ranging from a 60-as coin valuable enough to buy an acre of arable land, to the copper semuncia that would buy you a chunk of bread or a cup of substandard wine.

The wholesale revamping of the Roman system seems to have occurred during a single year, mid 212 to 211 BC, as part of a plan that bears all the hallmarks of a single brilliant organizing mind, or perhaps a small committee. Unfortunately, we do not know the name of this economic genius or who made up this putative cadre of financial experts. But the reform proved incredibly effective in stretching the Roman money supply – after all, the denarius was tariffed at 10 copper asses like the quadrigatus, but three denarii could now be struck for the same amount of silver as contained in two of the old quadrigati, an effective devaluation of nearly 33%. Oddly enough, there is no evidence of the upward spike in prices one might expect from such a sudden devaluation, although it is true our record for commodities prices in this period is meager at best, and that all prices must have been in dramatic flux due to wartime shortages. We see no evidence soldiers who were paid in this new coin complained about being cheated. Perhaps they were happy to receive any kind of pay, or found the comprehensive and logical system of denominations convincing and reassuring.

At any rate, the reform made it possible to recruit and pay more soldiers, pay old debts off in a debased an inflationary currency (although, again, there is no solid evidence of inflation), and to bribe wavering allies into remaining loyal. In short, it placed the state’s war finances on a sound footing. Moreover, it proved remarkably long lasting, requiring only minimal tweaking over the next five centuries.

The rest of this remarkable story of national survival and victory will be detailed in the forthcoming book Legionary Loot. But, in broad strokes, within five years of the introduction of the Denarius system, Rome’s armies were victorious in Spain, under the command of Publius Scipio Jr., and in Italy with the crushing defeat of Hannibal’s brother Hasdrubal at the Metaurus River in 207 BC. Within another five years, Scipio had won the consulship and taken his army to Africa, finally defeating the “unbeatable” Hannibal at Zama in 202 BC.

The 16-year Second Punic War was finally over. It had been, paraphrase Wellington, a damned near-run thing, with the Roman Republic coming within an eyelash of complete extinction.

Yet Rome emerged from this existential conflict with a large and superbly trained professional army led by a matchless military genius, plus an immense new province, Spain, that was studded with productive silver mines. It also had a logical and well-organized monetary system based on the silver denarius, which now became the main currency of the western Mediterranean.

Moreover, Rome acquired a new vision of its future, stretching far beyond the Italian boot and its immediate environs. World conquest beckoned, and Rome now had the means, and the money, to pull it off.

It might be a total coincidence that Rome’s military fortunes in this existential war took a sudden turn for the better as soon as the silver denarius came into play. But probably not.

Figure 9: Roman struck copper as, circa 211-208 BC.

Figure 10: Copper semuncia, circa 211-208 BC

GREEK COINAGE

5631997. CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 280 BC. AR Nomos (21.5mm, 7.78 g, 12h). Nude youth, holding rein in left hand and, with right, crowning horse he rides right; sÅ to left, ÅrE>QW@ in two lines below / Phalanthos, nude, holding tripod in extended right hand, supporting himself with his left, riding dolphin left; tÅrÅs to right, 4Ås below. Vlasto 666–7; HN Italy 957; SNG ANS 1046–50; Dewing 168; Gulbenkian 39. Lightly toned, underlying luster, a little die wear on obverse, light graffito in field on reverse. Near EF. Well centered. $1750

The city of Tarentum was founded in the late 8th century BC by Spartan colonists on the north coast of the gulf of the same name, on a rocky islet at the entrance to the only secure harbor. It was Sparta’s only colony and maintained close relations with the mother city. The official founder of the city was believed to be the Spartan leader Phalanthos. Ancient tradition, however, tells how Taras, the son of Poseidon and a local nymph, Satyra, was miraculously saved from a shipwreck by his father, who sent a dolphin on whose back he was carried to shore, at which spot he founded the city.

Blessed with fertile land, Tarentum became famous for olives and sheep. It possessed a fine harbor, great fisheries and profitable exports of wool, purple, and pottery. It adopted a democratic form of government circa 475 BC, and thereafter became the leading Greek city in southern Italy. Its success led to continual difficulties with its neighbor cities, though, and on four occasions Tarentum required expeditions from Greece to help overcome its aggressors. The last of these expeditions was led by the famed Epeirote, Pyrrhos. Following his withdrawal from the city, Tarentum was occupied by the Romans.

It was not until late in the 6th century that Tarentum felt the need to produce coinage. It did so by copying the broad, thin fabric with incuse reverse type already in use by Metapontum, Sybaris, Poseidonia, Kaulonia, and Kroton. Tarentum quickly grew in power and wealth. As with many cities that began coinage at the time, the types depicted relate to the city’s foundation, both in its historical and mythological forms. Taras’ prosperity is exemplified by its vast coinage, which was continuous from circa 510 BC until the end of the Second Punic War.

5632001. CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 280 BC. AR Nomos (22mm, 7.54 g, 5h). Warrior, nude but for helmet, holding shield and two spears in left hand, preparing to cast a third in his right, on horseback right; Å@[QrW∏] below / Phalanthos, nude, holding kantharos in extended right hand, supporting himself with his left, riding dolphin left; tÅr-Ås above, EU to left, anchor to right, År below. Vlasto 691 (same obv. die); HN Italy 966; SNG ANS 1065. Light roughness, a little die wear, flan flaw on reverse. Good VF. Well centered. Interesting symbol for the series. $1750

5632000. CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 280 BC. AR Nomos (20.5mm, 7.86 g, 12h). Nude youth, shield on left arm, right hand on mane, preparing to dismount horse rearing left; EU to right, @5˚W@ below / Phalanthos, nude, holding grain stalk in extended right hand, supporting himself with his left, riding dolphin left; År5 to left, tÅrÅs to right; below, spearhead right. Vlasto 701–2; HN Italy 969; SNG ANS 1078; Jameson 165. Underlying luster, minor flan flaw and spot of die rust on obverse, small scratch on reverse. Near EF. $2150

5630418. LUCANIA, Herakleia. Circa 390-340 BC. AR Nomos (21mm, 7.81 g, 6h). Head of Athena right, wearing single-pendant earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with Skylla throwing stone held in right hand; EU to right / Herakles standing facing, torso right, strangling the Nemean Lion to right; ^˙rÅk¬[E5W@] above, Åπo¬ and club to left, oinochoe below. Work 47 (same dies); Van Keuren 51 (same obv. die as illustration); HN Italy 1378; SNG ANS 66; Bement 138 (same obv. die); Hunterian 7 (same dies); McClean 825 (same obv. die); Weber 706 (same dies). Attractive iridescent tone. In NGC encapsulation 3760896-001, graded Ch XF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 5/5. Well centered. $7500

Herakleia was a relatively late foundation along the instep of the Italian “boot,” starting out as a compromise settlement between the warring city-states of Thourioi and Tarentum in circa 432 BC. Although widely regarded as a colony of Tarentum, Herakleia considered itself independent and played host to an annual meeting of envoys from all the Italo-Greek cities. Named after Herakles, the city’s coinage naturally depicted the powerful demigod on the reverse, here in a deadly embrace with the Nemean Lion.

5631927. LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 340-330 BC. AR Nomos (19.5mm, 7.90 g, 4h). Head of Leukippos right, wearing Corinthian helmet; to left, head of lion right; [{ below chin] / Barley ear of seven grains, leaf to left; club above leaf, [Å]µ5 below; ÂEtÅ upward to right. Johnston Class B, 2.3–34; HN Italy 1575; SNG ANS 432–9; SNG Lloyd 377–8; Dewing 382–4. Toned, traces of find patina, light cleaning scratches. EF. $3975

535686. LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 330-290 BC. AR Nomos (20mm, 7.83 g, 3hh). Wreathed head of Demeter right, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; E[U] below chin / Barley ear of seven grains with leaf to right; ¬U to lower left, star above leaf. Johnston Class C, 8.12 (same dies); HN Italy 1592; SNG Fitzwilliam 514 (same dies); Pozzi 192 (same obv. die). Underlying luster, a couple of tiny flan flaws on obverse. EF. Struck from dies of pleasing style. $2475

Metapontion, originally named Sybaris, was an Achaian colony of very early foundation, though the precise details of its origin are shrouded in uncertainty. Following the destruction of its first foundation by the Samnites, it was refounded, as Metapontion, early in the 7th century BC by settlers under the leadership of Leukippos, who was thereafter revered as the city founder. The great prosperity of the city — attested by the extent of its archaic silver coinage commencing in the mid 6th century BC — was based on agriculture. Situated on the Gulf of Tarentum, Metapontion occupied a plain of extraordinary fertility watered by the rivers Bradanos and Kasuentos. Its standard coin type is an ear of barley, a tribute to the source of Metapontine wealth, and Demeter, the goddess of grain who is the city’s most revered diety. One of the city’s most notable claims was that it was the burial-place of Pythagoras who had retired there and perished in a sedition.

Pedigreed to 1909

5640866. LUCANIA, Sybaris. Circa 550-510 BC. AR Nomos (26mm, 8.16 g, 12h). Bull standing left, head right; ¨µ in exergue / Incuse bull standing right, head left. S&S Class B, pl. XLVIII, 4–8; Gorini 2; HN Italy 1729; SNG ANS 828–44; SNG Lloyd 449–50; Basel 168–9; Bement 213; Dewing 406–7; Gillet 215. Attractive old cabinet tone, trace deposits, a few minor marks. Choice EF. A beautiful coin in hand. $10,950

Ex H. M. Collection (Bourgey, 15 December 1909), lot 28.

Sybaris, located on the bottom of the Italian boot, was founded circa 720 BC and quickly amassed great wealth due to its fertile fields and active port. Descriptions of the city’s sumptuous festivals and luxurious dwellings abound in ancient literature, and “Sybarite” became a synonym for any lover of luxury and pleasure. The silver coinage of Sybaris follows the remarkable relief / incuse pattern employed by other cities of Greek southern Italy in the sixth and early fifth centuries BC, which required careful flan preparation and precise alignment of dies. The bull of Sybaris, with its reverted head, exerted a powerful influence on modern artists, including Picasso.

Ex Lockett Collection – Pedigreed to 1928

5629301. LUCANIA, Thourioi. Circa 443-400 BC. AR Nomos (20.5mm, 7.82 g, 1h). Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with laurel branch and ivy leaf / Bull butting right; QoUr5W@ above; in exergue, fish right.

HN Italy 1775; SNG ANS 925 (same dies); SNG Lockett 472 (this coin); Dewing 417. Beautiful old cabinet tone, slightly off center, minor die break on obverse. Good VF. Rare variety with ivy leaf in laurel wreath. $6750

Ex Richard Cyril Lockett Collection (Greek Part I, Glendining, 25 October 1955), lot 348; Ars Classica XIII (27 June 1928), lot 108.

In 446 BC, with the aid of Athens, the refugee population of the destroyed city of Sybaris returned to the location of their previous home, and founded a new city, giving it the name Thourioi. The new city quickly regained the prosperity enjoyed by its former incarnation, as evidenced by the extensive series of coins it issued over the following two centuries. Although its perennial rival had been Kroton, the new city grew close to its former enemy, and Tarentum as well. Good relations with the latter were probably responsible for the weakening of Thourioi’s historical connection to Athens, and she turned to Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. Although supported by Tarentum, the city suffered at the hands of the Lucanians and Brettians during the 4th century. In need of a more robust ally, the Thourians turned to Rome in 285 BC. Unlike many cities in southern Italy, Thourioi’s support of Rome was steadfast during both the time of Pyrrhos and Hannibal’s invasion, even though the Thourians suffered heavily at the hands of the latter. The coinage of Thourioi was diverse in both its denominations and metals. The primary types were the head of Athena, probably due to the city’s initial close relationship with Athens, and a standing or butting bull, which had been the civic type on the coins of Sybaris.

in both

Head of

5632005. LUCANIA, Thourioi. Circa 350-300 BC. AR Nomos (21.5mm, 7.36 g, 1h).

Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated on the bowl with Skylla throwing a stone, and sW(?) on the neck guard / Bull butting right, head facing; above, Nike flying right, crowning bull with wreath held

hands, above s5; QoUr5W@ in exergue. Cf. HN Italy 1843–5; SNG ANS –; SNG Ashmolean –; SNG Lloyd –; SNG Copenhagen 1463 (same dies); NAC 138, lot 29 (same dies; hammer 3750 CHF). Light cleaning scratches, a little die wear and tiny nicks on obverse, some roughness on reverse. Near EF. Well centered. Rare. $1950

5640981.

465/0–445/0

AR Tetradrachm (25mm, 17.31 g, 7h). Sea eagle standing left; Å˚RÅ1-sotNÅ around / Crab within incuse circle. Westermark, Coinage, Period II, Group II, 343 (O9/R32); HGC 2, 79; Boston MFA 221 = Warren 188 (same obv. die). Lightly toned, underlying luster, a few tiny flan flaws. EF. Well centered and struck, with exceptional detail. $39,500

Colonists from Gela founded Akragas circa 580 BC on a plateau overlooking the sea. Under the tyrants Phaleris and Theron, it quickly grew into one of the most prosperous and populous Greco-Sicilian cities. In 473 BC, the people overthrew Theron’s son and established a democracy. From its earliest coinage circa 510 BC, Akragas featured an eagle, sacred to Zeus, backed with an overhead view of a crab, harvested as a delicacy in the region. After the coming of democracy, the crab design was augmented with a number of other attributes.

AR

(24.5mm, 17.08 g, 12h). Head of

left, wearing wreath of grain ears, triple-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; four dolphins around / Head of horse left; palm tree to right, †nJMM` (Punic ‘MMḤNT) below. Jenkins, Punic, Series 3a, – (unlisted dies); CNP 267; BAR Issue 4; HGC 2, 284. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6369955-002, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5, Fine Style, flan flaw. Well centered. Wonderful horse head on reverse. $8750

Ex Triton VI (14 January 2003), lot 95.

9; HGC 2, 251. Dark green patina. EF.

SICILY, Akragas. Circa

BC.

5630419. SICILY, Entella. Punic issues. Circa 320/15-300 BC.

Tetradrachm

Arethousa

5630439. SICILY, Entella. Campanian mercenaries. Circa 307-305 BC. Æ Hemilitron (17.5mm, 6.52 g, 7h). Bearded head of male left, wearing Corinthian helmet decorated with a laurel wreath; ˚Å-ÂπÅ@-W@ around / Bridled horse galloping right; below, Corinthian helmet right. Campana 17; BAR Issue 3; CNS

$1250

5629310. SICILY, Gela. Circa 465-450 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 17.15 g, 1h). Charioteer, holding kentron in left hand and reins in right, driving slow quadriga right; in background, column with Ionic capital set on plinth of two steps / Forepart of man-headed bull right; 1Es above. Jenkins, Gela, Group III, 235 (O62/R125); HGC 2, 339; BMC 12 (same dies); Hunterian 3 (same obv. die). Attractively toned, with a hint of iridescence, slight die wear. EF. Well centered. $22,500

Situated on the Gela river on the southern coast of Sicily, Gela was founded in 688 BC by Cretans and Rhodians. Although the city had a Creto-Rhodian foundation, the name of the river is of local Sikanian origin, meaning very cold, as the water runs from the Heraei mountains to the north. Its coinage is among the earliest in Sicily and began with a prolific series of didrachms. Gela had been known for its adept cavalry, and the obverse type is likely an allusion to that asset of the polis. On the reverse, the rather brutal half-length figure of the man-faced bull swimming right is based on the ‘father of all rivers’, Acheloös, and is clearly identified by the ethnic Gelas as the personification of the river rushing to its mouth, where the city Gela stood. It was defined by Virgil (Aen. 3, 702) as ‘immanisque Gela fluvii cognomina dicta’ (and Gela called by the nickname of its monstrous stream).

5630440.

Æ Tetras – Trionkion (16.5mm, 3.37 g, 11h). Bull standing right; olive leaf

˝E¬Ås above, ••• (mark of value) in exergue / Horned head of Gelas right; barley grain to left. Jenkins, Gela, Group VIIIIX, 507; CNS 17; HGC 2, 380. Attractive olive green patina, deposit on edge. Near EF. $1100

Ex New York Sale XIV (10 January 2007), lot 38.

/

Ex M.J.W. Collection (Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 460, 29 January 2020), lot 82; Berk BBS 172 (20 November 2010), lot 53.

Founded circa 649 BC by settlers from Zankle, Himera was the only Greek colony on the north coast of the island. On evidence of its late 6th century coinage it would appear to have enjoyed a high degree of prosperity at this time, despite the relative isolation of its position. As at the other two Chalkidian colonies (Naxos and Zankle), the standard denomination of Himera’s archaic coinage was the drachm of about 5.73 grams, being one-third of the Euboeic stater of 17.2 grams. It is generally assumed that the cock was the civic ‘badge’ of Himera, having been adopted in honor of the Euboian city of Karystos, perhaps the original home of many of the first colonists. In 483 BC, Himera was captured by Theron, tyrant of Akragas, and thereafter the crab of Akragas appeared as the reverse type on the coinage of Himera.

SICILY, Gela. Circa 420-405 BC.

and

533802. SICILY, Himera. Circa 530-520/15 BC. AR Drachm (22mm, 5.30 g). Cock standing right

Incuse square with mill-sail pattern enclosed within segmented linear border. Kraay Group Ia, 1–4 var. (O1/R– [unlisted rev. die]); HGC 2, 420. Attractive find patina, flan crack. EF. Well struck for issue. $5750

5630441. SICILY, Himera. Circa 412-409 BC. Æ Hemilitron – Hexonkion (13mm, 1.80 g, 5h). Head of female facing slightly left, wearing tainia / Crawfish left; six pellets (mark of value) above; 5ÂE below. Kraay, Bronze, p. 31, 4a; CNS 36; HGC 2, 481. Wonderful dark green patina. In NGC encapsulation 3811612-006, graded Ch AU, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 5/5. $975

5630442. SICILY, Kamarina. Circa 310-290 BC. Æ (12mm, 1.71 g, 1h). Head of female left / Bull butting left; ˚Å[Â] Å-r5@-[Å5W]s around. Westermark & Jenkins Period 4, 218, dies A/a; BAR Issue 1; CNS 45; HGC 2, 558. Attractive dark green patina. EF. Very rare. $925

Ex Roma XIII (23 March 2017), lot 78.

5629325. SICILY, Leontini. Circa 430-425 BC. AR Tetradrachm (23mm, 16.25 g, 9h). Head of Apollo left, wearing laurel wreath / Head of roaring lion right; 6E-o-n-t5-n-on around; three barley grains above, to left, and below; leaf behind. Boehringer, Münzgeschichte 55 (same dies); HGC 2, 671 (same dies as illustration); SNG ANS 257 (same dies); SNG Lloyd 1063 (same obv. die); Basel 353 (same dies); Rizzo pl. XXIV, 4 (same dies). Wonderful deep iridescent tone, typical minor die wear on obverse (diagnostic for die). Superb EF. Well struck, with fine details.

$17,750

Ex Tkalec (9 May 2005), lot 18.

This attractive tetradrachm was probably struck about two decades after the initial introduction of the Apollo / Lion type. While early heads of Apollo were rendered in a highly stylized manner, here he appears as an idealized human. Apollo was especially revered at Leontini, as he was at the mother city of Naxos where there was a famous sanctuary of Apollo Archegetes. The lion was the emblem of Apollo but probably also represents a punning allusion to the city name. The surrounding barley-grains are indicative of the exceptional fertility of the Leontine territory and doubtless refer to the local worship of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.

Superb Messana Tetradrachm

The nymph Messana, holding kentron in left hand and reins in both, driving slow biga of mules right; ŘÅs-sEµ counterclockwise from right, two dolphins confronted in exergue / Hare springing right; µEs-sÅ-˜-5-o˜ around; below, dolphin right. Caltabiano Series XIV, 533 (D210/R227); HGC 2, 792; SNG ANS 362; Pozzi 490 (same dies). Lightly toned over lustrous surfaces, minor die wear. Superb EF. Well struck on a broad flan. $22,500

Ex Classical Numismatic Review XLV.1 (Winter 2020), no. 525515 (@ $19,500); Numismatica Ars Classica 114 (6 May 2019), lot 57 (hammer CHF 13,000).

5630392. SICILY, Messana. 420-413 BC. AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 17.27 g, 3h).

5640980. SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25.5mm, 17.21 g, 11h). Struck circa 460-450 BC. Charioteer, holding kentron in right hand, reins in both, driving slow quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horses with open wreath held in both hands; in exergue, ketos right / Head of Arethousa right, wearing pearl tainia, single-pendant earring, and necklace; s-¨-RÅkos-5-o˜ and four dolphins around. Boehringer Series XIVa, 469 (V252/ R338); HGC 2, 1311; SNG ANS 144–5 (same rev. die); SNG München 1008 (same dies); Dewing 787 (same obv. die); Gillet 560 (same dies); Jameson 761 (same obv. die); Pozzi 574 (same obv. die); Randazzo 532 (this coin). Attractive light gray tone with golden hues around the devices, minor flan flaw on obverse. EF. $35,000

Ex Triton XIX (5 January 2016), lot 49; Numismatica Genevensis SA V (2 December 2008), lot 41; Leu 72 (12 May 1998), lot 100; Randazzo/ Sicily, 1980 Hoard (CH VII, 17).

5629323. SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 17.26 g, 12h). Struck circa 450-440 BC. Charioteer, holding kentron in right hand and reins in both, driving slow quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horses with wreath held in both hands; in exergue, ketos right / Head of Arethousa right, hair in band, wearing single-pendant earring and pearl necklace with pendant; s¨∞Å˚os5-o˜ and four dolphins around. Boehringer Series XVIb, 571 (V287/R391); HGC 2, 1311; SNG ANS 184 (same dies); Bement 473 (same dies); Pozzi 581 (same dies); Jameson 769 (same dies). Lovely even gray tone, with iridescent hues and underlying luster. Choice EF. Well centered, and with exceptional details. $32,500

Philistis, wife of

275-215 BC. AR 5 Litrai – Drachm (19mm, 4.45 g, 9h). Struck circa 217-215 BC. Diademed and veiled bust left / ∫Å%5¬5%%Å% f5¬5%t5do%, Nike driving fast quadriga right; E to right. CCO 224 (D4/R3); BAR Issue 68; HGC 2, 1558; SNG ANS 892 (same dies); SNG Lockett 1016 (same dies); BMC 559 (same dies); Boston MFA 478 (same dies). Light golden tone, hairline flan crack, a hint of roughness, minor marks. EF. Rare. $7750

Philistis was the daughter of an influential Syracusan named Leptines. Hieron, a mercenary refugee from the army of Pyrrhos of Epeiros, took control of Syracuse after Pyrrhos’ withdrawal from the city in 275 BC. Hieron immediately sought out and married Philistis to secure his position with the city’s elite. His coinage in her name commenced after he was proclaimed king (and she queen) in 265 BC and reflects the strong influence of Ptolemaic Egypt, depicting her veiled head in a manner reminiscent of Egyptian queens Arsinoe II and Berenike II.

5634456. SICILY, Syracuse.

Hieron II.

Ex Jameson and Prince Chachowsky Collections – Pedigreed to 1908

Ex Numismatic Fine Arts XII (23 March 1983), lot 37; Robert Jameson Collection (publ. 1913); Prince Chachowsky Collection (Egger [20], 7 January 1908), lot 240.

Ainos came rather late to currency production, striking its first tetradrachms only after the expulsion of the Persians from northern Greece following Xerxes’ defeat at Salamis. Its first period ended with the Athenian coinage decree of 449 BC, but the mint was in operation again by circa 435 BC, tapering off rapidly until disappearing with the conquest of the city by Philip of Macedon in 342 BC. Its uniform types throughout its history were Hermes and the goat, the latter the symbol of the pasture land that provided what prosperity Ainos had. Hermes was the patron deity of Ainos, dating from the time of the Trojan War. According to a poem by Kallimachos, the sculptor Epeios, who constructed the Trojan Horse, also made a wooden statue (ξοανον) of Hermes, which was washed out to sea and recovered by fishermen by the Hebros river. The fishermen, thinking it just a piece of driftwood, tried to burn it in their bonfire. When it failed to burn they took fright and threw it back into the sea, which promptly cast it back again. The natives accepted it as a relic of the gods, and erected the sanctuary of Hermes Perpheraios (the Wanderer) at the future site of Ainos. The later coins of Ainos showcase some of the finest numismatic art of the Greek world. Nevertheless, Ainos never became an important city or trading center. The climate might have had something to do with it; according to Athaneus, Ainos had two seasons, eight months of cold and four months of winter. At least the goats liked it.

5632104. SKYTHIA, Geto-Dacians. Koson. Mid 1st century BC. AV Stater (20.5mm, 8.49 g, 11h). Roman consul accompanied by two lictors advancing left; monogram to left, ˚osW@ in exergue / Eagle standing left on scepter, holding wreath; pellet on exergue line. Hourmouziadis dies B/c; Iliescu 1; RPC I 1701A; HGC 3, 2049 corr. (some without monogram). Lustrous, minor doubling on obverse (as usual). EF. $2750

Ex Dr. Michael Slavin Collection, purchased from Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. (their ticket included).

5631925. THRACE, Ainos. Circa 412/1-410/09 BC. AR Tetradrachm (22mm, 16.51 g, 12h). Head of Hermes right, wearing petasos with pelleted rim / Goat standing right; Å5@-5 above, kerykeion to lower right; all within incuse square. May, Ainos, Group XXXI, 258b (A158/P167) = AMNG II 288/18 = Jameson 1048 (this coin); HGC 3, 1266; Boston MFA 779 = Warren 465 (same dies); Consul Weber 863 (same dies). Beautiful deep cabinet tone, a hint of die wear, old scrape on reverse. Superb EF. Perfectly centered. $47,500

of Alexander III of Macedon. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / ∫Å%5¬EW% ŬE$Å@droU, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; in inner left field, helmet above ,. Karayotov I 29 (O7/R22); Price 992; HGC 3, 1567. A couple of minor, short scratches, slight doubling on reverse. EF. Perfectly centered. Fine Style.

5631922.

of THRACE, Macedonian. Lysimachos. 305-281 BC. AR Drachm (18mm, 4.33 g, 12h). Ephesos mint. Struck circa 294-287 BC. Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / ∫Å%5¬EW% ¬Us5ÂÅcoU, Athena Nikephoros seated left, left arm resting on shield, transverse spear in background; kithara to inner left, Å on throne. Thompson 174; Müller 355; HGC 3, 1753d. Lovely iridescent tone, minor die flaw in field on reverse. EF. $4250

early-mid 3rd

BC.

head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / ∫Å%5¬EW% ¬Us5ÂÅcoU, Athena Nikephoros seated left, left arm resting on shield, transverse spear in background; to inner left, bearded head left above ‰. Thompson –; Müller 452 var. (monogram); cf. HGC 3, 1750 (for type). Light golden tone, underlying luster, trace deposits, slight doubling in areas, a few light marks. Superb EF. High relief.

Ex Roma XVII (28 March 2018), lot 427.

5644755. THRACE, Mesambria. Circa 275/50-225 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.91 g, 1h). In the name and types

$2450

KINGS

5629311. KINGS of THRACE, Macedonian. Lysimachos. 305-281 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29.5mm, 16.99 g, 11h). Uncertain mint. Struck

century

Diademed

$7750

mint. Struck circa 294-293 BC. Nike standing left on prow of galley left, blowing trumpet she holds in her right hand and cradling stylis in her left arm / ∫Å-s5¬EW-s d˙µ˙tr5oU, Poseidon Pelagaios standing left, seen from behind, preparing to throw trident held aloft in his right hand, chlamys draped over extended left arm; g to left; to right, dolphin left above star. Newell 68, obv. die LVII; HGC 3, 1012e; SNG München 1042 var. (no dolphin; same obv. die); Dewing 1196 (same obv. die). Attractive light tone over lustrous surfaces, minor die wear on obverse. Superb EF. $11,500

Ex North River Collection; Triton IV (5 December 2000), lot 177.

The most dashing of Alexander the Great’s successors, Demetrios I Poliorketes was the son of the Macedonian general Antigonos Monopthalmos (“one-eyed”), who served both Philip II and Alexander III the Great. After Alexander’s death, Demetrios led armies in support of his father’s claim to supreme power. He won a signal naval victory in 306 BC at Salamis against the Ptolemaic fleet and, along with his father, accepted the title Basileos (“king”), ending the fiction that the Diadochi were ruling a united government. This dynamic tetradrachm type, with its depiction of Nike alighting on a prow perhaps inspired by (or inspiring) the famous “Nike of Samothrace” statue, celebrates the victory at Salamis and makes it clear that the foundation of his power rests on his naval forces. Poseidon was Demetrios’s patron god, and appeared on the coinages of many of the cities he founded or conquered during his campaigns in Greece.

5635956.

temp.

–

II

246/5-229 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 17.17 g, 12h). Amphipolis mint. Head of Poseidon right, wearing wreath of marine plants / Apollo, testing bow in extended right hand, seated left on prow left inscribed ∫Å%5¬EW% Å@t5˝o@oU; f below. TEA Period III, Group 37, 163 (O25/R154); HGC 3, 1051; SNG Ashmolean 3266 (same obv. die); Hermitage Sale II 775 (same obv. die). Deeply toned, with blue iridescence, slight roughness. EF.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica D (2 March 1994), lot 1370.

5630393. KINGS of MACEDON. Demetrios I Poliorketes. 306-283 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 17.26 g, 1h). Pella

KINGS of MACEDON.

Antigonos II Gonatas

Demetrios

Aitolikos.

$7250

5630444. KINGS of MACEDON. Philip V. 221-179 BC. Æ (26mm, 12.12 g, 1h). Pella or Amphipolis mint. Struck circa 183/2-180/179 BC. Radiate head of Helios right / ∫Ås5¬EWs f5¬5ππoU, winged thunderbolt; 6 above, ‰ and 6 below; all within wreath. Mamroth, Bronzemünzen 24c; Touratsoglou, Macedonia 20; HGC 3, 1062. Dark green-brown patina. Choice EF. $1150

5631923. AKARNANIA, Federal Coinage (Akarnanian Confederacy). Circa 250-200 BC. AR Stater (27mm, 9.90 g, 3h). Leukas mint; Lykourgas, magistrate. Head of river god Achelöos right; [¬U]˚oUr˝os upward to left / Apollo, nude, holding bow in extended right hand, seated left; } to left, Å˚År@Å@W@ to right. Imhoof-Blumer, Akarnaniens 23; BCD Akarnania 18 (same dies); HGC 4, 721. Attractive cabinet tone, a little die wear as usual. EF. Perfectly centered. Powerful head of Achelöos. $14,500

Ex New York Sale XX (7 January 2009), lot 30; Waddell 79 (2003), lot 32.

Founded in the fifth century BC, the Akarnanian Confederacy was composed from time to time of a varying number of the local towns. In 438 BC, the Confederacy allied itself with Athens, providing it with support during the Peloponnesian War, while at the same time expanding its own control in the region. During this period the Confederacy began to issue coinage, which, like the coins of many of the other Greek confederacies, were struck in the city-states of its leading members. The obverse of this federal coinage depicts the head of the river-god Achelöos, the eponymous patron of the river which formed the natural boundary between Akarnania and Aitolia. The reverse may depict Apollo Aktiakos, whose temple was located on the promontory overlooking the Gulf of Ambrakia and which may have served as the meeting place of the confederacy’s members.

During the fourth century BC, the Confederacy shifted its alliances between Sparta and Athens as they struggled to control Greece. By the latter part of the century, however, the Akarnanian Confederacy was allied with Macedon. In 314 BC, it sided with Kassander in the Diadoch Wars. Periodic border conflicts with the Aitolians resulted in the loss of Akarnanian border territories and, although an agreement was reached in 263/2 BC, by 250 BC, at about the same time this quarter stater was minted, the Akarnanian Confederacy was divided between the Aitolians and the Molossians in Epeiros. In 230 BC the Akarnanian Confederacy enjoyed a brief revival, but after the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC, information about it disappears from the historical record.

BC. AR Stater (20mm, 8.53 g, 10h). Pegasos flying right; ¬ below / Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet with neck guard; to left, hippocamp left and ¬. Pegasi 107; Imhoof-Blumer, Akarnaniens –; BCD Akarnania 224 (same rev. die); HGC 4, 823. Deep collection tone, with some iridescence, underlying luster, minor die wear. EF. $2775

5631910. BOEOTIA, Thebes. Circa 363-338 BC. AR Stater (19.5mm, 12.18 g). Eu(w)ara–, magistrate. Boeotian shield / Amphora; above, horizontal club above grape bunch on vine; EU-VÅ/r-Å in two lines across field; all within incuse concave circle. Hepworth 43; BCD Boiotia 567; HGC 4, 1334. Cabinet tone, with some iridescence, minor die wear on obverse, traces of doubling on reverse. Good VF. $4475

Ex Pierre & Angélique Amandry Collection.

5640985. AKARNANIA, Leukas. Circa 320-280

5630420. ATTICA, Athens. Circa 165-42 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.85 g, 11h). New Style coinage. Timarchos, Nikago–, and Menan–, magistrates. Struck 134/3 BC. Head of Athena Parthenos right, wearing single-pendant earring and triple crested Attic helmet decorated with Pegasos and floral pattern / Owl standing right, head facing, on amphora; Å-œE above t5Â-ÅrcoU> @5˚Å˝o> ÂE@Å@ (magistrates’ names) in four lines across field, anchor and star to left, E on amphora, ÂE below; all within wreath. Thompson 365 var. (same obv. die; unlisted with these controls on rev.); HGC 4, 1602. Lightly toned. In NGC encapsulation 3761948-011, graded AU★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5. Well centered. $4950

5630411. ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 525-480 BC. AR Stater (18mm, 12.10 g). Sea turtle, head in profile, [with thin collar and row of dots down its back] / Incuse square with mill-sail pattern. Meadows, Aegina, Group IIb; Milbank pl. I, 11; Asyut

Ex

Group IVa; HGC 6, 429. Attractive light tone, typical compact flan. VF. High relief. $2250

530681. ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 480-457 BC. AR Drachm (13mm, 6.00 g, 3h). Sea turtle with trefoil collar and T-shaped pattern of pellets on back / Large incuse square with heavy skew pattern. Meadows, Aegina, Group IIIa; Milbank –; HGC 6, 442. Toned. VF. Very rare, and exceptional for issue. $5750

CNG inventory 994131 (December 2014); Elwood Rafn Collection; Classical Numismatic Group 67 (22 September 2004), lot 588; Russell Bement Jr. Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 51, 15 September 1999), lot 338.

5629326. ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 456/45-431 BC. AR Stater (19mm, 12.24 g, 9h). Land tortoise with segmented shell / Large incuse square with skew pattern. Meadows, Aegina, Group IIIb; Milbank pl. II, 12; HGC 6, 437. Old cabinet tone, minor die rust and a few marks on obverse. Good VF. Well centered. $7750

Ex Robinow Collection

Ex H. M. Robinow Collection (Morton & Eden 51, 24 October 2011), lot 111; Sternberg XII (18 November 1982), lot 166.

8.64

6h).

flying left; J below /

of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet; Å-r flanking neck truncation; to right, eagle standing left, head right. Ravel Period V, 1008; Pegasi 426; BCD Corinth 101; HGC 4, 1848. Old cabinet tone. In NGC encapsulation 6290618-001, graded Ch XF★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. $5250

and area of weak strike on obverse, some die rust and couple of scratches on reverse. EF

598989. ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 350-338 BC. AR Stater (21mm, 12.24 g, 8h). Ni–, magistrate. Tortoise with segmented shell; Å-5 flanking / “Thin skew” incuse pattern; @-5 in upper incuses, dolphin in lower left. Milbank p. 51, a; cf. HGC 6, 445 (drachm); SNG Copenhagen 526; SNG Lockett 1998; BMC 190; Hunt II 433; Pozzi 1639. Attractive cabinet tone, a little die wear. Good VF. Very high relief obverse. $17,750

596864. CORINTHIA, Corinth. Circa 350/45-285 BC. AR Stater (22mm,

g,

Pegasos

Head

Ex Mark & Lottie Salton Collection.

5610557. CORINTHIA, Corinth. Circa 350/45-285 BC. AR Stater (21.5mm, 8.53 g, 10h). Pegasos flying left; J below / Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet with neck guard and laurel wreath on the bowl; 5 before neck, star to right. Ravel Period V, 1034; Pegasi 425; BCD Corinth –; HGC 4, 1848. Toned, underlying luster, die break

$2500

Ex Mark & Lottie Salton Collection.

Mint State Pantikapaion Stater

165 (same dies); Triton VII, lot 151 (same dies). Lustrous. In NGC

5/5, Fine Style. Well struck. $175,000

Pantikapaion was founded by Greek colonists from Miletos in the late seventh century BC. Situated on the west side of the Cimmerian Bosporos, in what is now called Crimea, it achieved great prosperity through its exploitation of the abundant fisheries of the straits and the export of wheat from the Crimea. This wealth is attested by its splendid gold coinage, which commenced in the mid-4th century BC, and by the magnificently furnished rock tombs of its principal citizens in the same period. Later, it was to become a regional capital of the kingdom of Mithradates VI of Pontos (120-63 BC) and later still the seat of the kings of Bosporos (first century BC – fourth century AD). The coinage of Pantikapaion seems to have commenced with silver issues in the latter part of the fifth century BC, but it is for its beautiful gold staters that the mint is chiefly noted. They depict the head of the god Pan (a pun on the name of the city) and on the reverse, the griffin that Herodotos describes as being the guardian of the remote sources of gold.

5644569. CIMMERIAN BOSPOROS, Pantikapaion. Circa 340-325 BC. AV Stater (21mm, 9.13 g, 10h). Head of Pan left, wearing ivy wreath / Griffin, holding spear in its mouth, standing left, head facing, forepaw raised, on grain ear; ∏-Å-@ around. Frolova, Catalogue, Group V, dies B/– (unlisted rev. die); Anokhin 1021; MacDonald 54; HGC 7, 20; SNG BM Black Sea 864; Gulbenkian 588–90; Jameson 1361; Pozzi 1150; Sartiges 1580; Triton XXVI, lot 181 (same dies); CNG 117, lot

photo certification encapsulation 6555583-001, graded Ch MS★, Strike: 5/5, Surface:

5644758.

310-304/3 BC. Æ

6.58 g, 12h). Bearded head of satyr right / Forepart of griffin left; below, sturgeon left; π-Å-@ around. Anokhin 1023; MacDonald 69; HGC 7, 113. Attractive green-brown surfaces, trace deposits. EF. Well centered. $695

Ex Lockett and Bement Collections

BOSPOROS, Pantikapaion. Circa 90-79 BC. AR Didrachm (20mm, 8.72 g, 12h). Head of young Dionysos right, wearing ivy wreath / Grape bunch above ∏Å@t5/˚Å∏Å5/tW@ in three lines; all within ivy wreath; [Ë above]. Frolova & Ireland dies I/i; Anokhin 1116; MacDonald 168; HGC 7, 98; SNG Lockett 1102 = Bement 884 (this coin). Old collection tone, minor doubling on reverse. Good VF. $4500

5629657.

Ex Richard Cyril Lockett Collection (Greek Part II, Glendining, 12 February 1958), lot 1017; Clarence S. Bement Collection (Naville VI, 28 January 1923), lot 884.

Eupator. Circa 120-63

AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.72 g, 12h).

mint. Dated month 9, year 223 (June 74 BC). Diademed head right / ∫Å%5¬EW% Â5QrÅdÅtoU EU∏Åtoro%, stag grazing left; to left, star-in-crescent above n; to right, ˝˚s (year) above =; œ (month) in exergue; all within Dionysiac wreath of ivy and fruit. Callataÿ dies O48/R– (unlisted rev. die); HGC 7, 340; DCA 692; SNG Ashmolean 201 (same obv. die); Davis 186 (same obv. die); Pozzi 2100 (same obv. die). Attractively toned, a few light scratches. EF. Well centered and struck, with a wonderful portrait. $16,750

Mithradates was a Hellenistic monarch par excellence, his career driven by megalomaniacal ambitions leading to murderous assaults upon family and followers and disastrous foreign adventures against superior forces. His portraiture attempts to mimic the gods with its bold staring gaze and unruly, free-flowing hair, but at its most extreme is a personification of hysteria in its Dionysiac sense.

At the age of 18, Mithradates overthrew his mother’s regency and embarked on a career of conquest, bringing most of the lands around the Black Sea into his domain. His expansionist aims inevitably brought him into conflict with Rome, and in preparation for the coming war he built up the largest army in Asia, unleashing it in 88 BC in what would be the First Mithradatic War. He sought to undermine the Roman power base by ordering the massacre of every Roman citizen in Asia in which nearly 80,000 people perished.

The Romans were not intimidated, and when Mithradates crossed over to Greece proper as ‘Liberator’, the Roman legions under Sulla smashed his army. Mithradates retreated to Pontus, from where he continued to skirmish with the Romans, suffering more defeats to the general Lucullus. In 63 BC, having suffered a final defeat by Pompey and facing a revolt by his own son Pharnakes, the elderly king tried to commit suicide by taking poison, but he had inured himself to its affects by years of small counterdoses, and so had to be stabbed to death by one of his mercenaries.

CIMMERIAN BOSPOROS, Pantikapaion. Circa

(20mm,

CIMMERIAN

5611720. KINGS of PONTOS. Mithradates VI

BC.

Pergamon

Ex Jameson Collection

5631928. PAPHLAGONIA, Sinope. Tarkumuwa (Datames). Satrap of Cilicia and Cappadocia, 384-361/0 BC. AR Drachm (18mm, 5.93 g, 7h). Aeginetic standard. Imitative issue struck in Cappadocia. Struck circa 375 BC. Head of nymph left, hair in sakkos, wearing single-pendant earring / Sea-eagle on dolphin left; dÅtÅ below. RG 21b; HGC 7, 429; Jameson 2549 (this coin). Beautiful deep old cabinet tone, a few tiny die breaks on obverse. EF $3750 Ex Baldwin’s 37 (4 May 2004), lot 608; Robert Jameson Collection (publ. 1932).

Published Hekte from the Beginning of the Series

538307. BITHYNIA, Herakleia Pontike. Circa 530 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (10.5mm, 2.61 g). Head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin / Quadripartite incuse square. Fischer-Bossert, Electronhekten, Group 1, 1g (V1/R1 – this coin); HGC 7, –. Scuff on reverse. VF. From the first dies in the series. $1975

5647880. BITHYNIA, Kalchedon. Circa 260-220 BC. AV Stater (18mm, 8.47 g, 12h). In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet decorated with serpent, single-pendant earring, and necklace / ŬE$Å@droU, Nike standing left, holding wreath in extended right hand and cradling stylis in left arm; É in left field, ˜ below left wing. Price 914 (Kallatis mint). Lustrous. Choice EF. Perfectly centered. Very rare civic issue. $19,750

535343. MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa 550-450 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (10.5mm, 2.65 g). Satyr kneeling left, holding in his extended right hand a tunny fish by the tail / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 122; Greenwell 41; cf. Boston MFA 1461 = Warren 1461 (stater); SNG BN 270 = de Luynes 2432. A touch off center. Near EF. $2950

5632107.

Kyzikos. Circa 450-330 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (10mm, 2.59 g). Orestes kneeling left on tunny left, holding sword in his lowered right hand, left hand resting on omphalos to right / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 165; Boston MFA 1533 = Warren 1489; SNG BN –. Light deposits, a few light scratches. VF. Well centered. $2950

5630421.

Mytilene. Circa 521-478 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (9.5mm, 2.52 g). Head of roaring lion right; wart on nose / Incuse head of calf right; rectangular punch to left. Bodenstedt Em. 13; HGC 6, 938. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6556560-001, graded Ch XF, Strike:

MYSIA,

535406. MYSIA, Lampsakos. Circa 500-450 BC. EL Stater (20mm, 15.31 g). Forepart of Pegasos left; grapevine around / Quadripartite incuse square. Baldwin, Electrum, Period I, Group 1.8, 12; SNG BN 1111; SNG von Aulock 1292 var. (monogram below Pegasos); Boston MFA 1582. Minor edge splits. Good VF. $6000

LESBOS,

5/5, Surface: 4/5. Well centered and in high relief. $2475

Ex Weise Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 114, 13 May 2020), lot 250, purchased from Baldwin’s, at the NYINC, 10 January 2008.

534819. LESBOS, Mytilene. Circa 377-326 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (10mm, 2.54 g, 6h). Wreathed head of Persephone right / Bull butting left in linear square within shallow incuse square. Bodenstedt Em. 88; HGC 6, 1014 corr. (bull butting left, not right). Lightly toned. VF. $3250

534820. LESBOS, Mytilene. Circa 377-326 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (10.5mm, 2.54 g, 12h). Head of Apollo Karneios right, with horn of Ammon / Eagle standing right, head reverted, within linear square. Bodenstedt Em. 104; HGC 6, 1030. Lightly toned. VF. $2275

In the Style of the Master Theodotos

$49,750

Ex David Herman Collection (Triton X, 9 January 2007), lot 295; Schweizerische Bankverein 38 (12 September 1995), lot 213.

This drachm is from the same series as the beautiful tetradrachms that were struck from dies by the artist Theodotos, whose signature is engraved on the obverse of those coins (cf. BMC 19 and Berlin obj. no. 18216496 [both also from the same magistrate as the present coin]). Due to the close similarity of style across all the issues, it is thought that the dies for the fractional silver of this series were struck from unsigned dies by the same master.

5631921. IONIA, Klazomenai. Circa 380-360 BC. AR Drachm (16mm, 4.02 g, 6h). Mandronax, magistrate. Unsigned dies in the style of Theodotos. Head of Apollo facing slightly left, wearing laurel wreath, drapery around neck / Swan standing left, wings spread; ÂÅ@dro@Å[$] to left, ˚¬-Å below. SNG Copenhagen –; SNG München –; cf. BMC 26 (hemidrachm); SNG Lockett 2792 (same dies); Traité II 1998. Deep iridescent tone. Near EF. Well centered, and exceptional metal for issue.

5610536. IONIA, Phokaia. Circa 478-387 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (10mm, 2.53 g). Head of Io left; below, small seal left / Quadripartite incuse square. Bodenstedt Em. 96. Lightly toned, minor die rust on obverse. Good VF. $2475

5603570. IONIA, Phokaia. Circa 387-326 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (10mm, 2.53 g). Laureate female head left, hair in sakkos; below, small inverted seal right / Quadripartite incuse square. Bodenstedt Em. 102. Faint hairlines. Good VF. Well centered. $3250

globular surface; traces of letters of an uncertain script along part of edge / Two incuse rectangles with geometric patterns. Cf. Weidauer Group II (unlisted denomination, plain incuses); Artemision –; cf. Elektron I 3 (plain incuses); Traité I 11 var. (same); SNG Kayhan 673 var. (same); SNG von Aulock 7762 var. (same); Rosen –. As made. Very rare with geometric patterns in incuses. $2950

This trite may be related to the recently-discovered plain trites that have an inscription along part of the edge of their obverses. All of the known examples of the inscribed coins have incuses with an abstract geometric pattern, as here.

Fourth Known Stater for Series

resembling a star, composed of a cross with lines radiating from angles, centered upon a polygon of eight sides; all within a square with slightly rounded sides / Two incuse square punches, one with a star of eight rays, the other quadripartite with a pellet in each quarter; between, a rectangular incuse of a zigzag pattern. McFadden 6 = Zhuyuetang 1 = CNG 51, 429;

This iconic geometric type stater belongs to a series that includes trites, hektai, hemihektai, myshemihektai, and forty-eighth staters. Nothing is known of who struck these coins, where exactly they were made, or what the circumstances of their issue were. As is often the case with early electrum, the stater is the rarest of the series.

5630394. IONIA, Uncertain. Circa 650-600 BC. EL Trite – Third Stater (13.5mm, 4.67 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Plain

5638778. IONIA, Uncertain. Circa 625-600 BC. EL Stater (17mm, 13.92 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Geometric figure

Triton X, 318; Triton XI, 245 (all from same obv. die and rev. punches), otherwise unpublished. Minor marks. VF. Extremely rare, apparently the fourth known. $90,000

5632981. IONIA, Uncertain. Circa 600-550 BC. EL Hekte - Sixth Stater (8mm, 2.35 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Carapace of scarab beetle / Two incuse squares. Weidauer –; Artemision –; Traité –; SNG Kayhan –; cf. Konuk & Lorber 36 = Linzalone 1110 (trite, patterned incuses; “ram”); CNG 81, lot 534. In NGC encapsulation 5872782-032, graded Ch AU, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5. Very rare. $2750

5631926. ISLANDS off CARIA, Rhodos. Rhodes. Circa 229-205 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25mm, 13.47 g, 1h). Eukrates, magistrate. Radiate head of Helios facing slightly right / Rose with bud to right; rod5o@ above; thunderbolt to left, EU˚rÅt˙s flanking stem. Ashton 214; HN Online 847; HGC 6, 1432; SNG von Aulock –; SNG Copenhagen 754; SNG Keckman 547. Deep iridescent tone. EF. $8750

Ex Historical Coin Review XIV.3 (May/June 1989), no. 47.

The polis of Rhodes was created out of a union of the cities of Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos in 408/7 BC, and immediately began to issue a coinage that endured until the Roman era. The rose was chosen as the perennial reverse type, a punning allusion to the city’s name (Rhodos). The obverse type was the head of Helios, the city’s patron deity. The first issue of Rhodian coinage was a brief issue of tetradrachms that stand among the finest pieces of Classical Greek numismatic art. On the obverse, the head of Helios is displayed in a nearly frontal position, with his hair dramatically swept back from a central part. Such facing head coins were not novel by this time, but the boldness of the design and the particularly high relief of the dies sets the Rhodian coinage apart from all others. Moreover, this facing head type remained the standard obverse type for most of the Rhodian issues into the first century AD. The city’s devotion to Helios led it to build a gigantic bronze statue of the sun god, the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

ŬE$Å@droU, Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis; [µ5 in left field],

5640982. SELEUKID EMPIRE. Seleukos I Nikator. Second satrapy and kingship, 312-281 BC. AV Stater (17.5mm, 8.54 g, 10h). In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Babylon I mint. Struck circa 311-300 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing triple-crested Corinthian helmet adorned with a pellet / ∫Ås5[¬EWs]

ü below left wing. SC 81.3 var. (helmet ornament); Price 3749 var. (same); HGC 9, 3a; CNG 102, lot 590 (same obv. die). A touch off center on reverse. EF. $13,750

5648147. SELEUKID EMPIRE. Seleukos I Nikator. Second satrapy and kingship, 312-281 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 16.88 g, 12h). In the types of Alexander III of Macedon. Seleukeia on the Tigris I mint. Struck circa 300-281 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Nikephoros seated left; @o in left field, s below throne. SC 119.3b; ESM 19, dies A24/P– (unlisted rev. die); HGC 9, 16f. Underlying luster, some horn silver. EF. $1450

5630395. SELEUKID EMPIRE. Demetrios I Soter. 162-150 BC. AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 16.85 g, 5h). Susa mint. Diademed head right / ∫Å%5¬EW% d˙µ˙tr5oU, Apollo, nude, testing arrow in his right hand, left hand holding tip of bow set on ground to right, seated left on omphalos; , to outer left, &@ in exergue. SC 1711.5c; HGC 9, 790c; CSE 1071 (same dies); BN inv. 1968.1114 (same dies). Scattered light marks, minor flan flaws and some cleaning scratches on obverse. Good VF. Very rare, one in SCO, one in CoinArchives. $1875

5638143. SELEUKID EMPIRE. Antiochos VI Dionysos. 144-142 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.75 g, 12h). Antioch mint. Dated SE 169 (144/3 BC). Radiate and diademed head right; star to left / ∫Å%5¬EW% Å@t5ocoU EP5fÅ@oU d5o@U%oU, the Dioskouroi on horseback riding left, holding couched lances; to right, trU, ©, and %tÅ; O$r (date) below; all within wreath of lily, ivy, and grain ears. SC 2000.2c; SMA 233; HGC 9, 1032. Toned, slight die wear on obverse. Superb EF. Attractive in hand. $2750

5638144. SELEUKID EMPIRE. Antiochos VI Dionysos. 144-142 BC. AR Drachm (18mm, 3.95 g, 12h). Antioch on the Orontes mint. Dated SE 170 (143/2 BC). Radiate and diademed head right / ∫Å%5¬EW% Å@t5ocoU E∏5f-Å@oU% d5o@-U%oU, Apollo, nude, testing arrow in his right hand, left hand holding tip of bow set on ground to right, seated left on omphalos; K between legs, or (date) and %tÅ in exergue. SC 2002.2e; SMA 248; HGC 9, 1036a; DCA 182. Dark find patina, minor roughness on obverse. EF. Well centered. Rare without flan crack. $875

Hendin Plate Coin

5632783. JUDAEA, Herodians. Herod III Antipas. 4 BCE-39 CE. Æ Half Unit (18.5mm, 7.27 g, 12h). Struck for Roman Emperor Gaius (Caligula). Tiberias mint. Dated RY 43 (39/40 CE). ˝Å5W/ ˚Å51År/ ˝ErÂÅ/ @5˚W within wreath / ˙rwd˙1 tEtrÅrc˙1, upright palm frond; l ½ (date) across field. Meshorer 92; Hendin 6247 (this coin illustrated); RPC I 4935. Gray-green patina, minor roughness. Good VF.

thunderbolt; shield to left; dotted border. CPE B288; Svoronos 610; Wolf & Lorber, ‘Alexandrian’ Style, P01–54; SNG Copenhagen 114. Attractive even green-brown surfaces. EF. $1150

The series of Ptolemaic bronze coins that display an obviously “Sicilian” style have long puzzled numismatic scholars and collectors. The latest research, by Daniel Wolf and Catharine Lorber in the 2011 Numismatic Chronicle, indicate these coins were struck in Sicily by Hieron II, in alliance with Ptolemy II Philadelphos of Egypt. Hieron was named Strategos (commanding general) of the Greek armies fighting Carthage in Sicily circa 269 BC. He likely made overtures to Ptolemy II, and the Egyptian king probably responded by sending a Ptolemaic contingent of soldiers, along with a large quantity of bronze to be made into coins to pay the troops. The Syracusan die engravers produced a close approximation to the contemporary bronze issues of Egypt, but with a more “western-looking” head of Zeus and lacking the distinctive beveled edges seen on Alexandrian bronzes. This coinage likely ceased in 264/3 BC, when Hieron proclaimed himself king and became embroiled in a conflict against Rome, another ally of Egypt, which then probably ended fiscal and military support for Syracuse.

$1675

Ex David Hendin Collection.

5636908. PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy II Philadelphos. 285-246 BC. Æ (26.5mm, 17.18 g, 12h). Uncertain mint in Sicily. Struck circa 264–263 BC. Laureate head of Zeus right; dotted border / ∫Å%5¬EW% ∏to¬EÂÅ5oU, eagle standing left on

ORIENTAL GREEK COINAGE

5630445. PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy III Euergetes. 246-222 BC. Æ Hemidrachm – Triobol (34.5mm, 34.55 g, 12h). Alexandreia mint. Series 5A. Horned head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing tainia with basileion / ∫Å%5¬EW% ∏to¬EÂÅ5oU, eagle standing left on thunderbolt; filleted cornucopia to left, no control marks. CPE B393; Svoronos 1003; SNG Copenhagen 189-90. Attractive even dark brown patina. EF. $3250

Ex Jack A. Frazer Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 114, 13 May 2020), lot 440; Freeman & Sear FPL 7 (Spring 2003), no. G99.

5644649. KINGS of PARTHIA. Phraates II. 132-127 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31.5mm, 15.87 g, 12h). Seleukeia on the Tigris mint. Struck circa 129 BC. Diademed bust right / ∫Å%5¬EW%>ÂE˝ÅGoU to right, År %ÅkoU>@5k˙foroU to left, male deity seated left, holding Nike, who crowns him with wreath, in extended right hand, cradling cornucopia in left arm; op in exergue. Sellwood 17.1; Sunrise 267; Shore –. Light iridescent toning, porosity, cleaning scratches. Good VF. Very rare. $4950

Ex Nisa Collection.

5644650. KINGS of PARTHIA. Artabanos III. 126-122 BC. AR Drachm (20mm, 3.93 g, 12h). Ekbatana mint. Diademed bust left; q to right / [∫]Å%5¬E[W%]>ÂE˝ÅGoU to right, År%ÅkoU>f52ÅdE2foU to left, Archer (Arsakes I) seated right on omphalos, holding bow. Sellwood 20.3; Sunrise 279; Shore 61. Iridescent toning, traces of find patina, light roughness. EF. $3475

5644652. KINGS of PARTHIA. Mithradates II. 121-91 BC. AR Drachm (21mm, 3.96 g, 12h). Ekbatana mint. Struck circa 119-109 BC. Diademed bust left / ∫Å%5¬EW% to left, ÂE˝ÅGoU to above, År %ÅkoU to right, E∏5fÅ@oU% to left, Archer (Arsakes I) seated right on omphalos, holding bow. Sellwood 24.9; Sunrise 286; Shore 69. Iridescent toning, light scratches, die rust on reverse. Good VF. $1275

5636906. KINGS of ELYMAIS. Kamnaskires-Orodes. Early-mid 2nd century AD. CU Tetradrachm (30mm, 15.07 g). !k¬M DWrW k¬M DWrW znbk (wrwdh mlk’ in Parthian) (kbnhzkyr wrwdh mlk’ BR wrwdh mlk’ = Kamnaskires Orodes king son of Orodes King) in Parthian, diademed facing bust with hair tufts on either side; legend to left; to right, four-rayed star in crescent above anchor symbol with two crossbars; uncertain design between bust and anchor / Series of dashes representing highly degraded bust and legend. van’t Haaff Type 12.1.1-1B-C;

Alram 479. Brown patina with traces of red, edge split. EF. An exceptional specimen of this issue. $725

5630396. BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides I Megas. Circa 170-145 BC. AR Drachm (20.5mm, 4.26 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / ∫Å%5GE∑% above, EUkrÅt5doU in exergue, the Dioskouroi, holding couched spears in right hand, palm fronds in left, on horses rearing right; } in upper left field. Bopearachchi 2B; SNG ANS 438 var. (placement of monogram); HGC 12, 135. Iridescent toning. Near EF $1350

5632988. BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides I Megas. Circa 170-145 BC. AR Tetradrachm (33mm, 16.93 g, 12h). Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, wearing crested helmet adorned with bull’s horn and ear / ∫Å%5GE∑% µE˝Å¬oU EUkrÅt5doU, the Dioskouroi, holding palm fronds and spears, on horses rearing right; Í to lower right. Bopearachchi 6E (no differentiation in monogram placement) and pl. 17, 28; Bopearachchi & Rahman –; SNG ANS –; MIG Type 177ee; HGC 12, 131. Light iridescent toning. In NGC encapsulation 3598401-012, graded AU★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. $3250

595792. BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Heliokles Dikaios. Circa 145-130 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.84 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / ∫å%5GE∑% to right, ˙¬5o˚¬EoU% to left, d5kÅ5oU in exergue, Zeus standing facing, holding thunderbolt and scepter; x to inner left. Bopearachchi 1U; Bopearachchi & Rahman 292; SNG ANS 642-8; MIG Type 284o; HGC 12, 169. Slight double strike, minor lamination on edge. EF. $1275

CENTRAL ASIAN COINAGE

5644656. INDIA, Kushan Empire. Huvishka. Circa AD 152-192. AV Dinar (20mm, 7.92 g, 12h). Subsidiary mint in Gandhara (Peshawar?). Late phase. sÅO˜Å˜Å[sÅO O˜s˚i] ˚OsŘO, nimbate, diademed, and crowned half-length bust left on clouds, flames at shoulder, holding mace-scepter and filleted spear over shoulder / ˜Å˜Å to left, Nana, nimbate, wearing fillet and crescent, standing facing, head right, holding scepter and box; ^ to right. Cf. MK 365-365A (same obv. die as 365A); ANS Kushan –; cf. Donum Burns 295 (same obv. die). Toned, traces of deposits in devices, obverse struck with slightly worn die. Near EF. $5950

ROMAN PROVINCIAL COINAGE

Exceptional Artistic Merit and Quality

Ex Triton XI (7 January 2008), lot 525.

The “Iς” on the reverse represents 16 cubits on the Nilometer, the gauge which measured the annual flood crest of the Nile, with 16 being the ideal point for the agriculture of the Nile valley. Lower than 16 cubits brought the danger of drought conditions, much higher and there was the possibility of damaging floods.

5630397. EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Drachm (34mm, 27.15 g, 12h). Dated RY 13 (AD 128/9). AVT KAI TPAI AΔPIA CЄB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Nilus reclining left on crocodile, holding cornucopia in extended right hand, and cradling reed in left arm; Iς (for 16 cubits) above, L TPICKAI (date) in exergue. Köln 1001; Dattari (Savio) 1808; K&G 32.470; RPC III 5730; Emmett 1014.13. Brown patina with earthen highlights. EF. Struck with dies of fine style. $8950

ROMAN REPUBLICAN COINAGE

5640864. Anonymous. Circa 225-212 BC. AR Didrachm – Quadrigatus (22mm, 6.40 g, 11h). Uncertain mint. Laureate head of Janus; • below neck / Jupiter, hurling thunderbolt and holding scepter, in galloping quadriga driven right by Victory; rOÂA incuse on raised tablet in exergue. Crawford 31/1; Sydenham 64c; RSC 23a; BMCRR (Romano-Campanian) 101; Kestner 109; RBW 81. Toned, with hints of luster. In NGC encapsulation 6556519-001, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5. $2750

This type, the first truly extensive Roman coinage in silver, began shortly before the outbreak of the Second Punic War and continued until it was superseded by the denarius reform of circa 211 BC. Some early Roman imperial texts refer to a coin called a “quadrigatus” that was used to make payments during the war against Hannibal; this is clearly the type that commenced circa 225 BC, bearing a youthful, laureate janiform head on the obverse and a quadriga carrying Jupiter and Victory on the reverse. The issue was quite large and included a number of variant subtypes, indicating several mints were involved in the production. Later issues were struck on smaller flans in debased silver, no doubt due to wartime shortages.

5637858. Anonymous. 211-210 BC. AR Quinarius (17mm, 2.08 g, 11h). H series. Uncertain mint in southeast Italy. Helmeted head of Roma right; u to left / The Dioscuri, each holding spear, on horseback riding right; h below horses. Crawford 85/1a; Sydenham 174; King 16; RSC 33b; RBW 347. Iridescent tone, hairline flan crack, small pit on obverse. EF. $675

5636901. Anonymous. After 211 BC. AR Denarius (21mm, 3.28 g, 9h). Unmarked series. Rome mint. Head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet ornamented with griffin’s head and the visor in three pieces, single-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; x (mark of value) to left / The Dioscuri, each holding couched spear in right hand, and wearing chlamys, cuirass, and pileus surmounted by star, on horseback riding right; rOÂa in partial linear frame in exergue. Crawford 53/2; Sydenham 229; RSC –; BMCRR Rome –; cf. Kestner 480–2; RBW 194. Lightly toned, minor edge deposits and roughness, reverse off center, obverse die flaws. Near EF. $675

5629313. L. Sempronius Pitio. 148 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.92 g, 3h). Rome mint. Head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet, ornamented with griffin’s head, the visor in three pieces, single-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; x (mark of value) below chin, πiTiO to left / The Dioscuri, each holding couched spear in right hand, and wearing chlamys, cuirass, and pileus surmounted by star, on horseback riding right; L • Íef below horses, rOÂa in relief in linear frame in exergue. Crawford 216/1; Sydenham 402; Sempronia 2; BMCRR Rome 717; Kestner 2045–7; RBW 926. Deep iridescent cabinet tone. Superb EF. $2575

Ex Andrew McCabe Collection (Roma E-Sale 86, 8 July 2021), lot 778; Manhattan Sale III (3 January 2012), lot 2012; Gorny & Mosch 190 (11 October 2010), lot 420.

5629314. C. Renius. 138 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.88 g, 5h). Rome mint. Helmeted head of Roma right, wearing single drop earring in the form of a grape bunch and pearl necklace; x (mark of value) to left / Juno Caprotina driving biga of goats right, holding whip, reins, and scepter; C • reNi below goats, rOÂA in exergue. Crawford 231/1; Sydenham 432; Renia 1; BMCRR Rome 885-7; RBW 961. Lustrous, hairlines. EF. $675

5629315. Sex. Pompeius Fostlus. 137 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.96 g, 5h). Rome mint. Head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet, ornamented with griffin’s head, the visor in three pieces and peaked, single-pendant earring, and pearl necklace, hair falling in three locks; jug to left, x (mark of value) below chin / She-wolf standing right, head left, suckling twins (Romulus and Remus); behind, birds on fig tree; on left, shepherd standing right; Íex • pO • FOÍTLuÍ around, rOÂA in exergue. Crawford 235/1c; Sydenham 461a; Pompeia 1a; BMCRR Rome 927-8; Kestner 2136; RBW 972. Lustrous, edge bump, a few small deposits. Choice EF. $1275

5640983. C. Poblicius Q.f. 80 BC. AR Serrate Denarius (18.5mm, 4.20 g, 7h). Rome mint. Draped bust of Roma right, wearing helmet ornamented with griffin’s head, and at each side a feather; A above, rOÂA to left / Hercules, naked, standing left, and strangling the Nemean Lion; club on ground at his feet, bow case to left, A above left, C • pOBLiCi • œ • F to right. Crawford 380/1; Sydenham 768; Poblicia 9; BMCRR Rome 2896; Kestner 3220-1 var. (control); RBW 1408 var. (same). Lightly toned with hints of iridescence, light porosity. EF. $1875

5636912. Ti. Claudius Ti.f. Ap.n. Nero. 79 BC. AR Serrate Denarius (19mm, 3.87 g, 4h). Rome mint. Diademed and draped bust of Diana right, her hair drawn back and collected into a knot behind, quiver and bow with stag’s head termination over her shoulder; Í • C upward to right / Victory, holding wreath in right hand and reins and palm frond in left, driving galloping biga right; A • xxxxiiii below, Ti • CLA® • Ti • F/1 • N in two lines in exergue. Crawford 383/1; Sydenham 770a; Claudia 6; BMCRR Rome 3136 var. (control); Kestner 2232-5 var. (same); RBW 1411 var. (same). Lightly toned, slight porosity. EF. $1150

5640984. Pub. Lentulus P.f. L.n. Spinther. 71 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 4.10 g, 8h). Rome mint. Bearded head of Hercules right; œ • Í • C downward to left / Genius of the Roman People, holding cornucopia in right hand and scepter in left, seated facing on curule chair, right foot on globe, being crowned by Victory to upper right, flying left; p • Le¸ • p • F downward to left; L • N upward to right. Crawford 397/1; Sydenham 791; Cornelia 58; BMCRR Rome 3329; Kestner 3288; RBW 1438. Light hairlines and porosity on obverse, areas of iridescence. Near EF. $2475

592517. L. Torquatus. 58 BC. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.99 g, 6h). Rome mint. Head of Sibylla right, wearing ivy wreath; [ÍiBULLA below] / Tripod surmounted by amphora between two stars; L • TOrœuAT downward to left, iii • uir upward to right; all within ornamented torque. Crawford 411/1b var. (border of dots); Sydenham 836; BMCRR Rome 3514; Manlia 12a; RBW –. Lustrous, a few tiny spots of encrustation. EF. From dies of fine style. $5500 Ex Bertolami Fine Arts 67 (11 July 2019), lot 288.

Terpsichore – Muse of Dance

5630422. Q. Pomponius Musa. 56 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.69 g, 1h). Rome mint. Head of Apollo right, wearing laurel wreath, hair rolled back and in loose locks over forehead; tortoise to left / Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance, wearing long flowing tunic and peplum, standing right, holding plectrum in right hand and round-bottomed lyre in left; œ • pOÂpONi downward to right, ÂuÍA downward to left. Crawford 410/7a; Sydenham 819a; Pomponia 18a; BMCRR Rome 3619-20; Kestner 3381; RBW –. Deep cabinet tone. In NGC encapsulation 4375715-006, graded Ch XF, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. $3775

Although the moneyer Q. Pomponius Musa is unknown to history, his choice of Hercules Musagetes and the nine Muses as coin types is remarkable and clearly connected to his cognomen.

The reverses of this series – Hercules playing the lyre and the Muses, can be none other than the celebrated statue group by an unknown Greek artist, taken from Ambracia and placed in the Aedes Herculis Musarum, which was erected by M. Fulvius Nobilior in 187 BC after the capture of Ambracia in 189 BC (Plin. NH xxxv.66; Ov. Fast. vi.812). By the second century BC, Rome had overrun most of Greece and was captivated by Hellenic art and culture, not the least of which was its sculpture. Fulvius is said to have taken the statues to Rome because he learned in Greece that Hercules was a musagetes (leader of the Muses). Remains of this temple have been found in the area of the Circus Flaminius close to the southwest part of the circus itself, and northwest of the porticus Octaviae. An inscription found nearby, ‘M. Fulvius M. f. Ser. n. Nobilior cos. Ambracia cepit’ may have been on the pedestal of one of the statues. The official name of the temple was Herculis Musarum Aedes, which Servius and Plutarch called Herculis et Musarum Aedes.

Urania – Muse of Astronomy

5630423. Q. Pomponius Musa. 56 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.89 g, 11h). Rome mint. Head of Apollo right, wearing laurel wreath, hair rolled back and in loose locks over forehead; star of eight rays to left / Urania, the Muse of Astronomy, wearing long flowing tunic and peplum, standing left, touching with wand held in right hand a globe set on base; œ • pOÂpONi downward to right, ÂuÍA downward to left. Crawford 410/8; Sydenham 823; Pomponia 22; BMCRR Rome 3628-32; Kestner 3385-6; RBW 1488. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 4278466-005, graded Ch XF★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5. $4450 Ex Heritage 3051 (8 January 2017), lot 30157; Elvira E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 92, Part I, 23 May 2016), lot 1827.

5629318. Q. Servilius Caepio (M. Junius) Brutus. 54 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.94 g, 11h). Rome mint. Head of Libertas right, wearing cruciform earring and pendant necklace, no jewels in hair; LiBerTAÍ downward to left / The consul L. Junius Brutus walking left between two lictors, each carrying ax over shoulder, and preceded by an accensus; BruTuÍ in exergue. Crawford 433/1; Sydenham 906a; Junia 31a; BMCRR Rome 3862; Kestner 3484-6; RBW 1542 corr. (Sydenham reference). Lustrous, traces of porosity, slightly off center on reverse. EF. $2750

This early coin of Q. Servilius Caepio Brutus, later known as Marcus Junius Brutus, refers to the illustrious ancestry of the clan, which included one of the legendary first consuls of the nascent Roman Republic, L. Junius Brutus. Because of his name and reputation for integrity, Brutus was recruited by conspirators against Julius Caesar and became the figurehead leader of the assassins.

5629317. C. Coelius Caldus. 53 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.93 g, 7h). Rome mint. Bare head of the consul C. Coelius Caldus right; to left, tablet inscribed L • D (Libero : Damno); C • COeL • CALDuÍ downward to right; COÍ below / Radiate head of Sol right; to left, Í above oval shield decorated with thunderbolt; downward to right, [CALDu]Í • iii uir and Macedonian shield. Crawford 437/1b; Sydenham 892; Coelia 5; BMCRR Rome 3835; Kestner 3499; RBW 1550. Lustrous, traces of die rust. EF. $1650

Pompeians. Sextus Pompey. 42-38 BC. Æ As (31.5mm, 29.79 g, 6h). Uncertain Sicilian mint. 3rd emission, Group 1, Series D. Laureate Janiform head of Pompey the Great; VgN / Prow of galley right; piuÍ above; iÂp Crawford 479/1; Martini, Sextus Emission III, Group 3; CRI 336; Sydenham 1044; BMCRR Spain 101; Kestner 3679-80, 3682-3; RBW 1675–6. Dark green patina, minor pitting, a few light scratches. Good VF. $1975

Julius Caesar. April-August 49 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.91 g, 3h). Military mint traveling with Caesar. Elephant advancing right, trampling on horned serpent; CAeÍAr in exergue / Emblems of the pontificate: simpulum, aspergillum, securis, and apex. Crawford 443/1; CRI 9; Sydenham 1006; RSC 49; BMCRR Gaul 27-30; Kestner 3515-8; RBW 1557. Underlying luster with hints of iridescence, small die flaw on obverse. Good VF. $4250

5632114. The

Ex D. K. Collection.

5633825. The Caesarians.

5632990. The Caesarians. Julius Caesar. Late spring-early summer 48 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.76 g, 11h). Military mint traveling with Caesar. Diademed female head (Clementia?) right, wearing oak wreath; %ii (= 52, Caesar’s age) to left / Gallic trophy, holding oval shield and carnyx surmonted by wolf’s head; securis to right; CAe ÍAr across lower field. Crawford 452/2; CRI 11; Sydenham 1009; RSC 18; DCA 937; BMCRR Rome 3955; Kestner 3558-9; RBW –. Toned with underlying luster. In NGC encapsulation 4933933-002, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. $4750

Veristic Portrait of Julius Caesar

5647883. The Caesarians. Julius Caesar. March-April 44 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 4.08 g, 3h). Rome mint; M. Mettius, moneyer. Laureate head right; CAeÍAr downwards to right, iÂper upwards to left / Venus Victrix standing left, holding Victory in extended right hand and transverse scepter in left, resting her left elbow on shield set on celestial globe to right; A to left, Â • ÂeTTiuÍ downwards to right. Crawford 480/17; Alföldi Type XVI, 59 (A9/R7); CRI 101; Sydenham 1055; RSC 35; BMCRR Rome 4137; Kestner –; RBW 1686. Underlying luster, small scratch on reverse. EF. Well struck with a bold and expressive portrait.

$37,500

Verism, a style of portraiture that strives to be hyper-realistic in its depiction of the subject “warts and all,” can be traced as far back as the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten in the 13th century BC. It came to its full fruition in the late Roman Republic, perhaps influenced by the practice of making wax masks of the deceased. Caesar was the first living Roman to place his image on coins, and, in keeping with the style of portrait busts in stone and bronze, many of his numismatic portraits are veristic to the extreme. It is surprising to modern sensibilities that a man of his alleged vanity would allow himself to be portrayed with the balding pate, sagging jowls, and long “turkey neck” seen on this lifetime denarius. But it was clearly less important to Caesar that he be flattered with an idealized portrait, in the manner of Hellenistic kings, than to have his image convey the power and gravitas that only age and experience could provide.

5647882. The Caesarians. Julius Caesar. 41 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.77 g, 3h). Rome mint. L. Flaminius Chilo, moneyer. Laureate head right / Pax standing left, holding a caduceus in right hand and with left, leaning on scepter; L • FLAÂiNiuÍ downwards to right, iii • uir upwards to left. Crawford 485/1; CRI 113; Sydenham 1089; RSC 26; BMCRR Rome 4201-2; Kestner 3699; RBW –. Toned, minor area of weakness. Near EF. Outstanding portrait of fine style, struck in high relief. $27,500

While this coin derives its general type from those issues struck at Rome in the month prior to Caesar’s assassination in March 44 BC, its anepigraphic obverse now shows a head of Caesar that is no longer veiled, while on the reverse, Venus Genetrix holds a caduceus in place of the traditional Victory. The idealized portrait of Julius Caesar, with its definite impression of divinity, is not an individual dieengraver’s attempt at artistic fancy, but must have been influenced by Octavian’s consciously conceived program of manipulating public images (including that of Caesar) at Rome.

On 1 January 42 BC, the Senate recognized Caesar’s new divine status as the Divus Julius and constructed a temple on the site of his cremation in the Forum. The Venus Genetrix on the reverse shows a similar manipulation. Deriving from the Greek Aphrodite Ourania, or heavenly Aphrodite, Venus Genetrix became not only the divine patroness of Rome through her son Aeneas, but also the ancestor of the gens Julia, through Aeneas’ son, Ascanius (Iulus). On the night before Pharsalus in 48 BC, Caesar vowed to construct a temple in her honor in Rome if he was successful against Pompey. Once completed, this temple, which housed a statue of the goddess, then became the centerpiece of his new forum in Rome. There are marked differences, however, between the statue (evidenced by several extant copies) and her depiction on the denarii struck in the month before his assassination. While the statue emphasized her procreative powers, the coins show her in a more martial and political context: holding a Victory in her right hand and a scepter in her left, either surrounded by weaponry (sometime set on a globe), or with the scepter set on a star (a sign of divinity). While these attributes may shift from one to another, they emphasize not only the divine assistance in Caesar’s military and political victories, but also allude tentatively to his semi-divinity. The Venus of this coin, however, minimizes her connection to earlier associations; instead, she now presents an image of Felicitas (Good Fortune), by replacing the Victory with a caduceus. It is not the Venus Genetrix of Julius Caesar, then, but now Venus Felix of all Rome who is at work. Thus, through the assistance of the two transformed divine agencies – the impending one of the Divus Julius, and that of Venus – Octavian was able to take his first few steps toward political ascendancy.

• C •

5647886. The Triumvirs. Mark Antony. Summer 40 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.82 g, 12h). Uncertain mint (Corcyra?). Bare head right; lituus to left / Caduceus between cornucopias, all set on globe; Â • ANT • if • above, iii • uir • r • p

below. Crawford 520/1; CRI 256; Sydenham 1189; RSC 66a; BMCRR East 114; Kestner –; RBW –. Lightly toned, minor deposits, area of weakness on reverse. EF. Excellent portrait. Extremely rare. $16,500

5644657. The Triumvirs. Mark Antony. Autumn 32-spring 31 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.87 g, 1h). Legionary type. Patrae(?) mint. Praetorian galley right; ANT • Aug above, iii uir • r • p • C below / Aquila between two signa; Leg • xii • ANTiœuAe around above. Crawford 544/9; CRI 363; Sydenham 1231; RSC 40; BMCRR East 222; Kestner 3838; RBW 1834. Some luster, slightly off center. EF. $2750

5644658. The Triumvirs. Mark Antony. Autumn 32-spring 31 BC. AR Denarius (19.5mm, 3.71 g, 6h). Legionary type. Patrae(?) mint. Praetorian galley right; ANT • Aug above, iii uir • r • p • C below / Aquila between two signa; Leg xix across lower field. Crawford 544/35; CRI 378; Sydenham 1242; RSC 55; BMCRR East 214; Kestner 3863; RBW 1847. Iridescent tone, minor flan cracks. EF. $2275

5644659. The Triumvirs. Octavian. Autumn 32-summer 31 BC. AR Denarius (20.5mm, 3.85 g, 11h). Uncertain mint in Italy (Rome?). Head of Venus right, wearing diadem and necklace / Octavian advancing left on ground line, extending right arm and holding spear in left hand; CAeÍAr Diui • F across field. CRI 397; RIC I 251; RSC 70; BMCRR Rome 4327-8; BMCRE 609-10; BN 1-4. Residual luster, light hairlines. EF. $2975

ROMAN IMPERIAL COINAGE

Extremely Rare Variety

5631914. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.81 g, 4h). Uncertain Spanish mint (Colonia Patricia?). Struck circa 18 BC. S P Q R PAREN[T] above, CONS • SVO below, Aquila, toga picta over tunica palmata, and wreath / CAESARI above, [AVGVSTO] in exergue, Slow quadriga right, one horse’s head looking left; the car is ornamented at front and on side with Victories, surmounted by four miniature horses galloping right. RIC I 99; RSC 78; BMCRE 399 = BMCRR Rome 4437; cf. BN 1187&92. Lustrous with hints of iridescence. Choice EF. Extremely rare variety with horse’s head reverted. $4250

Ex Scipio Collection (Aureo 92, May 1998), lot 243.

The ornamenta, the consular robes which are featured on the obverse of this issue, were the emblems of the chief power within the state.

Ex Thomas Bentley Cederlind Estate (Classical Numismatic Group 103, 14 September 2016), lot 804; Gorny & Mosch 233 (6 October 2015),

A star within a crescent moon appears above Tarpeia on the prototype of L. Titurius

Outstanding Tiberius - Divus Augustus Aureus

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 119 (with Jesús Vico, 6 October 2020), lot 7.

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 last 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. With the deaths of Augustus’ two grandsons, Tiberius was recalled to Rome in A.D. 4, officially adopted and granted the Tribunican power, marking him out clearly as successor. From then forward, he was essentially co-emperor and succeeded to the throne without challenge upon Augustus’ death on August 19, AD 14. His first coinage issues quite understandably stressed his dynastic connections and the deification of his adoptive father

5638142. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. AR Denarius (18mm, 2.83 g, 2h). Rome mint; P. Petronius Turpilianus, moneyer. Struck 19/8 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head right / TVRPILIANVS • III • VIR •, six-rayed star above large crescent. RIC I 300; RSC 495; BMCRE 32-4; BN 161-6. Lightly toned, minor porosity. Good VF. $2350

lot 2285.

Sabinus.

5620186. Tiberius, with Divus Augustus. AD 14-37. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.81 g, 8h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck AD 14-16. TI CΛESΛR DIVI ΛVG F ΛVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right / DIVOS ΛVGVST DIVI F, laureate head of Divus Augustus right; six-pointed star above. RIC I 24; Lyon 118, 6a (D3/R4); Calicó 311; BMCRE 29; BN 1-2; Adda 16 (same rev. die); Biaggi 167; Jameson 32; Mazzini 3 (Tiberius and Augustus). Lustrous, a few minor marks, some faint hairlines. EF. Two wonderful portraits. Rare. $35,000

I 30; Lyon 150; RSC 16a; BMCRE 48-60; BN 28-31. Lustrous, hairlines. EF. Portrait in high relief. $2950

Ex DFA Collection.

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”) was a silver denarius of Tiberius.

Nemesis, winged and draped, advancing right, her right arm is bent upwards and with right hand she pulls out a fold of her robe below the neck, holding in left hand a winged caduceus pointed downwards at a serpent gliding right before her. RIC I 62; von Kaenel Type 44, 752 (V638/R655); RSC 68; BMCRE 69; BN 71 (Lugdunum). Beautifully toned and extremely attractive. Choice EF. Perfectly centered on both sides.

$16,500

Ex G.W. Trow Collection; New York Sale XXXIV (6 January 2015), lot 532; C.K. Collection (Triton XIV, 4 January 2011), lot 648; Leu 86 (5 May 2003), lot 765.

Nemesis is the goddess who enacts divine retribution on those who display hubris, or arrogance before the gods. By Roman times she is usually depicted as a winged woman holding out a fold of her garment before her, expressing aversion by spitting upon her bosom (supposedly humans could avoid her anger by making the same gesture). From early in his reign, Claudius employed on his coins a version of Nemesis sharing some features with Pax (Peace) along with the legend PACI AVGVSTAE (“the Emperor’s peace”). Claudius’s Nemisis coinage starts in AD 43 and probably refers to his invasion and subsequent conquest of Britain, with Rome meting out “divine retribution” on the arrogant British tribes. “The Emperor’s peace” presumably refers to Britannia being brought within the Pax Romana, albeit by force of arms. Nine decades later Hadrian would employ a similar reverse as a reference to the Bar Kochba conflict.

5630398. Tiberius. AD 14-37. AR Denarius (19.5mm, 3.79 g, 9h). “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

5630399. Claudius. AD 41-54. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.83 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 51-52. TI CLAVD CAESAR

XI

IMP

P • P COS V, laureate head right / PACI AVGVSTAE,

Extremely Rare – Among the Finest Known

3.67 g, 7h). ‘G P R Group II’. Uncertain mint in Gaul or in the Rhine Valley. G • P • R, draped bust of the Genius of the Roman people to right; scepter over shoulder / MARS VLTOR, Mars, nude but for helmet and parazonium slung around his chest, advancing right, wielding spear in his right hand and holding shield in his left. RIC I 48; AM 25, but cf. 24 and pl. 2, 24 P (for an aureus struck from the same reverse die); RSC –; Mairat 35.3 (this coin); BMCRE 21 note; Nicolas, Néron 26, but cf. 24-25 and pl. I, 24 P & 25 CAL (for aurei struck from the same reverse die). Deeply toned, slight roughness in the fields. Near EF. Extremely rare and exceptional for issue. Among the finest known. $17,500

594499.

Ex Dipl.-Ing Christian Gollnow Collection (Leu Numismatik 9, 24 October 2021), lot 1138; Lanz 128 (22 May 2006), lot 291; Numismatica Ars Classica 92 (23 May 2016), lot 501.

Exceptional style, not typically encountered in the Civil War denarii. While most of the Rhine mint denarii tend to be of a more crude style and fabric, this specimen is superb, revealing the hand of a particularly talented engraver

Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 310 (4 September 2013),

By AD 68, Servius Sulpicius Galba had governed Hispania for nearly eight years with a single Roman legion, VI Victrix, under his command. In April of that year, with Nero’s support crumbling, Galba proclaimed himself as representing the Senate and People of Rome, not Nero, thus taking the first steps that would lead to his brief, chaotic reign as emperor. However, the final collapse of Nero’s regime took several months, during which the Roman coinage reflected the uncertain political climate.

Civil War. AD 68-69. AR Denarius (18mm,

5644644. Galba. AD 68-69. Æ Sestertius (36mm, 26.56 g, 6h). Rome mint, 3rd officina. Struck circa October AD 68. SER GALBA IMP CAESAR AVG TR P, laureate head left / LIBERTAS PVBLICA, S C across field, Libertas standing left, holding pileus in right hand and vindicta in left. RIC I 389; ACG 146–7 var. (A38/R– [unlisted rev. die]); BMCRE p. 319 §; BN 196. Green and red patina, some roughness. VF. High relief portrait. $13,750

lot 372.

5640689. Vitellius. AD 69. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.15 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa late April-20 December. Λ VITELLIVS GERM IMP ΛVG TR P, laureate head right / PONT MAXIM, Vesta, veiled and draped, seated right on throne, holding vertical scepter in left hand and patera in right. RIC I 107; RSC 72; BMCRE 34-7; BN 71-4. Attractive multi-hued iridescent toning. In NGC encapsulation 5872561-018, graded Ch XF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 3/5. $2850

The last of Nero’s three successors, Vitellius was declared emperor by his troops while campaigning in lower Germany in January, AD 69. His reign was short lived however, as Vespasian was hailed emperor in Judaea only a few months later. Vitellius’ troops gave little resistance as Vespasian entered Rome where he quickly abdicated but was murdered by a mob with great brutality in December of the same year.

Rare IVDAEA DEVICTA Denarius

5633023. Vespasian. AD 69-79. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.24 g, 6h). “Judaea Capta” commemorative. Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck AD 71. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG TR P, laureate head right / IVDAEA DEVICTA, Judaea standing left, head slightly bowed, hands bound in front of her; palm tree to right. RIC II.1 1120; Lyon 12; Hendin 6518; RSC 243; BMCRE 388; BN 297. Light iridescent toning, minor scratches. Near VF. Very rare, this type was only struck at Lugdunum. $3750

Ex Harry N. Sneh Collection (Gemini IX, 9 January 2012), lot 413. Once again for a long-beleaguered people, the dream of a Judaea free from conquerors was deferred. When Vespasian was acclaimed Emperor by the eastern legions on 1 July AD 69, he left his son Titus in command of ongoing operations to repress the Jewish rebellion. Like his father, Titus was a skilled general and by April AD 70 had forced the rebels and many civilians to seek safety behind the walls of Jerusalem. These he placed under a close siege that dragged on for four months and brought the defenders to extremities of starvation. At last, in August, the forces under Titus stormed the city and set it and the Temple ablaze. Although mopping up operations against surviving rebel elements continued in Judaea until AD 73, for the Roman Empire the siege of Jerusalem had been the culmination of five straight years of warfare, which had devastated the economy and threatened the very foundations of the empire. Titus traveled to Rome in AD 71, the famed golden menorah and showbread table of Jerusalem’s Temple in tow, to celebrate a formal triumph alongside his father and his brother Domitian. Vespasian had destroyed his rivals in AD 69 and upon becoming sole Emperor had named Titus as Caesar. The Roman victory over the Jewish rebels subsequently became a keystone of the numismatic propaganda deployed on the Judaea Capta coins in gold, silver, and bronze struck by both Vespasian and Titus.

In one of the most undignifying reinterpretations of a passage from Isaiah, the Romans intended to display the spiritual breaking of the Jewish people: “Thy men shall fall by the sword. And thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and utterly bereft she shall sit upon the ground.” On perhaps the most famous of the reverse types in the Judea Capta series, Judaea, personified as a young woman, is depicted in captivity — chained by a palm tree and bereft on the ground, while the triumphant Vespasian is shown in a general’s armor.

In another reverse type, a most unorthodox representation of Pax, the goddess of peace, holds a flaming torch with which she sets fire to a heap of arms, the spoils of Rome’s defeated enemies. This symbolic act was carried out in fulfillment of a vow undertaken to Rome’s principal deities of war, Mars and Minerva. A statue of the latter appears atop a column accompanying the scene of celebration. The hope was that with the cessation of hostilities, the Roman people could now enjoy a period of tranquility under Flavian rule.

A third reverse belongs to this Flavian propaganda in its depiction of Titus on horseback, riding down a fallen Jewish rebel. The mounted Roman ruler slaying his fallen enemies was a standard image used to advertise the ruler as a great warrior that continued in use on Roman imperial coins down to the fourth century. The message of Vespasian’s type was so clear that no associated inscription is provided except for the abbreviated Senatus Consultum authorizing the issue. The reverse type likely represents a statue erected in Rome to honor Titus for his triumph.

As was the case with the Arch of Titus, a monument constructed in honor of the Emperor’s conquest upon his death, these coins were intended to display the thorough and ruthless spiritual breaking of the Jewish people. And yet, nearly two thousand years later, perhaps the Judaea Capta coins also mirror the arch in another way, as David Hendin poignantly notes: “...that arch stands today not as a monument to its Roman builders, whose civilization has long since disappeared, but as a monument to the Jewish people who outlived their conquerors by many generations.”

Magnificent Portrait

When Trajan entered his fourth consulship in AD 101, the Roman Empire seemed securely at peace, as celebrated by the figure of Pax on the reverse of his attractive sestertius. These allusions were possibly a ruse, however, as Trajan was already planning a massive campaign against the Dacian King Decebalus, who had humiliated Roman armies on two occasions during Domitian’s reign.

576474. Trajan. AD 98-117. Æ Sestertius (34.5mm, 23.91 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 101-102. IMP CAES NERVA TRAIAN AVG GERM P M, laureate bust right, slight drapery / TR POT COS IIII P P, S C in exergue, Pax, draped, seated left on throne, holding olive branch in extended right hand and transverse scepter in left. RIC II 432 var. (bust type); Woytek 107b; Strack 338; Banti 337; BMCRE 745, note; BN 144-5. Glossy green patina. Choice EF. Boldly struck, with a magnificent portrait. A first class bronze. $32,500

5632115. Trajan. AD 98-117. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.08 g, 7h). Rome mint. Struck winter AD 114-early 116. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC, laureate and draped bust right / P M TR P COS VI P P S P Q R, Mars advancing right, holding transverse spear and trophy over shoulder. RIC II 337; Woytek 520v2; RSC 270; BMCRE 536; BN 819. Slightly ragged edge, lustrous. EF. $875

5630426. Trajan. AD 98-117. Æ Sestertius (34mm, 24.61 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 114-116. IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate and draped bust right / Trajan seated right on sella castrensis set on high platform, two officers at his side, haranguing a group of six soldiers who hold two signa and an aquila; IMPERATOR VIII/S C in two lines in exergue. RIC II 656; Woytek 548v; Strack 463; Banti 78; BMCRE 1017; BN 843. Dark green patina, light roughness. EF. Well centered and struck. $2975

5644645. Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Sestertius (34mm, 24.10 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 119-circa mid 120. IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HA DRIANVS AVG, laureate heroic bust right with bare chest, slight drapery / PONT M A X T R POT COS III, S C in exergue, Roma seated left on cuirass, left foot on greave, right foot on helmet, holding Victory and spear; shield to right. RIC II.3 254; Strack 534; Banti 603; BMCRE 1148-9. Dark green patina, light even roughness. Good VF. Exceptional early portrait.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 294 (16 January 2013), lot 668.

$2250

5637859. Sabina. Augusta, AD 128-136/7. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.51 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Hadrian, circa AD 133-135. SABINA AVGVSTA HADRIANI AVG P P, draped bust right, hair falling in plait down neck: it is waved at back and rises on top in crest over stephane above diadem / VES TA, Vesta, veiled and draped, seated left on throne, holding palladium on extended right hand and transverse scepter in left. RIC II.3 2545; Abdy, Chronology, New Group 4; RSC 81; BMCRE 918 (Hadrian). Significant luster remaining. EF. Wonderful portrait. $1750

Ex Berk BBS 113 (22 July 2003), lot 360.

Rare Aelius Sestertius

5640867. Aelius. Caesar, AD 136-138. Æ Sestertius (31mm, 21.94 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Hadrian, AD 137. L AELIVS CAESAR, bareheaded, draped bust right, seen from behind / TR • POT COS • II, S C across field, CONCORD in exergue, Concordia seated left, holding patera in right hand, resting left elbow on a cornucopia which is set on the base of the chair. RIC II.3 2652 (Hadrian); Strack 880 (Hadrian) Banti 6; BMCRE 1918 var. (bust with slight drapery). Green patina, light cleaning marks, minor spots of corrosion. EF. Well centered and struck. Rare obverse variety, only two known to Banti. $4750

Aelius Caesar began life as Lucius Ceionius Commodus, son of a distinguished senator. Handsome and affable, Lucius entered public service in his 20s and rose steadily until he attracted the attention of the Emperor Hadrian, who by the early AD 130s was searching for a suitable heir. In 136, Aelius was formally adopted by Hadrian and took the name Lucius Aelius Caesar, marking him out as successor to the throne.

141-143.

S C in exergue, Tiber reclining left on overturned urn from which water flows, right hand resting on boat, cradling reed in left arm; waves beneath. RIC III 642a; Banti 414 var. (break in obv. legend); BMCRE 1313-4 var. (no waves); Mazzini 819 var. (break in obv. legend). Dark brown surfaces, hints of smoothing, flan flaw, a couple light scratches on reverse. Near EF. Exceptional strike.

AVG PI VS P P TR P COS III, laureate head right /

right hand and child in left arm; to left and right, small girl standing left, each raising right arm. RIC III 1031; Strack 1192δ; Banti 287; BMCRE 2088. Natural apple green patina, traces of deposits. Near EF.

33077;

5630400. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Sestertius (33mm, 23.97 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD

ANTONINVS

TIBERIS,

$6950 Ex DMS Collection, purchased from Harlan J. Berk, January 2003.

5640872. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Sestertius (31mm, 24.56 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 159-160. ΛNTONINVS ΛVG PIVS P P TR P XXIII, laureate head right / PIETΛTI ΛVG COS IIII, Pietas, draped, standing left, holding globe in extended

$6750 Ex Triton XXIV (19 January 2021), lot 1095.

5640868. Marcus Aurelius. AD 161-180. AV Aureus (19mm, 7.16 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 169. M ΛNTONINVS ΛVG TR P XXIII, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / FELICITΛS ΛVG COS III, Felicitas, draped, standing left, holding caduceus in right hand and scepter in left. RIC III 201; MIR 18, 180-2/37; Calicó 1850a; BMCRE 489; Biaggi 847; Mazzini 177. Lustrous, a few minor marks. Choice EF. $17,500 Ex Heritage 3094 (19 August 2021), lot

Provence Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 115, 16 September 2020), lot 669.

Ex Nomos 22 (22 June 2021), lot 309 (hammer CHF 7500); Tradart (15 February 2018), lot 138.

18, 22-14/10; RSC 144; BMCRE 35. Toned, minor deposits and porosity. Good VF. An excellent specimen with great details on both the obverse and

in right hand and scepter in left. RIC III 1763 (Aurelius); MIR 18, 16-6/2a; Banti 39; BMCRE 1167

Ex Gemini IX (8 January 2012), lot 498; Astarte XXII (12 June 2010), lot 183.

5640871. Marcus Aurelius. AD 161-180. Æ Sestertius (32mm, 26.79 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 174. M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVIII, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / IMP VI COS III, S C in exergue, Jupiter, naked to waist, seated left on throne, holding Victory on extended right hand and vertical scepter in left. RIC III 1098; MIR 18, 2666/37; Banti 128; BMCRE 1471. Attractive green patina. EF. Wonderful portrait. $7500

5644646. Lucius Verus. AD 161-169. AR Denarius (16.5mm, 3.01 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, AD 161. IMP L AVREL VERVS AVG, bare head right / PROV DEOR TR P COS II, Providentia standing left, holding globe in right hand and cornucopia in left. RIC III 463 (Aurelius); MIR

reverse. $795

5631919. Lucilla. Augusta, AD 164-182. Æ Sestertius (29mm, 29.23 g, 11h). Rome mint. Struck under Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, AD 161-162. LVCILLAE AVG ANTONINI AVG F, draped bust right, hair waved and coiled on back of head / VENUS, S C across field, Venus standing left, holding apple

(Aurelius and Verus). Red-brown surfaces. Choice EF. Superb portrait. $5775

SEPTIMIVS • SEVERVS

Severus Acclaimed Imperator

•

M TR P III [COS] II P P,

• MILIT in

Septimius Severus standing left on däis, right hand raised in salute and holding scepter with left; behind him, Caracalla and Geta, both in military attire, standing left; before, six soldiers standing right, the front row holding shields, the back row holding two signa and a vexillum. Gnecchi II, 16 (pl. 94, 7); Banti 51; Cohen 152; Grueber 3; Froehner p. 153. Attractive dark green and brown patina, some minor roughness. Good VF. Extremely rare and impressive. $37,750

Ex Triton XX (10 January 2017), lot 786; Gorny & Mosch 232 (5 October 2015), lot 456.

Although Septimius Severus is often described as first of the “soldier emperors,” his early career was almost entirely civilian, rising steadily through the ladder of Roman magistracies, much like his predecessors. Nevertheless, his reign proved a major step in militarizing Roman government and life. He entered the Senate in AD 173 and gained some early military experience as legionary officer in Africa and Syria, where he served under the later Emperor Pertinax. After reaching the Consulship in AD 190, he was appointed as governor of Pannonia Superior, which placed him in command of Legio XIIII Gemina Martia Victrix, strategically located within easy march of Italy and Rome. With the assassination of Commodus in AD 193, followed within weeks by the murder of his mentor Pertinax, Severus was hailed as emperor by the XIIIIth at Carnuntum. A lightning march to Rome deposed the pathetic Didius Julianus and placed Severus in firm control of the capital, whereupon he immediately prepared for civil war against two rivals who had likewise been proclaimed in the provinces, Clodius Albinus and Pescinnius Niger. Though wealthy and connected, Severus was from a “new” family and relied heavily on the army to cement his power. He raised military pay and showed his troops many preferments, including ending the longtime ban on marriage for regular soldiers. The army began to think of him as one of their own and, after disposing of Niger and Albinus, he suffered no revolts or serious internal threats for the rest of his reign. This remarkable bronze medallion, struck in AD 194 for presentation to a senior officer, depicts Severus being hailed as Imperator (victorious general) by his soldiers. Behind him stand his sons, Caracalla and Geta, whom he told on his deathbed, “get along with one another, enrich the soldiers, and despise everyone else!”

5610478. Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. Æ Medallion (41mm, 59.51 g, 1h). Rome mint. Struck AD 194. L •

PERTINAX

AVG IMP IIII, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front / [P]

FIDEI

exergue,

The Games of AD 206

Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 447 (3 July 2019), lot 484.

The games of AD 206 repeated the festivities of 202, which celebrated the return of the imperial family from their successful eastern campaigns. This complex and crowded design recognizes most of the forms of entertainment at the games; the naumachia, a mock sea battle which involved flooding the Circus Maximus, the chariot races at the Hippodrome, and combat between wild beasts. In RIC the avian creature at the far left is called a cock, but on many coins it is clearly a long-necked and long-legged bird, either an ostrich or a crane. Both birds would typically appear in a farcical combat with African pygmies.

5632116. Caracalla. AD 198-217. AR Denarius (19.5mm, 3.42 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck AD 206. ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right / LAETITIA above, TEMPORVM in exergue, ship with mast and sail in center of circus; above, four quadrigae driven left; below, ostrich, lion, zebra, bear and stag right, bull butting left, bear right, head left. RIC IV 157; BMCRE 508; RSC 118. Toned with patches of luster. In NGC encapsulation 6055016-015, graded AU, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 3/5. Rare and popular type. $1750

5644661. Philip I. AD 244-249. Æ Sestertius (28mm, 18.49 g, 12h). Rome mint, 1st officina. 4th emission, AD 245. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / P M TR P II COS P P, Philip seated left on sella curulis, holding globe and parazonium. RIC IV 148a; Banti 30. Even dark brown surfaces. Good VF. $1400

Ex Richard McAlee Collection; Classical Numismatic Group 87 (18 May 2011), lot 1089.

5640869. Galerius. As Caesar, AD 293-305. AV Aureus (20mm, 5.37 g, 6h). Nicomedia mint. Struck AD 294-295. MAXIMIANV S NOB CAES, laureate head right / IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt in right hand and scepter in left; SMN. RIC VI 6; Depeyrot 2/5; Calicó 4916; Biaggi 1860; Mazzini –; Barhfeldt –; Jameson –. Lustrous, light hairlines. EF. $13,750 Ex Rauch 108 (4 June 2019), lot 357.

5630401. Galerius. As Caesar, AD 293-305. AR Argenteus (18mm, 2.78 g, 6h). Ticinum mint. 1st emission, 2nd series, AD 294-295. MAXIMIAN VS CAESAR, laureate head right / VICTORIA SARMAT, four tetrarchs sacrificing over tripod before city enclosure with six turrets. RIC VI 17b; Gautier, Argent 12; RSC 208c. Attractive iridescent toning. EF. $1750

Ex G.W. Trow Collection; Roma XX (29 October 2020), lot 683; ArtCoins Roma 19 (11 November 2015), lot 770.

5640873. Licinius I. AD 308-324. AV Aureus (20mm, 5.28 g, 12h). Siscia mint. Struck AD 316. LICINI VS P F AVG, laureate head right / IOVI CON SERVATORI, Jupiter Victor standing left, holding in right hand Victory set on globe, and holding scepter in left; to left at feet, eagle standing left, head and tail right, with wings displayed, holding wreath in beak; -/X//SIS. RIC VII 18; Depeyrot 16/1; Calicó 5108A; Biaggi –. Lustrous. EF. Very rare. $22,500

Ex Tkalec (24 October 2003), lot 411.

5648355. Constans.

337-350. AV

(23mm, 4.64 g, 6h). Decennalia issue. Treveri (Trier) mint. Struck AD 347-348. CONSTANS AVGVSTVS, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / VICTORIAE DD NN AVGG, two Victories standing facing one another, holding wreath inscribed VOT/ X/ MVLT/ XX between them; TR. RIC VIII 135; Depeyrot 6/3; Biaggi 2123. Fully lustrous. In NGC

a broad, round flan.

Ex Willamette Valley Collection; Classical Numismatic Group inventory 510902 (August 2019); Dr. Klaus Berthold Collection (Künker 318, 11 March 2019), lot 1940; Tkalec (24 October 2003), lot 421.

The youngest son of Constantine the Great, Flavius Julius Constans was born between AD 320 and 323. After the death of Constantine, Constans at first received only Italy and Africa as his sphere of command, but at a conference late in AD 337, his realm was enlarged to include the Balkan territories and Thrace. These had been under the control of Constantius II, with whom Constans formed an alliance to thwart the dominance of their senior, Constantine II. Angered by their collusion, Constantine II invaded Italy in the spring of AD 340, but fell into an ambush and perished. In the territorial redistribution, Constans ended up controlling the entire Roman West, including Spain, Gaul, Germany and Britain. At first, he ruled with energy and ability, dealing the Franks a series of defeats in AD 341-342 and conducting operations in Britain along Hadrian’s Wall in AD 343. This gold solidus of Trier, struck in AD 342-343, with the legend OB VICTORIAM TRIVMFALEM (”to the triumphal victor”), records these campaigns against the Franks and Caledonians. As time went on, Constans sank into indolence and depravity, becoming known as a despoiler of young boys. Worse for his own security, he showed open contempt for the soldiery, upon whom his power rested. In January of AD 350, a cabal of senior officers rebelled and hailed the half-barbarian general Magnentius as emperor. Constans attempted to flee toward Spain, but was overtaken and murdered by one of Magnentius’s agents.

AD

Solidus

encapsulation 6559106-003, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Perfectly centered on

$4750

5638145. Constantius II. AD 337-361. AV Solidus (21.5mm, 4.43 g, 6h). Thessalonica mint. Struck 337-340 AD. FL IVL CONSTAN TIVS P F AVG, rosette-and-laurel-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / VIRTVS EXERCITVM, Constantius, bareheaded and in military outfit, standing facing, head left, holding trophy in left hand and shield set on ground in right, at feet on either side, bound captive with head turned back looking upward; TES. RIC VIII 32 var. (pearl-diadem); Depeyrot 4/6; Biaggi 2184. Underlying luster, minor die rust. Choice EF. $3250

5635957. Basiliscus. AD 475-476. AV Solidus (20.5mm, 4.50 g, 6h). Constantinople mint, 7th officina. D N ЬASILIS C*S P P AVC, pearl-diademed, helmeted, and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear and shield / VICTORI A AVCCC, Victory standing left, holding long, jeweled cross in right hand; star to right; Z//CONOB. RIC X 1003; MIBR 1b; Depeyrot 101/1; DOC –; Biaggi –. Light red toning, minor marks. Good VF. $2650

Ex William Oldknow Collection (Goldberg 120, 2 February 2021), lot 1154.

Basiliscus was the brother of the East Roman Empress Verina, wife of Leo I. In 468, Leo put him in command of an immense task force sent to recover North Africa from the Vandals. The entire costly enterprise came to grief when the Vandals set fire to the fleet while at anchorage, a disaster partly caused by the failure of Basiliscus to take basic precautions. Probably due to Verina’s influence, Basiliscus escaped consequences for the debacle. Upon the death of Leo in AD 474, Verina tried to arrange affairs so she could rule the Empire through her son-in-law Zeno and her infant grandson Leo II. When the boy died and Zeno began to take charge of affairs on his own, Verina hatched another scheme to put her lover, Patricius, on the throne with the help of Basiliscus, who controlled the city garrison. Zeno was induced to flee Constantinople, and Basiliscus seized the throne for himself and enraged his powerful sister by executing Patricius. But Basiliscus proved to be as hapless as emperor as he was as general. After 20 chaotic months, Zeno reentered the capital in August, 476 and deposed Basiliscus in a bloodless coup. Basiliscus and his family were exiled to Cappadocia and starved to death, fulfilling Zeno’s promise not to “shed their blood.” The anarchy which gripped the Eastern Empire throughout AD 475-476 prevented it from intervening in Western affairs.

BYZANTINE COINAGE

5638146. Anastasius I. 491-518. AV Solidus (21.5mm, 4.48 g, 6h). Constantinople mint, 4th officina. Struck 492-507. D N ANASTA SIVS P P AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear over shoulder in right hand, shield on left shoulder decorated with horseman motif / VICTORI A AVCCC, Victory standing left, holding long jeweled cross in right hand; star in right field; Δ//CONOB. DOC 3d; MIBE 4a; SB 3. Hairlines, minor die rust on obverse, a couple of minor die breaks and light scrape on reverse. EF. $1650

∂ N IҺSCҺS RЄ X RЄGNANTIЧ, facing bust of Christ Pantokrator, holding right hand in benediction and Gospels in left / D N IЧS TINIA NЧS MЧL[...], crowned facing bust of Justinian, wearing loros, holding cross potent in right hand and patriarchal globus cruciger inscribed PAX in left. DOC 5.2; MIB 5; SB 1419. Traces of die rust, hairlines, minor deposits, area of weak strike at periphery. Near EF. $3750

patina. Near EF.

/ Large M; cross above, X/X/X to left, N/N/N to right, Θ below. DOC 10; SB 1642.

5610531. Tiberius III (Apsimar). 698-705. AV Solidus (20.5mm, 4.42 g, 6h). Constantinople mint, 6th officina. D τIЬЄRI ЧS PЄ AV, crowned and cuirassed bust facing, holding spear in right hand, shield decorated with horseman motif on left shoulder / VICTORIA AVςЧ, cross potent set on three steps; S//CONOB. DOC 1e; MIB 1; SB 1360. Toned over lustrous surfaces, hairlines. EF. Excellent for issue. $1575

5634455. Justinian II. Second reign, 705-711. AV Tremissis (15mm, 1.43 g, 6h). Constantinople mint.

5644662. Michael II the Amorian, with Theophilus. 820-829. Æ Follis (30.5mm, 8.19 g, 7h). Constantinople mint. Struck 821-829. mIXAHL S Θ ЄOFILOS, Crowned facing busts of Michael, wearing chlamys, and Theophilus, wearing loros; cross above

Attractive green-brown

$875

5644675.

Michael VII and

1067. AV Histamenon Nomisma (28mm, 4.37 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. + IhSXIS RCIX RCSNANTIҺm, Christ Pantokrator enthroned facing / + mIX ЄЧ ΔK KωNS, crowned facing figures of Eudocia, holding jeweled scepter in right hand, standing facing on suppedion, flanked by her sons Michael, to left, holding globus cruciger in right hand and akakia in left, and Constantius, to right, holding akakia in right hand and globus cruciger in left, all wearing loros. DOC 1; Füeg II 1.y2; SB 1857. In NGC encapsulation 6558872-001, graded AU, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 2/5, scratches.

Ex Gasvoda Collection; Classical Numismatic Group 118 (13 September 2021), lot 1225.

5644674. John V Palaeologus. 1341-1391. AR Basilikon (15.5mm, 1.03 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. Struck circa late 1341. Full-length facing figures of St. Demetrius, to left, holding cross before chest in right hand, and Andronicus III, to right, wearing crown and loros; Γ/O/Δ downwards between / Half-length figure of John, wearing loros, holding labarum in right hand and globus cruciger in left; above, Christ with hands outstretched over John; IC - XC, each with macron above, flanking head of Christ. DOC 944; LPC p. 120, 7 (Andronicus III); PCPC 199 (Andronicus III); SB 2474 (Andronicus III). Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6558569-012, graded Ch XF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 3/5. Very rare. $2175

Ex Gasvoda Collection; Malcolm W. Heckman Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 118, 13 September 2021), lot 1227; Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 307 (24 July 2013), lot 381.

For Grierson’s attribution to John V see DOC V.1 pp. 176-9

EARLY MEDIEVAL COINAGE

Eudocia, with

Constantius.

5642884. MEROVINGIANS, Quentovic. Circa 585-675. AV Tremissis (12.5mm, 1.15 g, 10h). Anglus, moneyer. VƩVV˞ ŖƩ˶ แ , diademed head right; pellet below chin / ²ɃǮǮ⌴ e⌴ɃeV , double-barred cross set on base decorated with แ NM 17; Belfort 4978; Prou 1135; MEC 1, –. Lustrous. Superb EF. $3750

6351737-006, graded XF 40. $1500

5635824. BOLIVIA, Colonial (as Alto Perú). Felipe II. King of Spain, 1556-1598. AR 4 Reales (36mm, 13.45 g, 11h). Cob issue. Potosí mint. Struck 1577-1586. Crowned coat-of-arms; P/B to left; O/IIII to right / Arms of Spain within angled quadrilobe. Menzel Po-25. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6351181-004, graded AU 50. $1750

5635823. BOLIVIA, Colonial (as Alto Perú). Felipe II. King of Spain, 1556-1598. AR 4 Reales (30mm, 13.55 g, 5h). Cob issue. Potosí mint. Struck 1578-1582. Crowned coat-of-arms; P/L to left; O/IIII to right / Arms of Spain within angled quadrilobe. Menzel Po-109. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6351737-009, graded VF 30. $950

6351181-006,

5635821. BOLIVIA, Colonial (as Alto Perú). Felipe II. King of Spain, 1556-1598. AR 8 Reales (36mm, 27.13 g, 8h). Cob issue. Potosí mint. Struck 1573-1576. Crowned coat-of-arms; P/R to left; [O/VIII to right] / Arms of Spain within angled quadrilobe. Menzel Po-1. Toned. In NGC encapsulation

5635822. BOLIVIA, Colonial (as Alto Perú). Felipe II. King of Spain, 1556-1598. AR 8 Reales (27.15 g). Cob issue. Potosí mint. Struck 1589-1595. Crowned coat-of-arms; P/B to left; O/VIII to right / Arms of Spain within angled quadrilobe. Menzel Po-49. Toned. In NGC encapsulation

graded XF 45. $2250

5635824

5635823

5633292. BOLIVIA, Colonial (as Alto Perú). Carlos II. King of Spain, 1665-1700. AR 8 Reales (39mm, 27.64 g, 2h). Cob issue. Potosí mint. Dated 1683/2 P V. Crowned coat-of-arms / Crowned Pillars of Hercules set on ocean waves; crown above. Menzel Po-305; KM 26 (unlisted overdate). In NGC encapsulation 6509236-001, graded VF 30. Unlisted in KM with 83/2 on obverse. $1250

5642673. FRANCE, Royal. Louis XIV le Roi Soleil (the Sun King). 1643–1715. AV Louis d’or à l’écu (24mm, 5h). Montpellier mint; différents: lion’s head & clover. Dated 1690 N. Laureate head right / Crowned coat-of-arms. Droulers 343; Duplessy 1435; Ciani 1797; KM 278.11; Friedberg 429. In NGC encapsulation 6529353-005, graded MS 64. A superb coin. Toned with blazing mint luster. $7250

Ex Collection Docteur P. Includes an old collection ticket indicating it was purchased on 3 November 1919.

Choice Nazarana Rupee – Pridmore Plate Coin

name

‘Alam II.

Dually dated

1182

zad bar haft kishwar/sikka saya fazl shah alam badshah/ilah hami din muhammad (defender of the religion of Muhammad, Shah ‘Alam emperor, shadow of the divine favor, put his stamp on the seven climes) / zarb murshidabad/sanah 10 julus/ maimanat manus (struck at Murshidabad in the 10th year of his reign of tranquil prosperity). CEEIC 2.79; Pridmore 343 (this coin illustrated); KM Pn1. In NGC encapsulation 6382528-014, graded AU 58. Beautifully engraved and carefully struck for presentation purposes. A wonderful coin of the highest rarity.

$12,500

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; F. Pridmore Collection (Part II, Glendining & Co., 18 October 1982), lot 670 (includes his ticket).

The Battle of Buxar, fought 22-23 October 1764, resulted in a decisive victory for the English East India Company led by Hector Munro over the combined forces of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II, and the Nawabs of Bengal and Awadh. At the subsequent Treaty of Allahabad, signed 16 August 1765, the Emperor granted the Company diwani rights for the territories of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. This meant the EIC was now entitled to gather the revenue for what was formerly the most prosperous province of the Mughal Empire and, effectively, the mints of Murshidabad, Patna, Dacca, and Calcutta were now under the oversight of Company officials. In return the Company agreed to pay the Emperor an annual tribute of twenty six lakhs of rupees (26,000,000 rupees). Continuing a long Mughal tradition of striking special presentation issues for formal tribute payments and Imperial distributions the Company mints continued, on occasion, to issue beautiful Nazarana rupees. These coins, carefully struck from fine style dies of exquisite calligraphy, played an important ceremonial role in legitimising Company rule. Very few examples survive to the present time. The coin offered here ranks as undoubtedly one of the finest of all EIC Nazarana rupees in private hands. Only one other specimen of the particular type, in well-worn condition, is recorded.

5634581. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Bengal Presidency. 1651-1835. AR Nazarana (Nuzzer) Rupee (22mm, 11.65 g, 6h). In the

of Shah

Murshidabad (Calcutta) mint.

AH

and RY 10 (AD 1768/9).

5634566. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Bengal Presidency. 1651-1835. AV Mohur (28mm, 12.38 g, 12h). First milled issue. Murshidabad (Dacca) mint. Dually dated AH 1202 and RY 19 of Shah Alam II (Struck 1794-1796). sikka zad bar haft kishwar saya fazl ilah hami din muhammad shah alam badshah (defender of the religion of Muhammad, Shah ‘Alam emperor, shadow of the divine favor, put his stamp on the seven climes); no secret marks / zarb murshidabad sanah 19 julus maimanat manus (struck at Murshidabad in the 19th year of the prosperous reign). Edge: /////. CEEIC 5.54 (this coin illustrated and referenced); cf. Pridmore 61, 68, and 74; cf. KM 103.2. Lightly toned with traces of luster . In NGC encapsulation 6382527022, graded MS 63. Very rare. $3750

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; Sir John Wheeler (Baldwin’s 22, 2 May 2000), lot 143 (there attributed to Patna); A Parcel of East India Company Issues for Bengal (Glendining’s, 3 October 1988), lot 504.

5634568. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Bengal Presidency. 1651-1835. AV Mohur (28mm, 12.38 g, 12h). Second milled issue. Murshidabad mint. Dually dated AH 1202 and RY 19 of Shah Alam II (Struck 1794-1796). sikka zad bar haft kishwar saya fazl ilah hami din muhammad shah alam badshah (defender of the religion of Muhammad, Shah ‘Alam emperor, shadow of the divine favor, put his stamp on the seven climes); secret marks / zarb murshidabad sanah 19 julus maimanat manus (struck at Murshidabad in the 19th year of the prosperous reign). Edge: /////. CEEIC 5.2; Pridmore 71; KM 103.2. In NGC encapsulation 6382527-033, graded MS 63. $3500

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; Sir John Wheeler (Baldwin’s 22, 2 May 2000), lot 138; A Parcel of East India Company Issues for Bengal (Glendining’s, 3 October 1988), lot 502.

Colonial. British India. Bengal Presidency. 1651-1835. AV Mohur (28mm, 12.38 g, 12h). Steampowered milled issue. Murshidabad (Calcutta) mint. Dually dated AH 1202 and RY 19 of Shah Alam II (Struck 1831-1835). sikka zad bar haft kishwar saya fazl ilah hami din muhammad shah alam badshah (defender of the religion of Muhammad, Shah ‘Alam emperor, shadow of the divine favor, put his stamp on the seven climes) / zarb murshidabad sanah 19 julus maimanat manus (struck at Murshidabad in the 19th year of the prosperous reign); crescent secret mark Edge: \\\\\. CEEIC 9.4; cf. Pridmore 84 illustration; KM 114. Lightly toned with traces of luster. In NGC encapsulation 6382527-027, graded MS 64. Extremely rare. $2850

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; Singapore Coin Auction 30 (23 March 2000), lot 559.

5634571. INDIA,

Extrmely Rare Proof Set – Ex Pridmore

5634573. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Bengal Presidency. 1651-1835. Proof AR Rupee Denomination Set. Steampowered milled issue. Murshidabad (Calcutta) mint. Dated RY 19 of Shah Alam II (Struck 1831-1835). Larger coins: sikka zad bar haft kishwar saya fazl ilah hami din muhammad shah alam badshah (defender of the religion of Muhammad, Shah ‘Alam emperor, shadow of the divine favor, put his stamp on the seven climes) / zarb murshidabad sanah 19 julus maimanat manus (struck at Murshidabad in the 19th year of the prosperous reign); Quarter rupee: sikka shah alam badshah 1204 (coin of Shah ‘Alam emperor 1204) / zarb murshidabad sanah 19 (struck at Murshidabad in the 19th year) / Includes the following denominations:

1) Proof AR Rupee (27mm, 12.51 g, 12h). No secret mark. Edge: |||||. CEEIC 9.8; Pridmore 179; KM 117. In NGC encapsulation 6382526-032, graded PF 65.

2) Proof AR Half Rupee (24mm, 6.22 g, 12h). Crescent secret mark. Edge: |||||. CEEIC 9.11; Pridmore 182; KM 105. In NGC encapsulation 6382526-014, graded PF 65.

3) Proof AR Quarter Rupee (17mm, 3.16 g, 12h). Crescent secret mark. Edge: |||||. CEEIC 9.14; Pridmore 185; KM 75. In NGC encapsulation 6382525-010, graded PF 62.

Extremely rare as a set.

$13,500

All coins ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; F. Pridmore Collection (Part II, Glendining & Co., 18 October 1982), lot 622, purchased from Baldwin’s, August 1986.

Ex Puddester, Wheeler, R.J. Ford, and Brushfield

5634563. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Bombay Presidency. AV Panchia – Third Mohur (14mm, 3.86 g, 10h). Surat mint, but struck at Bombay. Dated RY 4[6] of Shah Alam II (Struck 1825-1831). [sikka mubara]/k [bad]shah [ghaz]/i/[shah alam] (the auspicious coin of the victorious emperor Shah Alam); privy mark 4 above shah / [zar]b [surat sana] h 4[6] julus [maimanat manus] (struck at Surat in the 46th year of the prosperous reign); [star to left]. CEEIC 3.8; Pridmore 263; KM 243. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6381622-054, graded AU 55.

$1350

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; Sir John Wheeler Collection (Baldwin’s 22, 2 May 2000), lot 113; R.J. Ford (not in Spink sales); Spink Numismatic Circular LXXXVII.11 (November 1979), no. 10400; Dr. A.N. Brushfield Collection (Part V, Glendining, 2 November 1949), lot 4.

Ex Puddester, Pridmore, Lingford, and Brushfield

5634564. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Bombay Presidency. AV Panchia – Third Mohur (14mm, 3.86 g, 10h). Surat mint, but struck at Bombay. Dated RY 4[6] of Shah Alam II (Struck 1825-1831). [sikka mubara]/k [ba]dshah gh[az]/i/[shah alam] (the auspicious coin of the victorious emperor Shah Alam); privy mark 5 above shah / z[arb surat sanah 4[6] julus maiman[at manu]s (struck at Surat in the 46th year of the prosperous reign); trace of star to left. CEEIC 3.10; Pridmore 267; KM 247. Richly toned. In NGC encapsulation 6381622-055, graded MS 61. $4000

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; F. Pridmore Collection (Part II, Glendining & Co., 18 October 1982), lot 526 (there illustrated as lot 527); H.M. Lingford Collection; Dr. A.N. Brushfield Collection (Part V, Glendining, 2 November 1949), lot 3.

Ex Puddester and Pridmore

5634538. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835. AV Two Pagodas (22mm, 5.92 g, 12h). Madras mint. Struck 1808-1817. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; nine stars to left, nine to right; all within buckled garter inscribed TWO · PAGODAS · and do hun (hun) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed 2 vara kun in Tamil and 2 vara hun (hun) in Telegu; stop in legend. CEEIC 3.18 (this coin referenced); Pridmore 146; KM 358. In NGC encapsulation 6381363-016, graded MS 65. A superb example. $6250

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; F. Pridmore Collection (Part II, Glendining & Co., 18 October 1982), lot 361; Spink Numismatic Circular XC.1 (February 1982), no. 726 (ticket included).

Referenced in CEEIC

5634540. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835. AV Pagoda (17mm, 2.98 g, 12h). Madras mint. Struck 1808-1817. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; five stars to left, five to right; all within buckled garter inscribed PAGODA and hun (hun) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed vara kun in Tamil and vara hun (hun) in Telegu; stop in legend. CEEIC 3.29 (dies B/I; this coin referenced); Pridmore 149; KM 356. In NGC encapsulation 6381363-010, graded MS 63. $3750

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; Noble 64A (12 July 2000), lot 1902.

5634545.

AV Pagoda (17mm, 2.94 g, 12h). Madras mint. Struck 1808-1817. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; five stars to left, five to right; all within buckled garter inscribed PAGODA and hun (hun) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed vara kun in Tamil and vara hun (hun) in Telegu; stop in legend. CEEIC 3.31 (dies C/I); Pridmore 150; KM 356. In NGC encapsulation 6381363-011, graded MS 63. $3500

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection, purchased from Baldwin’s, 6 June 1988 (ticket and envelope included).

INDIA, Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835.

5634539. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835. AV Pagoda (17mm, 2.98 g, 12h). Madras mint. Struck 1808-1817. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; five stars to left, five to right; all within buckled garter inscribed PAGODA and hun (hun) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed vara kun in Tamil and vara hun (hun) in Telegu; stop in legend. CEEIC 3.36 (dies F/I); Pridmore 148; KM 356. In NGC encapsulation 6381363-005, graded MS 64. $3500

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; Spink Numismatic Circular LXXXVIII.10 (October 1980), no. 8547 (ticket included).

5634551. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835. AR Half Pagoda (36mm, 21.14 g, 12h). Second issue. Madras mint. Struck 1808-1812. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; nine stars to left, nine to right; all within buckled garter inscribed HALF · PAGODA · and nim hun phuli (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed arai pu vara kun in Tamil and ara pu vara hun (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Telegu; stop in legend. CEEIC 3.124 (dies J/VIII); Pridmore 172; KM 353. Richly toned. In NGC encapsulation 6322252-030, graded AU 55. Probably overstruck on a Spanish Colonial 8 Reales (undertype not visible). $2750

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; A Study Collection of Coins of the British East India Company and British India (Spink 152, 11 April 2001), lot 638.

Choice Mint State Half Pagoda – Ex Puddester and Wayte Raymond

5634553. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835. AR

Half Pagoda (36mm, 21.14 g, 12h).

Second issue. Madras mint. Struck 1808-1812. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; nine stars to left, nine to right; all within buckled garter inscribed HALF · PAGODA · and nim hun phuli (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed arai pu vara kun in Tamil and ara pu vara hun (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Telegu; stop in legend. CEEIC 3.126/127 (dies K/II); Pridmore 172; KM 353. The slightest cabinet friction on reverse nevertheless a spectacular coin stuck on a carefully prepared flan. Lightly toned with considerable underlying brilliance. In NGC encapsulation 6381361-040, graded MS 63. Very rare.

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; “Papillon” Collection (Bonhams, 15 December 1999) lot 289; Wayte Raymond Collection (Part 3, NASCA, 14 August 1978), lot 2767.

5634547. INDIA, Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835. AR Half Pagoda (36.5mm, 21.43 g, 12h). Second issue. Madras mint. Struck 1808-1812. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; nine stars to left, nine to right; all within buckled garter inscribed HALF PAGODA and nim hun phuli (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed arai pu vara kun in Tamil and ara pu vara hun (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Telegu; stop in legend. CEEIC 3.139 (dies O/IV); Pridmore 171A; KM 353. In NGC encapsulation 6381361-018, graded MS 61. Probably overstruck on a Spanish Colonial 8 Reales (undertype not visible). $4500

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection, purchased from P.H. Davis (Tampa, FL), August 1981.

5634550.

Colonial. British India. Madras Presidency. 1653-1835. AR Half Pagoda (36.5mm, 21.27 g, 12h). Second issue. Madras mint. Struck 1808-1812. Gōpuram (temple porch or entrance) set on ground; nine stars to left, nine to right; all within buckled garter inscribed HALF PAGODA and nim hun phuli (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Persian / Vishnu, holding sword in hand, standing facing, rising from lotus; floral and pellet design to left and right; all surrounded by triple-pelleted border; star above; all within swallowtail banner inscribed arai pu vara kun in Tamil and ara pu vara hun (half a flower, or star, pagoda) in Telegu; no stop in legend. CEEIC 3.144 (dies Q/X); Pridmore 171A; KM 353. Richly toned. In NGC encapsulation 6381361-041, graded AU 55. Very rare variety. Overstruck on a Colonial (possibly Mexico City mint) 8 Reales of Charles III of Spain. $2750

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection.

INDIA,

5640860. ITALY, Papal (Papal state). Innocent XI. 1676-1689. AR Piastre (44mm, 31.83 g, 12h). Rome mint. Dated RY 1 (AD 1676/7). Bust right, wearing zucchetto, mozzetta, and mantum / St. Matthew seated in clouds, inscribing open book and looking back on angel flying right, gesturing left; below, coat-of-arms surmounted by gallero with tassles. Muntoni 41; Berman 2092; KM 393. Toned. Good VF. $2250

5635820. PORTUGAL, Kingdom. Maria II a Educadora (the Educator). Second reign, 1834-1853. AV Peça – 7500 Réis (31mm, 6h). Lisboa (Lisbon) mint. Dated 1835. Diademed bust left / Crowned coat-of-arms within wreath. Gomes 11.01; KM 407; Friedberg 141. In NGC encapsulation 3831468-004, graded MS 64. Mintage of only 2989. $4250

BRITISH COINAGE

5630414. CELTIC, Atrebates & Regni. Uninscribed. Circa 50-40 BC. AV Stater (18mm, 5.73 g, 5h). Climping type. Devolved head of Apollo with floral scepter bisecting laurel; wings flanking scepter head, crescent face to lower left, harp shape to lower right / Horse left; sea-horse shapes and pellets-in-annulets around. Bean –; ABC 524; Van Arsdell –; SCBC 33A. Minor flan split, a few very light marks. Toned. EF. Unusually full strike. Very rare. $5000

5630446. CELTIC, Atrebates & Regni. Verica. Circa AD 10-40. AV Stater (16mm, 5.18 g, 9h). Warrior Rex type (Atrebatic J). Cavella mint. Tablet inscribed COÂ • F / Warrior, preparing to hurl spear, on horse leaping right; lituus to lower left; uir above, rex below. Allen & Haselgrove Series C, 17-20 (Dies F/e); Bean VERC2-1; ABC 1190; Van Arsdell 500–1; SCBC 120. In NGC encapsulation , graded AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Well centred. Good detail to horseman. $4000

5630447. CELTIC, Atrebates & Regni. Verica. Circa AD 10-40. AV Quarter Stater (11mm, 1.20 g, 3h). Little Horse Stepping type (Atrebatic I) . Southern mint. COÂ F on tablet / Horse stepping right; ui above. Allen & Haselgrove 142-3 (dies B/a); Bean VERS1-2; ABC 1202; Van Arsdell 467-1; SCBC 125. In NGC encapsulation 6557026-012, graded Ch XF, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. $1750

5633288. CELTIC, Cantii. Dubnovellaunus. Circa 30-10 BC. AR Unit (15mm, 1.07 g, 8h). Metalworker type (Cantian L). Bull standing left; fan shape above, pellets-in-annulets around / Metaworker seated left, holding hammer(?); pellet in anullet over 3-shape to left; DuBNO above to downward right. ABC 324; Van Arsdell 178-1; SCBC 180. Struck off center. Toned. EF. A very high grade example struck on good metal. Exceptional detail on the bull and metal worker. $1750

5630402. CELTIC, Trinovantes & Catuvellauni. Tasciovanus. Circa 20 BC-AD 10. AV Quarter Stater (12mm, 1.38 g, 4h). Tasciovanus Tasci type (Trinovantian M). Second coinage. Crossed linear wreaths with two oppposed crescents at center; pellets-in-annulets at ends; T A s C in quarters / Horse leaping right; bucranium above, pellets around; T As C counterclockwise around. Kretz, Quarter type B var. 3; ABC 2595; Van Arsdell 1692-1; Hobbs 1643; SCBC 223. Lustrous. EF. $1750

Superb Cunobelin Portrait

5639290. CELTIC, Trinovantes & Catuvellauni. Cunobelin. Circa AD 10-43. AR Unit (13mm, 1.23 g, 12h). Crescent Horse type (Trinovantian W). CuNOB eLiiN, bare head right / TAÍCiO, horse leaping right; crescent above. De Jersey, Silver, Group D4; ABC 2873; Van Arsdell 2055; SCBC 312. Slight porosity under rich find patina. Good VF. Superb portrait. $1950

5636719. ANGLO-SAXON, Primary Sceattas. Circa 710. AR Sceatt (12mm, 1.06 g, 6h). Aethiliraed Series (E), type 105. Mint in east Kent. ‘Porcupine’ right; wavy line below / ᚪᚦᛁᛚᛁ/ᚱᚪᛞ (AThILI/RAD in Runic) in two lines around central line; all within double pelleted border. Abramson 92.10; MEC 8 Series AEÐ; SCBI 69 (Abramson), 296 (same

dies); North 155; SCBC 780. An excellent example of this iconic runic type. Rich glossy find patina. EF. Rare. $3250 Ex W.L. Subjack (Vecchi 11, 5 June 1998), lot 31.

5632117. ANGLO-SAXON, Continental Sceattas. Circa 690-715/20. AR Sceatt (12mm, 1.27 g). Series E, Primary (‘Ashton Rowant’) phase, plumed bird var. L (Type 6). Mint in Southern Frisia. “Plumed bird” right; pellet-in-annulet below beak / Standard; pellet-in-annulet at center and in corners, separated by triple-pellet groups; crosses and pellets in margin. M&OdV variety L; Abramson 87.10; MEC 8 Series Ea; North 49; SCBC 791. Toned. Near EF. $750

Finest Known Offa Serpent Penny – Pedigreed to 1895

Ex Lord Grantley (Glendining, 22 March 1944), lot 819; H. Montagu (Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, 18 November 1895), lot 190. Reportedly found in Rome.

‘Offa’s coinage will always provoke deep interest. It flowered suddenly, with no apparent introductory development: its beauty died, with Offa’s death, equally suddenly, leaving to subsequent generations a number of motifs to be imitated by unskilled moneyers, in whose hands they degenerated wretchedly. Clearly such a phenomenon reflects the desires and tastes of the king himself, who must have built up and encouraged new artistic traditions, exactly as was done by so many of the city-states of Greece and by those Roman Emperors, like Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, who fed an increasing technical skill with a supply of new and stimulating conceptions. For it was in conception, no less than in skill, that Offa’s artists differed so fundamentally from those before and after them. They wrought intricately with their imagination, creating what was much more than merely charming and much less than undisciplined fantasy; and they departed absolutely from the “Roman” tradition embraced by

5628037. ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of Mercia. Offa. 757-796. AR Penny (18mm, 1.27 g, 12h). Light coinage, portrait type. London mint; Ceolheard, moneyer. Struck circa 785-792/3. ม , draped and cuirassed bust right with curly hair / Coiled serpent-like creature with wolf head; ม ü/ዢℽḨ⌦ / ዡ¥ʼč above and below. Chick 18e (this coin); SCBI 67 (BM), 56-7; North 317; SCBC 905. Toned, a vew very light marks on obverse. Near EF. A superb Offa portrait penny struck from dies of exquisite workmanship. The finest known example of this spectacular coiled serpent reverse type. $27,500

Charlemagne and Louis the Pious.’ Humphrey Sutherland Art in Coinage

5639031. ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of Wessex. Alfred the Great. 871-899. AR Penny (20mm, 1.62 g, 3h). Two-line (’Guthram’) type (BMC xiv). Mercian dies; Buga, moneyer . Struck circa 880-899. ม ዞ⌦ ዟʼ ዞዝ ʼዞ , small cross pattée / ዛዮű_ / ዦɭዧ in two lines, ·: · :· between. SCI 2 (Hunterian), 563; North 637; SCBC 1066. Richly toned, die break on reverse. Good VF. $4250

Ex Morisson (Spink 215, 4 December 2012), lot 8.

Ex Vatican Hoard & Lockett

5636721. ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of Wessex. Edward the Elder. 899-924. AR Penny (22mm, 1.57 g, 6h). Small cross/ Horizontal-Trefoil 1 (HT 1) type (BMC ii). Mercia North East dies; Waldulf, moneyer. Late period I, struck circa 915-920. ม ዞ²ዝ⎍⎍ዞ²ʼዝ ʼዞҟ , small cross pattée / ⎍⎍²⌦ዝ / ⎍⌦ዟ ዦ!∂ in two lines; three crosses pattée between, trefoils above and below. Vatican Hoard 381 (this coin); CTCE 282; SCBI –; BMC –; North 649; SCBC 1087. Delicate gold and blue toning. EF. Pristine surfaces. Rare moneyer. $2200

Ex Seaby Coin & Medal Bulletin 767 (July 1982), no. E454; R.C. Lockett (English Part VII, 4 November 1958), lot 2729 (part of); Glendining (16 May 1929), lot 101 (part of; this coin plated); 1928 Vatican Hoard.

5636723. ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of Wessex. Eadred. 946-955. AR Penny (21mm, 1.27 g, 10h). Small cross/ Horizontal-Rosette 1 (HR 1) type (BMC i). Derby mint(?); Grimr, moneyer.

, small cross pattée

ዦ∂ ˶ in two lines; three crosses pattée between, rosettes above and below. CTCE 142; SCBI 34 (BM), 617; North 707; SCBC 1113. Delicate toning, small spot of verdigris. Near EF. Well struck from elegant dies on a broad flan. Rare. $3000

Ex Tetney Hoard

5636880. ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of All England. Eadgar. 959-975. AR Penny (21mm, 1.34 g, 6h). Small cross/ Horizontal-Trefoil 1 (HT 1) type (BMC i). York mint; Heriger, moneyer.

, small cross pattée / H

in two, trefoils above and below. Tetny 265 (this coin); CTCE 79; cf. SCBI 34 (BM), 995-1005 (for type); North 741; SCBC 1129. Richly toned with traces of iridescence. Near EF. $1750

Ex Tetney, Lincolnshire, May 1945 Hoard, no. 265.

/

Unusual Re-engraved Moneyer Name

® ዝ ʽዞҟ

é ⌦ɭ

bust

/ ม ® ⌦ዟ (over ⌦ዞɭ ) ዟዩዢɉ ዦ ⍇ ɭ ⌦⎍ ⍇ nዝዞ , voided long cross with triple-crescent ends and pellet at center; in each quarter, trefoil on pile. SCBI 25 (Helsinki), 401 (same dies); North 775; SCBC 1152. Toned, slightly wavy flan, a few peck marks. VF. A highly unusual and rare re-engraved reverse legend. $1750

The moneyer’s name in the first quarter of the legend on the reverse appears to have been originally engraved as LEO, but later corrected to ÆLF. Additionally, the mint legend in the third quarter of the reverse, O LV, is flanked by what appear to be either inverter letter Ts or perhaps small hammers. We could not find an example of this die used without the re-engraved legend.

The Domesday Moneyer

weak strike. VF.

Ex Owen-Rooke Collection; Seaby Coin & Medal Bulletin 467 (April 1957), no. 4345.

5638913

Following his successful conquest of England in 1066, William I ordered a great survey be conducted so that he could know the rents and taxes properly due to the crown. The survey attempted to record the value of all of the land, resources, manpower, and livestock. This great work eventually came to be known as the “Domesday Book,” as its information recorded therein was firm and final, as the Last Judgement. In all of the book, only a single moneyer is identified – Swetman of Oxford.

5638913. NORMAN. William I ‘the Conqueror’. 1066-1087. AR Penny (20mm, 1.40 g, 3h). Paxs type (BMC viii). Oxford mint; Swetman, moneyer. Struck circa 1083-1086. ม ዩዢ⌦⌦ዞ⌦ዦ ʼዞҟ , crowned facing bust, holding scepter; annulet on right shoulder / ม Sዩዞ˸ዦዢዢn ɭn ɭҟዢ , cross pattée; letters of P A X S in annulets within quarters. BMC 865; North 848; SCBC 1257. Toned, small delamination. VF.

$2250

5639291. ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of All England. Æthelred II. 978-1016. AR Penny (19mm, 1.48 g, 3h). Helmet type (BMC viii, Hild. E). London mint; Ælfwine, moneyer. Struck circa 1003-1009. ม ዞዝዞ⌦ʽ

a

, helmeted

left

5639030. NORMAN. William I ‘the Conqueror’. 1066-1087. AR Penny (19.5mm, 1.47 g, 10h). Paxs type (BMC viii). Oxford mint; Swetman, moneyer. Struck circa 1083-1086. ม ዩዢ⌦⌦ዞ⌦ዦ ʼዞҟ , crowned facing bust, holding scepter; annulet on right shoulder / ม Sዩዞ˸ዦዢዢn ɭn ɭҟɉ , cross pattée; letters of P A X S in annulets within quarters. BMC 862; North 848; SCBC 1257. Toned, areas of

$2250

5639030

, crowned bust right, holding sword / ม ዞዝዩዢ ɭn ⌦⎍nዝnዞn , cross pattée, with annulet at center; all over cross fleurée in saltire. SCBI –; BMC 32; North 851; SCBC 1258. Reverse struck slightly off center. Beautifully toned. Near EF. An attractive portrait coin. Very rare. $5950

Ex CNG inventory 915709 (May 2012); Nomos FPL 5 (Winter-Spring 2012), no. 107; Andrew Wayne Collection; Marshall Collection (Spink 167, 31 March 2004), lot 68; Spink Numismatic Circular 7 (July 1943), no. 21074 (for £7-10-0).

Henry I Halfpenny

ɭn ⌦ዢn , small cross potent, with quatrefoil in each quarter. EMC 2021.0111 (this coin); SCBI –; Mossop –; North 872; SCBC 1277. Find patina, official edge snick. Good VF. Well struck on an unusually large flan. Very rare and the first recorded example of the moneyer for this issue.

Ex Classical Numismatic Review XLVI.2 (Summer 2021), no. 576503. Found near Lincoln, 2018.

5630601. NORMAN. William II Rufus. 1087-1100. AR Penny (21mm, 1.40 g, 7h). Profile type (BMC i). London mint; Eadwig, moneyer. Struck 1086-1089. ม

5634661. NORMAN. Henry I. 1100-1135. Round AR Halfpenny (14mm, 0.70 g, 5h). Lincoln mint; Aslakr, moneyer.

, facing bust /

$12,000

Superb Slaney Noble

Ḻ iÝ¥Ϳ , voided short cross potent over cross fleurée; in each angle, crown over lion passant over voided trefoil; at center, ý within quadrilobe; all within polylobe, with trefoils in spandrels. Lawrence 3; Schneider 96; North 1235; SCBC 1504. In NGC encapsulation 6532184-001, graded MS 64+. Well struck on a full round flan. Lustrous and much as made. Very rare thus. $35,000

Ex Slaney Collection (Part II, Spink 229, 14 May 2015), lot 286, purchased Baldwin 1946.

At the Treaty of Bretigny, ratified in October 1360, Edward III renounced his claim to the throne of France in return for recognition of his right to rule a host French territories without doing homage for them. A new coinage was ordered for the Tower mint of London and the recently opened mint at Calais to reflect the change in the king’s titles and also to convert the huge quantities of gold paid by the French as a ransom for their king, Jean II, captured by the English at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.

Edward’s new ‘Treaty period’ coinage, in the words of Potter ‘undoubtedly represents the highest level of workmanship reached during the reign.’ The gold in particular, struck from deeply engraved dies of excellent style, ‘was as perfect as technical skill could care to make it.’

The Calais Treaty period Noble offered here hails from the exceptional Slaney collection, formed in the 1940s and 50s and sold in 2003 and 2015 and undoubtedly the finest cabinet of English coins to be offered for sale this century. The coin is heavier, of fresher dies and has more luster than the example of the same type offered by Heritage in their January 2023 NYINC sale, graded PCGS MS 65, and which hammered for $35,000. Indeed we see little difference in quality to the NGC MS 67 specimen which hammered for 50,000 euros in the MDC sale of June 2021.

5639295. PLANTAGENET. Edward III. 1327-1377. AV Noble (35mm, 7.70 g, 4h). Fourth coinage, Treaty period. Calais mint. Struck 1361-1369. ED ѾaRD Ḻ DEi Ḻ ŷRa Ḻ REҞ Ḻ aNǹ Ḻ DNS Ḻ ƌҼÝ $ ⎜ $ aʠ Ϳ= , Edward standing facing in ship, holding sword and shield; ornaments -11-11, ropes 3/2, quatrefoils 4/4, lis 4; flag at stern / ๘ iƌ=ý Ḻ aѝͿEM

bowsprit, holding sword

rose on hull and banner with large E in stern, E in waves / მ ĕɨ⍴ƩNE $ NE $ ƩN $ ōѝˊɨˊE ! ˸ѝɨ ! aˊŷѝa˫ ⍴E , radiant sun, with rose in center, over cross with lis at ends; crowned lion passant in each quarter; all within polylobe with trefoil on cusps and in each spandrel. Blunt & Whitton type VI; Schneider 424-5 var. (legend stops); North 1558; SCBC 1963. In NGC encapsulation 6529299-005, graded MS 64. A very high grade coin with considerable mint brilliance. $8500

Ex Magnus (Spink 207, 28 March 2012), lot 857; Spink 67 (16 November 1988), lot 22. Reportedly ex H.P. Hall (Part III, Glendining, 26 July 1950), lot 53.

Top Pop Groat

Tower (London) mint;

ĕ⎡ ŷ⎡ ˆ⎡ aŷȄ⎡ Z ᛆ Ŗˆaɀý⎡ , crowned bust (Laker D) right / ḥ ʖɨ˫ѝƩ

E=Ḻ ⍴Eѝ , coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée; saltires in forks. Whitton (i); North 1797; SCBC 2337E. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 6508460-001, graded MS 63. Top pop. Superbly struck form fresh dies. The highest grade Henry VIII 2nd coinage Groat we have handled. $3500

5639057. YORK. Edward IV. First reign, 1461-1470. AV Half Ryal (28mm, 3.89 g, 4h). Light coinage. York mint; im: –/sun. Struck 1467-1470. E $ ĕѾaˊĕ ⎡ ĕƩ ! ŷˊa ! ˊEҞ $ aNŷǭ ⎡ Ӳ $ ōˊaNý $, Edward standing facing in ship with

and shield; large

5628091. TUDOR. Henry VIII. 1509-1547. AR Groat (25mm, 2.63 g, 11h). Second coinage.

im: rose. Struck 1526-1544. ḥ ƇEɀˆƩý⎡ѝƩƩƩ⎡

ĕEѝ a⎡ ĕƩѝͿɨˆ

Handsome Sovereign of Edward VI

/ ⍒ŷǭ=

fˆ⍒N=

; ƌƟB= ; ˆĚҢ ; , crowned and armored half-length bust right, holding sword over right shoulder and globus cruciger in left hand / ӄ / ƟƌS= / ⍒ѝ˸Ě⍴ ; ˸ˆ⍒NýƟ= / ʖĚˆ ȎĚĕƟѝ= ; ƟȄȄɨˆ= ; ƟB⍒˸ / , crowned coat-of-arms with crowned leopard and griffin supporters; all set on ornate frame with central titulus inscribed ⌓ˊ . Schneider 690 (same dies); North 1927; SCBC 2450. Some very minor planchet flaws on obverse. Well struck and richly toned. In NGC encapsulation 6499651-001, graded AU 53. Rare, especially with this Y initial mark. $42,500

Ex St. James 24 (23 September 2013), lot 43; Spink 208 (22 June 2011), lot 651.

5627754. TUDOR. Edward VI. 1547-1553. AV Sovereign (36mm, 11.19 g, 5h). Third period, crown gold coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: У. Struck 1551–1553. ӄ ; ĚĕѾ⍒ˆĕ= / ѝƟ ; ĕ= / ŷ=

/

; Z

Medallic 1551 Crown – Ex Archbishop Sharp

5636705. TUDOR. Edward VI. 1547-1553. AR Crown (42mm, 30.87 g, 9h). Third period, fine silver issue. Tower (London) mint; im: У. Dated 1551.

horseback riding right

ӎ Ḧ , coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Woodbridge dies A/7; North 1933; SCBC 2478. A few minor marks under rich cabinet tone. Near EF. The obverse unusually well and evenly struck up with a medallic quality. One of the finest we have handled. Very rarely encountered in this state. $27,500

Ex Archbishop Sharp (Morton & Eden 91, 7 December 2017), lot 196.

Dr. John Sharp (1644-1714) was a clergyman who rose through the offices of the Church of England to become Archbishop of York in 1691. Sharp started collecting coins in 1687 and focused his energies primarily on the issues of the British Isles, acquiring many highly important rarities. Sharp was in contact with several other leading numismatists of his age, including Ralph Thoresby, to whom he addressed his manuscript, ‘Observations on the Coinage of England’, published in 1785. The great 19th Century numismatist, Roger Ruding, regarded this work as, “the first systematic treatise ever composed on the subject.” On Sharp’s death, the collection was left to his son and was kept together for some 250 years by his descendants. In the words of the late Harry Manville, ‘Sharp pedigrees are among the oldest available in British numismatics.’

Exceptional Philip & Mary Shilling

5636732.

+ PHILIP · ET · MARIA · D · G · R · ANG · FR · NEAP · PR ·

Mary,

crown above; 15 54 flanking crown / · POSVIMVS · DEVM · ADIVTOREM · NOSTRVM ·, crowned coat-of-arms; X II (mark of value) flanking crown. North 1967; SCBC 2500. Some deposits in legend, minor metal flaws. Richly toned. Good VF. A particularly well struck coin with two balanced and detailed portraits. Very rare this fine. $15,000

Ex Agricola (Spink 31, 12 October 1983), lot 144; Spink 6 (10 October 1979), lot 582; Dr. F. O. Arnold, collection acquired by Spink 1952; R. Carlyon-Britton (Seaby Coin & Medal Bulletin 375 [August 1949]), no. 8989.

TUDOR. Philip & Mary. 1554-1558. AR Shilling (32mm, 5.88 g, 1h). Tower (London) mint. Dated 1554.

HISP, confronted busts of Philip, armored, and

veiled;

Portcullis Dollar

·

·

·

(London, 1985), p. 99, no. 126 (this coin illustrated); BCW 0-1C/0-a; North –; SCBC 2607A (this coin illustrated in the late 1990s and early 2000s editions); Pridmore 1. In NGC encapsulation 6381364-001, graded XF 40. Richly toned. Broad flan. Very rare. $32,500

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection; ‘A Collection of Crowns’ (Baldwin’s 30, 7 May 2002), lot 408; Seaby Coin & Medal Bulletin 786 (February 1984), no. 70; E. Gosling (H. Christiansen, 9 December 1983), lot 718.

In 1600, the recently organized East India Company found themselves in need of coin. They initially planned to import the commonly used Spanish dollars, but Elizabeth refused to grant such a license, and insisted that the company use coins bearing her name and image. In the end, a compromise was reached allowing the royal mint to strike new coins with the name of the queen, but with the royal symbol of the portcullis in lieu of a portrait of a woman, which would likely have not been acceptable in the Indies. (BCW p. 11)

Ultimately, £6000 worth of silver was struck in denominations of 1, 2, 4, and 8 testerns. But even without a feminine visage, the coins proved to be unsuccessful in trade, and quickly disappeared. Only a very small number of specimens for each denomination have survived to this day.

5634660. TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR Shilling (30mm, 6.07 g, 10h). Second coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: martlet. Struck 1560-1561. (martlet) ELIZABETH : D’· G’· ANG’· FRA’· ET · HI’· REGINA, crowned bust (3Cii) left, wearing ruff / (martlet) POSVI DEV’· AD IVTORE M : MEV’·, coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. BCW MR-4Bii/MRbi; North 1985; SCBC 2555. Soft iridescent toning. Good VF. Delicate portrait. $2450

5634525. TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR 8 Testerns (40mm, 27.76 g, 10h). ‘Portcullis’ money. Tower (London) mint; im: O. Struck 1600. O : ELIZABETH · D’· G’· ANG’· FR’· ET · HIB’· REGINA, crowned coat-of-arms; crowned E R flanking / O : POSVI

DEVM

ADIVTOREM

MEVM ·, crowned portcullis. Seaby, The Story of British Coinage

5634537. TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR 4 Testerns. ‘Portcullis’ money. Tower (London) mint; im: O. Struck 1600. O : ELIZABETH · D’· G’· ANG’· FR’· ET · HIBER’· REGINA, crowned coat-of-arms; crowned E R flanking / O : POSVI · DEVM · ADIVTOREM · MEVM ·, crowned portcullis. BCW 0-1E/0-a; North –; SCBC 2607B; Pridmore 2. In NGC encapsulation 6381364-012, graded AU 55. Minor metal flaws otherwise a high grade specimen. Richly toned. Very rare. $19,500

Ex Robert P. Puddester Collection.

English Hammered Gold from a Civil War Hoard

5639281. STUART. James I. 1603-1625. AV Laurel (34mm, 8.89 g, 10h). Third coinage, crown gold. Tower (London) mint; im: trefoil. Struck 1624. Ⴅ · IACOBVS · D · G · MA · BRI · FRAN · ET’· HIB · REX ·, laureate fourth bust left; XX (mark of value) to right / FACIA M EOS IN GENTEM VNAM Ⴅ , crowned coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Schneider –; North 2114; SCBC 2638B. In NGC encapsulation 6529290-006, graded UNC Details, obverse scratched. A small scratch behind bust otherwise a very lustrous and full coin. $5000

Ex 2020 Hazelbury, Wiltshire Hoard (PAS WILT-0CB2A3).

The Hazelbury Hoard was discovered in the grounds of Hazelbury Manor, near the village of Box, Wiltshire in August 2020. It was comprised of fourteen gold coins from the reigns of James I and Charles I. The composition and state of preservation of the hoard - terminating with a mint state Charles I Double Crown of the triangle in circle mint mark - suggests it was likely deposited in 1643 in the opening phases of the English Civil War. Hoards of silver coins associated with the Civil War are plentiful, gold hoards however are very rare. On the 2nd of July 1643 an army led by Lord Hopton, who had won control of much of the South West for the King, crossed the river Avon at Bradford-onAvon five miles to the south of Hazlebury Manor. The following day the Royalists skirmished with Parliamentary forces under Sir William Waller in nearby Claverton. On the 5th of July a bloody battle was fought on Landsdowne Hill a few miles further to the west resulting in an inconclusive Parliamentary victory. This battle provides a probable context for the burial of the Hazlebury hoard.

mint; im: trefoil. Struck 1624. Ⴅ IACOBVS D : G : MAG : BRI : FRAN : ET HIB : REX, laureate fourth bust left; XX (mark of value) to right / FACIA M EOS IN GENTEM VNAM Ⴅ , crowned coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Schneider –; North 2114; SCBC 2638B. In NGC encapsulation 6529290-001, graded AU Details, obverse spot removed. Short scratch before head. Lustrous. $4000

Ex 2020 Hazelbury, Wiltshire Hoard (PAS WILT-0CB2A3).

Tower

1625. Ⴀ CAROLVS D’· G’· MAG’· BR’· FR’· ET HI’· REX, crowned first bust left, wearing ruff; XX (mark of value) to right / Ⴀ FLORENT CONCORDIA REGNA, crowned and garnished coat-of-arms. Schneider, Tower class I var. (legend); Brooker 22-5 var. (legend and stops); Schneider; North 2146; SCBC 2685. In NGC encapsulation 6529290-005, graded AU 58. Struck from a somewhat worn dies. Lustrous.

Ex 2020 Hazelbury, Wiltshire Hoard (PAS WILT-0CB2A3).

value) to right / შ · FLORENT · CONCORDIA · REGNA ·, crowned and garnished coat-of-arms; C R flanking. Schneider, Tower Class IIa, 4; Brooker 73 (same obv. die); Schneider 140 ; North 2150;

55.

Ex 2020 Hazelbury, Wiltshire

5639282. STUART. James I. 1603-1625. AV Laurel (33mm, 10h). Third coinage, crown gold.

(London)

5639283. STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Unite (34mm, 8.96 g, 1h). Group A, class II. Tower (London) mint; im: lis. Struck

$6500

5639284. STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Unite (33mm, 9.00 g, 10h). Group C, class IIa. Tower (London) mint; im: rose. Struck 1631-1632. შ CAROLVS D’· G’· MAG’· BR’· FR’· ET HI’· REX, crowned bust 3a left, wearing ruff; XX (mark of

SCBC 2690. In NGC encapsulation 6529290-004, graded AU

$6000

Hoard (PAS WILT-0CB2A3).

5639285.

Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Double Crown (28mm, 4.41 g, 8h). Group A, class II. Tower (London) mint; im: lis. Struck 1625. Ⴀ · · CAROLVS · D · G · MAG · BR · FR · ET · HIB · REX, crowned bust 1a left, wearing ruff; X (mark of value) to right / CVLTORES SVI DEVS PROTEGIT Ⴀ , crowned and garnished coat-of-arms. Schneider, Tower Group II, 6; Brooker 128-9 var. (legend stops); Schneider 174 var. (same); North 2159; SCBC 2698. In NGC encapsulation 6529290-03, graded MS 61. Top Pop. Slightly double struck but very high grade. $5500

Ex 2020 Hazelbury, Wiltshire Hoard (PAS WILT-0CB2A3).

5639286.

Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Double Crown (27mm, 4.46 g, 8h). Group A, class II. Tower (London) mint; im: lis. Struck 1625. Ⴀ CAROLVS D · G : MAG : BR : FR : ET : HIB : REX ·, crowned bust 1a left, wearing ruff; X (mark of value) to right / CVLTORES SVI DEVS PROTEGIT Ⴀ , crowned and garnished coat-of-arms. Schneider, Tower Group II, 6; Brooker 128-9; Schneider 174 var. (legend stops); North 2159; SCBC 2698. In NGC encapsulation 6529290-007, graded AU Details, reverse damage. Small dig and some scratches. $1950

Ex 2020 Hazelbury, Wiltshire Hoard (PAS WILT-0CB2A3).

5639287. STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Double Crown (25mm, 4.46 g, 10h). Group F. Tower (London) mint; im: triangle-in-circle/triangle-in-circle (over star). Struck 1641-1643. (triangle-in-circle) · CAROLVS [·] D’· G’· MAG’· BRI’· FRA’· ET · HI’· REX ·, crowned bust 6 left, wearing ruff; X (mark of value) to right / CVLTORES · SVI · DEVS · PROTEGIT · (triangle-in-circle over star), crowned and garnished coat-of-arms; crowned C R flanking. Schneider, Tower Group F, 2; Brooker 179 var. (rev. initial mark); Schneider 213-4 var. (same); North 2177; SCBC 2706. In NGC encapsulation 6529290-002, graded UNC Details, cleaned. Some bluntness of strike as usual for this issue nevertheless a superb mint state coin. $6000

Ex 2020 Hazelbury, Wiltshire Hoard (PAS WILT-0CB2A3).

This coin has not been cleaned in our opinion. It has blazing original luster and, as the latest coin in the hoard, was likely struck shortly before the deposition.

STUART.

STUART.

Hartlebury Castle Halfcrown

(22x23mm, 2.50 g, 12h). In the name of Charles I.

1646. Large crown; C R flanking, VI (mark of value) below / OBS :/ NEWARK/ 1646. Brooker 1228 (same dies); North 2642; SCBC 3146. Toned, with considerable luster on obverse. Good VF/VF. Struck on a flan cut from an engraved plate, with some armorial engraving still visible. Very rare. $4500

During the English Civil Wars of 1642-1651, the countryside of the English Midlands and West tended to side with King Charles I, while the wealthy “cathedral cities” tended to support the Parliamentarians. Newark-on-Trent, located in the East Midlands, was a vital nexus of Royalist control and, along with Oxford, represented dual salients into Parliamentarian-controlled territory in eastern England during the early phase of the first Civil War, 1642-1646. It was the target of Parliamentary sieges in 1642/3, 1643/4 and, finally, 1645/6, when the famous siege coinage was struck on cut up pieces of silver plate. Newark held out against the Parliamentarian armies until May 1646, when Charles surrendered himself at Southwell.

By far the highest graded sixpence by NGC and PCGS of the three separate hammered issues of Charles II.

5639059. STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AR Halfcrown (36mm, 14.61 g, 12h). Hartlebury Castle, Worcester mint. Struck 1646. (pear) CAROLVS · D’· G’· MAG · BRI[ · FRAN · ET · HIB · REX, Charles on horseback left, holding reigns in left hand and sword in right / (three pears) CHRISTO · AVSPICE · REGNO, coat-of-arms; H C in garniture. Bull 679; Brooker 1137 (same dies); North 2626; SCBC 3129. Minor mark on rim. Unusually full strike, the H and C clear. Toned with traces of find patina over lustrous surfaces. Near EF. Very rare. $15,000

Ex E. K. Burstal (Sotheby’s, 6 November 1912), lot 190.

578618. STUART, Siege money. Newark. 1645-1646. AR Sixpence

Dated

Ex Samuel Birchall of Leeds Collection (1761-1814).

5636846. STUART. Charles II. 1660-1685. AR Sixpence (26mm, 3.11 g, 2h). Hammered coinage, first issue. Tower (London) mint; im: crown. Struck 1660-1662. ՟ CAROLVS II D G MAG BRIT FRAN ET HIB REX, crowned and mantled bust left / · CHRISTO · AVSPICE · REGNO, coat-of-arms over short cross fourchée. Bull 274; ESC 1507; North 2765; SCBC 3309. In NGC encapsulation 6529299-006, graded MS 62. Top Pop. Slight weakness of strike at center. Blazing brilliance under rich old tone. $3950

Charles II Five Guinea Piece

5639060. STUART. Charles II. 1660-1685. AV 5 Guineas. Dated 1679 and RY T PRIMO. Second bust. Bull, Gold 190; MCE 20; SCBC 3331. In NGC encapsulation 6529294-001, graded AU 53. Minor metal flaws. Otherwise richly toned with pleasing surfaces. $35,000

5644673. HANOVER. George I. 1714-1727. AV Half Guinea. Dated 1725. 2nd, older bust. Bull, Gold I 546; SCBC 3637. Richly toned with some luster. In NGC encapsulation 6515820-008, graded AU 55. $2750

5636937. HANOVER. George III. 1760-1820. AR Halfcrown. Dated 1817. Bull head. Bull 2090; ESC 616; SCBC 3788. Beautiful orange golden tone with underlying luster. In NGC encapsulation 6529299-008, graded MS 65. $1250

5636936. HANOVER. George III. 1760-1820. AR Halfcrown. Dated 1817. Bull head. Bull 2090; ESC 616; SCBC 3788. Frosty luster with some toning at periphery. In NGC encapsulation 6529299-007, graded MS 65. $1250

Magnificent 1821 Crown

5636938. HANOVER. George IV. 1820-1830. AR Crown. Dated 1821 and RY SECUNDO. Bull 2310; ESC 245; SCBC 3805. Pristine surfaces with a delicate olive green tone with flashes of electric blue and blazing underlying luster. In NGC encapsulation 6532176-001, graded MS 65+. A magnificent coin. By far the finest 1821 Crown we have handled. $12,500

5636939. HANOVER. William IV. 1830-1837. AV Sovereign. Dated 1831. Marsh 16; SCBC 3829. In NGC encapsulation 6529307-001, graded MS 62. Lustrous. The obverse particularly well struck. Conservatively graded in our opinion. $6250

5636940. HANOVER. Victoria. 1837-1901. AR Crown. Dated 1890. Jubilee type. Bull 2590; ESC 300; SCBC 3921. Dappled golden toning with superb frosty surfaces. In NGC encapsulation 6529307-005, graded MS 64. $2500

Half

High Grade 1937 Proof Set

66

՟ IN · VIRTVTE · TVA ·

· 1558,

Ex Dundee (Bowers & Ruddy 19 February 1976), lot 149.

5636947. WINDSOR. George VI. 1936-1952. Gold Proof Set. Dated 1937. Includes: Proof 5 Pounds. W&R 435, SCBC 4074. In NGC encapsulation 6522073-001, graded PF 65★ // Proof 2 Pounds. W&R 437, SCBC 4075. In NGC encapsulation 6522073-003, graded PF 66 Cameo // Proof Sovereign. W&R 439, SCBC 4076. In NGC encapsulation 6522073-002, graded PF 66 Cameo // Proof

Sovereign. W&R 442, SCBC 4077. In NGC encapsulation 6522073-004, graded PF

Cameo. SCBC PS 15. A stunning, matching set. Rare with all four coins in this wonderful state of preservation. With case of issue. $32,500

5631932. SCOTLAND. Mary. 1542-1567. AR Testoon (26mm, 5.98 g, 4h). First period, group IIIb. Edinburgh mint; im: –/crown. Dated 1558. MARIA · DEI G · SCOTOR · REGINA · 1558 ·, crowned coat-of-arms; M R flanking /

LIBERA · M(E over B)

Jerusalem cross. Cf. Burns 24 (fig. 798); cf. SCBI 58 (Edinburgh), 35666 (legend error not listed); SCBC 5406. Old cabinet toning. EF. Well struck for the issue and very rare with this corrected engraver’s error. $2250

5633289. SCOTLAND. Mary. 1542-1567. AR Testoon (30mm, 6.09 g, 7h). Second period, Francic and Mary, Type I. Edinburgh mint; im: crown/–. Dated 1559. ՟ FRAN · MA · DEI · GR · R · SCOTO · D · D · VIER (sic), coat-of-arms over cross potent / FECIT · VTRAQVE · VNVM · 1559, crowned FM monogram; Lorraine cross flanking. Burns 3 (fig. 879); SCBI 58 (Edinburgh), 994-1002 var. (legend error not listed); SCBC 5416. Richly toned, small edge split, slight double strike. Good VF. Extremely rare legend error with VIER on obverse. $1950

5630412. IRELAND, Hiberno-Norse. Sihtric III Olafsson. Circa 995-1036. AR Penny (19mm, 1.31 g, 8h). Phase II coinage. Imitating Long Cross type of Æthelred II. ‘Dublin’ mint; ‘Ndremin,’ moneyer. Struck circa 1015-1035. Draped bust left; three pellets and quatrefoil to right / Voided long cross, with pellet at center and triple-crescent ends; pellets in quarters. SCBI 8 (BM), 74; SCBI 22 (Belfast), 58 (same dies);

Long Cross

Draped bust left; pellet to left, cross to right, trefoil on neck / Voided long cross, with pellet at center and triple-crescent ends; pellets in quarters. B. Roth, “The Coins of the Danish Kings of Ireland. Hiberno-Norse Series” in BNJ 1909, 52 (this coin); SCBI 8 (BM), –; SCBI 32 (Ulster), 96; SCBC 6125. Richly toned, slight crimp. EF. Very rare. $2850

Ex M. Lessen (Dix Noonan Webb 168, 29 Janaury 2020), lot 1042, purchased from Spink, December 1966; B. Roth (Part II, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 14 October 1918), lot 397 (part of).

Commenting on derivative, later coins which also bear a Y shaped symbol on neck, both Mark Blackburn and Kristin Bornholdt Collins speculated whether this symbol could be a wishbone.

SCBC 6122. Toned. Good VF. Rare. $1950 Plated in Roth

5630413. IRELAND, Hiberno-Norse. Phase III. Circa 1035-1055/60. AR Penny (19mm, 1.31 g, 12h). Phase III coinage. Imitating

type of Æthelred II. ‘Dublin’ mint; ‘Færemin,’ moneyer.

5630615. IRELAND, Hiberno-Norse. Phase III. Circa 1035-1055/60. AR Penny (17mm, 0.95 g, 2h). Phase III coinage. Imitating Long Cross type of Æthelred II. Uncertain mint signature and moneyer. Draped bust right; quatrefoil on neck / Voided long cross, with triple crescent ends; ‘hand’ in first angle, retrograde S in third, pellet in second and fourth. SCBI 22 (Copenhagen), 209 (same dies); SCBI 32 (Belfast), 279 (same dies); SCBC 6133. Toned. Near EF. Rare with pellets on neck and S in reverse field. $1500

Ex Classical Numismatic Group 64 (24 September 2003), lot 1666; Ballynahinch (James Adam & Bonham’s, 21 February 2003), lot 72; Goldberg 5 (6 April 2000), lot 4722.

Also Plated in Roth

5639296. IRELAND, Hiberno-Norse. Phase V. Circa 1065-1085/95. AR Penny (18mm, 0.91 g). Phase V coinage. Uncertain mint signature and moneyer. Four croziers forming cross in saltire, with cross pattée at center; ˝ to left, scourge to right / Voided long cross, with triple crescent ends and pellet at center; pellet, annulet, pellet, and ‘hand’ in quarters. B. Roth, “The Coins of the Danish Kings of Ireland. Hiberno-Norse Series” in BNJ 1909, 171 (this coin); SCBI 22 (Copenhagen), 272 (same dies); SCBI 32 (Belfast), 352 (same dies); SCBC 6182. Toned, spot of red wax, edge slightly smoothed. VF. Extremely rare. $4000

5633290. IRELAND. James II. 1685-1691. CU Halfpenny. Limerick mint. Dated 1691. Large size. Withers, Gunmoney 21; Timmins TB00Z-4H; SCBC 6594. Glossy browns surfaces, edge split. EF. Overstruck on a gunmoney shilling. $950

5640861. SCOTLAND. Mary, with Francis. 1542-1567. AR Medallet (29mm, 3.67 g, 10h). On their betrothal. By Nicolas Emery. Dated 1553. DILIGITE · IVSTICIAM · 1553, FM monogram; rosette flanking / DELIGITE · DNI · COR · HVMILE ·, crowned coat-of-arms. MI 66/6; Eimer –. Attractively toned with traces of luster. Good VF. Rare. $3250 Ex Heritage 3044 (3 January 2016), lot 30725.

The handbook of Greek CoinaGe SerieS

by Oliver D. Hoover

More than three decades have passed since David Sear published Greek Coins & Their Values, his revision of Gilbert Askew’s A Catalogue of Greek Coins published by B. A. Seaby in 1951. Since then, the field of ancient numismatics and the hobby of collecting ancient coins have changed so much that now Greek Coins & Their Values would require a complete revision to include all of the most current numismatic information available, list the many new types and varieties unknown to Sear, and determine an approximate sense of rarity for all of these issues. In order to encompass this new material and create a viable reference for the beginning and specialized collector, such a handbook would have to be more than the two volumes which Sear found necessary. As a result, Classical Numismatic Group is publishing The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series, written by Oliver D. Hoover, in a series of 13 volumes, each covering a specified area of Greek coinage with the first being The Handbook of Syrian Coins: Royal and Civic Issues, Fourth to First Centuries BC (Volume 9 in the series). This series is designed to aid the user in the quick, accurate, and relatively painless identification of Greek coins, while providing a cross-reference for each entry to a major work, which will allow the inquirer to pursue more in-depth research on the subject. The subject-matter of each volume is arranged chronologically for royal issues, and regionally for the civic issues; within each region, cities are listed directionally, depending on the region. For those rulers or cities that issued coins concurrently in all three metals, these issues will be arranged in the catalog with gold first, followed by silver, and then bronze; each metal is arranged by denomination, largest to smallest. Known mints for the royal coinage are listed below the appropriate type, making an easy search for a specific mint. Each entry will include a rarity rating based on the frequency with which they appear in publications, public and private collections, the market, and/or are estimated to exist in public or private hands. No valuations are listed, since such values are generally out of date by the time of publication. An online valuation guide at will allow interested individuals the opportunity to gauge the market, and reduce the need for repeated updates of this series. Whether one purchases the entire set for their reference library, or the individual volume pertaining to one’s area of specialization, The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series should provide a useful staging-point from which collectors and interested scholars can pursue their research and interests.

Hoover, Oliver D. Handbook of Coins of Macedon and Its Neighbors. Part I: Macedon, Illyria, and Epeiros, Sixth to First Centuries BC [The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series, Volume 3]. 2016. lxxviii and 431 numbered pp. Hardbound. (GR332) $65

Hoover, Oliver D. Handbook of of Coins of Northern and Central Greece: Achaia Phthiotis, Ainis, Magnesia, Malis, Oita, Perrhaibia, Thessaly, Akarnania, Aitolia, Lokris, Phokis, Boiotia, Euboia, Attica, Megaris, and Corinthia. [The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series, Volume 4]. 2014. lxxvii + 563 numbered pages (GR333) $65

Hoover, Oliver D. handbook of CoinS of bakTria and anCienT india Including Sogdiana, Margiana, Areia, and the Indo-Greek, Indo-Skythian, and Native Indian States South of the Hindu Kush. Fifth Century BC to First Century AD. [The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series, Volume 12]. 2013. lxxxiv + 389 numbered pages. (GR341) $65

Please see our website for additional volumes.