Le più belle rappresentazioni di guerrieri

[King John]

Iustinian I., 527 - 565 n. Chr. Solidus (4,44g). 527 - 537 n. Chr. Mzst. Konstantinopel. Vs.: D N IVSTINI-ANVS PP AVG, frontale Panzerbüste, Kopf leicht n. r., mit Helm, Perlendiadem, Schild u. Speer. Rs.: VICTORI-A AVGGG I / CONOB, Viktoria mit Gemmenkreuz u. Kreuzglobus, r. im Feld Stern. DOC 3i; MIBE 5; Sear 137. Gold! Gutes vz

IMMAGINE: L'ESERCITO DI GIUSTINIANO

[King John]

Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR tetradrachm, (24mm, 17.17 gm, 6h). Amphipolis, posthumous issue under Antipater, ca. 322-320 BC. Head of Heracles right wearing lion-skin headdress / ΒAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated on backless throne left, holding eagle on outstretched right hand and scepter in his left; Phrygian helmet in left field. Price 112. Beautiful deep iridescent toning. Extremely Fine. From the Mayflower Collection.
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illustrazione: uomini di Alessandro all'assedio di Alicarnasso.

[King John]

ROMAN REPUBLIC
No.: 350
Schätzwert/Estimate: CHF 2500.-
L. Aemilius Buca. Denarius 44, Rome. In memory of the death of C. Iulius Caesar. CAESAR IM - P - M Laureate head of Julius Caesar to r., crescent in back. Rev. L AEMILIVS - BVCA Venus standing to l. in attitude of mourning, holding Victory and long sceptre. 3,97 g. Cr. 480/4. Syd. 1060. Graffito on rev. Good very fine.

[King John]

Constantius II. AD 337-361. AV Medallion of 1 1/2 Solidi (25mm, 6.71 g, 7h). Sirmium mint. Struck circa 15 March AD 351. FL IVL CONSTAN TIVS PERP AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust left / FELIX ADVENTVS AVG N, Constantius on horseback riding left, cloak flowing out behind him, holding reins in left hand and raising right hand in greeting; SIRM. Cf. Gnecchi 5-6 (Antioch and Thessalonica mint); cf. RIC VIII 76 (Antioch); Depeyrot –. Superb EF, a couple of light scratches in field on obverse. Sharp details. Unique.  From AD 320-6, the Sirmium was a robust mint operating under Constantine I, especially during the period AD 320-4 when the city served as his headquarters during his struggle against Licinius I. The circumstances for its closure in 326 are uncertain. Anticipating a showdown with Magnentius, Constantius travelled to Sirmium in AD 351, arriving on March 15. It is likely that he reopened the mint at that time, coinciding with his elevation of Constantius Gallus as Caesar (to rule in the east while the emperor was tie-up fighting the usurper). This reverse type was a commonly occurring motif in Roman coinage, celebrating the arrival of the emperor into one of his mint cities (or its region of operation), and thus is appropriate to be placed at the beginning of the newly reopened mint at Sirmium in AD 351.

[King John]

THESSALY, Pelinna. Late 4th-3rd centuries BC. Æ Dichalkon (19mm, 5.98 g, 12h). Veiled head of Mantho right / ΠΕΛΙΝΝΑΙΩΝ, warrior, holding spear, on horse rearing right; monogram below. Rogers 433; BCD Thessaly II 524; HGC 4, 275. VF, dark green patina, some roughness. From the BCD Collection. Estimate: 75 USD

[King John]

MACEDON. Koinon. Pseudo-autonomous. Time of Gordian III (238-244). Ae.
Obv: AΛEΞANΔPOV. 
Helmeted head of Alexander III right.
Rev: KOINΩN MAKEΔONΩN B NEΩKOPΩ. 
Horseman galloping right; star below.
SNG Copenhagen 1376.
Condition: Very fine.
Weight: 11.44 g.
Diameter: 27 mm.

ILLUSTRAZIONE: ALESSANDRO IL GRANDE

[King John]

Greek 
THRACE, Mesambria. Circa 245/35-215 BC. Æ (20mm, 6.79 g). Helmet with cheek guard right / Inside of shield. Karayotov II pp. 41–6; HGC 3.2, 1572 var. (helmet left). VF, dark red-brown surfaces, patches of green.
From the Belgica Collection. Ex Pecunem 29 (1 March 2015), lot 59.

[King John]

KINGS OF MACEDON. Demetrios I Poliorketes, 306-283 BC. Stater (Gold, 18 mm, 8.56 g, 11 h), uncertain mint on Euboea (?), after circa 290. Diademed and horned head of Demetrios I to right. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΔHMHTPIOY Horseman to right, wearing mantle and kausia and holding a long couched spear with his right hand; to lower right, Phrygian helmet right. Newell -. SNG München -. Apparently unpublished. Minor marks and with traces of mounting, otherwise, very fine.

 

[King John]

WESTERN ASIA MINOR, Uncertain. 4th century BC. AR Hemiobol or Tetartemorion (6mm, 0.21 g, 8h). Crested helmet left, bowl ornamented with a serpent / Amphora within linear square. Unpublished in the standard references, but see CNG E-334, lot 152; CNG E-288, lots 258 and 259. VF, toned, struck off center on the obverse. Rare. Varieties of this type have appeared at auction in the past, and have been tentatively attributed to Neandria in Troas, where an early fraction featured a helmet on the obverse. While an attribution to a mint in that region is reasonable, Neandria is probably not correct, as its early fractions consistently feature a ram or barley grain on the reverse, which were emblematic of the city. At the same time, the nearby city of Larissa consistently featured an amphora on the reverse of nearly all of its coinage, which would make it a more likely candidate.

[King John]

GREEK COINS
Boeotia
-. Circa 395 BC. Drachm (Gold, 6.11 g 1). Bearded head of Dionysos to left, wearing ivy wreath. Rev. ΘE The infant Herakles, nude, seated facing and holding a coiling serpent by the neck in each hand; above, club to left. Unpublished save for its previous auction appearance . Unique, an exceptional coin of great importance . Minor scrapes on the obverse, otherwise , good very fine. From the Spina Collection, ex Triton XI, 8 January 2008, 158.
As BCD was wont to say, whenever he was sure that his collection was finished and all the coins possible to have were had, something new would show up! And so, just two years after the magisterial BCD collection of Boeotia appeared in Triton IX, a hitherto unknown gold stater of Thebes appeared in Triton XI! This piece almost certainly has to be closely related to the rare ‘Herakliskos’ silver staters, as well as to the few known electrum hemidrachms and trihemiobols, all of which must have been struck around the start of the 4th century when Thebes was struggling against Spartan hegemony and had received a subsidy of Persian gold. The reverse type of the infant Herakles strangling snakes symbolized this struggle of Thebes and her allies against Sparta.

[King John]

GRIECHISCHE MÜNZEN (GREEK COINS)
SYRIA
SYRIA
CHALKIS. Ptolemaios I., 85-40 v. Chr.
Æs, Jahr 240 seleukidischer Ära (= 73/72 v. Chr.); 5.94 g. Zeuskopf r. mit Lorbeerkranz//Zwei Krieger (die Dioskuren?) mit je einem Speer und einem Schwert stehen einander gegenüber. Kindler 2. Dunkle Patina, sehr schön-vorzüglich
Estimate: 125 EUR

[King John]

Kingdom of Baktria
BAKTRIA. Kingdom of Baktria. Eucratides I, ca. 170-145 B.C. AR Tetradrachm (16.87 gms), Balkh Mint.
Bop-40; Mit-177f. Helmeted and draped bust right; Reverse: Dioskouri riding right holding spears. Light deposits.VERY FINE.
Estimated value: 250 USD

ILLUSTRAZIONE: CAVALIERI DEL REGNO DI BATTRIA

Modificato 17 Dicembre, 2017 da King John

[King John]

THESSALY, Pelinna. Circa 425-350 BC. Æ Chalkous (14mm, 2.88 g, 11h). Warrior riding horse left, striking at fallen enemy to lower left / ΠE-ΛIИ-IKOИ, warrior left, holding shield and preparing to hurl spear. Rogers 427 var. (ethnic); BCD Thessaly II 520 (same dies); HGC 4, 284. VF, dark green patina. From the BCD Collection. Estimate: 75 USD illustrazione: PELTASTI GRECI

Modificato 17 Dicembre, 2017 da King John

[King John]

Lucania
Metapontion. Distater (Silver, 15.76 g 1), c. 340-330 BC. Bearded head of Leukippos to right, wearing a Corinthian helmet ornamented with Nike driving a quadriga to right on the bowl and a hippocamp swimming right at the join between the front visor and the back flap. Behind, APH and forepart of a lion to right. Rev. METAPONTINWN Grain ear with leaf to left; above leaf, club; below leaf, AMI. HN III 1574. Johnston B1.1. Kraay & Hirmer 242. SNG ANS 431. Very attractively toned and unusually well struck on a broad flan. Very rare. Nearly extremely fine. Ex Monnaies et Médailles 75, 4 December 1989, 83.
The mythological hero Leukippos (his name means owner of a white horse, i.e., a wealthy man) was particularly popular in Metapontum, appearing on the obverse of many of the city’s nomoi, or staters, starting c. 350 BC. This helmeted and bearded head also served as a prototype for Rome’s early didrachms with a similar head of Mars. Unlike Thurium, which struck a rather extensive series of distaters or dinomoi, Metapontum only produced a single issue, which is now very rare and of which this is an exceptionally fine example. It is, in fact, struck from the stylistically best die pair of all those used.

[King John]

ARKADIA, Tegea. Late 3rd-early 2nd centuries BC. Æ Trichalkon (17mm, 4.97 g, 8h). Helmeted head of Athena Alea right / Kepheos advancing right, holding dagger and shield; monogram between legs. BCD Peloponnesos 1738; HGC 5, 1063. Near VF, dark green-brown patina, some roughness. From the J. Cohen Collection. Ex BCD Collection (Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 347, 25 March 2015), lot 196; Essen 44 (December 1982), lot 94.A note from the collector: This collection of Peloponnesian coins was born from my personal interest in ancient Greek history and inspired primarily by the BCD sales. The collection was formed as a study of the varying coinage types produced through the ruling cycles of the Peloponnese. Initial focus of the collection was on Sparta, the coinage produced under Roman rule and issues produced bearing the iconography of the Achaean League. Given the less than amicable relationship between the League and Sparta, this area proved highly interesting to collect. The initial phase of collecting Sparta/Lacedaemon pieces set the groundwork for the evolution of the collection. The collection was then expanded to Sparta's immediate neighbor in Messene and then to the entire Peloponnese. As I moved through the wider Peloponnesian regions I aimed, where possible, to collect an example of Achaean League coinage of the respective City States, examples of the Greek Imperial coinage and finally, Roman Provincial coinage. The goal being to develop a snapshot of the evolution of coins issued within the Peloponnese. Collecting in this way allowed for a timeline of both political and artistic change throughout the Peloponnese to be mapped out. The uniform coinage, both in silver and bronze of the Achaean league can be compared against the unique iconography of the corresponding Imperial issues and the later, highly stylized Roman issues. From a historical perspective, the evolution and membership of the League as well as the wars within the region can also be viewed through the issuing of coinage.Numismatically, the primary goals of this collection have been broadly achieved by focusing on the smaller issues of the City States within the Peloponnese, no large silver issues beyond the enigmatic Tetradrachms have representation within the collection.  The product of my labors is what I believe to be a highly diverse, interesting and accessible group of coins which provides an insight into one of the most interesting periods and regions of the Ancient world.

[King John]

LIPARA. Island off of Sicily.
Hexas, ca. 425 B.C. Head of Aiolos r., wearing a pilos. Rv. ΠIΛ, large pellet above and below the I, within beaded circle. SNG Cop 1087. Rare. Deep sea green over minor roughness. Extremely Fine. (3,000-4,000)

[King John]

CONSTANTIN Ier LE GRAND (25/07/306-22/05/337)
Flavius Valerius Constantinus Auguste (25/12/307-22/05/337)
Centenionalis ou nummus 320-321 N° brm_115949 
Date : 320-321
Nom de l'atelier : Trèves
Métal : cuivre
Diamètre : 19,00mm
Axe des coins : 6h.
Poids : 2,95g.
Degré de rareté : R3
Etat de conservation : SUP
Commentaires sur l'état de conservation : Exemplaire sur un flan large et complet. Patine vert noir avec des reflets métalliques. Revers bien venu à la frappe.    Prix :  195,00 € N° dans les ouvrages de référence : RIC.258 var. (R4) - C.697 - Bikic-do30 (1 ex.) - RC.- - MRK.136 /202 var.
Titulature avers : CONSTAN-TINVS AVG.
Description avers : Buste casqué de Constantin Ier à droite, avec cuirasse, vu de trois quarts en avant (C*).
Traduction avers : 'Constantinus Augustus', (Constantin auguste).
Titulature revers : VIRTVS - EXERCIT/ STR.
Description revers : Trophée entre deux captifs assis à terre ; celui de gauche est dans l’attitude de la tristesse et celui de droite a les mains liées dans le dos et se retourne.
Traduction revers : 'Virtus Exercitus', (La Virilité de l'armée).

ILLUSTRAZIONE: SOLDATI ROMANI CON UN PRIGIONIERO GERMANICO, IV SECOLO D.C.

[King John]

Sestertius circa 71, æ 26.24 g. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG P M TR P P COS III Laureate head r. Rev. IMPERATOR CAESAR S – C Titus, nimbate and in military attire, standing facing, head l., holding branch and reverse spear. C –. BMC –. CBN –. RIC –.
Apparently unique and unpublished. Areas of heavy tooling on obverse and some of the
ethnics re-engraved, reverse field plastered at eleven o’clock and flan crack,
otherwise very fine
During the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41-54), the future emperor Vespasian rose to the most exalted ranks in the army and the senate, as he commanded the Legio II Augusta during Claudius’s invasion of Britain, and upon returning to Rome he held the consulship in 51. His eldest son Titus reaped many rewards from his father’s meteoric rise, and he had become accustomed to the life of nobility just about the time his family fortunes sank to an unprecedented low during the reign of Nero. The family’s obscurity seemed certain to persist until Vespasian was given command of a war that had sparked in Judaea late in Nero’s reign. Titus, now in his 27th year, joined his father on the campaign. They fought side-by-side until mid-69, when Vespasian’s attention was captured by his desire to become emperor in opposition to Vitellius. Titus inherited sole command of the Jewish war, which by then had narrowed to the daunting task of capturing Jerusalem. At this time Titus and his younger brother Domitian (in Rome) were hailed Caesars by their father. The reverse of this formerly unrecorded Vespasian sestertius shows Titus in his hard-earned guise of conqueror of the Jews, for he had ended the war by razing Jerusalem to the ground late in 70. One month after the great triumph was held in Rome in 71, Vespasian hailed Titus Imperator and awarded him the tribunician power. Since this sestertius is an Imperial issue struck in 71, it seems an obvious reflection of these events in the aftermath of the Jewish War. As a further note, there is good reason to believe Titus was hailed Imperator by his soldiers at the time Jerusalem was sacked. He seems to have been so concerned about the suspicion this might arouse in Rome that early in 71 he sailed for Italy as a demonstration of loyalty to his father. All considered, we should classify this as a new type for the Judaea Capta series.

illustrazione: LA PRIMA GUERRA GIUDAICA SCOPPIATA NEL 66 D.C.

[King John]

Marc Antony Legionary AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony (Patrae?), 32-31 BC. Praetorian galley to right / CHORTIS SPECVLATORVM, three legionary standards, each decorated with prow and two wreaths. Crawford 544/12. 3.68g, 16mm, 6h. About Extremely Fine. Rare. One of the rarest of the legionary denarii, this issue pays tribute to Antony's speculatores. The cohortis speculatorum was a selection of the ablest naval soldiers formed into a single force, whose main role was to accompany Antony on his nautical explorations, acting in some sense as a personal guard. The prows decorating the three standards refer to the original role of the speculatores as mounted soldiers positioned on an elevated part of the ship from where they were able to look out.

ILLUSTRAZIONE: LA PRESA DI CARTAGINE

[King John]

Sicile, Syracuse (415 av. J.C.). Drachme (signée par Euménès), argent.
Av. LEUKASRIS le héros Leukaspis, nu, avançant à droite, tenant une épée et un bouclier rond, EY à l'exergue. Rv. SURAKOSIWN tête d'Aréthuse à droite, entourée de quatre dauphins. EY au dessous. BMC 162. 18 mm, 4,10 grs. 6 h. 
Rare, TB
Starting Price: 1000 EUR

[King John]

T. Didius. 113-112 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.92 g, 3h). Rome mint. Helmeted head of Roma right; Roma monogram to left, mark of value below / Two gladiators fighting, each holding shield, one attacks with flail, the other with staff or sword. Crawford 294/1; Sydenham 550; Didia 2. Good VF, toned.
Ex Frank L. Kovacs Collection (Helios 1, 17 April 2008), lot 193.
ILLUSTRAZIONE: I GLADIATORI SALUTANO L'IMPERATORE DICENDO "AVE CAESAR, MORITURI TE SALUTANT".

[King John]

RÖMISCHE PROVINZIALPRÄGUNGEN 
MAKEDONIEN. PHILIPPI. Claudius, 41 - 54 n. Chr. AE (11,69g). Vs.: [TI CLAVD]IVS CAESAR AVGP M TR [P IMP P P], barer Kopf des Claudius n. l. Rs.: COL AV-G IVL PHILIP, die gepanzerten Statuen des Augustus und des Divus Iulius auf einer Basis n. l. stehend, beide den r. Arm erhoben, auf der Basis Inschrift: DIVVS / AVG, davor kleiner brennender Rundaltar. RPC I, 1653; Varbanov III 3775.
Grüne Patina, fast vz

 

[King John]

The Peloponnesos
Arkadia
Pheneos
Estimate: CHF 42'500.00
Stater (Silver, 12.05 g 10), c. 360-350/40. Head of Demeter to right, wearing grain wreath, pearl necklace and elaborate boat-shaped pendant earring. Rev. Hermes, nude but for petasos and chlamys draped over his left arm and shoulder, moving three-quarters to left, holding a kerykeion in his right hand turning his head back to gaze at the infant Arkas whom he holds on his left arm; to right, in small letters, . AMK, pl. 32, 664 (this coin). BMC 13. Kraay/Hirmer 515. LIMC II, sv. Arkas, 6. Schultz 6.1 (this coin). SNG Berry 867. Very rare. Of splendid late classical style, beautifully toned and well struck. Extremely fine.
From the collections of C. Gillet, 1001, F.S. Benson, SWH 3 February 1909, 586, and Sir H. Montagu, SWH 23March 1896, 420. This is a particularly fine example of one of the great rarities of 4th century coinage from Greece. The obverse is yet another version of the Persephone of Euainetos (as also found on contemporary staters issued by the Opuntians, above, 197-198, and by Messene), and shows quite how influential his products were. Pheneos and other Peloponnesian cities produced unexpectedly magnificent coinages in the mid 4th century, when the defeat of Sparta by the Boeotian League at Leuctra in 371 enabled them to throw off Laconian domination. The reverse of this coin shows a statue of Hermes carrying the ancestor of the Arkadians, the infant Arkas, son of Zeus and Kallisto, one of the nymphs accompanying Artemis. When Kallisto, turned into a bear by Hera in a fit of jealousy, was mistakenly shot by Artemis Zeus had Hermes carry off Arkas to be raised by his mother Maia. Arkas first appears in Greek art c. 370 when the Arkadian League was refounded, and the scene here seems to have been inspired by earlier works showing Hermes with the infant Dionysos. In fact, its closest parallel is the famous and nearly contemporary Hermes of Praxiteles found in the Olympia excavations.

[King John]

Arkadia. Stymphalos. Circa 350 BC. Stater (Silver, 24 mm, 11.67 g, 3 h), So..... Head of Artemis right, her hair tied in a bun at the top of her head, wearing laurel wreath, an earring with rosette, crescent, and five pendants, and a pearl necklace. Rev. ΣTYMΦAΛIΩN Herakles, nude, stiding left, his lion skin wrapped around his left arm, holding a bow in left hand, and preparing to strike with a club held aloft in his right; between his legs, magistrate's initials ΣO. ACGC 320. BCD Peloponnesos 1204–5. Boston MFA 1269. Gulbenkian 560. Jameson 1267. Kraay & Hirmer 514 (same obverse die). Very rare. An elegant, toned example of superb style. Slight traces of double-striking on the obverse and slight roughness, otherwise, very fine.
From the Molard Collection, Switzerland, ex Triton XV, 3 January 2012, 1183.
The exploit of Herakles destroying the Stymphalian Birds was one of his Twelve Labors, and people have assumed that this reverse commemorates that event. However, all actual representations of that labor show him attacking flying birds with arrows or slingbolts, while we have him here striding along with an upraised club, as if chasing running birds! Thus, we need to look for something else. Almost certainly, what we have here is a symbolic representation of the freeing of much of the Peloponnesos from Spartan domination after the battle of Leuctra in 371. The close parallel with the figure of the Athenian tyrant-slayer Harmodios is, thus, by no means coincidental.

Modificato 27 Dicembre, 2017 da King John

[King John]

BOEOTIA, Thebes. Circa 364-362 BC. AR Obol (10.5mm, 0.77 g, 1h). Boiotian shield, club left across upper half (barely visible) / Youthful head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress; E-Π upward on right; all within incuse concave circle. Hepworth, Epaminondas pl. 3, 6; BCD Boiotia 595; HGC 4, 1359. VF, toned, porous. Rare. From the estate of Thomas Bentley Cederlind. Ex BCD Collection (not in prior sales); Vigne FPL (1991), no, 35.There are times when some of us wonder what the world would be like today if Alexander the Great had lived to a ripe old age. The same kind of "What if ..." thinking could be applied to Epaminondas. His premature death on the battlefield of Mantineia in 362 BC deprived Thebes of its greatest statesman and soldier, signalling the start of Thebes' rapid decline into obscurity. If Epaminondas had lived to reap the benefits of his Mantineian victory, he would have undoubtedly proceeded to unite all Greece under his leadership. The next step would be to turn to the North and face Philip who, instead of finding a divided Greece ready for the taking, would think twice before attempting to invade Thessaly. Whether then there would be a clash between the two emerging superpowers or a truce between them, is anybody's guess. Perhaps Philip would remember the years he spent as a hostage in Thebes and his respect for the Theban statesman would prevail. The conquest of Asia would then materialize sooner and in a more permanent manner. But, like many great soldiers, Epaminondas inspired his men by leading them into battle and, instead of capitalizing on his genius, Thebes paid the price for his bravery.

ILLUSTRAZIONE: LA MORTE DI EPAMINONDA NELLA BATTAGLIA  DI MANTINEA DEL 362 A.C.