Le più belle rappresentazioni di guerrieri

[King John]

Maison Palombo > Auction 19	Auction date: 12 December 2020
Lot number: 40 Price realized: 8,000 CHF   (Approx. 9,019 USD / 7,436 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Péloponèse - Sikyonie, Sikyon - Statère (c. 335-330). Rare et magnifique exemplaire. 12.24g. - BCD 219 - BMC 56 Superbe à FDC - CHOICE AU This type depicts a chimera, a creature which " was of divine stock, not of men, in the fore part a lion, in the hinder a serpent, and in the midst a goat, breathing forth in terrible wise the might of blazing fire" (Homer, Iliad 6.179-182), the child of Typhon and Echidna, and therefore a sibling of Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra: such a monster is well fitted for an emission linked to war. Indeed, this stater is one of the last ones struck at Sicyon in Peloponnese, a series displaying a wreath on the obverse with the letters A, I or N on the reverse (A being the rarest), supposedly after Alexander issued his plea for mercenaries in 334 BC, in order to be given as initial payment or signing-bonus. These coins are often found in very good condition, which suggests that those mercenaries buried them before leaving for a war from which they did not return alive. It is supposed that they were issued thanks to the melting or restrike of earlier issues, Sicyon having been the second most productive mint after Athens during the Peloponnesian War of the fifth century BC. Starting Price: 6000 CHF

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 15	Auction date: 27 February 2021
Lot number: 1225
Lot description: PHRYGIA. Apameia. Pseudo-autonomous issue. Hemiassarion (Bronze, 15 mm, 2.18 g, 11 h), time of the Severans, 193-235. AΠAMЄIA Turreted and draped bust of the city-goddess to right. Rev. AΠAMЄIΩN Hekate Triformis: the left and right one holding torches in each hand; the middle one a phiale in her right hand. BMC 110-3 var. (reverse legend). SNG München 131 var. (reverse legend). SNG von Aulock 3475 var. (reverse legend). Extremely rare with the ethnic instead of CΩTЄIPA on the reverse. Good very fine. Starting Price: 50 CHF ILLUSTRAZIONE : STATUA DI ECATE TRIFORME, MARMO ROMANO DEL III SEC.D.C., MUSEO DI ANTALYA, TURCHIA.  Come divinità delle strade e dei crocicchi Ecate aveva l’epiteto di Τριοδῖτις (lat. Trivia), e per le vie le erano erette delle edicole. Era considerata signora delle ombre e dei fantasmi notturni e anche dea della magia e degli incantesimi. Il triplice aspetto di Ecate, terrestre, lunare, ctonia, si riflette nell’iconografia, dove spesso era raffigurata con 3 teste o 3 corpi.

Modificato 10 Febbraio, 2021 da King John

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 15	Auction date: 27 February 2021
Lot number: 2659 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Damianos, 6th-7th centuries. Seal (Lead, 22 mm, 9.10 g, 12 h). The Baptism of Christ: Christ, wearing nimbus cruciger, kneeling in center, being baptized by John the Baptist, nimbate and standing to left; to left, angel standing to right; above, dove flying downward. Rev. Cruciform monogram of ΔAMIANOV. Unpublished in the standard references, but cf. Zacos/Veglery 2938 (for a contemporaneous seal of Johannes which has the same scene on its obverse, but with the figures of John and the angel reversed). Another anonymous seal with the scene was published by Jordanov, Corpus III, 2388. A well-preserved seal with an extremely rare biblical scene. Good very fine. Starting Price: 75 CHF

 

 

Modificato 11 Febbraio, 2021 da King John

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 6	Auction date: 23 October 2020
Lot number: 159 Price realized: 6,500 CHF   (Approx. 7,166 USD / 6,059 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: BITHYNIA. Herakleia Pontika. Time of the tyrant Satyros, circa 352-346/5 BC. Drachm (Silver, 19 mm, 6.69 g, 12 h), reduced Aeginetic standard. Head of Herakles facing three-quarters to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. HPAKΛEIA Nike crouching to left on club, inscribing the ethnic on the coin. Franke-Hirmer pl. 201, 735 = Hess-Leu (1962), 261 = Leu 13 (1975), 189. F. Imhoof-Blumer: Griechische Münzen in der Grossherzoglichen Badischen Sammlung in Karlsruhe, in: ZfN VII (1880), p. 23, 4. HGC 7 -. RG p. 352 note corr. (misattributed to Herakleia in Lucania). J.P. Six: Sinope, in: NC 5 (1885), 65. SNG von Aulock 356 (this coin). Extremely rare, one of perhaps just three known examples. A beautifully toned and attractive example of this wonderful issue. Somewhat rough, otherwise, good very fine. From the Kleinkunst Collection, ex Leu 61, 17-18 May 1995, 130 (but with an incorrect further pedigree), and from the collection of H. von Aulock. Six suggested that this extremely rare issue was struck to commemorate the naval victory of Ptolemaios Keraunos over Antigonos II Gonatas in 281 BC, to which a Herakleotan fleet greatly contributed. However, the very unusual three-quarters facing head of Herakles was certainly copied from a stater of Pharnabazos from Tarsos (SNG Paris 240) and already appears on an obol with Hera on the reverse (HGC 7, 478 = RG 22), thus connecting our coin to the emissions struck under the tyrant Satyros in 352-346/5 BC. It is likely a drachm of a reduced Aeginatic standard and a half-piece to the impressive didrachms with Herakles in profile on the obverse and Hera on the reverse (HGC 7, 479 = Leu 102 (2008), 253). What makes our coin particularly attractive, aside from the beautiful facing head of Herakles, is the rendering of Nike on the reverse, who is shown crouching to left on Herakles' club and inscribing the ethnic of the polis, like a mural, on the coin - a depiction that is reminiscent of staters from Mallos, where Nike is writing her own name in a similar manner. Unfortunately, we do not know to which victory the coin alludes, but Satyros was only the guardian of his nephews Timotheos and Dionysios, whose father Klearchos I had been assassinated in an aristocratic conspiracy, and a military success will undoubtedly have strengthened his claim to power. Estimate: 3500 CHF

[King John]

Heritage World Coin Auctions > January Signature Sale 3089	Auction date: 21 January 2021
Lot number: 32104 Price realized: 2,800 USD   (Approx. 2,306 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Ancients CARIAN SATRAPS. Pixodarus (ca. 341/-336/5 BC). AR didrachm (22mm, 6.91 gm, 12h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5, Fine Style, brushed. Laureate bust of Apollo facing, turned slightly right, hair parted in center and swept to either side, cloak fastened around neck / ΠIΞΩΔAPOY, Zeus standing right, bipennis in right hand over shoulder, scepter in left. Konuk, Coin Hoards IX, 36c. SNG Copenhagen 596-7. SNG von Aulock 2375-6. Stunning high-relief obverse, with contrasting rainbow toning which serves to bring the portrait to life. Estimate: 2000-3000 USD

[King John]

Nomos AG > obolos 16	Auction date: 11 October 2020
Lot number: 845 Price realized: 185 CHF   (Approx. 202 USD / 172 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: CARIA. Iasos. Circa 250-190 BC. (Bronze, 21 mm, 5.27 g, 11 h). Laureate head of Apollo to right. Rev. IAΣΕΩΝ Hermias swimming with dolphin to right. SNG Copenhagen 410. SNG Keckman -. Glossy dark green patina; fine style. Metal flaw and short flan crack, otherwise, good very fine. The reverse of this coin features a scene from the myth of Hermias and the dolphin. The story goes that Hermias was a youth from Iasos whose mother never allowed him to swim in the sea as she feared for his safety. One day his friends begged him to go swimming with them and after much pleading his mother finally relented, cautioning him not to go out too far. That evening after his friends had all returned to the beach, Hermias could not be found. The townsfolk got together and began searching for him until a fisherman finally spotted the youth riding on the back of a dolphin towards the shore. When they were found it was discovered that both were dead. Hermias had been playing with the dolphin and they had formed a strong bond of friendship. At some point Hermias fell on the dolphin's dorsal fin which pierced his heart and he died. The dolphin, so overcome with grief, swam Hermias ashore where it then died of a broken heart. Recently it was argued that the creation of the myth of Hermias was a way to help overcome the grief associated with the devastating loss of a child. (Turgut, M. "The myth of youth Hermias and his dolphin at Iasos in Caria." Childs Nerv Syst 26 (2010): 407-9). Starting Price: 50 CHF

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XX	Auction date: 29 October 2020
Lot number: 78 Price realized: 65,000 GBP   (Approx. 83,882 USD / 71,937 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Sicily, Syracuse AR Tetradrachm. Time of Dionysios I, circa 410-395 BC. Unsigned dies by Parmenides. Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving fast quadriga to left, about to turn left, Nike flying above to right, crowning charioteer; ear of grain beneath double exergual line, on which a broken chariot wheel / Head of Arethusa to left, hair in ampyx and sphendone ornamented with stars, wearing triple-pendant earrings and necklace; ΣVRAKOΣION and four dolphins around, one emerging from bust truncation. Tudeer 74 (V26/R51); Fischer-Bossert 74b (this coin); Jameson 838 (these dies); SNG ANS 284 (these dies); HGC 2, 1342. 17.50g, 27mm, 8h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare; possibly the finest known example, well struck and centred on a very broad flan boasting excellent metal, lightly toned. This coin cited in W.R. Fischer-Bossert, Coins, Artists, and Tyrants: Syracuse in the Time of the Peloponnesian War (ANSNS 33, New York, 2017); From the Long Valley River Collection; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction III, 31 March 2012, lot 74 (hammer: £48,000); Ex Hermann Robinow Collection, Morton & Eden Ltd, Auction 51 (A Collection of Exceptional Greek Coins), 24 October 2011, lot 58; Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 10, 9 April 1997, lot 148. 'They say that there was a hunter called Alpheius, who fell in love with Arethusa, who was herself a huntress. Arethusa, unwilling to marry, crossed to the island opposite Syracuse called Ortygia, and there turned from a woman to a spring. Alpheius too was changed by his love into the river. [...] Because the water of the Alpheius mingles with the Arethusa, I am convinced that the legend arose of the river's love-affair' (Pausanias, Description of Greece, 5.7). Just as the tale of Arethusa captured the imagination of Pausanias, the Corinthians, who established the Syracusan colony on the island of Ortygia, chose the enchanting deity to be their patron. As the colony established itself and spread from its nucleus to the Eastern coast of Sicily, depictions of the nymph's head started to appear on their early coins minted at the end of the 6th century BC. As the colony of settlers grew and transitioned into a democracy, they gained both strength and territory as well as a flourishing cultural scene. With their growing ambition and power, clashes with neighbouring cities competing for supremacy were inevitable and Syracuse became embroiled in various conflicts until its transformation back into a tyranny under Dionysios I (c. 430-367 BC) gave way to a period of prosperity. Besides his highly successful military tactics, another dimension to the rule of Dionysios I was his patronage of the arts. Numerous sculptures and die-cutters were employed to enhance the city's grandeur and, as the art scene blossomed, the opportunity for individuals to hone their skills and become famous arose. A number of die cutters proudly signed their works and thus we have come to know the names of some of them, including Exakestidas, Kimon, Euainetos and Parmenides. Each artist succeeded in producing variation in style, especially in the treatment of the head of Arethusa, which by this time was prolific on the reverse of Syracusan coins. Here, depicted in side profile, Arethusa is adorned with a necklace and earrings while her hair is encased in an ornate net. She is surrounded by four dolphins, swimming around her, perhaps to symbolise the salt waters of the harbour in the vicinity of her fountain. On the obverse a chariot, guided by four spritely horses, races to the left while Nike flies overhead with a wreath of victory, reaching down to crown the charioteer. The depiction of the chariot, considered a fitting emblem of Syracuse's aristocracy, stands in stark contrast to the static, two dimensional designs of the previous century. Gone is the slow pacing quadriga, replaced by a revolutionary new style that is fluid and dynamic: the horses' heads turn with alertness as the motion of their powerful limbs drive the chariot forward. Estimate: 35000 GBP

[King John]

L'Esaltazione del Fiore ( L'Exaltation de la Fleur ) è il titolo moderno dato a un frammento in marmo greco antico di una stele funeraria del V secolo a.C. Fu scoperto nel 1863 da Léon Heuzey e Henri Daumet in una chiesa a Farsala , Tessaglia , Grecia . Scolpito in bassorilievo in stile severo , il frammento superiore esistente della stele in rilievo in marmo raffigura due donne che tengono in mano quelli che sembrano essere fiori o funghi e un altro oggetto. L'opera è conservata al Museo del Louvre nel Dipartimento di Antichità Greche, Etrusche e Romane  (fonte Wikipedia).

Modificato 18 Febbraio, 2021 da King John

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 7	Auction date: 24 October 2020
Lot number: 1457 Price realized: 240,000 CHF   (Approx. 264,579 USD / 223,702 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: PHRYGIA. Apameia. Philip I, 244-249. Pentassarion (Bronze, 36 mm, 22.45 g, 7 h), Aur. Alexander, archon for the second time. •AYT•K•IOYΛ•ΦIΛIΠΠOC•AVΓ• Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I to right, seen from behind. Rev. ЄΠ M AYP AΛЄΞANΔP//OY B•APXI•AΠ/AMЄΩN• The story of Noah: on the right, half-length figures of Noah and his wife, in tunic and stola, standing left in square chest representing the Ark, inscribed NΩЄ and floating on waves; above to right, a seated bird; on the left, Noah and his wife standing left upon dry land, raising hands in supplication; above, a bird returning from land with olive branch in its talons. BMC 182. SNG von Aulock 8348 (this coin). Extremely rare and undoubtedly the finest known. A magnificent example of this tremendously important issue, beautifully struck on a broad flan and preserving incredible reverse details. Insignificant flan fault on the obverse and with some very minor flatness on the reverse, otherwise, nearly extremely fine. From a German collection, privately purchased in the 1980s, ex Auctiones 8, 27-28 June 1978, 445 (expertly cleaned since) and from the Hans von Aulock Collection. Apameia was founded by the Seleukid King Antiochos I (281-261 BC) in honor of his mother Apame, the daughter of the Baktrian rebel Spitamenes and wife of Seleukos I. The city was home to a Jewish community, the ancestors of which were probably settled in the area by the Seleukid general Zeuxis, who deported 2,000 Jewish families from Babylon to Asia Minor at the behest of Antiochos III 'the Great' (223-187 BC) (Jos. Ant. XII, 3.4). It was long believed that the astonishing emergence of the story of Noah on 3rd century AD coins of the Phrygian Apameia grew out of a supposed Jewish character of the city, but the literary sources are extremely sparse, and the fact that no Jewish names and only a single Jewish inscription are known from the local necropolis urges caution. On the other hand, sources attesting a large early Christian community in Apameia are abundant: not only are Christian epitaphs numerous, but the bishop Julian of Apameia attested by Eusebios (Euseb. HE 5.16.17) proves that Christianity had gained a strong foothold in the city as early as the late 2nd century. The sudden appearance of Noah's Ark on the civic coinage of Apameia at a time when all sources point towards a growing influence of the Christian community in the area must thus, despite cultural overlapping, reflect the increasing importance of Christian traditions to a greater degree than those of a century-old local Jewish community. Apameia differentiated itself from other cities of the same name by its epithet ή Kίβωtός, literally 'the chest', a reference to its importance as a trading post. The fact that Noah's Ark was also known in Greek as Kίβωtός hence apparently led to a pseudo-etymological local myth, which proclaimed that the mountain behind the city was the true Mount Ararat, on which Noah's Ark landed after the flood. Our coin thus shows, on the right, Noah and his wife in the Ark - in the form of the locally enrooted ή Kίβωtός - and once more on the left, after the landing of the Ark on the Mount Ararat, with the land-seeking bird above holding an olive branch in its talons. It is the only Graeco-Roman coin type to show a scene from the bible and an incredibly important testimony to the history of the early Judeo-Christian communities in Asia Minor. Estimate: 35000 CHF Illustaziione: l'arca di Noè, mosaico del Duomo di Monreale

 

Modificato 18 Febbraio, 2021 da King John

[King John]

Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 486	Auction date: 24 February 2021
Lot number: 158 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: IONIA, Magnesia ad Maeandrum. Circa 145-early 1st century BC. Æ (18.5mm, 9.41 g, 12h). Eukles and Ktratinos, magistrates. Helmeted head of Athena right / Warrior, holding spear, on horse leaping right; Σ to left, magistrates' names below. Kinns, Didrachm 5; SNG Kayhan 432–6. Dark green patina, area of roughness on obverse. Near EF. Estimate: 100 USD

[King John]

tack's Bowers Galleries (& Ponterio) > Collector's Choice February 2021 Auction	Auction date: 22 February 2021
Lot number: 71003 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: CELTIC BRITAIN. Atrebates. Verica, ca. A.D. 10-40. AR Unit. NGC Ch EF. VA-530-1; S-133. Obverse: Warrior, with shield on back, riding horse right; Reverse: Warrior, holding lance, riding horse right. Though somewhat off-center, solid detail remains with some pleasing toning as well. Estimate: $200.00- $400.00

[King John]

M & M Numismatics, Ltd (USA), I, 7 December 1997, 361

Gordian III. AD 238-244. Medallion (Bimetallic, copper and orichalcum, 37mm, 65.96 g 12), Rome, 243-244. IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FELIX AVG Laureate and cuirassed bust of Gordian III to left, holding a spear over his right shoulder with his right hand and with a shield over his left shoulder; on the shield, emperor riding left over a prostrate enemy, with Victory before him and a soldier behind. Rev. PAX AETERNA At the center, Sol, his right hand raised in salutation and holding a legionary standard in his left, standing facing in a facing quadriga; to left, legionary standard; below, reclining figures of the Euphrates and the Tigris facing each other; to right, Gordian, in military dress, standing left and sacrificing over altar to left; behind him, legionary standard and Victory, raising her right hand to crown him with a wreath. Cohen 172. Gnecchi II, p. 89, 24 and pl. 104, 7 (same obverse die). Very rare and impressive. Outer (copper) rim slightly corroded and with some deposits, but overall with a fine green patina, and with a fine high relief portrait. About extremely fine.

ILLUSTRAZIONE: RICOSTRUZIONE DELLE REALI FATTEZZE DI GORDIANO III

[King John]

Dix Noonan Webb Ltd > Auction 182	Auction date: 16 September 2020
Lot number: 538 Price realized: 850 GBP   (Approx. 1,105 USD / 933 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Greek Coins from Various Properties Greek Coinages, CRETE, Knossos, Æ Unit, 360-320, κνωσιον, head of Ariadne right wearing crown of grain, meander border around, rev. κνωσιον, Minos seated right on low throne holding sceptre, 22mm, 5.48g (Le Rider –; Svoronos, Crète –; SNG Copenhagen –; McClean –; BMC –). Some minor pitting, otherwise good very fine with an attractive patina; unlisted in the standard references, possibly UNIQUE £150-£200 --- Unlisted in the standard references and major collections, this charming bronze is seemingly a unique specimen of an early Knossian issue. During the sixth to fourth centuries BC Crete was an economic backwater that lagged behind the rest of the eastern Mediterranean in terms of coinage development. The prevailing view is that the minting of bronze coinage only began on the island around 260 BC, a hundred years after the phenomenon had emerged elsewhere in the Greek world. The island's first bronze issues were supposedly minted at Knossos, consisting of Chalkoi with a portrait of Artemis on the obverse, and a portrait of one of various deities on the reverse (Sheedy, Aegina, the Cyclades, and Crete, 2012, p. 121). The present coin can be dated significantly earlier than 260 on stylistic grounds. Its types are almost identical to those found on a mid fourth fourth century silver Stater of Knossos (Svoronos Crète, 14 = Le Rider pl. XXXV, 3). While the two coins do differ in their reverse legends, which reads μινωσ on the Berlin coin, providing us with the identity of the seated figure, certain consistencies in style confirm them to be contemporary with one another, and a striking date of the early fourth century. The portrait of Ariadne, with its fleshy idealising features, is clearly a classical work and a product of the fourth century, showing as it does strong affinities with the head of Arethusa seen on Euainetos's famous early fourth century decadrachms of Syracuse. The seated figure of Minos on the reverse further supports this dating. The die sinker's attempt to show perspective has resulted in Minos' right leg appearing awkwardly large; a stylistic feature seen on seated figures depicted on eastern Mediterranean coins throughout the fourth century, particularly on the plentiful satrapal staters of Tarsus. The production of bronze coins that so closely mimic silver issues is intriguing, particularly during the classical period when textual sources report distrust in fiat base metal coinage. Epigraphical evidence from Gortyna on Crete reveals that even in the second half of the third century magistrates felt it necessary to legislate a fine against any person who refused to accept bronze currency, presumably in an attempt to combat considerable lingering suspicion. As Sheedy suggests, it would appear that the use of bronze coinage did not become widespread on Crete until the Hellenistic period. This coin appears to represent a unique surviving example of an earlier, short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful experiment with base metal coinage

 

Modificato 22 Febbraio, 2021 da King John

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XX	Auction date: 29 October 2020
Lot number: 59 Price realized: 190,000 GBP   (Approx. 245,193 USD / 210,277 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Sicily, Katane AR Tetradrachm. Circa 405-403 BC. Obverse die signed by Herakleidas. Head of Apollo three-quarters facing, turned slightly to left, his hair falling in disordered locks about his neck and face, encircled with a heavy laurel wreath; HPAKΛEIΔAΣ downwards to right / Victorious quadriga galloping to left at full pelt, with one horse looking back; the charioteer holds reins in both hands and is about to be crowned by Nike, who flies to right over the galloping horses with an open wreath; in exergue, KATANAIΩN, below which, fish swimming left. Mirone 62 (same dies); Rizzo pl. 14, 10 (same dies); Kraay-Hirmer, 43 and colour plate 3 (same dies); Gulbenkian 190 (same dies); AMB 337 (same dies); HGC 2, 577. 17.26g, 27mm, 10h. Extremely Fine; light cabinet tone over lustrous metal. Very Rare. From the Long Valley River Collection; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction IV, 30 September 2012, lot 76; Ex private English collection, acquired from Italo Vecchi Ltd. (Nvmmorvm Avctiones), 1997; Privately purchased from Münzen & Medaillen AG Basel, 1989. Facing portraits represented for the master engravers of the late 5th century the greatest challenge of their art; these portraits were undertaken and produced as proof of their prowess and virtuosity, as a result of which nearly all such dies are proudly signed by the engraver. The works of Herakleidas mark the apex of numismatic art at Katane, standing apart as the most technically remarkable and aesthetically pleasing coins ever produced at that city. This accomplished artist of the high classical period, who produced signed dies only at Katane, confronts the viewer with a portrait of Apollo that is utterly enthralling, the contrast inherent in the design intriguing. Apollo appears divinely serene and benevolent, apparently half smiling yet with a gaze of almost frightening intensity that radiates raw power and authority. This severity is relieved by the youthful, naturalistic manner of his hair that, perhaps caught in a breeze, appears wild and suggestive of an existence free from temporal concerns. Yet for all the ingenuity of the portrait's composition, it is the smooth moulding of forms suggesting flesh rather than metal that is the true aesthetic triumph of this series. In this respect, Herakleidas has succeeded where so many others tried and failed, in bringing life to the face of the depicted deity. Although the victorious quadriga is from now on relegated to the reverse side of the coin, the type is no less full of life and vigour. This scene from the city's favourite sport presents us with a moment of high action, in which the charioteer urges on his team of horses with both reins and rod; though to the viewer the outcome is a certain victory as Nike flies overhead, the charioteer's posture suggests he is tense and concentrated. Estimate: 30000 GBP

[King John]

Stack's Bowers Galleries (& Ponterio) > Collector's Choice February 2021 Auction	Auction date: 22 February 2021
Lot number: 71006 Price realized: To Be Posted
Lot description: ITALY. Calabria. Tarentum. AR Didrachm (Nomos) (7.86 gms), ca. 344-340 B.C. NGC Ch AU, Strike: 3/5 Surface: 4/5. Fine Style. HN Italy-878. Obverse: Warrior, holding spear and shield, on horse galloping right; T (sideways) below; Reverse: Phalanthos, holding kantharos, riding dolphin left; Π and waves below. Presenting a deep cabinet tone and some shimmering luster in the protected areas, this lightly handled specimen also offers a solid, well centered strike. Great eye appeal is on full display. Estimate: $300.00- $500.00

[King John]

Nomos AG > Auction 21	Auction date: 21 November 2020
Lot number: 336 Price realized: 1,100 CHF   (Approx. 1,206 USD / 1,018 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Maximus, as Caesar, 235-238. Diassarion (Bronze, 25 mm, 5.76 g, 6 h), Aspendus in Pamphylia. Γ ΙΟΥ ΟΥΗΡ ΜΑΞΙΜΟC ΚΑΙ-CΑΡ Draped and cuirassed bust of Maximus to right; on his forehead, illegible countermark in a circular indent. Rev. ΑCΠEΝΔΙΩΝ Two wrestlers beginning to grapple with each other. RPC online 6330. SNG Leypold 1804. Rare, the seventh known example. An interesting and attractive coin, with a dusty, rough patina. Some pitting. Good very fine. The lively reverse scene of wrestlers on this coin harks directly back to Aspendos's extensive early Hellenistic silver coinage, which bore two wrestlers as its obverse type (as above, lot XXX). Estimate: 350 CHF

[King John]

Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG, Auction 96, 6/10/2016, lot 1094

Greek Coins
Uncertain Dynast of Caria. Stater, "Mint B" circa 450 BC, AR 11.74 g.
Description Naked male deity, with wings at shoulders and heels, running r.; above l. shoulder, mono­gram (possibly o-y) or linear device. Rev. B – M – (koppa) retrograde Lion crouching l., with r. foreleg raised, looking backwards; above, monogram (possibly o-y) or linear device. All within dotted frame in incuse square. References
Traité pl. XXIV, 18
Robinson. NC 1936, p. 269, 12 and pl. 14, 12 (these dies)
SNG von Aulock 2351 (these dies)
SNG Lockett 2917 (this obverse die)
ACNAC Rosen 624 (this obverse die)
Wealth of the Ancient World 67 (this coin)
Konuk M35 (these dies) Condition
Very rare. A very attractive issue of superb late Archaic style, light old cabinet tone and extremely fine Provenance
NFA sale X, 1981, 186
Sotheby's sale 19 June 1990, Nelson Bunker Hunt collection part I, 67
NAC sale 66, 2012, 57
Our understanding of the Archaic and early Classical coins of Caria has increased dramatically in recent decades due to an improved decipherment of the Carian language. Pioneering work was conducted by Egyptologist John Ray in the 1980s when he laid the groundwork through the study of Carian-Egyptian bilingual tomb inscriptions. He demonstrated, among other things, that ancient Carian is a member of the Indo-European language group. Other linguists have continued Ray's work, including Ignacio-Javier Adiego Lajara, The Carian Language, and (especially with coin inscriptions) Koray Konuk. This rare stater of an uncertain mint in Caria was struck to the Aeginetic weight standard. Five issues of staters are assigned to this mint, currently labeled by Konuk as "Mint B," all of which are linked by a symbol that looks much like a stylized caduceus. On this coin it appears on the obverse above the figure's raised left arm, and on the reverse above the center of the lion's back. Konuk considers it to be a linear device or an object rather than a monogram composed of letters from the Carian script. Four of the "Mint B" staters are close variants of the present type. The fifth is a separate type with designs derived from the Classical-period drachms of Cnidus. It shows on its obverse the forepart of a roaring lion and on their reverse the head of a wreathed male within a strongly defined incuse square (on the Cnidus originals the head is of Aphrodite). This type shows a naked male in kneeling-running position with his arms and legs in motion, creating a most pleasing and balanced composition accentuated by wings at his shoulders and heels. The identity of the figure is not known, but he presumably is a deity or a hero. The reverse shows a lion standing left with his back sharply bowed; his head is reverted, his tail curled forward and his right forepaw raised. In addition to the 'linear device' that appears on each side, the reverse bears a three-letter inscription that Konuk transliterates as sγp, (perhaps pγs?) which may abbreviate the name of a dynast. A related series that is considerably larger and more familiar – the "winged Carians" – is now attributed by Konuk to Kaunos, a native port in Caria. His conclusion was drawn from the study of a trilingual inscription – Greek, Lycian and Aramaic – found in an excavation of the Letoon near Xanthos. The winged female figure on those coins is described by Konuk as Iris, and the triangular object on the reverse a baetyl, a conical stone worshipped as an abode of the gods.

ILLUSTRAZIONE: Affresco pompeiano raffigurante un Genius Loci. Secondo il grammatico Servio Mario Onorato "nullus locus sine Genio" (nessun luogo è senza un Genio) (Commento all'Eneide). Il Genius Loci non va però confuso con il Lare perché questi è il Genio del luogo posseduto dall'uomo o che l'uomo attraversa (come i Lari Compitali e i Lari Permarini), mentre il Genius loci è il Genio del luogo abitato e frequentato dall'uomo. Inoltre quando si invoca il Genius loci bisogna precisare "sive mas sive foemina" (che sia maschio o che sia femmina) perché non se ne conosce il genere.

[King John]

Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 120	Auction date: 6 October 2020
Lot number: 247 Price realized: 425,000 CHF   (Approx. 464,430 USD / 393,883 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Agrigentum Tetradrachm signed by engraver Myron circa 410-406, AR 17.08 g. Fast quadriga driven r. by charioteer holding kentron and reins; above, Nike flying l., holding wreath and below, MYP. In exergue, Scylla r. Rev. [AKP]AΓ – ANTINON Two eagles, one raising head and screaming, the other with head lowered, both perched on dead hare which lies upon a rock. BMC 53 (these dies). Seltman 3b (this coin). Forrer p. 246 (this coin listed). Gillet 343 (this coin). Rizzo pl. 2, 6 and pl. 4, 3 (this coin). Wealth of Ancient World 76 (this coin). Westermark 583.2 (this coin). Of the highest rarity, possibly the best of only three specimens known. One of the finest tetradrachms of Agrigentum in existence and undoubtedly the most elegant and finely executed reverse die of the entire series. A coin of enchanting beauty struck on a large flan and with a wonderful old cabinet tone. Unobtrusive scratch on obverse, otherwise extremely fine Ex Hamburger 2nd April 1894, 135; Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge 28th May 1900, Rothschild, 83; Leu-MM 28, 1974, Kunstfreud, 80 and Sothebys 19th June 1990, Hunt part I, 76 sales. From the Charles Gillet collection. Akragas, located along the southwestern coast of Sicily, was founded in 580 BC by Dorian Greeks from Gela and Rhodes. Its colonization was intended to serve as bastion of Geloan influence in western Sicily but Akragas soon eclipsed its mother city in importance and became the dominant Greek settlement in the west. The coinage of Akragas began early, ca. 510 BC, with a series of Attic-weight didrachms featuring an eagle on the obverse and a crab on the reverse, types that would remain the civic badges of the city well into the fourth century. By the mid-fifth century the city had begun issuing Attic-weight tetradrachms alongside the didrachms, as well as smaller silver issues on the litra standard to facilitate day-to-day commerce. All of these types, however, were lacking fluidity in their artistic expression, presenting a rather staid and homogeneous appearance overall.By the end of the fifth century things had drastically changed. Master engravers began producing exceptional miniature works of medallic art throughout Sicily, and Akragas was no exception to this trend. Like other artists of the time, the engraver of the obverse die that was used to strike this magnificent tetradrachm, signed his name MYP (probably for Myron) below the horses hooves. The scene captures the thrill of the race, with the charioteer firmly in control. One of the horses looks back at the driver, while above Nike flies toward him to crown him with a victory wreath. In the exergue is the monster Skylla, the demon plaguing the Strait of Messina. Overall its an impressive scene, brilliant in its execution, magnificently rendered. The type ultimately derives from the contemporary tetradrachms from Syracuse, but may also refer to the victory of Exainetos of Akragas at the Olympic games of 412 BC. The reverse of this coin is no less impressive than the obverse. It depicts two eagles perched atop a dead hare which itself rests upon a rock, the nearer eagle with its head raised and screeching its delight, the further spreading its wings for balance while already tearing into its prey. Although the die is not boldly signed by the engraver like the obverse, it is certainly from the same hand that engraved the reverse die used to strike Seltman 4. Seltman 4 (also AMB 260) is signed in miniscule letters which read POLYAI (for Polyainos). Here Polyainos keenly captures the haunting beauty (and terror) of the natural world in a scene that is elegantly rendered, animated and dramatic. The die is certainly the finest engraved of all the entire series, and provides the best visual account of certain verses from the tragedy Agamemnon by Aeschylus, in which two mystical eagles appear in the act of lacerating a pregnant hare and which foretold Agamemnons and Menelaoss (the two Atrydes) victory over the city of Troy. This magnificent tetradrachm issue coincided with a drastic need for coinage at Akragas; war with Carthage was imminent, just over the horizon, and money was needed to pay the mercenaries from Sparta and Syracuse who had heeded the call to help defend the city. Not only did Akragas produce the wonderful tetradrachms – one of the finest ever minted in the classical world – at this time, but we also see an emergency issue of silver decadrachms with the same types as on this coin as well as a gold issue of 1/5 staters (or perhaps dilitra) which display the traditional civic badge of the eagle and crab. All this was wasted effort, however, as ultimately the Carthagian general Himilco utterly destroyed the city after its capture in 406 BC. Estimate: 250000 CHF

Modificato 27 Febbraio, 2021 da King John

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXI	Auction date: 24 March 2021
Lot number: 371
Lot description: Q. Hortensius Hortalus, Proconsul of Macedonia, Æ 25mm of Cassandrea or Dium, Macedon. Circa 43-42 BC. [Q HO]RTENSI PRO • COS, bare head of Hortensius to right / PRAEF COLONI • DEDVC, ox yoke, plough and measuring rod (?) with vexillum. S. Kremydi-Sicilianou, The Coinage of the Roman Colony of Dion, Biblioteca 4 of the Hellenic Numismatic Society, Athens 1996, p. 257, 1-8 and pl. 32 = RPC I 1509. 13.91g, 25mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. From a private European collection. A son of the famous orator of the same name, Quintus Hortensius was appointed proconsul of Macedonia by Caesar in January 44 BC. Caesar was assassinated in March, and a few months later, just as Hortensius was about to retire, the Civil War broke out and he went over to Brutus and the Republican party with the offer of military help. The Senate was obliged to accept Brutus once again as proconsul, but after the battle of Philippi in 42 BC Hortensius was executed. During his stay in Macedonia Hortensius struck an issue of bronze coins in three denominations, and the coins confirm that he was appointed 'praefectus coloniae deducendae' of a military colony the name of which is not mentioned - it was either at port of Kassanderia (Cassandreia) or the ancient shrine of Dion (Dium) in Macedonia where several examples have been found in official excavations and published by Kremydi-Sicilianou, op. cit., pp. 285-6. Estimate: 1500 GBP

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 15	Auction date: 27 February 2021
Lot number: 82 Price realized: 800 CHF   (Approx. 885 USD / 725 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: SICILY. Agyrion. Circa 339/8-317 BC. Hemilitron (Bronze, 28 mm, 15.00 g, 4 h). Head of young Herakles (or Iolaos?) to right, wearing tainia, lion skin tied around his neck. Rev. AΓYPINAIΩN Panther standing right, gnawing on stag's head held down by his foreclaws. Castrizio Series V, 1 (D1/R2). HGC 2, 50. Rizzo pl. LIX, 11. An unusually attractive example of this difficult issue with a fine pedigree. Faint marks, otherwise, very fine. From the Trinacria Collection, Classical Numismatic Group 97, 17 September 2014, 18, ex Numismatica Ars Classica 7, 1 March 1994, 185 and H. J. Berk Chicago International Coin Fair Auction 1, 23 March 1993, lot 11. Starting Price: 200 CHF

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XX	Auction date: 29 October 2020
Lot number: 642 Price realized: 6,000 GBP   (Approx. 7,743 USD / 6,640 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Caracalla Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 215. M AVREL ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / P M TR P XVIII [IMP III] COS IIII P P, Isis standing right, holding sistrum and presenting grain ears to Caracalla standing left, holding reversed spear, foot on crocodile between. RIC 544; C. 334; BMCRE 287. 18.25g, 31mm, 7h. Near Mint State. Ex E. P. Nicolas Collection, Maison Platt, 9-10 March 1982, lot 597; Ex V. J. E. Ryan Collection, Glendining & Co. Ltd, 2 April 1952, lot 2682. This type records the infamous visit of Caracalla to Alexandria, the capital of the province of Egypt. Since the conclusion of his campaign against the Alamanni in 213-4, it had become apparent that the emperor was unhealthily obsessed with the great Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great. At this point he appears to have begun openly emulating Alexander in his personal style. Indeed, Cassius Dio (78.7-78.23) relates that "he was so enthusiastic about Alexander that he used certain weapons and cups which he believed had once been his, and he also set up many likenesses of him both in the camps and in Rome itself. He organised a phalanx, composed entirely of Macedonians, sixteen thousand strong, named it 'Alexander's phalanx', and equipped it with the arms that warriors had used in his day." Caracalla's visit in 215 to Alexandria while on his way east should then have been a happy occasion. However the emperor, "hearing that he was ill-spoken of and ridiculed by them for various reasons, not the least of which was the murder of his brother... concealing his wrath and pretending that he longed to see them... first greeted [the leading citizens] cordially... and then put them to death. Then, having arrayed his whole army, he marched into the city, after first notifying all the inhabitants to remain at home and after occupying all the streets and all the roofs as well. And, to pass over the details of the calamities that then befell the wretched city, he slaughtered so many persons that he did not even venture to say anything about their number, but wrote to the senate that it was of no interest how many of them or who had died, since all had deserved to suffer this fate." Estimate: 6000 GBP

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 6	Auction date: 23 October 2020
Lot number: 40 Price realized: 12,500 CHF   (Approx. 13,780 USD / 11,651 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: LUCANIA. Metapontion. Time of Pyrrhos of Epeiros, circa 280-279 BC. Tetrobol or Third Stater (Gold, 13 mm, 2.87 g, 6 h), Attic standard. ΛEYKIΠΠ[OΣ] Bearded head of Leukippos to right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet decorated with Skylla hurling a stone on the bowl. Rev. Two six-grained barley ears with leaves to left and right; in fields to left and right, M-[E]; between the barley ears, ΣI. Basel 153 (this coin). Jameson 1867. Johnston Class G, 5.1 (this coin). HN Italy 1630. SNG ANS 396 (same dies). SNG Lockett 404 (same dies). A splendid, very well pedigreed coin of wonderful style struck in high relief. Light corrosion on the reverse, otherwise, good extremely fine. From the Kleinkunst Collection and from the collection of A. D. Moretti, Numismatica Ars Classica 13, 8 October 1998, 153, privately acquired from Leu Numismatik on 10 October 1973, and from the C. Gillet Collection ('Kunstfreund'), photofile no. 202. The impressive Leukippos-gold coinage of Metapontion was likely struck during the early stages of the Pyrrhic War, in which Pyrrhos of Epeiros, with significant help by the other Diadochi, came to the aid of Tarentum and the Greeks of southern Italy in their fight against the expansionism of Rome. The King successfully defeated a large Roman army in the Battle of Herakleia in 280 BC, but the follow-up hard-fought Battle of Asculum in 279 BC was inconclusive and led to the loss of many lives on either side. Plutarch, who claims a costly victory for the Greeks, reports that Pyrrhos replied to the congratulations of his officers with the famous sentence: 'If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined!' (Plut. IX, 21.8). The adventurous King left southern Italy soon thereafter to combat the Carthaginians in Sicily, but after a series of early victories he angered the civic pride of the Greeks on the island with his despotic manner. In 275 BC, Pyrrhos hence returned to Italy, where he suffered a decisive defeat by a Roman army under Manius Curius Dentatus near a place called Maleventum, which was subsequently renamed Beneventum by the victors. Pyrrhos retreated to Epeiros and was killed in 272 BC in street fighting in Argos, reportedly after an old woman threw a stone at him from the roof of her house, knocking him out and leaving him exposed to his foes. By this time, the city of Metapontion had already lost its independence to Rome, while Tarentum, where Pyrrhos had left behind a small Epeirote garrison, would fall victim to a Roman siege shortly thereafter. A number of subsequent campaigns by the Romans brought their conquest of southern Italy to an end in the following years, after which they would direct their attention to Sicily, where the monumental First Punic War (264-241 BC) was about to unfold. Estimate: 7500 CHF

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXI	Auction date: 24 March 2021
Lot number: 578 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Trajan Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 103-104. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate bust to right, slight drapery on far shoulder / S•P•Q•R• OPTIMO PRINCIPI, a view of the Circus Maximus, displaying the outer colonnade with two arched gateways surmounted by facing quadriga on right and a further gateway surmounted by quadriga moving to right on left, and a partial view of interior with the central great obelisk, flanked by metae at either end of the spina with arches and statue between, being approached by two racing quadriga exiting the starting gates at right, with a sweep of colonnades behind and the pulvinar to the upper left; SC in exergue. RIC II -, cf. 571; C. -, cf. 545-6; Woytek 175b; BMCRE -, cf. 853-6. 26.95g, 35mm, 7h. Previously NGC graded XF 5/5 - 2/5, Fine Style, smoothing (#5746779-001). Acquired from Heritage World Coin Auctions. Nestled beautifully between the Palatine and Aventine hills, the majestic Circus Maximus is said to have been inaugurated by the fifth king of Rome, Tarquinius Priscus, in the 6th Century BC (Livy, Ad Urbe Condita, I.35) One of the city's oldest attractions, it truly rose to eminence during the late Republic; Marius, Pompey and Caesar frequently organised gladiatorial, chariot-racing and seasonal games to honour Jupiter (Ludi Romani) at the site. At its zenith during the middle of the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder states that as many as 250,000 Romans regularly crammed into the complex to behold its spectacles (Encyclopaedia, XXXVI.102), though modern scholars estimate that capacity was closer to 150,000. With such overcrowding inevitably came disaster, however, and the Circus endured countless fires, most notably in 31 BC, AD 64 and 80. It was after the particularly catastrophic fire of AD 103 that this present issue, seemingly unpublished in the prevailing reference works, was struck to commemorate Trajan's elaborate refurbishment of the site. A spectacularly detailed work of numismatic design, it was the first coin to display the Circus in its entirety, and along with an analogous type (see RIC II 571) it has proven invaluable to modern scholars hoping to gauge the scope of Trajan's extensive building works. Of specific note is the arcaded façade, which received a marble facelift, and the extended grandstand in the background, which allowed for five thousand extra spectators. The Arch of Titus (not to be confused with the one still standing in the Forum) can also be observed to the east, whilst the Temple of Sol, surmounted by a bust of the deity, appears to the upper left. The most dominant feature of the overall design, though, is without doubt the so-called Flaminio Obelisk (today located in the Piazza del Popolo) which is situated on the spina. The monument was originally erected in Heliopolis by pharaoh Ramesses II, before being brought across from newly annexed Egypt by Augustus in 30 BC. Towering over the track and spectators, the monument was so awe-inspiring that the later scholar Isidore of Seville adjudged it to be an 'arrow running through the middle of the world' (Etymologies, XVIII). Of the overall project, Cassius Dio, an admirer of Trajan, states that: 'He (Trajan) was so high-minded and generous that, after enlarging and embellishing the Circus, which had crumbled away in places, he merely inscribed on it a statement that he had made it adequate for the Roman people.' (Roman History, LVIII.7.2). Interestingly, this type was struck solely in bronze, no doubt on account of the wider circulation of sestertii among the Roman populous. Sadly, but perhaps predictably, this iteration of the Circus was not to endure for long. In 140, during the reign of Antoninus Pius, a column near the top tier of the seating area collapsed, killing perhaps 2,000 spectators instantly. This time recovery was slow, and only when Caracalla completed another renovation in 213 did it again come close to its former glory (see RIC IV 211b). Estimate: 15000 GBP ILLUSTRAZIONE: UNA RICOSTRUZIONE GRAFICA DEL CIRCO MASSIMO

[King John]

Nomos AG > obolos 18	Auction date: 21 February 2021
Lot number: 139 Price realized: 360 CHF   (Approx. 401 USD / 332 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: MACEDON. Neapolis. Circa 500-480 BC. Drachm (Silver plated bronze, 16 mm, 2.06 g, 1 h), Plated. Facing gorgoneion with protruding tongue. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. SNG ANS 420-2. Traite II, 1, 1741. Light cleaning marks, core exposed, otherwise, very fine. From the Trausnitz Collection, acquired on 3 May 2002. Starting Price: 50 CHF ILLUSTRAZIONE: TERRACOTTA DEL 600 A.C. CIRCA, METROPLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXI	Auction date: 24 March 2021
Lot number: 38 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: Sicily, Gela AR Didrachm. Circa 490/85-480/75 BC. Nude warrior, holding javelin, on horseback to right / Forepart of man-headed bull to right, CEΛA (retrograde) in lower right field; all within shallow incuse circle. Jenkins, Gela 7 (O4/R4); Kraay & Hirmer 155 (same rev. die); HGC 2, 363. 8.56g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine; attractive light tone. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 51, 5 March 2009, lot 563. Estimate: 7500 GBP