Le più belle rappresentazioni di guerrieri

[King John]

Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 138	Auction date: 18 May 2023
Lot number: 263 Price realized: 62,500 CHF   (Approx. 69,038 USD / 64,102 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Salamis. Evagoras II, 361 – 351 Stater circa 361-351, AV 8.29 g. EYA Turreted head of Aphrodite l. Rev. [BA] Lion standing l., devouring prey; eagle on its back; above, star. BMC p. cv, 1 and pl. XXIV, 11. Tziambazis 123. Markou, L'or 368 (these dies). Kraay-Hirmer, pl. 195, 679 (these dies). Of the highest rarity, only five specimens known of this variety and seven of this type, of which only four are in private hands. Minor marks, otherwise good extremely fine Evagoras II was probably the grandson of Evagoras I, the great Greek king of Salamis in the early fourth century BC. However, whereas Evagoras I had strongly pursued alliances with Athens as a means of expanding the power of Salamis and maintaining its independence from the Persian Empire, Evagoras II was subservient to the Great King. His pro-Persian policies offended his people's desire for autonomy like other Greek states and in 351 BC he was overthrown in a popular uprising led by his nephew, Pnytagoras. Evagoras II was forced to flee from Cyprus and escaped to the Persian court of Artaxerxes III. The Great King rewarded his former loyalty by making him governor of Sidon in the stead of its rebellious Phoenician governor. Unfortunately, Evagoras II proved to be as obnoxious to the Sidonians as he had been to the Salaminians and in 346 BC, after only three years in power, he was forced to flee from Phoenicia to Cyprus. There was a bitter homecoming awaiting him. Upon his arrival, Evagoras II was arrested and executed on the orders of Pnytagoras. This beautiful gold stater features the head of Aphrodite wearing the turreted crown of a city-goddess. Aphrodite, who was sometimes given the epithet Cypris ("Lady of Cyprus"), was widely worshipped on the island. This was attributed by the Greeks to the mythological tradition that she was born from the sea foam in the waters off its shores. In reality, she was the Greek equivalent to the Semitic goddess Astarte worshipped by the Phoenician population of Cyprus. Interestingly, despite the pro-Persian stance of Evagoras II, his coinage is probably the most Hellenic in style of all the kings of Salamis who preceded him. He was the first to abandon the old Cypriot syllabary in favour of the Greek alphabet for his coin inscriptions. Estimate: 30000 CHF ILLUSTRAZIONE: TESTA TURRITA DELLA DEA CIBELE

[King John]

Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 540	Auction date: 14 June 2023
Lot number: 174 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: CILICIA, Uncertain. 4th century BC. AR Obol (11mm, 0.62 g, 11h). Head of female facing slightly left / Persian king or hero, wearing kidaris and kandys, bow in case on back, standing right, fighting griffin standing left on hind legs; [all within shallow incuse square]. Göktürk 38; SNG BN –; SNG Levante –; Sunrise 107. Lightly toned, traces of find patina, scratches on reverse. Good VF. Very rare. Ex NBS Auctions 7 (18 July 2021), lot 82. Estimate: 150 USD

[King John]

Nomos AG > Auction 28	Auction date: 22 May 2023
Lot number: 1222 Price realized: 14,000 CHF   (Approx. 15,519 USD / 14,386 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: CARIA. Uncertain mint. Circa 500-400 BC. Triobol (Silver, 14.5 mm, 3.98 g, 6 h). Facing gorgoneion with protruding tongue and four wings evenly spaced around. Rev. Harpy right within incuse square. De Luÿnes 2751 = Traité II 1606 and pl. CXLV, 1 = HNO temp. 2552.1. HNO temp. 2552.7 (this coin). An extremely rare coin, with types of real iconographic importance. Well-centered and particularly attractive. Reverse very slightly double-struck, otherwise, good very fine. From a European collection, ex Naumann 59, 5 November 2017, 148. It would be really interesting if we could identify the mint that produced this coin! The city must have been, obviously, devoted to gorgons, probably in their function as protective deities. We know this because it produced a series of coins all with the common obverse of a facing gorgon's head surrounded by four wings: a triobol (as here), with the reverse of a harpy; an obol with a running gorgon on the reverse (HMO temp. 2758); and a hemiobol with the forepart of a boar on its reverse (HMO temp. 2759). The four-winged head on the obverse has a relation to the multi-winged creatures of the Bible: the Seraphim, with six wings, and the Cherubim, with four (albeit with multiple heads). Interestingly enough, on the reverse of this coin we have a harpy with four wings, two arms and, apparently, no legs! Estimate: 5000 CHF

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 13	Auction date: 27 May 2023
Lot number: 106 Price realized: 100,000 CHF   (Approx. 110,375 USD / 102,936 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: KINGS OF PONTOS. Mithradates IV Philopator, circa 155-152/1 BC (?). Stater (Gold, 19 mm, 8.51 g, 12 h), Amisos or Sinope. Laureate head of Mithradates IV to right. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ - MIΘPAΔATOY Hera standing facing, holding long scepter in her right hand and drapery in front of her belly with her left; to outer left, star-in-crescent (Pontic royal badge) above monogram; to outer right, two monograms. Alram 23 = F. De Callataÿ: The First Royal Coinages of Pontus (from Mithradates III to Mithradates V), in: J. M. Højte (ed.): Mithridates VI and the Pontic Kingdom. Aarhus 2009, p. 74-75, O1/R1 = HGC 7, 325 = G. Kleiner: Pontische Reichsmünzen, in: IstMitt 6 (1955), pl. 2, 12 = Mattingly pl. 56, 3 = C. Michels: Kulturtransfer und monarchischer "Philhellenismus". Göttingen 2009, p. 218, Abb. 24 = SNG von Aulock 4 (same obverse die). Of the greatest rarity, the second and by far the finest known stater of Mithradates IV. A tremendously important discovery, with a beautiful portrait struck in very high relief. Struck from somewhat worn dies with some die rust on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine. From a German collection, formed in the 1960s. Few Hellenistic royal coinages are as elusive as the issues of the Pontic kings before Mithradates VI (circa 120-63 BC). In fact, in his 2009 article, de Callataÿ recorded fewer than 100 coins in total for the five kings and queens ruling in the century between the accession to power of Mithradates III in circa 220 BC, and that of his great-grandson, Mithradates VI, in circa 120 BC. This meagre numismatic evidence is supplemented by sparse historiographical sources and epigraphical records, leaving much of the early history of the kingdom in the dark, with scholars still arguing over the actual succession of kings and their datings. While we follow Christoph Michels' chronology here, the emergence of a new stater of Mithradates IV is of utmost importance under these circumstances, as it provides further evidence for a gold coinage that was hitherto only known from the unique, but battered and scratched von Aulock example. Mithradates IV was an unlikely successor to the throne, for he was King Pharnakes' (circa 196-155 BC) brother, not his son. He apparently assumed the diadem as his nephew, Mithradates, later King Mithradates V, was still a minor when his father passed away. We know little of the reign of the fourth Mithradates other than that he supported Attalos II in his war against the Bithynian King Prusias II, that he aligned himself with Rome, as can be deduced from his dedication on the Capitoline Hill (OGIS 375), and that he married his sister, Laodike. The king's coinage, on the other hand, is of great interest, as it employs some highly unusual iconography. In total, de Callataÿ recorded one stater and fourteen tetradrachms in the name of Mithradates, five tetradrachms for the royal couple combined, and a doubtful stater and a unique tetradrachm in Laodike's name alone. The striking prominence of the Pontic queen in the royal self-representation is undoubtedly modelled on Ptolemaic and Seleukid prototypes, but it also emphasized the dynastic legitimacy of a king who perhaps feared not being accepted as the rightful heir to the throne. Another interesting aspect of Mithradates' coinage are the reverse types, which show Hera on his staters, Perseus on his tetradrachms, Zeus and Hera on the joint tetradrachms with his sister-wife, and Hera again on Laodike's unique tetradrachm. Clearly Zeus and his wife Hera aligned the royal couple with the world of the divine, whereas Perseus referred to the Persian ancestors of the dynasty. Laodike's prominence is further enhanced by the fact that it is Hera who appears on the reverse of Mithradates' staters, not Zeus (but see below on the question of their dating). Last but not least, Mithradates was also the first Pontic king to use epitheta on his coins, namely 'ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ' and 'ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΥ' ('father-loving' and 'sibling-loving'), following, once more, Ptolemaic and Seleukid role models and propagating the legitimacy of his rule. However, there is another aspect regarding the royal couple's coinage worth considering, and that is whether Mithradates' two gold staters and Laodike's unique tetradrachm were actually struck posthumously. This theory was first proposed by Kleiner, who argued that the king wearing a laurel wreath instead of a diadem, the universal Hellenistic royal headgear, on his then unique gold stater indicates that the coin was struck by his successor, Mithradates V, and that the same was true for Laodike's unique tetradrachm, which shows her veiled rather than diademed. Tempting as this proposition is, it is ultimately unprovable, and it begs the question why Mithradates V would honor his uncle, Mithradates IV, and his aunt, Laodike, but not his own father, Pharnakes I. What is certainly true, however, is that the auctioning of this piece not only offers collectors the exciting opportunity to acquire the second - and by far the finest - gold stater of Mithradates IV, it also provides valuable insights into a Hellenistic dynasty that is often underappreciated, with its earlier kings generally being overshadowed by the long and tumultuous reign of the ferocious campaigner, Mithradates VI, Rome's greatest enemy since Hannibal, for which we have far more extensive historiographical evidence. While still a relatively minor kingdom until the late 2nd century BC, Pontos not only retained a high level of autonomy throughout an age dominated by the much larger Ptolemaic, Seleukid and Roman Empires, it also provides a highly interesting case model of an Iranian dynasty tracing its origins back to the Persian Great King Darius I (522-486 BC), while also participating in the multifaceted political communication of the 'globalized' Hellenistic world stage. Estimate: 50000 CHF

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 25	Auction date: 11 March 2023
Lot number: 97 Price realized: 1,500 CHF   (Approx. 1,631 USD / 1,526 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: LUCANIA. Metapontion. Circa 340-330 BC. Didrachm or Nomos (Silver, 20 mm, 7.75 g, 11 h), Ami..., magistrate. Bearded head of Leukippos to right, wearing Corinthian helmet; behind, ΑΜΙ. Rev. ΜΕΤΑ Barley ear with leaf to right; above leaf, [thunderbolt]. HN Italy 1577. Johnston Class B, 4.3. Well struck and with an attractive head of Leukippos. Minor die break and minor weakness on the reverse, otherwise, about extremely fine. Privately acquired from Pars Coins at New York International Numismatic Convention on 10 January 2023. ILLUSTRAZIONE: BUSTO DI PERICLE AL BRITISH MUSEUM

[King John]

Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 13	Auction date: 27 May 2023
Lot number: 113 Price realized: 6,000 CHF   (Approx. 6,623 USD / 6,176 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: ISLANDS OFF TROAS, Tenedos. Circa 100-70 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 32 mm, 13.63 g, 12 h). Janiform head of a laureate and bearded male to left and a diademed female to right. Rev. TENEΔIΩN Large labrys; to lower left, monogram of TE and grape; to lower right, Dionysos standing left, holding grape in his right hand and thyrsos in his left; all within laurel wreath. Callataÿ, Tenedos, 2 (this coin, D2/R1a). Well struck and clear, and with an exceptional pedigree. Cleaning scratches and the reverse somewhat double struck, otherwise, nearly extremely fine. From the Kleinkunst Collection, Leu 6, 23 October 2020, 175, from the Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection, Sotheby's, 19-20 June 1991, 324, ex Leu 25, 23 April 1980, 140, from the collections of M. Simon, Cahn 68, 26 November 1930, 1448 and Osman Noury Bey, Cahn 60, 2 July 1928, 798, ex Kraus FPL 2, April-June 1928, 834, Feuardent, 9-11 May 1910, 519, and from the collection of A. Rhousopoulos, Hirsch XIII, 15 May 1905, 3518. The island of Tenedos guarded the entrance to the Hellespont and traditionally served as an important waypoint for every ship sailing to or from the Propontis and the Black Sea. As such, it was not only an important landmark, but of great strategic importance to any major naval power in the region. Unsurprisingly, Tenedos had close ties to the Athenians, who used the island as a stronghold to protect their vital supply routes to the Black Sea; however, with the dwindling might of Athenian naval power, the Tenedians became subject to the Hellenistic monarchies in the 3rd to 1st centuries BC, being controlled first by the Seleukids, then the Attalids and eventually by Mithradates VI Eupator. As de Callataÿ has shown, it is during the latter's long reign that the impressive Tenedian stephanophoric tetradrachms were struck in the first decades of the 1st century BC. Although the exact background of the issue is unclear, we know from Plutarch that the Pontic King used the island as a naval base in the Third Mithradatic War (73-63 BC). However, Lucullus defeated the Pontic fleet in 72 BC, sinking and capturing 32 warships and an unknown number of transport vessels (Plut. Luc. 3). It seems that Tenedos subsequently lost its autonomy and was incorporated into the polis of Alexandria on the nearby mainland (Paus. 10.14.4). In early February 54 BC, Cicero refers to a Tenedian embassy requesting, unsuccessfully, from the Senate to be made a libera civitas in a letter to his brother Quintus, saying that 'Tenediorum igitur libertas securi Tenedia praecisa est' ('Well then, the liberty of the Tenedians has been chopped by the Tenedian axe.' Cic. Q. fr. 2.9). Clearly this is a reference to the Tenedian labrys shown on the reverse of our coin, which was, according to the local foundation myth, used by the eponymous hero Tennes to chop the mooring ropes to his father's ship when the latter tried to land on the island to reconcile with his son. In fact, when Pausanias talks about this myth, he explicitely concludes: ἐπὶ τούτῳ μὲν ἐς τοὺς ἀρνουμένους στερεῶς λέγεσθαι καθέστηκεν ὡς ὁ δεῖνα ὅστις δὴ Τενεδίῳ πελέκει τόδε τι ἀποκόψειεν. ('For this reason a by-word has arisen, which is used of those who make a stern refusal: So and so has cut whatever it may be with an axe of Tenedos.' Paus. 10.14.4). Estimate: 5000 CHF ILLUSTRAZIONE: ERMA BIFRONTE, MUSEO DELLE NAVI ROMANE DI NEMI

[VALTERI]

Di raffigurazione forse un poco 'ingenua' , un particolare guerriero stante ritto, con lancia, spada e scudo .

Dal rovescio di una uncia di incerta zecca dell' Apulia, che sarà il 18 Giugno in asta Naville 82 al n. 34 .

[VALTERI]

La testa del dio guerriero Ares con elmo, è al diritto di un piccolo bronzo con al rovescio una corta spada nel suo fodero .

L'esemplare, che sarà il 30 Giugno in asta Ronesans 2 al n. 169, è indicato in didascalia, da Amisos del Ponto, avendo al rovescio per esteso la leggenda   SINO  PES .

[King John]

Harlan J. Berk, Ltd. > Buy or Bid Sale 223	Auction date: 22 June 2023
Lot number: 335 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Sicily, Piacus. AE Tetras; Sicily, Piacus; c. 420-400 BC, Tetras, 2.36g. Calciati-2/1, Rizzo-pl. LX, 14. Obv: Wreathed and horned head of youthful river god l., ΠIAKIN to l. with pellets between the letters. Rx: Dog taking down fawn, barley grain on either side. Rizzo suggested that the accomplished artist who produced the magnificent Apollo-head issues at Katane, known as the 'Maestro della foglia', was also responsible for engraving the dies of this issue. Jenkins, in his later analysis, concurs with Rizzo's observation, and argues that this stylistic link, along with the occurrence of the 'signature', is evidence of the same hand at work.A magnificent example one of most desirable of Greek bronzes. Olive patination. MS Estimate: 2650 USD

 

Modificato 9 Giugno, 2023 da King John

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > The Anders Collection Part II	Auction date: 1 June 2023
Lot number: 70 Price realized: 110 GBP   (Approx. 136 USD / 128 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: The Frentani, Larinum Æ Quincunx. Circa 210-175 BC. Helmeted head of Ares(?) to right / Warrior, holding spear and shield, on horse galloping to left; [L]ADINOD below, five pellets (mark of value) in exergue. Campana 4a; HN Italy 625; HGC 1, 517. 12.14g, 22mm, 9h. Very Fine. From the Anders Collection, collector's tickets included. Estimate: 5 GBP

[King John]

Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 138	Auction date: 18 May 2023
Lot number: 802 Price realized: 2,400,000 CHF   (Approx. 2,651,055 USD / 2,461,504 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Probus, 276-282. Medallion 281, AV 26.05 g. IMP C PROBVS AVG CONS IIII Jugate busts r. of Probus laureate and cuirassed, wearing imperial mantle, holding eagle-tipped sceptre, and Hercules laureate, wearing lion skin-headdress and holding club. Rev. TRA – IECTVS – AVG Emperor advancing l., crossing on the river Rhine; in l. field, Victory preceding him and holding wreath; in r. field, Mars and in background, two soldiers, holding shields and legionary ensigns. Below, the river-god lying l. in the waves. C –. RIC –. S. Estiot, Probus et les 'Tyrans Minuscules' Proculus et Bonosus. Que dite la Monnaie?, in Historiae Augustae. Colloquium Nanceiense, Bari 2014, fig. 28 (this coin illustrated). Apparently unique and the only gold medallion of Probus in existence. Undoubtedly one of the most important and most attractive medallions to have survived from antiquity. A jugate portrait of enchanting beauty struck in very high relief on a large flan and an incredibly finely detailed reverse composition. Virtually as struck and almost Fdc From a Swiss private collection and notarised in Switzerland on the 1st of October 2003. This coin was the banner of Tkalec AG website in the late 90's. Upon the death of Tacitus in AD 276, Probus was proclaimed Emperor by the troops he commanded in the East. War was the ultimate result since Florian, the half-brother of Tacitus and incumbent Praetorian Prefect was also hailed emperor by his own troops in the West. The armies of both Emperors entered Cilicia, but Probus refused to engage in open battle and instead used his smaller force to harass Florian's troops and allow the intense summer heat to wear them down. The stratagem was a success and at last, Florian's tired and sweaty officers murdered their Emperor and declared for Probus. Considering the many great difficulties of Probus' reign, it is not entirely clear why he desired the imperial title so badly. In AD 278, Germanic peoples flooded across the Rhine and Danube frontiers into the provinces of Gaul and Germania, forcing the emperor to embark on a grand campaign to drive back the Alamanni, Longiones and Franks. This campaign was so successful that Probus added Germanicus Maximus to his titulature and crossed the Rhine to bring the war to the Germanic homeland. In AD 279– 280, Probus and his generals were focused on defeating the Vandals who had crossed into Raetia and Illyricum as well as the Blemmyes, a nomadic desert people who had invaded Egypt. Although he had enjoyed successes against the barbarians, in AD 280 Probus also had to deal with a new crop of rival emperors: Julius Saturninus in Egypt and Proculus and Bonosus at Lugdunum. Saturninus was soon killed by his own troops and in AD 281 Proculus and Bonosus were betrayed by their Frankish allies and executed. Following the celebration of a grand triumph in Rome, in AD 282 Probus embarked on a new campaign to crush Carus, a Roman military commander in Raetia who had claimed the imperial title. Probus reached Sirmium on his way to confront the usurper where he was unexpectedly murdered by his own troops, either because they decided to join Carus or because they had become disgruntled after Probus lamented the need of retaining a standing Roman army and made use of them to drain marshes and construct other public works. This stunning gold medallion was struck for distribution as a donative, probably in the context of the triumphal celebration of AD 281. The obverse legend dates the piece to the fourth consulship of Probus, which began in December of that year. He is also depicted wearing the robes and holding the scepter of a consul, which points to production in the year of the actual consulship. He became consul for the fifth time in AD 282. The jugate portraits of the obverse represent a high point in the Roman engraver's art in the late third century. Probus appears in the foreground to take up the office of consul while Hercules appears as his companion behind. Hercules was a popular motif for coins struck during the reign of Probus, no doubt because of the many great and dangerous labors that he was compelled to undertake for the defense of the Empire from its numerous internal and external foes. This pairing of the Emperor with Hercules resonated with the Roman army and was later reused when Diocletian established diarchic and then tetrarchic rule over the Empire. Diocletian, the senior Emperor, was regularly characterized as Jupiter while his constant companion and loyal assistant, Maximian, was characterized as Hercules. The very detailed reverse type commemorates the army's crossing of the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge. The Emperor is depicted on the bridge wearing a cuirass and laurel wreath preceded by Victory and followed by a standard bearer, Mars, the Roman god of war, a second cuirassed figure who may be a general or perhaps the personification of Virtus (Roman manliness and bravery)-a common virtue attributed to Roman Emperors. Estimate: 800000 CHF

[King John]

Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3106	Auction date: 17 January 2023
Lot number: 33121 Price realized: 1,600 USD   (Approx. 1,481 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Ancients CILICIA. Tarsus. Ca. 370 BC. AR stater (23mm, 10.21 gm, 12h). NGC Choice XF 3/5 - 3/5. Heracles, nude, kneeling left, both arms wrapped around neck of the Nemean lion, which crouches right, trying to bite Heracles' right leg; club right below / TEPΣIKON, head of Hera or Aphrodite left, wearing pendant earring, beaded necklace, and turreted stephane decorated with palmette flanked by two medallions. Robinson, NC 1948, pl. V, 11. SNG France 2, 235. SNG Levante 63. Steely surfaces and stunning portrait of the goddess.

[King John]

Heritage World Coin Auctions > Hong Kong Signature Sale 3108	Auction date: 21 June 2023
Lot number: 31004 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Ancients LUCANIA. Thurium. Ca. 4th century BC. AR distater (25mm, 15.70 gm, 5h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Ca. 410-400 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with Scylla, shading eyes with left hand; ΔI behind neck guard / ΘOΥΡΙΩΝ, bull butting right; tunny right in exergue. HN Italy 1805. HGC I 1255. Fine Style designs rendered in stunning detail and struck onto argent surfaces. Estimate: 1500-2500 USD

[King John]

Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3107	Auction date: 3 May 2023
Lot number: 30008 Price realized: 22,000 USD   (Approx. 19,903 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: Ancients MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AV stater (18mm, 8.61 gm, 6h). NGC MS★ 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Posthumous issue of Pamphylia, Side, ca. 325-320 BC. Head of Athena right, hair falling in three tight corkscrew curls, upswept at temple and falling loose over left shoulder, wearing pendant earring, beaded necklace, and triple-crested Corinthian helmet pushed back on head, long parallel crest ends, bowl decorated with leaping griffin right / AΛEΞANΔPOY / BA-ΣIΛEΩΣ, Nike advancing left, wreath in outstretched right hand, stylis cradled in left arm; ΦI above BΣ below wing in inner left field. Price 2956. Expertly carved dies showcase impeccable artistic ability with each portrait boasting stunning remnant detailing. Ex Harlan J. Berk, private sale with old dealer's tag

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII	Auction date: 5 July 2023
Lot number: 218 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Crete, Phaistos AR Stater. Mid-Late 4th century BC. Herakles standing in fighting attitude to left, wearing Nemean lion skin, seizing one of the heads of the Lernean Hydra, and preparing to strike with club; crab by right foot / ΦΑΙΣΤΙOΝ (retrograde), bull butting to right on straight exergual line. Cf. Svoronos 60 (obv. die); cf. Le Rider pl. 23, 24; cf. Babelon, Traité, 1657, pl. 257, 1; Gillet 1019 (this coin). 11.68g, 29mm, 4h. Very Fine; beautiful old cabinet tone. Extremely rare variety with bull charging to right and retrograde legend; seemingly the only example thus on CoinArchives. Ex Bank Leu AG, Auction 28, 5 May 1981, lot 124. Ex Charles Gillet Collection; Ex F. S. Benson collection, Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 3 February 1909, lot 615. The historian Pausanias suggested that the mythological founder of the city of Phaistos was Phaestos, son of Herakles. This aspirational lineage is supported by the depiction of Herakles' second labour on this stater: slaying the ancient serpent-like monster that resided in the lake of Lerna in the Argolid, which guarded an underwater entrance to the underworld. The obverse shows Herakles in his characteristic lion skin, gained by killing the Nemean lion in his first labour. The scene is full of movement, showing a muscular Herakles holding one head of the writhing many headed hydra and preparing to swing at it with his club. Upon removing each of the Hydra's heads however, Herakles found that two more would grow back in its place, an expression of the hopelessness of such a struggle for any but the hero. Realizing that he could not defeat the Hydra in this way, Herakles called on his nephew Iolaos for help. Iolaos then came upon the idea (possibly inspired by Athena) of using a firebrand to cauterize the stumps after each decapitation. When Hera saw that Herakles was gaining the upper hand she sent a large crab to distract the hero, but Herakles crushed it underfoot. He cut off the last and strongest of the Hydra's heads with a golden sword given to him by Athena, and so completed his task. Hera, upset that Herakles had slain the beast she raised to kill him, placed it in the vault of the heavens as the constellation Hydra, and she turned the crab into the constellation Cancer. The encounter with the Lernean Hydra is not only well attested in epic, but is also the subject of some of the earliest securely identifiable Herakles scenes in Greek art. On two Boiotian fibulae of c. 750-700 BC (BM 3025, Philadelphia 75-35-1), the hydra is attacked by Herakles, at whose feet is the crab sent by Hera. This particular form of the scene would later be replicated on the coins of Phaistos (cf. Svoronos 60, pl. XXIV, 20), even including the crab. The die engraver chose to depict Hera's 'giant' crab from the myth, as a small creature no larger than the lion's paw; this has the dual purpose of making the animal appear insignificant and surmountable, right next to the foot that will crush it, and does not detract from main action of the killing of the hydra. This is a compositionally superior piece, visually balanced on a large planchet. It has been repeatedly suggested that the later designs of Phaistos copy a now lost masterpiece of sculpture or painting, perhaps even a statue group by the great sculptor Lysippos (see Lehmann, 'Statues on Coins', New York 1946; see also Lacroix, 'Les Reproductions de Statues sur les Monnaies Grecques', Liege 1949; see also Lattimore, 'Lysippian Sculpture on Greek Coins', California Studies in Classical Antiquity Vol. 5 1972). Lattimore makes a plausible and convincing argument for the Herakles-Hydra confrontation as depicted here being copied from a sculpture; in particular he notes that a sculptural prototype is strongly suggested by 'a feature that is rare, possibly unique, in Greek numismatic design: the group of combatants is shown from both sides, not in mirror reversal, but as two profile views of a three-dimensional group' (cf. Svoronos pl. XXIV, 17 and 22, and Wroth pl. XV, 6). Lattimore notes two discrepancies: that the head of the lion skin is sometimes depicted whether we are shown the front or back view of Herakles, and the lion's paw always passes behind the body of Herakles, but he explains these as a minor and illustrative artistic licence on the part of the die engraver, and a practical necessity to avoid overlapping planes, respectively. Estimate: 25000 GBP IMMAGINE: JOHN SINGER SARGENT, ERACLE E L'IDRA DI LERNIA, OLIO SU TELA (1920)

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII	Auction date: 5 July 2023
Lot number: 117 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Bruttium, Temesa AR Stater/Tridrachm. Early 5th century BC. Tripod, greaves to left and right / Corinthian helmet, TEM below. AMB 234 (this coin); Jameson 464; HGC 1, 1724. 8.18g, 20mm, 9h. Extremely Fine; attractive old cabinet tone. Very Rare. This coin published in H. A. Cahn et al., Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig: Griechische Münzen aus Grossgriechenland und Sizilien (Basel, 1988); Ex Dr Maag Collection, Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger, Auction 407, 7 November 2012, lot 141; Ex Numismatics Ars Classica AG, Auction 13, 8 October 1998, lot 234; Ex A. Moretti Collection, acquired in 1960's and then displayed in the Antiken Museum Basel. According to mythological tradition, Temesa was founded by Thoas, an Aitolian hero returning home after the Trojan war, although it has also been attributed to Polites, a companion of Odysseus who was stoned to death by the local inhabitants when they were blown onto shore. Pausanias relates that the sailor returned as a daimon to kill inhabitants of Temesa, who were ordered by the Pythian oracle to appease him by building a temple and sacrificing a maiden there every year. (Pausanias 6.6.10) He continued to haunt the living until a Lokrian Olympic athlete Euthymos supposedly bested him in a wrestling match in the fifth century BC. This story may have been promulgated by the victorious city of Lokroi Epizephyrioi, which conquered Temesa after defeating Kroton, the previous dominant power in the region of Bruttium, in circa 480 BC. It is in these circumstances that this coin was likely minted, still bearing the tripod of Kroton which had marked Temesa as a dependency of that city, alongside the Corinthian helmet emblem of Temesa. However, where previous coinage had named both cities, this one names only Temesa, possibly pointing towards a new level of autonomy outside of the Krotoniate sphere of influence. Estimate: 55000 GBP

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII	Auction date: 5 July 2023
Lot number: 445 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: Hadrian Æ 30mm of Attaea, Mysia. AD 117-138. ΑV Κ ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟϹ, laureate head to right / [ΑΤ]ΤΑΙΤΩΝ, nude youth standing to right, with upper body bent forward, arms crossed over his left knee and left foot resting on decorated cippus, facing Zeus standing facing, head to left, holding thunderbolt and sceptre; at feet to right, eagle with closed wings to right; between, nude child standing facing. RPC III 1757.2 (this coin); Imhoof Blumer, KM p. 18, 5 = RPC III 1757.1. 18.69g, 30mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare; the second known example. This coin published at Roman Provincial Coinage Online (rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk). The resting youth, without doubt a hero, and the figure of Zeus, together or separately, are known from other coins of the same city. The youth's stance resembles that of Alexander the Great of the famous statue in Munich's Glyptothek (Inv. 298). The child could perhaps be explained as a minor deity. Estimate: 500 GBP ILLUSTRAZIONE: HERMES CHE SI ALLACCIA IL SANDALO, COPIA ROMANA DEL II SECOLO DA UN ORIGINALE DI LISIPPO, LOUVRE

[King John]

Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG > Online Auction 167 | Silver	Auction date: 25 June 2023
Lot number: 154 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: Persia. Achaemenid Empire. Uncertain mint in Caria. Time of Artaxerxes II to Artaxerxes III circa 400-341 BC. Tetradrachm AR 23 mm, 14,93 g Persian king, wearing kidaris and kandys, in kneeling-running stance right, drawing bow / Warrior, wearing kyrbasia, on horseback right, thrusting spear he holds aloft in right hand; to left, head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin. good very fine Sunrise 73–4 var. (reverse controls); Meadows, Administration 327 var. (BA on obv.); Mildenberg, Münzwesen pp. 26–7, and pl. XIV, 122–3 var. (letters on obv.); Konuk, Influences, Group 5, 4 and pl. XXX, 17.

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII Auction date: 5 July 2023 Lot number: 558 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -   Lot description: Nero Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 65. NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate bust to right, slight drapery on far shoulder / Roma, helmeted and draped, seated to left on cuirass, right foot on helmet, holding Victory in outstretched right hand and resting left hand on parazonium; to right, shields set on ground; S-C across fields, ROMA in exergue. RIC I 275 var. (wearing aegis); WCN 137 var. (same); BMCRE 180 var. (same); BN 364 var. (same). 27.90g, 35mm, 6h. Extremely Fine; engraved in fine style, with a superbly detailed reverse. This coin published at www.moneymuseum.com; Ex Long Valley River Collection, Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XX, 29 October 2020, lot 550; Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XVIII, 6 January 2015, lot 1033; Ex MoneyMuseum Zürich Collection, Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XVIII, 6 January 2015, lot 1033 (hammer: USD 15,000); Ex Kurt P. Wyprächtiger Collection, Bank Leu AG, Auction 7, 9 May 1973, lot 346. The reverse of this magnificent sestertius displays a finely detailed depiction of Roma. Conceived of by Romans as 'Amazonian', militaristic by nature, holding Victory in her palm and gripping the parazonium (a leaf-shaped blade that was a ceremonial mark of rank and used to rally troops), she is the embodiment of the city of Rome, and more broadly the Roman state. Unexpectedly, the cult of Dea Roma had emerged not at Rome, but in the Greek East. The earliest appearances of Roma are most likely found in the helmeted figure appearing on Roman cast bronze coins dating from 280-276 BC, however the identification is contestable. Other early Roman coinage displays a similarly warlike 'Amazon' type, who is also possibly Roma, but more likely a genius (defined as the individual instance of a general divine nature that is present in every individual person, place, or thing) of Rome than a distinct goddess. Certainly, Roma was in the time of the Republic not the subject of cult worship at Rome itself. The earliest attested temple dedicated specifically to Roma appears in Smyrna around 195 BC, and around the same time the cult of Roma appeared at Rhodes and other cities nearby. Such democratic city-states accepted Roma as analogous to their traditional cult personifications of the demos (the people). The cult of Roma spread relatively quickly within the provinces, and is accepted as having been the precursor for the later principate era state-sanctioned worship of living emperors as gods. When in 30/29 BC the koina of Asia and Bithynia requested permission to honour Augustus as a living god, a cautious solution was devised; republican values held monarchy and Hellenic honours in contempt (the courting of both had proved fatal for Caesar), but refusal might offend loyal allies. Thus it was determined that non-Romans could only offer worship to Augustus as Divus jointly with Dea Roma. This dual worship of the State together with the head of state was a political and religious expedient, but while Augustus, Tiberius and Claudius were careful to refuse divine honours within Rome itself, subsequent rulers of arguably less stern moral fibre allowed or actively promoted worship of their own person. Indeed, Nero had in AD 64, the year before this coin was struck, instituted his depiction on the Roman coinage with the radiate crown previously reserved for deified (and deceased) emperors. Estimate: 10000 GBP

 

Modificato 19 Giugno, 2023 da King John

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII	Auction date: 5 July 2023
Lot number: 565 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description Vespasian Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 71. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III, laureate head to right, slight drapery on far shoulder / ROMA RESVRGES, emperor standing to left, raising kneeling Roma; goddess Roma standing to right behind, holding spear and shield; S C in exergue. RIC II.1 195; C. 425 var. (obv. legend, bust type); BMCRE 565 var. (bust type); Cayón 157 (only three specimens listed). 26.52g, 34mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare, Cayón listed only three specimens. Estimate: 1500 GBP

[King John]

Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 537	Auction date: 26 April 2023
Lot number: 4 Price realized: 2,000 USD   (Approx. 1,822 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 340-330 BC. AR Nomos (20.5mm, 7.88 g, 2h). Helmeted head of Leukippos right; to left, hound seated left; Σ below / Barley ear with leaf to right; dove above leaf, AMI below leaf. Johnston Class B, 3.10 (same dies); HN Italy 1576; SNG ANS 447 (same dies); SNG Ashmolean 735 (same dies). Lightly toned, a little die wear. Good VF. From the Kalevala Collection. Ex Leu Numismatik Web Auction 7 (23 February 2019), lot 42. Estimate: 300 USD IMMAGINE: IPOTESI RICOSTRUTTIVA DI UNO DEI DUE BRONZI DI RIACE

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII	Auction date: 5 July 2023
Lot number: 407 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction
Lot description: Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Eukratides I Megas AR Tetradrachm. Circa 170-145 BC. Diademed heroic bust to left, seen from behind, wearing crested helmet adorned with bull's horn and ear, brandishing spear in right hand / The Dioskouroi on horses prancing to right, each holding spear and palm; BAΣIΛEΩΣ MEΓAΛOY above, EYKPATIΔOY below, monogram in lower right field. Bopearachchi 8A; Bopearachchi & Rahman 252-4; Mitchiner 179a (Mitchiner doesn't differentiate between monograms A and B in Bopearachchi but the plates show both); SNG ANS 484; HGC 12, 132. 16.99g, 32mm, 12h. Near Mint State; a wonderfully sculptural heroic bust, lustrous silver beneath a satin grey tone. Ex Oxus Collection, Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XXV, 22 September 2022, lot 597. The Greco-Baktrian Kingdom is seldom mentioned in classical texts, in fact, much of what we know about the territory has been learnt from coins and their inscriptions. Notably, it is these very coins that have also granted Baktria a position in the history of Hellenistic art (J.J. Pollitt, Art in the Hellenistic Age, p.285), for, they present some of the finest examples of numismatic design and portraiture. Not only remarkable for its artistic merit however, a coin such as this is further significant for what it reveals about the self-perception of a Baktrian King. Eukratides, an usurper, proclaimed himself King following a revolt (recorded by Justin (XLI, 6)) against Demetrios and the elimination of the entire former dynasty. The reverse of this coin reflects the warring prowess of the King in an intricate depiction of cavalrymen, the Dioskouroi, rushing into battle with their lances set and palm branches trailing behind them. The inscription surrounding the image reads 'of the great King, Eukratides' implying that, like the Persians and Alexander before him, Eukratides had come to dominate all the local rulers of the region. In a numismatically unprecedented mode of depiction, Eukratides I appears on the obverse of this coin as a heroic nude bust. Seen from behind with a side-profile of his verisimilar portrait, Eukratides, spear in hand, is poised ready to strike. His muscles are tense, ready for action, but Eukratides' face conveys the calm composure of a true leader, he gazes straight ahead and his expression is of utmost concentration. Eukratides wears a crested helmet decorated with a bull's horn and ear, possibly an allusion to his Seleukid blood as we also find them on coins of Seleukos, who, according to Appian (Syr. 57) 'was of such a large and powerful frame that once when a wild bull was brought for sacrifice to Alexander and broke loose from his ropes, Seleukos held him alone, with nothing but his hands, for which reason his statues are ornamented with horns'. The artistry of this image tempts a comparison with earlier heroic nude sculpture of Olympian deities, for example, the Artemision Bronze. More generally, there is reason to suppose that the Greek kings of Baktria would have considered their coinage a symbol of and a link with their Hellenic cultural heritage and therefore went to some expense to ensure that their coins were designed by the very best artists (J.J. Pollitt, Art in the Hellenistic Age, p.285). Kings such as Eukratides considered their Hellenic roots made them both distinct and civilized, a notion further evidenced by the fact that this portrait type went on to be copied by successive eastern kings and was later adopted by several Roman emperors from the time of Septimius Severus onward. Estimate: 12500 GBP

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII	Auction date: 5 July 2023
Lot number: 24 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Units. Early-mid 5th century BC. Amphora with blunt base set in elaborate stand, from the top of which emerges an octopus, tentacles spread to either side; XX below / Blank. EC I, 1.1-5 (O1, misattributed to Pisae); HN Italy 104 (Pisae); SNG ANS 16 (Uncertain mints). 22.59g. 33mm. Good Very Fine. One of seven recorded examples, of which only three are in private hands, the others being in Basel's Antikenmuseum, Lisbon's Gulbenkian Collection, the BM in London, and the ANS collection in New York. Ex Collection of a Swiss Etruscologist, Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XVI, 26 September 2018, lot 4 (hammer: 36,000 GBP). The previous attribution to Pisae of the octopus/amphora series was originally based on Garrucci's statement (Le monete dell'Italia antica 1885, p. 49, 18) that two examples, first published by Bompois 1879, pl. 18, come from Pisa and that the name teuthìs or teuthòs, Greek for octopus, is similar to the ethnic Teuta-Teutones recorded by Pliny and Cato as the name of the first inhabitants of Italian Pisa. However, there is no verifiable evidence for a coin of this type ever having been found in or around Pisa. Authors including Toscanelli 1933 (p. 369 note 2 ), Neppi-Modona 1953 (p. 30h and p. 42 k), Bruni 1993 (pp. 81-82), ASAT (p. 63), Tesei 1992 (p. 196), BTCGI XIII (pp. 597-598) and HN Italy (p. 30) all perpetuated Pisan provenance for the series, without actually attesting to specific finds in Pisa or in the vicinity. Pisa in the 19th and early 20th centuries was then the principal commercial centre of Tuscany to where such collectors' coins would gravitate, which likely caused this confusion. The amphora 20, 10 and 5 unit issues fit metrologically between the Populonia undenominated Chalkidian weight standard silver animal and monster series, EC I, 1-6, and the first Metus X, 5 and 2.5 denominated series EC I, 7-10. The octopus fractional issues EC I, 7-5 also belong to Populonia in the 3rd century BC. The design on this coin is impressive for its boldness and novelty, and at the same time highly enigmatic. Depicting an amphora on an elaborate (and probably weighted) stand intended to keep it upright when dropped from a boat into the sea, along with the top of the head of an octopus emerging from the opening with its tentacles splayed outwards on all sides, a quotidian fishing tool is transformed into a powerful sigil for the issuing authority. Along with the ubiquitous Gorgoneion, this type is emblematic of the Etruscan coinage series, though because of its extreme rarity few have ever seen one in hand and so it has for the most part been considered unobtainable by collectors and institutions alike. The elusive nature of the coin is matched by the obscurity of its significance; why the octopus motif occurs repeatedly on the coinage of Populonia is not known. It seems unlikely to be apotropaic in nature despite the qualities (some real, some imagined) attributed to octopodes by the ancients, since though it was known to be a dangerous, crafty and venomous animal, it was evidently also prized as a food source by the coastal Etruscans. The portrayal of the octopus in an amphora therefore suggests a usage similar to that of the crab of Akragas or the barley grain of Metapontion, which represented a prime local produce. As a powerful marine predator it is tempting to visualise a connection between the recurrent octopus theme and Etruscan naval prowess. Aside from their extensive maritime trade connections, the Etruscans were also renowned for possessing a formidable navy - something which only the richest states could afford to construct, equip and maintain. Indeed, Herodotus credits the Etruscans with the invention of the rostrum - the bronze beak affixed to the prow of warships to ram enemy vessels. Until the 5th century BC the Etruscans had effectively dominated the Tyrrhenian Sea, and at the Battle of Alalia were strong enough to form a combined fleet of 120 warships with the Carthaginians to resist Greek encroachment and piracy. The other principal types of the period - the Chimaera, the lion, the boar, and a marine lion-serpent monster - are clearly carefully chosen for their connotations of strength and intimidatory qualities. A simply mundane significance to this particular issue would therefore seem particularly incongruous. It thus seems highly likely that the ancient observer was intended to infer some deeper level of meaning from this motif, perhaps related to guile and ferocity in a marine context. Estimate: 30000 GBP

[King John]

Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 123	Auction date: 23 May 2023
Lot number: 94 Price realized: 1,700 USD   (Approx. 1,577 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description: ATTICA, Athens. Circa 165-42 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.90 g, 11h). New Style coinage. Timarchos, Nikago–, and Mnasik–, magistrates. Struck 134/3 BC. Helmeted head of Athena Parthenos right / Owl standing right, head facing, on amphora; magistrates' names in fields, anchor and star to left, B on amphora, ΣΦ below; all within wreath. Thompson 361d (same obv. die); HGC 4, 1602. Bright surfaces. Near EF. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 93 (22 May 2013), lot 293. The reverse die used on this coin is the same as Thompson 363a, which may also be the same as 361d, but none of the examples of the latter are published. Estimate: 1000 USD

[King John]

Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXVIII	Auction date: 5 July 2023
Lot number: 456 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction -
Lot description: Anonymous AR Didrachm. Rome, 269-266 BC. Head of Hercules to right, wearing taenia, with club and lion-skin over shoulder / She-wolf standing to right, head to left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus; ROMANO in exergue. Crawford 20/1; RBW 23 (Neapolis?); BMCRR Romano-Campanian 28; RSC 8. 7.30g, 20mm, 6h. Extremely Fine; light cabinet tone. A superior example of the type, with arguably the best-preserved and well-detailed reverse for this issue present on CoinArchives. This piece is published in H.B. Andersen, Apollo to Apollo: The Hunt for the Divine and Eternal Beauty (2019); From the Apollo to Apollo Collection (www.apollotoapollo.com); Acquired from Moruzzi Numismatica, December 2012. While Pliny writes "the Roman people did not even use silver coin before the defeat of Pyrrhus" which took place in 275 BC, modern scholars can scarcely hope to be as categorical as the ancient author (NH xxxiii, 42). It is clear, however, that the silver didrachm emerged at some point during the early 3rd century BC, weighing around 6.8g or six scruples, consistent with the weight of a south Italian Greek didrachm. Thomsen suggested that this Hercules / Wolf type can be conclusively dated to 269 BC, since the type alludes to the consuls of that year, C. Fabius Pictor, of whom Hercules was the patron, and Q. Ogulnius L. f. Q. n. Gallus, whose ancestors Gnaeus and Quintus Ogulnius had as curule aediles used fines collected from violators of usury laws to erect a statue of the she-wolf in 296 BC (ERC III, p. 120). Mitchell, however, assigns the date of this issue much earlier, to the date of the statue's erection, and argues that the legend ROMANO, which appears on four early didrachms, indicates that this coinage was struck outside Rome, as opposed to the later didrachms which bear the legend ROMA ('A New Chronology for the Romano-Campanian Coins', NC 1966, pp.66-7). Mattingly had suggested earlier that the latter legend "might seem to indicate the sovereignty of Rome more explicitly" ('The Various Styles of the Roman Republican Coinage', NC 1949, p.63.). Crawford meanwhile believes that although basing the date upon the family histories of the consuls is misconceived, since he argues that it was in fact the censors who were responsible for issues of the didrachm (RRC p.714), he nonetheless also dates it to 269 BC noting that of the four issues of silver didrachms it is the first to bear distinctly Roman imagery. He suggests the portrait of Hercules may be that of Hercules Victor, which would be "highly suitable for a coinage struck from the spoils of war and perhaps reflecting the Roman ideology of military prowess" after the victory against Pyrrhus (RRC p.714). Following the sporadic didrachm issues, the so-called Quadrigati emerged in the latter half of the 3rd century and were eventually issued in large quantities throughout the Punic Wars. At some point circa 214-212 the denomination was replaced by the denarius, a shift that would prove decisive and would dominate Roman coinage for centuries to come. Nevertheless, the wolf type, which is rendered for the first time so masterfully on this early didrachm, would endure as an iconic and patriotic symbol of Rome on coinage well into the imperial period and beyond, eventually achieving a satisfying historical circularity when it was employed on the municipal coinage of Rome under the Ostrogoths for what was to be the last issue of coinage struck by the ancient Romans in their own name. Estimate: 10000 GBP