| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 2215 Price realized: 700 CHF (Approx. 796 USD / 739 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: PONTUS. Neocaesarea. Septimius Severus, 193-211. Tetrassarion (Bronze, 31 mm, 13.73 g), CY 141 = 204/5. AY K Λ CЄΠ CЄ[YHPOC] Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Septimius Severus to right, seen from behind. Rev. KOINO B Π NЄOKAIC MHTPO / ЄT PMA Male togate figure standing facing, holding a scroll and with two attendants standing behind him; to left and right, two other togati, who are reasoning with the central figure and one of which is holding a scroll; on the left, another togatus is bending over, holding a scroll. BMC -. Çizmeli -, cf. pl. IX, 112 (same reverse die, but for Caracalla). Leu 3 (2018), 147 (same dies). Martin -. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG Leypold -. SNG Righetti -. SNG von Aulock -. Of the highest rarity, apparently the second known example, and with a reverse of great interest. Slightly rough and with minor deposits, otherwise, nearly very fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. This remarkable reverse type shows a group of six togate men engaged in a heated discussion: a central figure dominates the group, with two attendants standing behind him, while two other figures are trying to win him over to their side with their arguments; the one on the left is pointing to the right; the one on the right places his right hand on the shoulder of the central figure; on the far left, another figure is bending over from behind to follow the discussion. It is noteworthy that the reverse composition finds its parallels in another issue of Neocaesarea, where the Tyche of Neocaesarea is seated as a central figure and is surrounded by five other Tychai (Cf. Çizmeli 50-53, although the majority of the existing examples of this type are modern cast forgeries, unfortunately), most likely those of the neighboring cities Amaseia, Comana, Sebastopolis, Sebasteia and Zela. Our coin, however, probably shows the Demos of Neocaesarea surrounded by the Demoi of Amaseia, Comana, Sebastopolis, Sebasteia and Zela. Whether those issues refer to a specific event such as the meeting of the Pontic Koinon is unclear (although the fact that the issue with the Tychai is dated to 205/6, not 204/5 as this coin, speaks against it), but it is certainly worth noting that the Demoi are togati, which emphasizes Pontus' close relations to Rome, as the toga is the sign of a Roman citizen and the constitutio Antoniniana was still a decade away. Starting price: 200 CHF |  |
