| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 3262 Price realized: 380 CHF (Approx. 432 USD / 401 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.82 g, 12 h), D. Turullius, moneyer. Military mint moving with Antony (Actium?), summer 31. M•ANTONIVS•AVG•IMP•IIII[•C]OS•[TERT•III•VIR-•R•P•C] Bare head of Mark Antony to right. Rev. Victory standing front, head to left, holding wreath tied with fillet in her right hand and palm frond over her left shoulder; all within laurel wreath. Babelon (Antonia) 147 and (Turullia) 6. Crawford 545/2. CRI 388. RBW 1851. Sydenham 1211a. Nicely toned. Banker's mark and light scratches, otherwise, good fine. From a Swiss collection, formed before 2005. Struck right before Mark Antony's and Cleopatra's dreams of world domination would be utterly crushed under the relentless blows delivered to their galleys by Agrippa's rams in the Battle of Actium on 2 September 31 BC, this coin feigns an optimism which Mark must have long abandoned at that point. Trapped in swampy terrain at the mouth of the Gulf of Ambrakia after a surprise advance by the forces of Octavian, Antony's massive army and fleet suffered from hunger, disease and desertion throughout the summer of 31 BC. The situation eventually became untenable, forcing him and his beloved queen to attempt a breakthrough through Agrippa's fleet. Their plan was for Antony to engage the opponent so that Cleopatra could slip away with her contingent and the war treasury. Antony would subsequently also break away from Agrippa and reassemble his and Cleopatra's naval and land forces further east to continue the struggle on more solid grounds, with the vast resources of the eastern provinces and Ptolemaic Egypt eventually tipping the scales of the war in their favor. However, Agrippa's superior generalship and his forces' higher morale and tactical flexibility won him a resounding victory over Antony's fleet, and while the latter successfully fled the scene after transferring from his giant flag ship to a smaller vessel, three-quarters of his fleet was either captured or destroyed. Meanwhile, Cleopatra had successfully sailed to Egypt - a planned tactical withdrawal that would lead to numerous misogynistic accusations of cowardice and treason by ancient and modern writers - but her and her lover's fate was sealed when Antony's demoralized land army capitulated to Octavian shortly after the battle, and most of the eastern client rulers forsook their former master before long. In 30 BC, Octavian's forces entered Egypt, and both Mark Antony and Cleopatra famously committed suicide, bringing to an end the fifteen-year epic struggle that saw Octavian's rise to become the most powerful ruler the world had ever known. Starting price: 75 CHF |  |
Match 1:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 3261 Price realized: 2,400 CHF (Approx. 2,728 USD / 2,534 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 20 mm, 3.79 g, 12 h), D. Turillius, moneyer, military mint moving with Antony (Actium?), summer 31. M•ANTONIVS•AVG•IMP•IIII•COS•TERT•III•V IR•R•P•C Bare head of Mark Antony to right. Rev. Victory standing front, head to left, holding wreath tied with fillet in her right hand and palm frond over her left shoulder; all within laurel wreath. Babelon (Antonia) 147 and (Turullia) 6. Crawford 545/2. RBW 1851. Sydenham 1211a. A lustrous example with an excellent portrait. Struck from somewhat worn dies, otherwise, virtually as struck. From a European collection, formed before 2005. Struck right before Mark Antony's and Cleopatra's dreams of world domination would be utterly crushed under the relentless blows delivered to their galleys by Agrippa's rams in the Battle of Actium on 2 September 31 BC, this coin feigns an optimism which Mark must have long abandoned at that point. Trapped in swampy terrain at the mouth of the Gulf of Ambrakia after a surprise advance by the forces of Octavian, Antony's massive army and fleet suffered from hunger, disease and desertion throughout the summer of 31 BC. The situation eventually became untenable, forcing him and his beloved queen to attempt a breakthrough through Agrippa's fleet. Their plan was for Antony to engage the opponent so that Cleopatra could slip away with her contingent and the war treasury. Antony would subsequently also break away from Agrippa and reassemble his and Cleopatra's naval and land forces further east to continue the struggle on more solid grounds, with the vast resources of the eastern provinces and Ptolemaic Egypt eventually tipping the scales of the war in their favor. However, Agrippa's superior generalship and his forces' higher morale and tactical flexibility won him a resounding victory over Antony's fleet, and while the latter successfully fled the scene after transferring from his giant flag ship to a smaller vessel, three-quarters of his fleet was either captured or destroyed. Meanwhile, Cleopatra had successfully sailed to Egypt - a planned tactical withdrawal that would lead to numerous misogynistic accusations of cowardice and treason by ancient and modern writers - but her and her lover's fate was sealed when Antony's demoralized land army capitulated to Octavian shortly after the battle, and most of the eastern client rulers forsook their former master before long. In 30 BC, Octavian's forces entered Egypt, and both Mark Antony and Cleopatra famously committed suicide, bringing to an end the fifteen-year epic struggle that saw Octavian's rise to become the most powerful ruler the world had ever known. Starting price: 500 CHF |  |
Match 2:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 15 | Auction date: 1 June 2024 |
| Lot number: 226 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.82 g, 6 h), military mint moving with Mark Antony (Patrae?), 32-31. ANT AVG - III VIR•R•P•C Galley right, with scepter tied with fillet on prow. Rev. LEG XI Aquila between two signa. Babelon (Antonia) 118. Crawford 544/25. CRI 362. RBW -. Sydenham 1229. Lustrous and fresh. The obverse slightly weak, otherwise, good extremely fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. Nothing is known about Antony's Legio XI, which is not identical with Caesar's Legio XI Claudia, levied in Gaul in 58 BC and fighting on Octavian's side at Actium. Estimate: 750 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 272 Price realized: 900 CHF (Approx. 1,023 USD / 950 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.82 g, 6 h), military mint moving with Mark Antony (Patrae?), 32-31. ANT•AVG - III•VIR•R•P•C Galley right, with scepter tied with fillet on prow. Rev. LEG XX Aquila between two signa. Babelon (Antonia) 135. Crawford 544/36. CRI 380. RBW 1848. Sydenham 1243. A beautiful example, lightly toned and attractive. Struck slightly off center, otherwise, extremely fine. From the James Knox Collection of Biblical related coins, ex Jesús Vico 133, 15 November 2012, 2136. Remnants of Antony's otherwise unattested Legio XX were likely incorporated into Octavian's Legio XX Valeria Victrix in 30 BC. This new unit fought in the Cantabrian Wars in Iberia in 29-19 BC, and was then moved to the Rhine frontier following Varus' disaster in 9 AD. Later, it relocated to Britain, where it helped suppressing Boudica's revolt, and was still stationed there under Carausius and Allectus in the late 3rd century. Starting price: 200 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 3235 Price realized: 1,000 CHF (Approx. 1,137 USD / 1,056 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 21 mm, 3.82 g, 12 h), military mint moving with Mark Antony in northern Syria, late summer-autumn 38. M•ANT•AVGVR•III•VIR•R•P•C Bare head of Mark Antony to right. Rev. IMP• - TER Trophy composed of helmet, cuirass and sword, holding a curved sword and an oblong shield; two round shields and two spears at base. Babelon (Antonia) 76. Crawford 536/1. CRI 269. RBW -. Sydenham 1203. Struck from a somewhat worn obverse die and the reverse a bit off center, otherwise, about extremely fine. Ex Leu Web Auction 26, 8-13 July 2023, 3999, and previously from a European collection, formed before 2005. Starting price: 200 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 15 | Auction date: 1 June 2024 |
| Lot number: 218 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 19 mm, 4.06 g, 7 h), military mint moving with Mark Antony in Asia Minor, early 41. M•ANTONIVS•IMP•III•VIR•R•P•C• Bare head of Mark Antony to right; behind, lituus. Rev. PIETA[S] - COS Pietas standing front, head to left, holding lighted turibulum in her right hand and cornucopiae, upon which two storks perch, in her left. Babelon (Antonia) 46. Crawford 516/5. CRI 238. RBW 1796. Sydenham 1172. Rare. Fresh, lustrous and in exceptional condition for this difficult issue. Minor areas of weakness, otherwise, good extremely fine. Ex Leu 13, 27 May 2023, 209 and previously from a European collection, formed before 2005. Estimate: 2000 CHF |  |
