| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 5528 Price realized: 320 CHF (Approx. 364 USD / 338 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Kaleb, circa 510-530s. Chrysos (Gold, 17 mm, 1.61 g, 12 h). XAΛ✠Ηᗺ ᗺ✠AↃΙΛ✠ↃVↃ Draped half-length bust of Kaleb to right, wearing tiara and circular earring, holding spear in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; to inner left, I; all within circular border; above, monogram of ከለበ ('klb' = 'Kaleb' in Ge'ez). Rev. ✠ΥIOↃ O϶[...]϶ИA Draped half-length bust of Kaleb to right, wearing tight-fitting head cloth and circular earring, holding branch in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; all within circular border; above, monogram of ከለበ ('klb' = 'Kaleb' in Ge'ez). Hahn, Aksumite, 41b. Hahn & Keck, MAKS, 64, 63.28 (this coin). Munro-Hay, AC, type 91-96. Rare. Struck from somewhat worn and corroded dies, otherwise, very fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection, . With the reign of Kaleb, the Axumite Kingdom again enters the light of historiography. Both Byzantine and Islamic sources (notably Procopius, De bell. 1.20.1-8) report that under Kaleb, a Christian king was installed in the Himyarite Kingdom in circa 518, but that he was toppled by Yusuf Dhu Nuwas, a Jewish convert, who pursued a decidedly anti-Christian (and thus anti-Axumite and anti-Byzantine) course. The massacre of the Christian community at Najran in particular greatly impressed the Christian world, and Kaleb invaded southern Arabia once more in circa 525 with approval of the Byzantine emperor, Justin I (although Procopius rather paints Justinian I as the instigator), sweeping away the forces of Yusuf and installing a new local client king named Sumuyafa Ashwa, who was promptly baptized. The conquest would not prove durable, however, as a revolt of Ethiopian troops stationed in Himyar during the next decade saw a certain Abreha rise to power. Though Kaleb attempted to reassert Axumite authority, his attempts were ultimately in vain. His reign would be Axum's swan song, as the kingdom's power and prosperity appear to have steadily declined over the following decades. He is said to have abdicated, dedicating his crown to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and entering a monastery. After his death, Kaleb was canonized, and he is still venerated as Saint Elesbaan in the Orthodox Church today. Interestingly, Kaleb's chrysoi carry a filiation ('YIOC ΘЄΖΑΝΑ' = 'Son of Thezana'), a unique phenomenon in Axumite coinage. It is not entirely clear who this Thezana was - it could be another name of Nezana/Nezool, meaning that Kaleb was of royal blood, or a wholly unknown individual who did not reign at all. If the former is true, Kaleb apparently did not directly succeed his father, perhaps because he was still a minor when the king died. Such a course of events might explain the appearance of his unusual coin legends, which underlined his claim to power through noble parentage. Starting price: 75 CHF |  |
Match 1:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 5426 Price realized: 400 CHF (Approx. 455 USD / 422 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: AXUM. Noe, 5th century. Chrysos (Gold, 18 mm, 1.55 g, 12 h), Noe, 5th century. ✠ΛCΛ✠XΛƆ✠ƆΛƆ✠CΛC Draped half-length bust of Noe to right, wearing tiara and circular earring, holding spear in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; all within circular border. Rev. ✠IⲰC✠XΛΛ✠ƆIƆ✠IΛH Draped half-length bust of Noe to right, wearing tight-fitting head cloth and circular earring, holding branch in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; all within circular border. Hahn, Aksumite, 28. Hahn & Keck, MAKS, 38.174 (this coin). Munro-Hay, AC, 59. Struck from a worn obverse die, otherwise, very fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection, privately acquired from NBJ in December 2018. While nothing is known of his reign, Noe is interesting for being the first Axumite king to employ a biblical name (Noah) on his coinage. The obverse legend names him 'BA XAC ABACCIN' or 'Basileus Choras Abassinо̄n', which translates as 'King of the Land of the Abyssinians', a formula in common use on the Axumite gold coinage afterwards. Starting price: 100 CHF |  |
Match 2:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 5528 Price realized: 320 CHF (Approx. 364 USD / 338 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Kaleb, circa 510-530s. Chrysos (Gold, 17 mm, 1.61 g, 12 h). XAΛ✠Ηᗺ ᗺ✠AↃΙΛ✠ↃVↃ Draped half-length bust of Kaleb to right, wearing tiara and circular earring, holding spear in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; to inner left, I; all within circular border; above, monogram of ከለበ ('klb' = 'Kaleb' in Ge'ez). Rev. ✠ΥIOↃ O϶[...]϶ИA Draped half-length bust of Kaleb to right, wearing tight-fitting head cloth and circular earring, holding branch in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; all within circular border; above, monogram of ከለበ ('klb' = 'Kaleb' in Ge'ez). Hahn, Aksumite, 41b. Hahn & Keck, MAKS, 64, 63.28 (this coin). Munro-Hay, AC, type 91-96. Rare. Struck from somewhat worn and corroded dies, otherwise, very fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection, . With the reign of Kaleb, the Axumite Kingdom again enters the light of historiography. Both Byzantine and Islamic sources (notably Procopius, De bell. 1.20.1-8) report that under Kaleb, a Christian king was installed in the Himyarite Kingdom in circa 518, but that he was toppled by Yusuf Dhu Nuwas, a Jewish convert, who pursued a decidedly anti-Christian (and thus anti-Axumite and anti-Byzantine) course. The massacre of the Christian community at Najran in particular greatly impressed the Christian world, and Kaleb invaded southern Arabia once more in circa 525 with approval of the Byzantine emperor, Justin I (although Procopius rather paints Justinian I as the instigator), sweeping away the forces of Yusuf and installing a new local client king named Sumuyafa Ashwa, who was promptly baptized. The conquest would not prove durable, however, as a revolt of Ethiopian troops stationed in Himyar during the next decade saw a certain Abreha rise to power. Though Kaleb attempted to reassert Axumite authority, his attempts were ultimately in vain. His reign would be Axum's swan song, as the kingdom's power and prosperity appear to have steadily declined over the following decades. He is said to have abdicated, dedicating his crown to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and entering a monastery. After his death, Kaleb was canonized, and he is still venerated as Saint Elesbaan in the Orthodox Church today. Interestingly, Kaleb's chrysoi carry a filiation ('YIOC ΘЄΖΑΝΑ' = 'Son of Thezana'), a unique phenomenon in Axumite coinage. It is not entirely clear who this Thezana was - it could be another name of Nezana/Nezool, meaning that Kaleb was of royal blood, or a wholly unknown individual who did not reign at all. If the former is true, Kaleb apparently did not directly succeed his father, perhaps because he was still a minor when the king died. Such a course of events might explain the appearance of his unusual coin legends, which underlined his claim to power through noble parentage. Starting price: 75 CHF | |
Match 3:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 5580 Price realized: 55 CHF (Approx. 63 USD / 58 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Gersem, circa 580s. Argyros (Billon, 15 mm, 0.62 g, 5 h). ገረ-ሰመ ('grsm' = 'Gersem' in Ge'ez) Draped half-length bust of Gersem to right, wearing tiara and circular earring, holding long cross in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to upper left, pellet. Rev. ነገ-ሠ ('ngs' = 'King' in Ge'ez) Draped half-length bust of Gersem to right, wearing tight-fitting head cloth and circular earring, holding long cross in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to right, crescent (?). Hahn, Aksumite, 51. Hahn & Keck, MAKS, 82. Munro-Hay, AC, type 147. Darkly toned. Slightly rough, otherwise, very fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection and the Maekelay-Tigray Collection, Roma E-Auction 69, 16 April 2020, 582. Israel was the name given to the patriarch Jacob after wrestling with an angel (Genesis 32:24-32), from which the Israelites derived their name. Starting price: 50 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 5503 Price realized: 500 CHF (Approx. 568 USD / 528 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Nezana/Nezool, circa 480s-500. Chrysos (Gold, 17 mm, 1.60 g, 12 h), anonymous type. ✠CΛΧ✠ΛCΛ✠CΛC✠CNI Draped half-length bust of Nezana/Nezool to right, wearing tiara and circular earring, holding spear in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley, the right one with I across. Rev. ✠CΛC✠CΥN✠CΛX✠ΛCΛ Draped half-length bust of Nezana/Nezool to right, wearing tight-fitting head cloth and circular earring, holding branch in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; above, cross. Hahn, Aksumite, 39b. Hahn & Keck, MAKS, 48. Munro-Hay, AC, type 81. Extremely rare, only six examples recorded by Hahn & Keck, of which five are in private hands. Some cleaning scratches, otherwise, very fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection, ex Roma E-Auction 96, 5 May 2022, 462. When Nezana/Nezool ascended the throne, there appears to have been some unclarity about whether to place the king's name on the obverse or the reverse of the coins. Dies were cut for both eventualities, with the intention of one side carrying the king's name, while the other would carry the 'King of the Land of the Abyssinians' title. Perhaps not entirely surprisingly, the dies were sometimes mixed up, resulting in issues with both an anonymous obverse and reverse (such as this one), or with the royal name on both sides. All these hybrid issues are extremely rare, being known from just a handful of examples. Starting price: 100 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 5526 Price realized: 420 CHF (Approx. 477 USD / 443 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Kaleb, circa 510-530s. Chrysos (Gold, 17 mm, 1.58 g, 12 h). XΛΛ✠Ηᗺ ᗺ✠AↃΙΛ✠ↃVↃ Draped half-length bust of Kaleb to right, wearing tiara and circular earring, holding spear in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; to inner left, I; all within circular border; above, monogram of ከለበ ('klb' = 'Kaleb' in Ge'ez). Rev. ✠ΘЄOΥ ЄVXAPICTI∀ Draped bust of Kaleb to right, wearing head cloth and holding branch in his right hand; to left and right, ears of barley; all within circular border. Hahn, Aksumite, 41a. Hahn, MAKS, 62. Munro-Hay, AC, type 97. Extremely rare, just four examples recorded by Hahn & Keck, of which two in private hands. Struck from a somewhat corroded obverse die, otherwise, extremely fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection, ex Leu Web Auction 18, 19-21 December 2021, 4079. Starting price: 150 CHF |  |
Match 6:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 5562 Price realized: 800 CHF (Approx. 909 USD / 845 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ella Gabaz/Wazen Agad, circa late 550s-560s. Chrysos (Gold, 19 mm, 1.55 g, 12 h). ✠AΛΛA ΓΑΒΑZ NΓ Draped half-length bust of Ella Gabaz/Wazen Agad to right, wearing tiara and circular earring, with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; all within circular border. Rev. ✠BA✠CI✠ΛЄ✠YC Draped half-length bust of Ella Gabaz/Wazen Agad to right, wearing tight-fitting head cloth and circular earring, with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; all within circular border. Hahn, Aksumite, 45. Hahn & Keck, MAKS, 73.15 (this coin cited). Munro-Hay, AC, type 124. Extremely rare, fifteen examples recorded by Hahn & Keck, of which only ten are in private hands. Two surface cracks and light scratches on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection. As with Alla Amidas/Armeha, Ella Gabaz/Wazen Agad also utilized different names on his silver and bronze coinage. The 'NΓ' in the obverse legend of his chrysoi likely stands for 'negus' ('king' in Ge'ez). Starting price: 200 CHF |  |
