| Chaponnière & Firmenich SA > Auction 17 | Auction date: 19 November 2023 |
| Lot number: 52 Price realized: Unsold | |
| Lot description: ROMAN REPUBLIC. T. Cloelius. Quinarius 98 BC, Rome. RRC 332/1c. AR. 1.77 g. - XF-AU Scarce with control-mark below chin. The Carnyx depicted on reverse seems to be a reference to Marius' victories against Cimbres and Teuton in 102-101 BC. Starting price: 150 CHF |  |
Match 1:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 143 | Auction date: 7 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 153 Price realized: 24,000 CHF (Approx. 26,528 USD / 24,642 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The Dioscuri Collection. The Roman Republic. The Bellum Sociale. Denarius, Corfinium circa 90, AR 18 mm, 3.88 g. Helmeted head of Italy r.; below chin, X. Rev. The Dioscuri galloping r.; in exergue, viteliú retrograde in Oscan characters. Sydenham 625. Campana 1e (this coin). Historia Numorum Italy 422. Extremely rare and among the finest specimens known. Wonderful old cabinet tone and good extremely fine Ex M&M Cahn 17 July 1933, Haeberlin, 1459; Münzhandlung Basel Fixed Price List January 1934, 57; M&M 38, 1968, 133; M&M 66, 1984, 362 and NAC 70, 2013, 95 sales. After decades of providing the military backbone of Roman expansion, the Italic allies (socii in Latin) of Rome felt that they deserved more of the benefits than they had previously received. In short, they wanted Roman citizenship so that they would have a greater say in Rome's wars of conquest and changes to the system of land distribution that had concentrated vast swathes of arable land in the hands of the Roman elite. The disenchantment of the Italic socii with Rome came to a head in 91 BC, when M. Livius Drusus was murdered, probably through the agency of the consuls L. Marcius Philippus and Sextus Julius Caesar. He had been championing Italic rights and had drawn a large following as a means of forcing through a variety of social reforms in opposition to the consuls. This bloodshed sparked the Italic peoples, who may or may not have previously sworn an oath to be the protectors of Drusus, to give up their status as Roman allies and form an independent federal state known as the Italic Confederation with a capital at Corfinium, which was renamed Italica. Although the confederation included the Frentani, Hirpini, Iapygii, Lucanians, Marrucini, Marsi, Paeligni, Picentines, Pompeians, Samnites, Venusians, and Vestini, leadership was primarily in the hands of the Marsi and Samnites. Raising an army of 120,000 men, in 90 BC, the Italic consuls Q. Poppaedius Silo and C. Papius Mutilus and began a war against the Romans in the north and in the south, respectively. The Marsi defeated and killed P. Rutilius Lupus, the Roman consul sent against them, while at the same time, Mutilus made inroads into Campania, Lucania, and Apulia, drawing several additional cities and peoples into the Italic Confederacy. Although the Roman consul L. Julius Caesar, managed to roll back much of the Italic advance in the south, Rome remained in crisis. Fearing that other socii might break their alliances with Rome and join the rebels, Caesar enacted a law giving full rights of Roman citizenship to allied cities and peoples who had not already entered the Social War. In 89 BC, another law, the lex Plautia Papiria expanded Roman citizenship to any Italic ally who lay down his arms, in the hope of drawing support away from the Italic Confederacy. Everything began to fall apart for the Italic Confederation in 89 BC, despite the Marsic victory over the Roman consul L. Porcius Cato at the Battle of the Fucine Lake. Shortly thereafter, the Marsi suffered a series of defeats at the hands of Cato's colleague, C. Pompeius Strabo, and Sulla largely destroyed the forces of C. Papius Mutilus in Campania. In 88 BC, the war essentially came to an end when the Marsi were defeated and Q. Popaedius Silo killed at the Battle of the Teanus River. All that remained was for the Romans to mop up remaining pockets of resistance in Samnium in 87 BC. The Italic Confederation was no more, but at least part of its demands had been met and Rome would be more careful with its allies in the future. The denarii of the Italic Confederation struck during the Social War are notable for their close imitation of Roman denarii with the usual legend ROMA replaced by ITALIA in Oscan script. Somewhat ironically, this particular coin imitates a Roman Republican issue featuring the Dioscuri on the reverse. These gods were venerated by the Romans for their miraculous appearance at the Battle of Lake Regillus in 509 BC. This battle ended in Roman victory over the neighbouring Latins and the expelled Etruscan king L. Tarquinius Superbus. It seems a little unexpected to employ types related to a Roman victory over surrounding Italic peoples at a time when the Italic peoples were rising up to strike against the Romans. Estimate: 6000 CHF |  |
Match 2:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 143 | Auction date: 7 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 434 Price realized: 4,250 CHF (Approx. 4,698 USD / 4,364 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The Dioscuri Collection. The Roman Republic. Marcus Antonius. Denarius, mint moving with M. Antonius 37, AR 19 mm, 4.01 g ANT·AVGV (partially ligate)·III·VIR·R·P·C Head of M. Antonius r. Rev. IMP – TER Trophy with curved sword attached to r. arm and figure-of-eight shield attached to l.; at its base, prow and round shield. Babelon Antonia 78. C 18. Sydenham 1204. Sear Imperators 272. RBW 1824. Crawford 536/3 note. Very rare. Struck on a very large flan and with a light iridescent tone. Good extremely fine Ex Roma Numismatics sale XIII, 2017, 659. After the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March 44 BC, his former lieutenant, Mark Antony, became the de facto leader of the Caesarean faction in Rome. Unfortunately, Caesar's will named his adoptive great-nephew Octavian as his heir, forcing Antony to fight against him for much of the remainder of 44 and 43 BC. However, in May 43 BC, Octavian began to negotiate an end to the conflict in order to join forces against the threat posted to both of them by the formation of large armies under the command of the Liberatores in the East. Despite their deep differences, in November, Antony, Octavian, and Marcus Lepidus met to form the Second Triumvirate and raise the armies that defeated the Liberators at the Battle of Philippi (3 and 23 October 42 BC). In the aftermath of this great victory, in order to keep peace, the empire was divided, with Octavian taking Italy and the West, Lepidus North Africa, and Antony the East. In 37 BC, the division of the empire and the Triumvirate was renewed among the three mend for another five years, but by this time the old animosity between Antony and Octavian was returning and it would not be long before it would break out into an epoch-ending war in 32-31 BC. This denarius was struck in the year of the renewed Triumvirate, probably in the context of Antony's work to restore order in Syria and the eastern provinces following a Parthian invasion in 40 BC. This was followed up by a somewhat ineffective campaign against the Parthians in 36. The precise occasion for this issue appears to have been the repression of Antiochus I of Commagene, who previously rebelled against Roman authority during the Parthian invasion. The reverse type depicting a trophy and advertising Antony's third acclamation as imperator is thought to refer to his taking personal command of the siege of Samosata, which the general P. Ventidius was already successfully prosecuting against Antiochus I. Although the king offered to surrender, Antony would not provide him with terms until he could arrive and take over the siege himself, thereby allowing him to claim the glory. Antony reportedly gave peace terms to Antiochos I that included an indemnity of 300 talents of silver, although when facing Ventidius he had offered to pay 1,000 to have the siege lifted. Antony then returned Ventidius to Rome, where he celebrated the first ever Roman triumph over the Parthians. Antony's claim of a third imperatorial acclamation on this coin is believed to derive from Ventidius' triumph and does not truly reflect an acclamation properly earned by the triumvir. It has been noted that the trophy reverse type seems to echo the types used on the Asian coinage of Brutus issued four years earlier, but it seems a little out of place for Antony's Parthian war context. The arms displayed are not particularly Parthian and the figure-eight shield is decidedly archaic in flavour. Likewise, the prow at the foot of the trophy is rather unexpected since sea power had virtually no involvement in the Parthian campaign. It has been suggested that the prow, which sometimes appears as part of Brutus' trophy type, might have been added to generally emphasise the superiority of Antony's naval strength at a time when his rival, Octavian, was weak at sea. Likewise, the possibility has been raised that the general similarity to Brutus' trophy might reflect regret on the part of Antony as he drifted ever closer to the final conflict with Octavian Estimate: 4000 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 143 | Auction date: 7 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 411 Price realized: 30,000 CHF (Approx. 33,160 USD / 30,802 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The Dioscuri Collection. The Roman Republic. C. Cassius and M. Servilius. Denarius, mint moving with Brutus and Cassius 43-42, AR 19 mm, 3.76 g. C·CASSEI·IMP Laureate head of Libertas r. Rev. M·SERVILIVS – LEG Crab, holding aplustre in its claws; below, rose and untied diadem. Babelon Cassia 19 and Servilia 40. C 10. Sydenham 1313. Sear Imperators 226. Crawford 505/3. Extremely rare and in unusually fine condition for this difficult and fascinating issue. Struck on very fresh metal and about extremely fine Ex NAC sale 100, 2017, 388. Alongside Brutus, C. Cassius Longinus was a leading figure in the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar. However, things did not quite go according to plan. While the so-called Liberators had imagined that the removal of Caesar would allow for the full restoration of the Roman Republic under the leadership of the senatorial class, they had not counted on the admiration of the general public for the dictator and the ability of his legal and political heirs, Octavian and Mark Antony, to turn the people of Rome against them. Realising that the situation was rapidly deteriorating for Caesar's assassins in Italy, most of the Liberators, including Cassius took up provincial posts in the East in order to build the war chests and legions that would be needed for their inevitable final showdown with the Caesareans. Cassius first went to Syria, where he was well known from his previous tenure there as governor in 53-2 BC, in order to raise money before proceeding to Asia Minor to link up with Brutus. This extremely rare denarius type was struck in the names of Cassius and his legate M. Servilius at a military mint moving with Cassius and Brutus in 42 BC. It was probably produced when Cassius and Brutus met for the last time at Sardis before embarking on the fateful Philippi campaign. The obverse type depicts Libertas, the Roman personification of freedom, who was deemed to have been restored to the Roman people with each dagger blow of Caesar's assassins. The reverse symbolically celebrates Cassius' capture of the wealthy trading city of Rhodes. The Rhodians (symbolised here by the well-known rose badge of their city), a long established their naval power, had attempted to prevent the Liberator's plunder of their island city by challenging him at sea between Myndos and the island of Cos (whose civic badge was a crab), they were soundly defeated by the forces of Cassius, which had long been training for the battle. The victory of Cassius is here indicated by the aplustre (the cut-off stern post of a war galley) held in the claws of the Coan crab. Upon his entry to Rhodes, the fearful Rhodians are said to have hailed Cassius as their "lord and king." He, however, refused to accept this title, reportedly responding, I am neither lord and king, but I have punished the man who would have been both." This denial of kingship is indicated by the untied royal diadem depicted fallen to the ground above the Rhodian rose. Interestingly, while Cassius denied that he would be a king, he made no similar denial about being a thief. Once he had entered Rhodes, he plundered the city of some 8,000 talents to be used in financing the coming war against Octavian and Antony. It is not impossible that coins such as this were actually produced from the silver carried off from the island city. Estimate: 15000 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 143 | Auction date: 7 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 420 Price realized: 22,000 CHF (Approx. 24,317 USD / 22,588 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The Dioscuri Collection. The Roman Republic. M. Arrius Secundus. Denarius 43, AR 18 mm, 3.95 g. M·ARRIVS – SECVNDVS Male head r., with slight beard. Rev. Hasta pura between wreath and phalerae. Babelon Arria 2. Sydenham 1084. Sear imperators 319. Woytek, Arma et Nummi p. 558. RBW 1791. Crawford 513/2. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. Struck on a very large flan and with a lovely light old cabinet tone. Good extremely fine Ex Triton sale XIX, 2016, 402. The rare denarius coinage naming the moneyer M. Arrius Secundus and struck in 41 BC is generally believed to depict Q. Arrius, the hypothetical father of the obscure M. Arrius Secundus. Q. Arrius had served as a praetor during the Servile War (73-71 BC) fought against Spartacus and his army of escaped gladiators and slaves. Although the war involved a number of serious Roman setbacks, in 72 BC, Q. Arrius achieved victory over Spartacus' lieutenant Crixus by throwing one of the legionary standards into the midst of the enemy, thereby forcing his men to fight with their great ferocity to gain it back. The loss of a standard to the enemy was one of the greatest shames that a legion could suffer. This identification of the portrait seems assured in light of an extremely rare denarius pairing the same portrait with a reverse depiction of a soldier grasping a standard carried by another behind him. The reverse type depicts the dona militaria, or "military gifts" that were customarily awarded for exemplary service on the battlefield. In the centre appears the hasta pura (literally, "unstained spear") presented for killing an enemy in single combat, flanked by the laurel crown of victory and a rectangular phalera, a metal ornament usually worn on the breastplate in a manner similar to modern military medals of distinction. It has been noted that the portrait of Q. Arrius with its thin beard bears more than a passing resemblance to Octavian. It may perhaps have been intended to be read this way by those loyal to Octavian while still providing deniability for M. Arrius Secundus at a time when it remained unclear who would be the real master of Rome. This coin was struck while the Perusine War (41-40 BC) raged between Octavian and Mark Antony's wife and brother, Fulvia and Lucius Antony and its resolution still remained to be seen. Estimate: 20000 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXX | Auction date: 21 March 2024 |
| Lot number: 423 Price realized: 32,000 GBP (Approx. 40,537 USD / 37,323 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Clodius Macer AR Denarius. Carthage(?), April - October(?) AD 68. Helmeted head of Roma to right; ROMA before, S-C across fields / L CLODI MACRI, trophy. RIC I 31 var. (SC below); BMCRE p. 287 note var. (same); C. 9 var. (same); Hewitt, NC 1983, pl. XII, 47 var. (same); BN -. 3.47g, 18mm, 6h. Extremely Fine; minor nick on cheek, well-struck on good metal with an attractive iridescent tone. An apparently unrecorded variety of an extremely rare type. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 101, 24 October 2017, lot 161 (hammer: CHF 47,500); Ex Barry Feirstein Collection IV, Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 45, 2 April 2008, lot 95; Ex Pegasi Numismatics, Auction II, 8 June 1996, lot 298; Ex Frank Sternberg, Auction XXVI, 16 November 1992, lot 290 (illustrated on the cover). Clodius Macer led a revolt in North Africa against Nero in the spring of AD 68. Described by RIC as "short and ineffectual" (see RIC 1, p. 230), the revolt spanned several months which included the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty with the suicide of Nero and the beginning of the 'Year of Four Emperors', a period described by Tacitus as "rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace." (Histories I.2). His coinage is extremely rare and several of his types are only known to us through a single example. Though barely mentioned in the ancient literature (there are only two short references to him in Tacitus' Histories), Clodius Macer was officially legatus Augusti propraetore Africae and was able to establish himself in North Africa with the support of Legio III Augusta and Legio I Macriana. It is very likely that he controlled Carthage and the mint there since a group of his denarii depict the obverse bust of CARTHAGO. If so, he had control over an important naval base and posed a threat to the corn supply from North Africa to Rome. The purpose of the revolt cannot be said to establish Clodius Macer as emperor, rather the numismatic evidence generally points to a desire to return to the ideals of the Republic and the end of imperial rule. Many of the types used by Clodius Macer can be traced to Republican coins, as exemplified by the current coin with the trophy reverse type which is very similar to a coin issued by Brutus (cf. CRI 209). In addition, many of Clodius Macer's coins use the formulaic SC (senatus consulto), not used on Roman silver coins since around 40 BC (See NAC Auction 101, lot 161). This was a tactic also possibly employed by Galba on his 'African' issues, if indeed they were struck by Galba and not merely issued in his name. Further similarities have been pointed out between the coinage of Clodius Macer and Galba such as the use of the genitive case for their names and the decision (not sustained for long by Galba) to not appear laureate (see The Coinage of L. Clodius Macer (AD 68) by K. V. Hewitt (1983), pp. 64-80). These similarities perhaps point to a unity in purpose while Nero was still alive, a wish to overthrow the emperor. However, Clodius Macer's continual rebellion against imperial rule once Galba had ascended to power led to his execution in October 68 (see Tacitus Histories I.7). Estimate: 25000 GBP |  |
