| London Coins Ltd. > Auction 183 | Auction date: 2 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 1314 Price realized: 220 GBP (Approx. 278 USD / 256 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Roman Empire 14-Emperor Collection in silver comprising Denarius (8) and Antoninianus (6), one coin each of Vespasian, Trajan, Faustina Sr., Marcus Aurelius, Septimus Severus, Jukia Domna, Caracalla, Severus Alexander, Gordian III, Philip I, Trajan Decius, Trebonius Gallus, Valerian I, and Gallienus, Fair to Good Fine, housed in a presentation box with Certificate of Authenticity, Roman Empire 20-Emperor Collection in bronze 3rd and 4th Century comprising Ae3 and Ae4 issues one from each Emperor as follows: Galienus, Victorinus, Tetricus I, Tetricus II, Claudius II, Aurelian, Probus, Diocletian, Licinius I, Constantine I, Constantine II, Constans, Constantius II, Constantius Gallus, Julian II, Valentinian I, Valens, Gratian, Valentinian II and Theodosius I VG to Fine in a presentation box with booklet Estimate: 100-200 GBP Starting price: 100 GBP |
Match 1:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31098 Price realized: To Be Posted | |
| Lot description: Ancients Trajan Decius (AD 249-251). AV aureus (20mm, 4.94 gm, 1h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 3/5. Rome. IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, laureate, cuirassed bust of Trajan Decius right, seen from behind / PANNONIAE, two Pannoniae standing facing, veiled heads turned outward, each with standard in outer hand, right figure with right hand raised. Calicó 3295. RIC IV.III 21a var. (laureate, draped, and cuirassed). Attractive portrait. Bright flashing surfaces. Born on the Danubian frontier, Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius came to the throne with a ready-made agenda for the restoration of Rome's fading glory. He tried several innovations on the financial front, including the introduction of a new coin denomination, the double-sestertius. Despite these measures, the gold coinage of Decius shows a sharp acceleration in the debasement witnessed over the previous two decades, which had seen the aureus drop from about 6.5 grams under Severus Alexander (AD 222-235) to about 4.5 grams under Philip I (AD 244-249). Aurei struck near the beginning of his reign average about the same as Philip's, but this plummets by more than a gram over the course of the next 18 months. Perhaps seeking to confiscate their estates and replenish the treasury, he cracked down harshly on those he believed were undermining the ancient traditions of Rome. Christianity was particularly singled out, and thousands of Christians were forced to either make sacrifice to Rome's gods or face torture, execution and seizure of assets. Renewed barbarian invasions late in AD 250 took his attention away from domestic affairs. Seeking a decisive battle, Decius pursued the fleeing Goths into the marshes of Abrittus and straight into an ambush. Decius and about half of his army perished in the debacle, the first time a Roman emperor had fallen to a foreign enemy. The Christians claimed it was God's revenge on an arch-persecutor. In any case, the catastrophe at Abrittus accelerated the Roman Empire's slide into anarchy. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-trajan-decius-ad-249-251-av-aureus-20mm-494-gm-1h-ngc-choice-au-5-5-3-5/a/3115-31098.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 7500-8500 USD |  |
Match 2:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61373 | Auction date: 5 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 22034 Price realized: 825 USD (Approx. 772 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Augustus (27 BC-AD 14), with L. Caninius Gallus, as Moneyer. AR denarius (19mm, 3.57 gm, 12h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 3/5, edge chip. Rome, 12 BC. AVGVSTVS, bare head of Augustus right / L•CANINIVS-GALLVS•III•VIR, Germanic chieftain, with long hair and beard, nude but for a cloak over shoulders, kneeling right on right knee, offering vexillum in right hand, left hand extended below left knee in gesture of submission. RIC I 416. Clear strike, with charcoal toning and an amethyst glimmer. Ex the WCN Collection; Helios Numismatik, Auction 4 (14 October 2009), lot 222; A. Lynn Collection. Although the reign of Augustus was known as a period of unprecedented peace within the Roman Empire, military encounters at the imperial borderlands continued as Rome expanded into its new provinces, especially in the frontier region between Roman Gaul and the Germanic tribes to the east of the Rhine river. One of the most significant battles that occurred during this time was the Clades Lolliana, or the Lollian disaster of 16 BC, when the Roman governor of Gaul Marcus Lollius lost his legion's golden eagle standard (aquila) to a small alliance of Germanic tribes. This loss meant a great loss of prestige for Augustus, who had just highlighted the importance of the legionary eagle to the Roman public at the end of the conflict with the Parthian Empire when the defeated Parthians returned three captured aquilae to the Roman Empire. Augustus himself travelled to Gaul in 16 BC, where he would stay for several years building nearly fifty new military forts (castra) along the fortification line (Limes) of the lower Rhine region to prepare for the Germanic offensive that would end up lasting three decades and include a disastrous defeat for the Romans at the Clades Variana, also known as the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. Augustus even sent his later successor Tiberius to retrieve the stolen aquila, but it was never found. The reverse of this denarius of Augustus refers to the aftermath of the Clades Lolliana and the forced submission of the Germanic tribes as retribution. The nameless barbarian on the reverse of this coin could possibly be a Celto-Germanic chieftain which is named in the monumental inscription of the The Deeds of the Divine Augustus (Res Gestae Divi Augustus) as one of several foreign monarchs who gave hostages as tribute to the Roman emperor. Maelo, king of the Sicambri (Sugambrians), is the most likely candidate, as Strabo and Cassius Dio attest that Maelo was the leader of the Sicambri during their victory at the Clades Lolliana. Immediately after the battle, Maelo sued for peace with the Romans, gave hostages, and may have even resettled part of the Sicambri in Roman territory. However, there is no evidence that the Sicambri specifically surrendered the captured vexilla. The king of Parthia is also listed in the Res Gestae passage, which begs a comparison between this CANINIUS GALLUS denarius and the SIGNA RECE denarius (see RIC I 288) as Augustan propaganda. What can be seen here is a determination to portray any imperial endeavor in a triumphal light, even if in the end Augustus would never get to mint his own "GERMANIA CAPTA"coin. The emperor returned to Rome from Gaul in 12 BC and passed command of the legions of the lower Rhine to his potential heir Nero Claudius Drusus so that the offensive against the Germanic tribes could begin in earnest. Augustus certainly would have wanted to highlight the similarities of his own return from Gaul with those of his stepfather, Gaius Julius Caesar: the defeated bearded barbarian warrior type on the reverse evokes a similar Gallic figure featured on a few reverse types from Julius Caesar's traveling mint (e.g. Crawford 452/4 & 468/1). https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-augustus-27-bc-ad-14-with-l-caninius-gallus-as-moneyer-ar-denarius-19mm-357-gm-12h-ngc-choice-vf/a/61373-22034.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61373-05052024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 3:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 144 with CNG & NGSA | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 1056 Price realized: 32,000 CHF (Approx. 35,371 USD / 32,856 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: The Geoffrey Cope Collection of Ancient Greek and Roman Bronzes. The Roman Empire. Trajan augustus, 98 – 117. Description Sestertius, Roma circa 107-108, Æ 33 mm, 25.27 g. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P Laureate head r., drapery on l. shoulder. Rev. S P Q R OP[TIMO PRI]NCIPI Octastyle temple with portico on either side; at centre, architrave adorned with figure of Jupiter and other figures; on roof, figure holding spear between two Victories. In exergue, S C. Reference C 529 var. (without drapery) BMC 863 RIC 577 var. (without drapery) CBN 313 Woytek 305bC3 (this coin) Condition Rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A superb portrait of unusually fine style and an interesting reverse type. Wonderful green patina and extremely fine Provenance Santamaria sale 26th June 1950, Magnaguti part III, 80 Leu sale 50, 1990, 300 Note: In addition to his stable government and military conquests that saw the expansion of the empire to its greatest extent, the emperor Trajan is also known for implementing beneficial social welfare policies and an extensive public building program that transformed much of Rome. The reverse of this fine middle aes issue shows the temple complex of Jupiter Victor, the 'giver of Victory', located in Regio X on the Palatine. According to Livy, the temple of Jupiter Victor had an ancient history, having been vowed by Q. Fabius Maximus Rullianus in 295 B.C. during the battle of Sentinum against the Samnites (Livy X.29.14, 18). It apparently was constructed quickly, being dedicated probably in either 294 or 293 B.C. on the Ides of April (April 13), as Livy makes the additional statement that at the battle of Aquilonia in 293 B.C. L. Papirius had vowed a cup of new wine to Jupiter Victor (Livy X.42.7). At some point the temple seems to have been either damaged or destroyed, probably during the great fire that ravaged Rome in A.D. 80, as it was restored under the emperor Domitian, who laid an artificial foundation for it and probably greatly expanded the original structure, which he commemorated on his coinage. The reason for Trajan's use of the type on his coins is not certain; it does not appear that he either restored the temple or added to its construction, so we should perhaps see its use a part of his decennalian series that was selected merely to represent his recent military prowess over. After all, he had just successfully finally subdued the Dacians, incorporating the former kingdom as a province to the empire. The temple was a large and imposing building in the Corinthian style with an octastyle façade. As seen on this coin, it featured colonnades at the sides, frontal steps, and within resided a great statue of Jupiter Victor. Sestertii of the same type show the addition of an altar before the steps and statues of Victory and Pax(?) before the end columns of the colonnade (Woytek 253). By the time of the emperor Elagabalus, the front courtyard had had a propylaea constructed before it, as can been seen on one of his medallions, now unfortunately lost (Gnecchi III, 6), and on later extremely rare sestertii and medallions of Severus Alexander. Under Elagabalus, the temple was rededicated to the sun god Sol El Gabal, but seemingly re-dedicated again under Severus Alexander to Jupiter Ultor. Estimate: 10000 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 15 | Auction date: 1 June 2024 |
| Lot number: 270 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: Antoninus Pius, 138-161. Military Diploma (Bronze. Tabula 1: 189x162 mm, 274.44 g, 3 h. Tabula 2: 188x162 mm, 314.34 g, 6 h), for Q. Munatius Mestris, son of Mucatralus, soldier in the Praetorian fleet of Misenum. Caecius Severus, fleet prefect, issued during the reign of Antoninus Pius, on 30 September 141, in the consulship of M. Vettius Valens and Ti. Claudius Saturninus. Unpublished and highly interesting. An exceptionally complete and attractive military diploma for a Thracian fleet soldier preserving both tabulae. Both tabulae pierced three times, otherwise, extremely fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. Tabula 1 | Obverse IMP(erator) CAESAR DIVI HADRIANI F(ilius) DIVI TRAIANI PARTHICI NEPOS DIVI NERVAE PRONEPOS T(itus) AELIVS HADRIANVS ANTONINVS AVG(ustus) PIVS PONT(ifex) MAX(imus) TRIB(unicia) POTEST(ate) IIII CO(n)S(ul) III P(ater) P(atriae) IIS QUI MILITAVERUNT IN CLASSE PRAETORIA MISENENSI QVAE EST SVB CAECIO SEVERO SEX ET VIGINTI STIPENDI(i)S EMERIT(is) DOMISSIS (sic!) HO- NESTA MISSIONE QVORVM NOMINA SVB- SCRIPTA SVNT IPSIS LIBERIS POSTERISQVE EORVM CIVITATEM ROMANAM DEDIT ET CO- NVBIVM CVM VXORIB(us) QVAS TVNC HABVS- ISSENT (sic!) CVM EST CIVITAS IIS DA[T]A AVT SI QVI CAELIBES ESSENT CVM I(i)S QVAS POSTEA DV- XISSENT DVMTAXAT SINGVLI SINGVLAS PR(idie) K(alendas) OCTOBR(is) M(arco) VETTIO VALENTE CO(n)S(ulibus) TI(BERIO) CLAVDIO SATVRNINO EX GREGALE Q(uinto) MVNATIO MESTRI F(ilio) MVCATRALI ANCHIAL(o) EX BESSIA DESCRIPTVM ET RECOGNITV(m) EX TABVLA AEREA QVAE FIXA EST ROMA(e) IN MVRO POST TEMPLV(m) DIVI AVG(usti) AD MINERVA(m) Translation: 'Imperator Caesar, son of the deified Hadrian, grandson of the deified Trajan Parthicus, great-grandson of the deified Nerva, T. Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the fourth time, consul for the third time and father of the country. (He) has granted Roman citizenship to those who have served as a soldier in the Praetorian fleet of Misenum, which is under the command of Caecius Severus, (who), after twenty-six years of service, have been honorably discharged, whose names are written below, to themselves, their children and descendants, and the right of legal marriage with the spouses they had at the moment when citizenship was given to them, or, if any were unmarried, with those whom they later married, insofar as each has only one (wife). (Issued) the day before the Kalends of October, in the consulship of M. Vettius Valens and Ti. Claudius Saturninus. From the ranks of the common soldiery: (These rights were granted) to Q. Munatius Mestris, son of Mucatralus, from Anchialus (and) from Bessia. Copied and checked from the bronze tablet which is attached to the wall in Rome behind the Temple of the Deified Augustus next to Minerva.' Tabula 1 | Reverse IMP(erator) CAESAR DIVI HADRIANI F(ilius) DIVI TRAIANI PARTH(ici) NEP(os) DIVI NERVAE DRONE(pos) (sic!) T(itus) ATL(ius) (sic!) HADRIANVS ANTONINVS AVG(ustus) PIVS PON(tifex) MAX(imus) TRIB(unicia) POT(estate) IIII CO(n)S(ul) III P(ater) P(atriae) I(i)S QUI MILTTAVER(unt) (sic!) IN CLMSE (sic!) PR(aetoria) MISEN(ensi) QVAE EST SVB CAECIO [S]EVERO XXVI STIPEND(iis) EME- RIT(is) DIMISSI(s) HONESTA MISSION(e) QVORVM NOMIN(a) SVBSCRI[PT]A SVNT CIVITAT(em) ROMAN(am) QVI TORVM (sic!) NON HABER(ent) DED(i)T [E]T CONVB(ium) CVM VXOSIB(us) (sic!) QVAS TVNC HABVIIS(ent) (sic!) CVM EST CIVITAS DIS (sic!) DATA AVT SI QVI CAELIB(es) ESSENT OVM (sic!) I(i)S QVAS POSTEA DVXISS(ent) DVMTA- XAT SINQVN (sic!) SINGVLAS Translation: 'Imperator Caesar, son of the deified Hadrian, grandson of the deified Trajan Parthicus, great-grandson of the deified Nerva, T. Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius, pontifex maximus, holding tribunician power for the fourth time, consul for the third time and father of the country. (He) has granted Roman citizenship, should any of them not have it, to those who have served as a soldier in the Praetorian fleet of Misenum, which is under the command of Caecius Severus, (who), after twenty-six years of service, have been honorably discharged, whose names are written below, and the right of legal marriage with the spouses they had at the moment when citizenship was given to them, or, if any were unmarried, with those whom they later married, insofar as each has only one (wife).' Tabula 2 | Obverse TI(beri) CLAVDI MENANDRI P(ubli) ATTI SEVERI L(uci) PVLLI DAPHNI P(ubli) ATTI FESTI M(arci) SENTILI IASI TI(iberi) IVLI FELICIS C(ai) IVLI SILVANI Translation: (Witnessed by) Ti. Claudius Menander P. Attius Severus L. Pullius Daphnus P. Attius Festus M. Sentilius Iasus Ti. Iulius Felix C. Iulius Silvanus Tabula 2 | Reverse PR(idie) K(alendas) OCTOBR(is) M(arco) VETTIO VALENTE CO(n)S(ulibus) TI(berio) CLAVDI(o) SATVRNINO EX GREGALE Q MVNATIO MESTRI F(ilio) MVCATRALI ANCHIAL(o) EX BESSIA Translation: (Issued) the day before the Kalends of October, in the consulship of M. Vettius Valens and Ti. Claudius Saturninus. From the ranks of the common soldiery: (These rights were granted) to Q. Munatius Mestris, son of Mucatralus, from Anchialus (and) from Bessia. This splendid and complete military diploma was issued on 30 September 141, during the reign of Antoninus Pius, for a soldier who had served in the Roman fleet stationed at Misenum in Italy, almost a full year before the equally interesting diploma sold in Leu 13 (2022), 324. As mentioned there, Rome possessed two major naval bases in Italy, one at Misenum (near Naples) directed towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, and one at Ravenna towards the Adriatic, in addition to smaller bases scattered across the Mediterranean and North Sea. Each of the Italian fleets was headed by a praetorian prefect, the most famous of whom was no doubt Pliny the Elder, who died in his capacity as prefect of the Misene fleet when he organized a rescue mission for the victims of the Vesuvius' eruption in 79. Although the Empire generally had little to fear from any foes on open water, at least until the Germanic invasions of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries, its navy was vital in securing shipping lanes from pirates, and it played an important role in official transport and communication, while fleet soldiers could also perform guard duties on land when needed. Before the so-called Constitutio Antoniniana was enacted under Caracalla in 212, granting Roman citizenship to all free men in the Empire, military service offered one of the surest paths towards citizenship and social promotion for many provincials. A career in the navy lasted twenty-six years, after which the soldier received citizenship for himself and his descendants, and the right of legal marriage. Often, soldiers were discharged en masse, after which a bronze plaque would be produced and set up in the capital recording the grant, each veteran receiving an individual copy, the so-called military diploma. These consisted of two bronze tablets sealed to one another, the first one (tabula 1) recording the rights and the names of the soldier and his family, the other (tabula 2) the seven witnesses present. To avoid tampering with the text, the inside of the tablets was inscribed with a copy of tabula 1, though usually less refined and with a high number of abbreviations, as is obviously the case here. If there was suspicion of fraud, the seals could be broken and both versions compared without having to journey to Rome to inspect the original. This diploma preserves both tabulae, and was issued for Q. Munatius Mestris, son of Mucatralus, hailing from Anchialus, then part of Bessia, a larger area within Thrace named for the Bessi, a warlike tribe living in the Thracian interior. Indeed, both Munatius Mestris and his father Mucatralus, have names of Thracian origin. While the Bessi themselves did not have a seafaring tradition, the cities of the Thracian coastline obviously did, and these provided fertile recruitment grounds for the Roman fleet. The Misene fleet at this time was commanded by Caecius Severus. Nothing his known of his further career, but two other military diplomas show that he was prefect in 139, while the diploma sold in Leu 13 indicates he was replaced at least before October 142, providing a terminus ante quem for the end of his career as prefect of the fleet. More exciting are the suffect consuls, M. Vettius Valens and Ti. Claudius Saturninus, as this is their first attestation as suffect consuls together. First, M. Vettius Valens is probably to be identified with the Vettius Valens whose career is attested by an inscription found in Ariminum (CIL XI, 383). The pinnacle of his career was no doubt the command of the Legio XV Apollinaris, in which capacity he served under the governor of Cappadocia, the historian and philosopher Arrian, to repel an invasion of Alans late in the reign of Hadrian, before being awarded the suffect consulship under Pius. Ti. Claudius Saturninus, on the other hand, is known to have been the governor of Gallia Belgica under Hadrian in 136/7, while he later held the important governorship of Moesia Inferior under Pius from 144 to 147. Finally, this diploma sets itself apart by preserving both tabulae. Many diplomas are only preserved in a fragmentary state, or, if complete at all, only consist of one tabula. All the more amazing then is that we have both tabulae in excellent condition. As expected, the outside of tabula 2 is a list of witnesses ratifying the document, a standard feature of ancient law, especially for something as momentous as the grant of citizenship. As these were officials, they unsurprisingly appear in other military diplomas of the same time period. All in all, this diploma is another wonderful example of the administrative strength from which Rome drew much of its power. Members of provincial societies could hope for social (and economic!) advancement through military service, and this conditional inclusiveness helped mould the Empire into an entity whose legacy would long outlive its political existence. . Estimate: 10000 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Spink > Auction 24121 | Auction date: 9 April 2024 |
| Lot number: 226 Price realized: 220 GBP (Approx. 278 USD / 256 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Roman Empire, a Selection of Silver: i) Vespasian, of Syria, eagle to reverse. 3.11g flattened, good; ii) Vespasian, another, c. AD 70, COS ITER TR POT Pax seated left, 2.93g, about fine; iii) Trajan, AR Drachm, c. 112, Arabia standing left on reverse, alongside camel, 3.11g (RPC III 4073 (Arabian mint); Metcalf, Caesarea 15; Sydenham, Caesarea 184), struck off-centre, but fine iv) Hadrian, rev. P M TR P COS III, 2.77g, pierced, good; v) Antoninus Pius, rev. FELICITAS AVG COS IIII, 2.94g, near fine; vi) Antoninus Pius, 3.24g, good to fine; vii) Commodus, COMM ANT PER AVG BRIT, rev. S AVG FEL P M TR P XI IMP VII COS V P P, 2.58g, fine; viii) Septimius Severus, rev. VICT AVGG COS II P P, 2.47g, good fine portrait, reverse good to fine; ix) Septimius Severus, another, PART MAX P M TR P X, trophy, with two captives seated alongside, 2.87g, well-struck but beset with deposits, fine; x) Alexander Severus, IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG, rev. PAX AVG, Pax standing left with branch and sceptre, 2.54g, toned very fine; xi) Alexander Severus, rev. Providentia, 2.91g, granular surface, good; xii) Elagabalus, (AD 218-222), IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, SVMMVS SACERDOS AVG, emperor standing left, holding branch and giving sacrifice at altar, 1.81g, considerably worn, with verdigris, fair; xiii) Julia Domna, IVLIA AVGVSTA, rev. DIANA LVCIFERA, Diana standing left holding crescent and torch, 3.06g, cleaned, about fine; xiv) Julia Domna, rev. FORTVNAE FELICI, Fortuna standing left with cornucopiae, 3.22g, some deposits, good to fine; (14). PROVENANCE, From the Collection of Dr Tony Abramson Estimate: £150 - £250 |  |
