| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3113 | Auction date: 8 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 31050 Price realized: 14,000 USD (Approx. 12,762 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Gaius (Caligula) (AD 37-41), with Agrippina Senior. AR denarius (19mm, 3.71 gm, 9h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5. Lugdunum, AD 37-38. C•CAESAR•AVG•GERM•P•M•TR•POT, laureate head of Caligula right / AGRIPPINA•MAT•C•CAES•AVG•GERM, draped bust of Agrippina Senior right, seen from front, hair arranged in ringlets along brow line and gathered into looped plait at back. RIC I 14 (Rome). An exceptional example of a coveted type boasting two stunning portraits of members from the historic Julio-Claudian family. From The Bob Klein History of Money Collection. Ex Heritage Auctions, Auction 3061 (8 January 2018), lot 32087. Most ancient historians agree Agrippina Senior, the granddaughter of Augustus, was a model of rectitude and matronly virtue. She also went beyond the traditional role of a Roman wife in accompanying her husband Germanicus on dangerous military campaigns and foreign postings. The Roman people admired her courage; however she also had an imperious nature that irritated her peers and relations, particularly the Emperor Tiberius. The mysterious death of Germanicus in AD 19 led to further clashes. Agrippina believed Tiberius and/or Livia had a hand in his demise and made no secret of her suspicions. In AD 29 she was charged with treason and banished to a remote island; repeatedly abused and starved, she died four years later. Upon the death of Tiberius, her son Gaius 'Caligula' became emperor and rehabilitated his mother's reputation, ostentatiously placing her ashes to the Mausoleum of Augustus and striking this attractive denarius pairing her portrait with his own. There is scholarly disagreement over the mint location for Caligula's precious metal coinage. C. H. V. Sutherland and R. A. Carson, writing in Vol. I of RIC, state their belief that the early, bare headed coinage of Caligula, like that of Tiberius, was struck in Gaul at the mint of Lugdunum, but that late in AD 37, minting operations were transferred to Rome and continued there for all subsequent issues, identified by a laureate head of the emperor. J. B. Giard, author of the Bibliotech Nationale catalog in Paris, believes all of Caligula's gold and silver issues were minted in Lugdunum, and this view is supported by David R. Sear in "Roman Coins and Their Values." https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-gaius-caligula-ad-37-41-with-agrippina-senior-ar-denarius-19mm-371-gm-9h-ngc-au-5-5-3-5/a/3113-31050.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3113-01082024 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 10000-12000 USD |  |
Match 1:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 32194 Price realized: 2,100 USD (Approx. 1,954 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients SYRIA. Antioch. Caligula (AD 37-41), with Agrippina Senior. AR tetradrachm (25mm, 14.97 gm, 12h). NGC XF 4/5 - 2/5, Fine Style, scuffs. Dated Regnal Year 3 (AD 38/9). ΓAIOY KAIΣAPOΣ-ΣEBA-ΓEPMA•, laureate head of Caligula right / •AΓPIΠΠEINHΣ-ANTIO MHTPO•, draped bust of Agrippina Senior right, hair in long looped braid behind, with three loose curls; Γ (date) / ET in right field. Prieur 66. RPC I 4167. McAlee 225. Enchantingly toned Provincial issue. Born as Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus in AD 12, he soon became the mascot for the army of his father, the popular general Germanicus. During that time, he acquired the nickname "Caligula," or "Little Boots," for the miniature army boots (called caligae) he wore. When his predecessor, Tiberius, finally died in May AD 37, there was much speculation that, in the end, he did not die of natural causes. Suetonius himself believed rumors that Caligula had poisoned, starved, smothered with a pillow, and then he fell dead. But he was uniquely unsuited to the task at hand, having no experience in government, finance, or military affairs. He quickly squandered Tiberius' carefully hoarded wealth on frivolous projects, condemned or exiled the most capable men in government, and demanded to be worshipped as a god. After three years of misrule, he was assassinated by a cabal of senators and Praetorian guardsmen led by Cassius Chaerea on 24 January AD 41. Despite being perhaps one of the worst Roman emperors, Caligula's coinage is interesting and attractive. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-provincial/ancients-syria-antioch-caligula-ad-37-41-with-agrippina-senior-ar-tetradrachm-25mm-1497-gm-12h-ngc-xf-4-5/a/3115-32194.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 2:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61373 | Auction date: 5 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 22071 Price realized: 2,600 USD (Approx. 2,433 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Gaius (Caligula) (AD 37-41). AE as (28mm, 10.75 gm, 6h). NGC Choice XF 4/5 - 2/5. Rome, 37-38 AD. C•CAESAR•AVG•GERMANICVS•PON•M•TR•POT, bare head of Caligula left / VESTA, Vesta enthroned left, veiled, with patera in outstretched right hand, transverse scepter in left; S-C across fields. RIC I 38. Mild polychromatic shadowing. Born as Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus in AD 12, he soon became the mascot for the army of his father, the popular general Germanicus. During that time, he acquired the nickname "Caligula," or "Little Boots," for the miniature army boots (called caligae) he wore. When his predecessor, Tiberius, finally died in May AD 37, there was much speculation that, in the end, he did not die of natural causes. Suetonius himself believed rumors that Caligula had poisoned, starved, smothered with a pillow, and then he fell dead. But he was uniquely unsuited to the task at hand, having no experience in government, finance, or military affairs. He quickly squandered Tiberius' carefully hoarded wealth on frivolous projects, condemned or exiled the most capable men in government, and demanded to be worshipped as a god. After three years of misrule, he was assassinated by a cabal of senators and Praetorian guardsmen led by Cassius Chaerea on 24 January AD 41. Despite being perhaps one of the worst Roman emperors, Caligula's coinage is interesting and attractive. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-gaius-caligula-ad-37-41-ae-as-28mm-1075-gm-6h-ngc-choice-xf-4-5-2-5/a/61373-22071.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61373-05052024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 3:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3114 | Auction date: 16 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 33207 Price realized: 1,900 USD (Approx. 1,745 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients SYRIA. Antioch. Nero (AD 54-68), with Agrippina Junior. AR tetradrachm (27mm, 15.02 gm, 11h). NGC AU 4/5 - 3/5, brushed. Dated Caesarean Era Year 105 and Regnal Year 3 (AD 56/7). ΝΕΡΩΝΟΣ ΚΛΑΥΔΙΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΥΙ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΟΣ ΣΕΒ•, head of Nero right, wreathed with oak / ΑΓΡΙΠΠΕΙΝΗΣ ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗΣ, draped bust of Agrippina Junior right, seen from front, with curls at brow and hair falling in ringlets with queue down back of neck; Γ (regnal date) above ΕΡ (civic date) in right fields. Prieur 74. RPC I 4175. Wonderfully sharp portraits on frosty, matte surfaces. Nero, born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus in AD 37, ascended to the Roman imperial throne in AD 54, initiating a tumultuous reign that both captivated and horrified contemporaries. Initially perceived as a youthful and promising ruler, Nero's early years were marked by relative stability. However, his later years were characterized by a series of erratic and tyrannical acts. Nero's infatuation with the arts and his lavish spending on grandiose construction projects, such as the Domus Aurea, strained the Roman treasury. His ruthless suppression of the Pisonian conspiracy and persecution of Christians tarnished his legacy further. The Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, though often attributed to Nero, remains a subject of historical debate. Ultimately, Nero's reign culminated in a revolt by the Roman Senate, leading to his suicide in AD 68, marking the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and leaving a complex legacy as both a patron of the arts and a symbol of tyranny in Roman history. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-provincial/ancients-syria-antioch-nero-ad-54-68-with-agrippina-junior-ar-tetradrachm-27mm-1502-gm-11h-ngc-au-4-5-3/a/3114-33207.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3114-01162024 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 4:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31053 Price realized: 60,000 USD (Approx. 55,818 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Gaius (Caligula) (AD 37-41), with Germanicus. AV aureus (19mm, 7.72 gm, 4h). NGC VF 5/5 - 2/5, edge damage. Rome, AD 37-38. C CAESAR•AVG•PON•M•TR•POT•III•III, laureate head of Gaius right / GERMANICVS•CAES•P•C•CAES•AVG•GERM•, bare head of Germanicus right. Calicó 324. RIC I 25. This piece is wonderfully struck, showcasing two distinct portraits of the father and son and the full legends clearly visible on both sides. It was struck on a flan lovely toning and a lustrous, satin-like finish. Germanicus, the father of Gaius, was the John F. Kennedy of his generation - enormously popular with the Roman masses for his good looks, impeccable genes, attractive family, and wartime heroics. His untimely death only added to his legend. The grandson of Augustus' wife Livia, Germanicus was so named for his father Drusus's spectacular conquests in Germany during the second decade of Augustus' reign. After the Varian disaster of AD 9 had undone most of these conquests, Germanicus took up leadership of a Roman army and rushed to the German frontier to prevent a general collapse. At the death of Augustus in AD 14, the Rhine legions attempted to acclaim Germanicus as Emperor, but he refused the honor and gave his support to his uncle Tiberius. By AD 15, Germanicus had built a formidable army and crossed the Rhine to exact revenge on the treacherous chieftain Arminius, who had led Varus to his doom. Over the course of two excruciatingly difficult campaigns, Germanicus rebuilt Roman prestige and inflicted a seemingly decisive defeat on the Germans at Idistoviso in AD 16. Tiberius, however, recalled him to Rome, allowing eastern Germany to once again slip from Roman control. Germanicus received a rapturous welcome and seemed clearly marked out as heir apparent; however, during a diplomatic mission to the East in AD 19, Germanicus fell ill and died under highly suspicious circumstances. Wags blamed the jealous Tiberius, acting through his agent G. Calpurnius Piso, governor of Syria. A show trial of Piso, which ended in his suicide, failed to alleviate suspicion, and Germanicus' widow Agrippina became the locus of resistance to the regime. She and her sons Drusus and Nero accordingly suffered persecution and death; only the youngest son, Gaius, survived. He, alas, proved a most unworthy son to a great father, but that is another story. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-gaius-caligula-ad-37-41-with-germanicus-av-aureus-19mm-772-gm-4h-ngc-vf-5-5-2-5-edge-damage/a/3115-31053.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 30000-40000 USD |  |
Match 5:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61351 | Auction date: 11 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 24068 Price realized: 1,650 USD (Approx. 1,532 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients SYRIA. Antioch. Gaius (Caligula) (AD 37-41), with Agrippina Senior. AR tetradrachm (25mm, 1h). NGC VF. Dated Regnal Year 3 (AD 38/9). ΓAIOY KAIΣAPOΣ-ΣEBA-ΓEPMA•, laureate head of Caligula right / •AΓPIΠΠEINHΣ-ANTIO MHTPO•, draped bust of Agrippina Senior right, hair in long looped braid behind, with three loose curls; Γ (date) / ET in right field. Prieur 66. RPC I 4167. McAlee 225. Born as Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus in AD 12, he soon became the mascot for the army of his father, the popular general Germanicus. During that time, he acquired the nickname "Caligula," or "Little Boots," for the miniature army boots (called caligae) he wore. When his predecessor, Tiberius, finally died in May AD 37, there was much speculation that, in the end, he did not die of natural causes. Suetonius himself believed rumors that Caligula had poisoned, starved, smothered with a pillow, and then he fell dead. But he was uniquely unsuited to the task at hand, having no experience in government, finance, or military affairs. He quickly squandered Tiberius' carefully hoarded wealth on frivolous projects, condemned or exiled the most capable men in government, and demanded to be worshipped as a god. After three years of misrule, he was assassinated by a cabal of senators and Praetorian guardsmen led by Cassius Chaerea on 24 January AD 41. Despite being perhaps one of the worst Roman emperors, Caligula's coinage is interesting and attractive. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-provincial/ancients-syria-antioch-gaius-caligula-ad-37-41-with-agrippina-senior-ar-tetradrachm-25mm-1h-ngc-vf/a/61351-24068.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61351-12112023 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
