| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 29 | Auction date: 24 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 978 Price realized: 451 CHF (Approx. 512 USD / 473 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS OF ARMENIA MINOR. Aristobulus, with Salome, 54-92. Tetrachalkon (Bronze, 21 mm, 6.91 g, 11 h), Chalcis (?), RY 13 = 66/7. BACIΛEΩC APICTOBOYΛOY ET IΓ Diademed and draped bust of Aristobulus to left. Rev. [BACI]ΛIC-CHC [CAΛOMHC] Diademed and draped bust of Salome to left. Hendin 1257a. Kovacs 300. Meshorer 365 corr. (date). RPC I 3840. Rare. Patina stripped, otherwise, fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. The infamous Jewish princess Salome was the daughter of Herodes II and Herodias, a son and a granddaughter of Herodes 'the Great'. Her reputation as a devious seductress comes from Mark (6:21-28) and Matthew (14:6-11), who describe how Salome performed a captivating erotic dance for Herod Antipas. As a reward, her thrilled stepfather promised her to fulfill any wish she may utter: 'Whatever you ask me for, I will give it to you, up to half my kingdom'. Salome consulted with her mother, Herodias, who told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, as he had criticized her own divorce from Herodes II and her subsequent marriage to Herod Antipas. The tetrarch had previously refused to execute the preacher, but when the teenage girl now demanded his head as a reward for her dance, Herod complied and had one of his bodyguards bring John's head on a platter. A few years later, Salome married Aristobulus, the son of Herod of Chalcis, who was appointed King of Armenia Minor in 54 by Nero. The present coin is one of just very few known examples to show the king on the obverse and his queen, Salome, on the reverse. It may have been struck in Aristobulus' capital Nicopolis-ad-Lycum, although it has been suggested that the actual mint may have been Antioch (Kovacs) or, more convincingly, Chalcis (RPC). Starting price: 50 CHF |  |
Match 1:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 29 | Auction date: 24 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 977 Price realized: 360 CHF (Approx. 409 USD / 378 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS OF ARMENIA MINOR. Aristobulus, with Salome, 54-92. Tetrachalkon (Bronze, 22 mm, 6.87 g, 12 h), Chalcis (?), RY 13 = 66/7. BACIΛEΩC APICTOBOYΛOY ET IΓ Diademed and draped bust of Aristobulus to left. Rev. [BACI]ΛIC-CHC [CAΛOMHC] Diademed and draped bust of Salome to left. Hendin 1257a. Kovacs 300. Meshorer 365 corr. (date). RPC I 3840. Rare. Somewhat smoothed and with some deposits, otherwise, fine. Ex Leu Web Auction 25, 11 March 2023, 1002 and previously from a European collection, formed before 2005. The infamous Jewish princess Salome was the daughter of Herodes II and Herodias, a son and a granddaughter of Herodes 'the Great'. Her reputation as a devious seductress comes from Mark (6:21-28) and Matthew (14:6-11), who describe how Salome performed a captivating erotic dance for Herod Antipas. As a reward, her thrilled stepfather promised her to fulfill any wish she may utter: 'Whatever you ask me for, I will give it to you, up to half my kingdom'. Salome consulted with her mother, Herodias, who told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, as he had criticized her own divorce from Herodes II and her subsequent marriage to Herod Antipas. The tetrarch had previously refused to execute the preacher, but when the teenage girl now demanded his head as a reward for her dance, Herod complied and had one of his bodyguards bring John's head on a platter. A few years later, Salome married Aristobulus, the son of Herod of Chalcis, who was appointed King of Armenia Minor in 54 by Nero. The present coin is one of just very few known examples to show the king on the obverse and his queen, Salome, on the reverse. It may have been struck in Aristobulus' capital Nicopolis-ad-Lycum, although it has been suggested that the actual mint may have been Antioch (Kovacs) or, more convincingly, Chalcis (RPC). Starting price: 100 CHF |  |
Match 2:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 15 | Auction date: 1 June 2024 |
| Lot number: 129 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: KINGS OF ARMENIA MINOR. Aristobulus, with Salome, 54-92. Tetrachalkon (Bronze, 20 mm, 6.36 g, 1 h), Chalcis (?), RY 13 = 66/7. BACIΛEΩC APICTOBOYΛOY ET IΓ Diademed and draped bust of Aristobulus to left. Rev. BACIΛIC-CHC CAΛΩMHC Diademed and draped bust of Salome to left. Hendin 6289. Kovacs 300. Meshorer 365 corr. (date). RPC I 3840. Extremely rare and among the finest known examples. Boldly struck on a full flan, with fully readable legends and two spectacular portraits. The reverse somewhat smoothed, otherwise, nearly extremely fine. From an important collection of Armenian coins, Leu 7, 24-25 October 2020, 1355. The infamous Jewish princess Salome was the daughter of Herod II and Herodias, a son and a granddaughter of Herod 'the Great'. Her reputation as a devious seductress results from Mark (6:21-28) and Matthew (14:6-11), who describe how Salome performed a captivating erotic dance for Herod Antipas. As a reward, her thrilled stepfather promised her to fulfill any wish she may utter: 'Whatever you ask me for, I will give it to you, up to half my kingdom'. Salome consulted with her mother, Herodias, who told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, as he had criticized her own divorce from Herod II and her subsequent marriage to Herod Antipas. The tetrarch had previously refused to execute the preacher, but when the teenage girl now demanded his head as a reward for her dance, Herod complied and had one of his bodyguards bring John's head on a platter. A few years later, Salome married Aristobulus, the son of Herod of Chalcis, who was appointed King of Armenia Minor in 54 by Nero. The present coin is one of a few known examples to show the king on the obverse and his queen, Salome, on the reverse. It may have been struck in Aristobulus' capital Nicopolis-ad-Lycum, although it has been suggested that the actual mint may have been Antiochia (Kovacs), or Chalcis (RPC). Estimate: 3500 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 481 Price realized: 15,000 USD (Approx. 13,739 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS of ARMENIA MINOR. Aristoboulos, with Salome. AD 54-92. Æ (21.5mm, 7.89 g, 12h). Dated RY 13 (AD 66/7). BACIΛEΩC APICTOBOYΛOY ET IΓ, diademed and draped bust of Aristoboulos left / BACIΛIC CHC CAΛOMHC, diademed and draped bust of Salome left. Kovacs 300; Meshorer 365 corr. (date); Hendin 1257a; RPC I 3840 corr. (same). Dark red-brown and green patina, light scratch on reverse. Good VF. Clear and complete legends and date. Salome is described in the Gospels (Matthew 14 and Mark 6) only as the daughter of Herodias, who asked Herod Antipas for the head of John the Baptist in return for his daughter's risqué dance for the king. Salome's name is supplied by Josephus in Antiquities 18.5, where he also informs us that she grew up to marry her great-uncle Philip the Tetrarch and, after Philip's death, her cousin Aristoboulos, who is featured on the obverse of this coin and with whom Salome had three sons. Aristoboulos was the son of Herod V of Chalkis and great grandson of Herod I, and was appointed king of Armenia Minor in the first year of Nero's reign. The present issue was struck in AD 66/7 (year 13 of Aristoboulos's reign), the first year of the Jewish war and around 40 years since the execution of John the Baptist, which has been tentatively dated to some time between AD 25 and 29. Hendin (5th ed., p. 275) suggests that Aristoboulos struck this issue for propagandistic and political purposes, in the first year of the war, as a show of loyalty to Rome and his patron Nero. When RPC was published, citing three known examples of this type, the date was off the flan on two pieces and the one example with partial date had been tentatively read as date Α or Η (RPC p. 570). Frank Kovacs subsequently discovered an example with a clear date 13 (Hendin p. 275, pl. 24, same obverse die as the present coin), and Kovacs's opinion was that other reported dates were most likely mis-readings of that date. The publication of additional specimens has since confirmed Kovacs' opinion, and it is now clear that all coins of this type are dated year 13. Estimate: 10000 USD |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 29 | Auction date: 24 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 962 Price realized: 110 CHF (Approx. 125 USD / 115 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS OF ARMENIA MINOR. Mithradates, circa 180s-170s BC. Tetrachalkon (Bronze, 22 mm, 5.68 g, 1 h). 𐡌𐡕𐡓𐡊𐡕 ('mtrdt' in Aramaic) Draped bust of Mithradates to left, bearded and wearing upright bashlyk tied with a diadem. Rev. 𐡌𐡕𐡓𐡊𐡕 ('mtrdt' in Aramaic) Stag standing left. Kovacs -, cf. 296 (stag standing right). Leu 7 (2020), 1340. Extremely rare. The reverse smoothed, otherwise, fine. From the collection of an Armenian businessman, Leu Web Auction 20, 16-18 July 2022, 1446, ex Leu Web Auction 14, 12-13 December 2020, 542. This coin was struck from the same obverse die as the magnificent tetrachalkon in Leu 7 (2020), 1335. Starting price: 50 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 29 | Auction date: 24 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 964 Price realized: 25 CHF (Approx. 28 USD / 26 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: KINGS OF ARMENIA MINOR. Mithradates (?), circa 180s-170s BC. Chalkous (Bronze, 11 mm, 1.28 g, 11 h). Draped bust of Mithradates (?) to left, bearded and wearing upright bashlyk tied with a diadem; around, uncertain Aramaic legend. Rev. Draped female bust to right. Kovacs -. Leu 4 (2019), 361 and 7 (2020), 1348 (with longer notes on the issue). Rare. Struck on a irregular flan, otherwise, very fine. Ex Leu Web Auction 27, 9-11 September 2023, 775, and previously from a European collection, formed before 2005. Starting price: 25 CHF |  |
