| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 29 | Auction date: 24 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 1768 Price realized: 1,500 CHF (Approx. 1,703 USD / 1,573 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.69 g, 12 h), a contemporary imitation, after 32-31. ANT•AVG - III•VIR•R•P•C Galley right, with scepter tied with fillet on prow. Rev. LEG IIX Aquila between two signa. Cf. Babelon (Antonia) 119, Crawford 544/26, CRI 365 and Sydenham 1230 (for prototype). Good very fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. This attractive imitation curiously misspells the number of the legion, 'XII', as 'IIX'. Starting price: 50 CHF |  |
Match 1:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 271 Price realized: 320 CHF (Approx. 364 USD / 338 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Subaeratus, 17 mm, 3.22 g, 11 h), a contemporary plated imitation from an irregular mint, 32-31. ANT•AVG - III•VIR•R•P•C Galley right, with scepter tied with fillet on prow. Rev. LEG XX Aquila between two signa. Babelon (Antonia) 135. Crawford 544/36. CRI 380. RBW 1848. Sydenham 1243. Nicely toned. Slightly porous and with very minor breaks in plating, otherwise, very fine. From the James Knox Collection of Biblical related coins, ex Hirsch 296, 13 February 2014, 2056. Remnants of Antony's otherwise unattested Legio XX were likely incorporated into Octavian's Legio XX Valeria Victrix in 30 BC. This new unit fought in the Cantabrian Wars in Iberia in 29-19 BC, and was then moved to the Rhine frontier following Varus' disaster in 9 AD. Later, it relocated to Britain, where it helped suppressing Boudica's revolt, and was still stationed there under Carausius and Allectus in the late 3rd century. Starting price: 75 CHF |  |
Match 2:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 3262 Price realized: 380 CHF (Approx. 432 USD / 401 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.82 g, 12 h), D. Turullius, moneyer. Military mint moving with Antony (Actium?), summer 31. M•ANTONIVS•AVG•IMP•IIII[•C]OS•[TERT•III•VIR-•R•P•C] Bare head of Mark Antony to right. Rev. Victory standing front, head to left, holding wreath tied with fillet in her right hand and palm frond over her left shoulder; all within laurel wreath. Babelon (Antonia) 147 and (Turullia) 6. Crawford 545/2. CRI 388. RBW 1851. Sydenham 1211a. Nicely toned. Banker's mark and light scratches, otherwise, good fine. From a Swiss collection, formed before 2005. Struck right before Mark Antony's and Cleopatra's dreams of world domination would be utterly crushed under the relentless blows delivered to their galleys by Agrippa's rams in the Battle of Actium on 2 September 31 BC, this coin feigns an optimism which Mark must have long abandoned at that point. Trapped in swampy terrain at the mouth of the Gulf of Ambrakia after a surprise advance by the forces of Octavian, Antony's massive army and fleet suffered from hunger, disease and desertion throughout the summer of 31 BC. The situation eventually became untenable, forcing him and his beloved queen to attempt a breakthrough through Agrippa's fleet. Their plan was for Antony to engage the opponent so that Cleopatra could slip away with her contingent and the war treasury. Antony would subsequently also break away from Agrippa and reassemble his and Cleopatra's naval and land forces further east to continue the struggle on more solid grounds, with the vast resources of the eastern provinces and Ptolemaic Egypt eventually tipping the scales of the war in their favor. However, Agrippa's superior generalship and his forces' higher morale and tactical flexibility won him a resounding victory over Antony's fleet, and while the latter successfully fled the scene after transferring from his giant flag ship to a smaller vessel, three-quarters of his fleet was either captured or destroyed. Meanwhile, Cleopatra had successfully sailed to Egypt - a planned tactical withdrawal that would lead to numerous misogynistic accusations of cowardice and treason by ancient and modern writers - but her and her lover's fate was sealed when Antony's demoralized land army capitulated to Octavian shortly after the battle, and most of the eastern client rulers forsook their former master before long. In 30 BC, Octavian's forces entered Egypt, and both Mark Antony and Cleopatra famously committed suicide, bringing to an end the fifteen-year epic struggle that saw Octavian's rise to become the most powerful ruler the world had ever known. Starting price: 75 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 266 Price realized: 400 CHF (Approx. 455 USD / 422 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.59 g, 6 h), military mint moving with Mark Antony (Patrae?), 32-31. ANT AVG - III VIR•R•P•C Galley right, with scepter tied with fillet on prow. Rev. LEG III Aquila between two signa. Babelon (Antonia) 106. Crawford 544/15. CRI 350. RBW 1839. Sydenham 1217. Lightly toned and very well centered. A few small scratches on obverse, otherwise, very fine. From the James Knox Collection of Biblical related coins, ex Aureo & Calicó 258, 20 March 2014, 1118. Two legions are referenced as one on the reverse of this coin, namely Legio III Gallica, created by Caesar in 49-48 BC, which is known to have served with Mark Antony, and Legio III Cyrenaica, raised by Antony himself. Starting price: 75 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 3257 Price realized: 110 CHF (Approx. 125 USD / 116 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 4.00 g, 2 h), military mint moving with Mark Antony (Patrae?), 32-31 BC. ANT•AVG - III VIR•R•P•C Galley right, with scepter tied with fillet on prow. Rev. LEG XV Aquila between two signa. Babelon (Antonia) 125. Crawford 544/30. CRI 371. Sydenham 1235. Struck from worn dies on a short flan, otherwise, very fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. The original Legio XV was raised by Julius Caesar in Gaul in 53 BC to fight Vercingetorix and was destroyed during Caesar' African campaign against the Pompeyans in 49-48 BC. Its namesake, the Legio XV mentioned on this coin, was recruited shortly before Philippi and was either destroyed or disbanded after Actium. Quite remarkably, at the same battle, Octavian had his own unit of the same number, the Legio XV Apollinaris. Starting price: 50 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 272 Price realized: 900 CHF (Approx. 1,023 USD / 950 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Mark Antony, 44-30 BC. Denarius (Silver, 17 mm, 3.82 g, 6 h), military mint moving with Mark Antony (Patrae?), 32-31. ANT•AVG - III•VIR•R•P•C Galley right, with scepter tied with fillet on prow. Rev. LEG XX Aquila between two signa. Babelon (Antonia) 135. Crawford 544/36. CRI 380. RBW 1848. Sydenham 1243. A beautiful example, lightly toned and attractive. Struck slightly off center, otherwise, extremely fine. From the James Knox Collection of Biblical related coins, ex Jesús Vico 133, 15 November 2012, 2136. Remnants of Antony's otherwise unattested Legio XX were likely incorporated into Octavian's Legio XX Valeria Victrix in 30 BC. This new unit fought in the Cantabrian Wars in Iberia in 29-19 BC, and was then moved to the Rhine frontier following Varus' disaster in 9 AD. Later, it relocated to Britain, where it helped suppressing Boudica's revolt, and was still stationed there under Carausius and Allectus in the late 3rd century. Starting price: 200 CHF |  |
