| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 143 | Auction date: 7 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 517 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: The Dioscuri Collection. The Roman Empire. Diva Marciana, elder sister of Trajan. Denarius circa 113, AR 18 mm, 3.31 g. DIVA AVGVSTA – MARCIANA Diademed and draped bust r. Rev. CONSECRATIO Eagle, with spread wings, standing l. with head r. C 4. BMC Trajan 650. RIC Trajan 743. CBN Trajan 758. Woytek 719. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue, among the finest specimens known. A magnificent portrait struck on fresh metal, virtually as struck and almost Fdc Ex NAC sale 92, 2016, 544. Historians disagree about the date of Marciana's death: some place it in 105, the year that she and Plotina jointly took the title of Augusta, while others suggest a date as late as 112 or 114. One of the two later dates seems more likely. This posthumous coinage does represent a novelty in Roman numismatics, for the word consecratio first appears here, and thereafter was employed frequently for posthumous coinages. Following Marciana's death, her daughter Matidia was raised to the rank of Augusta, and coinage was struck in her name in addition to that already being struck in the name of Trajan's wife, Plotina. Estimate: 20000 CHF |  |
