| Numisfitz GmbH > Auction 3 | Auction date: 3 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 1046 Price realized: 460 EUR (Approx. 502 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: BYZANTINE EMPIRE. Commercial weight (5h- 7th century AD). 3 Unciae. A barrel-shaped, bronze 3 Unciae weight; cylindrical with a slightly bulging center and with a flat top and bottom. The top bears a center punch flanked by the silver-filled, engraved letters = 3 unciae; around the circumference: Μ A P I A N O Y 9, engraved and silver-inlaid. Condition: Good Very fine. Weight: 82,86g. Diameter: 27mm. Starting price: 200 EUR |  |
Match 1:
| Numisfitz GmbH > Auction 3 | Auction date: 3 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 1047 Price realized: 120 EUR (Approx. 131 USD) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: BYZANTINE EMPIRE. Commercial weight (5h- 7th century AD). Uncertain standard. A square bronze weight. The top bears the a cross flanked by the letters N-Γ within a sqaure frame, all inlaid in silver. Condition: Very fine. Weight: 47,96g. Diameter: 30x30x6mm. Starting price: 50 EUR |  |
Match 2:
| Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles > Auction 137 | Auction date: 29 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 1233 Price realized: Unsold | |
| Lot description: Pre-Coinage Ancient Judah 5 Mina (Roman 8 Libra) Limestone Weight, ca. 8th-7th century BCE. Cylindrical cake shaped limestone weight 2,528 grams (2.528 kilograms). Diameter 127mm, height 90mm. Found in the Holyland. There is an inscribed letter on the top of the weight which may be an "A" or perhaps a Greek Delta Δ. The Roman Libra is considered to be around 322 to 327 grams. A Roman Libra 8 weight would be 2,576 to 2616 grams. The Mina weight is 570 grams thus a 5 Mina has a weight of 2,850 grams. The slight difference from our example to either the Roman 8 Libra or 5 Mina of Judah is easily explained by the broken corner. Estimated Value $7,500 - UP According to David Hendin, The weights of ancient Judah were used from the end of the eighth century up to 586 BCE when the Babylonians destroyed Solomon's Temple. Almost all of these are polished, symmetrical limestone domes with flat bases and often have engraved inscriptions referring to denomination. Ex Rabbi Zvi Rogin Collection. |  |
Match 3:
| Roma Numismatics Ltd > Auction XXX | Auction date: 21 March 2024 |
| Lot number: 422 Price realized: 18,500 GBP (Approx. 23,436 USD / 21,577 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Nero Æ Sestertius. Rome, AD 62-68. NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head to left / Port of Ostia: seven ships within harbour; at top is pharus surmounted by statue of Neptune; below is reclining figure of Tiber, holding rudder and dolphin; to left, crescent-shaped pier with portico, terminating with figure sacrificing at altar and building; to right, crescent-shaped row of breakwaters or slips; AVGVSTI above, SPOR OST C below. RIC I 182; BN 291 (same rev. die); BMCRE 135 var. (seven ships). 28.32g, 37mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine. Scarce. Ex Jesus Vico S.A., Auction 162, 12 July 2022, lot 131 (hammer: EUR 22,000); Ex Numismatic Fine Arts Inc., Auction XVIII, Beverly Hills, 11 April 1987, lot 441; Ex Bank Leu AG, Auction 33, 3 May 1983, lot 27. This precise and intricately designed masterpiece of numismatic design depicts on its reverse an exquisite interpretation of the recently completed harbour at Ostia, begun by Claudius in AD 42 and simply named Portus ('Harbour'). The porticos of the harbour curve around the left of the image and the breakwaters the right. A statue of Neptune, god of the sea, watches over the harbour from a lighthouse and at the entrance of the harbour the reclining river god Tiber is depicted holding a rudder and dolphin. These details are just the frame of this elaborate design, which has as its central focus a series of ships coming and going from the harbour supplying goods and grain to the people of Rome. A site of tremendous importance, Ostia was once (as its name, derived from the Latin word for mouth, os, suggests) the seaport of the city of Rome located at the mouth of the Tiber, through which goods could arrive from overseas into the city. Settled first in the 7th Century BC as most likely the first Roman colonia (colony), it shows signs of continuous development into the Imperial period, by which time its primary importance was as the site through which the huge overseas grain imports reached the city of Rome, long since swollen beyond any ability to self-sustain. Yet it had a debilitating feature: sandbars, which prevented large ships from penetrating beyond its coastline and meant that goods had to be transported from vessel to vessel in order to reach the city. Both Augustus and Julius Caesar had plans to expand the harbour and render it more useful for the centre of the empire. Yet the considerable cost and engineering required to complete the works held them back and it was not until the reign of Claudius that the project was finally begun. Suetonius describes the remarkable technological feats that Claudius initiated: "He constructed the harbour at Ostia by building curving breakwaters on the right and left, while before the entrance he placed a mole in deep water. To give this mole a firmer foundation, he first sank the ship in which the great obelisk had been brought from Egypt, and then securing it by piles, built upon it a very lofty tower after the model of the Pharos at Alexandria, to be lighted at night and guide the course of ships." (Suetonius, The Lives, 20.3). The marvel of the works was commented on far and wide, and it even appeared on Pliny the Elder's list of the 'most marvellous buildings in Rome', NH 36. 121125. Ancient sources notably do not give any mention to Nero's involvement in the completion of the harbour although it has often been cited as the reason for the issue of this remarkable series of sestertii. The literary evidence, however, suggests that Portus was perhaps completed while Claudius was still ruling. Naomi A. Weiss ('The Visual Language of Nero's Harbour Sestertii', MAAR 58, 2013) argues convincingly instead that its primary message was of the security of the grain supply route under Nero, intended for an audience of the urban poor of Rome who would have dealt on a daily basis with low-denomination coins such as this. She states that the grain fleets' "protection by architectural, technological, military and divine means" is encompassed in the symbols of this depiction. While the oared war-galley in the top right leaves the harbour as an extension of Roman military force, suggesting armed protection of the grain convoys, a narrative of the continuous and secure travel of these convoys is told by the merchant ship entering into the bustling harbour from top left while others lie at anchor in the centre. Overseeing all of this with divine favour is the reclining Tiber, through whose benevolent waters the grain is able to flow upriver to the hungry masses. Estimate: 17500 GBP |  |
Match 4:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 15 | Auction date: 1 June 2024 |
| Lot number: 93 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: IONIA. Uncertain. Circa 650-600 BC. Stater (Electrum, 20 mm, 13.99 g), Lydo-Milesian standard. Curved forepart of a ram set to left on a striated convex surface. Rev. Central rectangular incuse punch, flanked by a slightly smaller rectangular punch on the left, intersected by a single line, and a small incuse square on the right, intersected by two cross-shaped lines. BMC -. BMFA -. Linzalone -. Pozzi 2367 (same die and punches). SNG Kayhan -. SNG von Aulock -. Traité -. Weidauer -. Of the highest rarity and the finest known example. Well centered and with one of the earliest figural types in numismatic history, an issue of tremendous numismatic and historical interest. Very fine. From a European collection, formed before 2005. The invention of coinage occurred in the 7th century BC in western Asia Minor. We know that the Lydian Kingdom played a significant role in this, not only because later Greek authors like Herodotus report it, but crucially because the epochal innovation of minting precious metal pieces according to a standardized and guaranteed weight standard is only conceivable against the backdrop of the militarily and economically dominant power of Asia Minor, namely the Lydian realm of the Mermnads. What we do not know is exactly by whom the first coins were minted - conceivable issuers include the Lydian kings themselves as well as various local elites such as tyrants or oligarchically organized Greek cities operating under Lydian suzerainty. The dating of the invention of coinage is also disputed, but it is now believed that the earliest coins were minted around 650-625 BC. Iconographically, the transition from blank to pictorially designed obverse dies likely occurred quite early. The boundaries between these are fluid, and the development did not occur in a strict chronological sequence. Additionally, early coin dies were sometimes used until completely worn out, so that pictorial motifs became unrecognizable over time (and the latter coins are then incorrectly assessed as earlier in chronological terms). This issue is evident not least in the highly exciting series of earliest electrum coins that we are pleased to offer in this catalog (Lots 90-105), where one can observe the increasing die wear very well. The present, extremely rare stater depicts on the obverse a schematic profile view of a ram's forepart on a striated convex surface. Whether this represents the coat of arms of a ruler, a deity, or a political community such as Klazomenai remains unclear, yet it undoubtedly is one of the earliest, securely identifiable pictorial representations on coins altogether, rendering it of the utmost historical, numismatic, and iconographic significance. Estimate: 25000 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61357 | Auction date: 14 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 22066 Price realized: 420 USD (Approx. 384 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Anonymous. Ca. 10th century AD. Lead "eulogia" medallion (52mm, 30.16 gm). XF. "Eulogia" of St. Symeon Stylites the Younger. +EVΛOΓIA TOV AΓIOV CEIMONOC TOV ΘAVMATOVPΓOV (Blessing of Saint Symeon the Miracle Worker), nimbate, half-length bust of St. Symeon the Younger on a column, wearing monastic hood, holding book of Gospels; flanked by two nimbate flying angels facing center, with Konon (Symeon's disciple, on left), nimbate, standing right, and St. Martha (Symeon's mother, on right), nimbate, standing left, both with their hands raised in gesture of supplication, K/O/N/O/N in left field, Θ / M-A/P-ΘA (Saint Martha) in right field / Large, elaborately decorated cross; leaf in each angle. Cf. Gary Vikan: Art, Medicine, and Magic in Early Byzantium, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 38 (1984), p. 65-86, fig. 7. Byzantine eulogia tokens, also known as eulogiae or blessings, were a distinctive aspect of Byzantine religious and cultural life, primarily during the Middle Ages. These tokens were small, often coin-like objects made from various materials such as lead, bronze, or even precious metals. They were given to pilgrims visiting holy sites, monasteries, or churches as a form of blessing and as a memento of their pilgrimage. The imagery on these tokens was richly symbolic, often featuring religious icons, saints, Christ, the Virgin Mary, or other holy figures and scenes. They served not only as tangible symbols of the pilgrim's journey and devotion but also as amulets believed to offer protection and blessings. Saint Simeon the Younger, also known as Simeon Stylites the Younger, was an ascetic saint who followed in the footsteps of the famous St. Symeon the Stylite. Living in the 6th century AD, he too chose the life of a stylite, spending a significant portion of his life on top of a pillar as a demonstration of his devotion and asceticism. His pillar was located on the slopes of the Wonderful Mountain near Antioch. Saint Simeon the Younger was known for his piety, his endurance, and his ability to inspire and attract pilgrims who sought his counsel and blessings. When Martha's parents betrothed her to a young man from Edessa named John, she considered leaving home. However, John the Baptist is said to have appeared to her and advised her to do as her parents had arranged and marry the man to whom they had betrothed her. She complied and the bore Simeon Stylites. After her death, she was canonized and Saint Martha is said to have appeared to various people in order to heal and inspire hope. She is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church on July 4 and in the Catholic Church on July 5. Konon, the disciple of Saint Simeon the Younger, is noted for his close association and dedication to his teacher. As a disciple, Konon would have been integral in assisting Saint Simeon the Younger with his needs while he was atop the pillar and would have played a key role in disseminating his teachings and wisdom to the pilgrims and followers. The relationship between a disciple and a spiritual teacher like Saint Simeon the Younger is a vital part of Christian monastic and ascetic traditions, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and spiritual guidance. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/byzantine/ancients-anonymous-ca-10th-century-ad-lead-eulogia-medallion-52mm-3016-gm-xf/a/61357-22066.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61357-01142024 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
