| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Dallas Signature Sale 3119 | Auction date: 1 November 2024 |
| Lot number: 30036 Price realized: 60,000 USD (Approx. 55,272 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Otho (15 January-16 April AD 69). AV aureus (18mm, 7.21 gm, 6h). NGC Choice VF 4/5 - 3/5. Rome. IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P, bare, bewigged head of Otho right / SECVR-I-TAS P R, Securitas standing facing, head left, wreath in outstretched right hand, scepter cradled in left arm. Calicó 531. RIC I 7. Iconic portraiture with minor marks on an otherwise dazzling specimen. Warm amber tones can be seen in the recesses. From the Lattimer Collection. Born in AD 32 to a nouveau riche family, Marcus Salvius Otho grew up as a pampered playboy with a taste for the finer things in life. He had a peculiar abhorrence for body hair and depilated every part of his body, including his head. To cover his baldness, he then wore a carefully made wig. Otho became one of the Emperor Nero's high-living friends, but this changed abruptly when Nero took a fancy to his beautiful wife, Poppaea. Otho was thus packed off to govern Lusitania (modern Portugal), where he stewed and plotted revenge. When Nero's regime collapsed in AD 68, Otho was one of Galba's earliest supporters and fully expected to be named the old man's heir apparent. Instead, Galba chose a young aristocrat of better breeding, and the furious Otho began plotting his removal. He bribed the Praetorian Guards to murder Galba on 15 January AD 69, after which the Senate reluctantly confirmed Otho as emperor. But he immediately faced another rebellion, this time by Vitellius, governor of lower Germany, whose sizeable army marched on Italy. Otho hurried north to the River Po; his generals urged him to wait for reinforcements, but Otho was afraid of defections and ordered a premature attack. The sharp clash at Cremona in northern Italy went decisively against him, and he stabbed himself in the heart the morning of April 16 or 17 AD 69, ending a brief reign of about 90 days. His noble end gained him a respect that had eluded him in life. Gold aurei of Otho are rare and highly prized, often referred to as the "key" coin in any set of the first Twelve Caesars. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-otho-15-january-16-april-ad-69-av-aureus-18mm-721-gm-6h-ngc-choice-vf-4-5-3-5/a/3119-30036.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3119-11012024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 50000-80000 USD |  |
Match 1:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > ANA Signature Sale 3118 | Auction date: 15 August 2024 |
| Lot number: 33055 Price realized: Unsold | |
| Lot description: Ancients Otho (15 January-16 April AD 69). AV aureus (20mm, 7.03 gm, 7h). NGC Choice Fine 5/5 - 3/5. Rome. IMP M OTHO CAESAR AVG TR P, bare, bewigged head of Otho right / SECV-RI-TAS P R, Securitas standing facing, head left, wreath in outstretched right hand, cradling scepter in left arm. Calicó 531a. RIC I 7. A handsome piece boasting a radiant satin finish. Ex Roma Numismatics, Auction XVI (26 September 2018), lot 690. Born in AD 32 to a nouveau riche family, Marcus Salvius Otho grew up as a pampered playboy with a taste for the finer things in life. He had a peculiar abhorrence for body hair and depilated every part of his body, including his head. To cover his baldness, he then wore a carefully made wig. Otho became one of the Emperor Nero's high-living friends, but this changed abruptly when Nero took a fancy to his beautiful wife, Poppaea. Otho was thus packed off to govern Lusitania (modern Portugal), where he stewed and plotted revenge. When Nero's regime collapsed in AD 68, Otho was one of Galba's earliest supporters and fully expected to be named the old man's heir apparent. Instead, Galba chose a young aristocrat of better breeding, and the furious Otho began plotting his removal. He bribed the Praetorian Guards to murder Galba on 15 January AD 69, after which the Senate reluctantly confirmed Otho as emperor. But he immediately faced another rebellion, this time by Vitellius, governor of lower Germany, whose sizeable army marched on Italy. Otho hurried north to the River Po; his generals urged him to wait for reinforcements, but Otho was afraid of defections and ordered a premature attack. The sharp clash at Cremona in northern Italy went decisively against him, and he stabbed himself in the heart the morning of 16 or 17 April AD 69, ending a brief reign of about 90 days. His noble end gained him a respect that had eluded him in life. Gold aurei of Otho are rare and highly prized, often referred to as the "key" coin in any set of the first Twelve Caesars. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-otho-15-january-16-april-ad-69-av-aureus-20mm-703-gm-7h-ngc-choice-fine-5-5-3-5/a/3118-33055.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3118-08152024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 56000-70000 USD |  |
Match 2:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3122 | Auction date: 21 January 2025 |
| Lot number: 34221 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: Ancients Antonia (died AD 37). AV aureus (18mm, 7.77 gm, 6h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 3/5, marks. Posthumous issue of Rome, AD 41-45. ANTONIA-AVGVSTA, draped bust of Antonia right, seen from front, wreathed with grain ears, knotted in braid falling down neck / CONSTANTIAE-AVGVSTI, Antonia (as Constantia) standing facing, head slightly right, grounded torch in right hand, cornucopia cradled in left arm. Calicó 318. RIC I (Claudius) 65. A beautiful portrait of the empress with radiant surfaces. Ex Oslo Myntgalleri, Auction 38 (4 May 2024), lot 869; H.D. Rauch, Auction 79 (17 November 2006), lot 2306. www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/roman-imperial-antonia-died-ad-37-av-aureus-18mm-777-gm-6h-ngc-choice-vf-5-5-3-5-marks/a/3122-34221.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3122-01212025 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 3:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > Showcase Auction 61413 | Auction date: 4 November 2024 |
| Lot number: 24114 Price realized: 2,700 USD (Approx. 2,489 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Galba (AD 68-69). AR denarius (18mm, 3.33 gm, 6h). NGC Choice VF 4/5 - 3/5, Fine Style, marks. Rome, July AD 68-January AD 69. IMP SER GALBA-CAESAR AVG, laureate head of Galba right / DIVA-AVGVSTA, Livia standing facing, head left, patera in outstretched right hand, grounded scepter in left. RIC I 186. Servius Sulpicius Galba was born in 3 BC, and early on displayed a gift for cultivating the right friends. During his early manhood, he enjoyed the favor of the emperors Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula, as well as the empress Livia, whose bequest of 500,000 sesterces helped launch his public career. Elected consul in AD 33, he served as governor in Germany and Africa before, late in life, accepting Nero's appointment as proconsul of Nearer Spain. This came as Nero's popularity was plummeting in Rome, and the aristocracy began looking toward the prestige-laden Galba for leadership. In March of AD 68, Vindex, governor of Gaul, rose in revolt and offered to support Galba as the new ruler. Two months later, Nero's regime collapsed and, at the age of 70, Galba found himself hailed as emperor, the first from outside the Julio-Claudian family. He made his way back to Rome and embarked on an austerity program to restore the state's finances. Although meaning well, Galba proved oblivious to the realities of his situation and soon managed to offend nearly every segment of Roman society. Galba attempted to salvage the situation by adopting a likable young aristocrat, L. Calpurnius Piso, as his successor, but this only alienated another key supporter, M. Salvius Otho, who had hoped to be chosen Caesar himself. Otho bribed Praetorian officers, and on 15 January AD 69, they attacked Galba and Piso in the Forum, hacking them to pieces. His entire reign has lasted seven months and proved only the opening act in the disastrous "Year of the Four Emperors." The historian Tacitus pronounced Galba's epitaph: "It was commonly agreed he possessed the makings of a great ruler- had he never ruled." https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-galba-ad-68-69-ar-denarius-18mm-333-gm-6h-ngc-choice-vf-4-5-3-5-fine-style-marks/a/61413-24114.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61413-11042024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved |  |
Match 4:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > ANA Signature Sale 3118 | Auction date: 15 August 2024 |
| Lot number: 33051 Price realized: 15,000 USD (Approx. 13,658 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Ancients Nero, as Augustus (AD 54-68), with Agrippina Junior. AV aureus (20mm, 7.62 gm, 6h). NGC Choice VF★ 4/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 54. AGRIPPINAE AVG DIVI CLAVD NERONIS CAES MATER, confronting busts of bare-headed Nero right (on left), and draped Agrippina Junior left (on right), seen from front with hair in queue down back of neck / NERONI CLAVD DIVI F CAES AVG GERM IMP TR P, legend surrounding oak wreath enclosing EX•SC. Calicó 399a. RIC I 1. This striking mother and son coin illustrates both a line of succession and Agrippina's significant influence, highlighted by its attractive toning and subtle luster. Ex Künker, Auction 262 (13 March 2015), lot 7966. Born the daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina Senior, and the younger sister to Caligula, Agrippina the Younger or Junior was "well-bred" from the Julio-Claudian line. At the age of 13, she was married off to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. A man described by Suetonius as "a wholly despicable character" as he seemed to have no redeeming quality. This union birthed the to-be emperor, Nero, a man oft described in a very similar manner. As an attractive, intelligent, and ambitious woman, she knew how to control the strings of the men around her. Famously rumored to be in a sexual relationship with her brother Caligula (along with her sisters) while he was emperor. On the other hand, after some time, Caligula ended banished her from Rome and away from Nero. After Caligula's assassination, her uncle, Claudius, recalled her back from exile. She used this as an opportunity to woo him into marrying her and to strategically place her son as the next in line for the throne. At the opportune moment, she arranged the successful assassination of Claudius and Brittanicus with poison in their food in order that Nero would be declared emperor. Early coins from the new emperor had portraits of both Nero and his mother Agrippina, showing how much power she had over him. However, as he got older, he tired of his overbearing power-hungry mother became too much, so he, in turn, arranged her assassination. After several unsuccessful attempts. During darkly comedic stories, he was eventually successful when he sent his guards as assassins to get the job done. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-nero-as-augustus-ad-54-68-with-agrippina-junior-av-aureus-20mm-762-gm-6h-ngc-choice-vfand-9733-/a/3118-33051.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3118-08152024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 10000-12000 USD |  |
Match 5:
| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3121 | Auction date: 13 January 2025 |
| Lot number: 33057 Price realized: To Be Posted | |
| Lot description: Ancients Nero, as Augustus (AD 54-68), with Agrippina Junior. AV aureus (20mm, 7.62 gm, 6h). NGC Choice VF★ 4/5 - 4/5. Rome, AD 54. AGRIPP AVG DIVI CLAVD NERONIS CAES MATER, confronting busts of bare-headed Nero right (on left), and draped Agrippina Junior left (on right), seen from front with hair in queue down back of neck / NERONI CLAVD DIVI F CAES AVG GERM IMP TR P, legend surrounding oak wreath enclosing EX•SC. Calicó 399. RIC I 1. Exceptional eye appeal with autumnal tones complimenting the dynastic designs. Ex Künker, Auction 262 (13 March 2015), lot 7966. Born the daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina Senior, and the younger sister to Caligula, Agrippina the Younger or Junior was "well-bred" from the Julio-Claudian line. At the age of 13, she was married off to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. A man described by Suetonius as "a wholly despicable character" as he seemed to have no redeeming quality. This union birthed the to-be emperor, Nero, a man oft described in a very similar manner. As an attractive, intelligent, and ambitious woman, she knew how to control the strings of the men around her. Famously rumored to be in a sexual relationship with her brother Caligula (along with her sisters) while he was emperor. On the other hand, after some time, Caligula ended banished her from Rome and away from Nero. After Caligula's assassination, her uncle, Claudius, recalled her back from exile. She used this as an opportunity to woo him into marrying her and to strategically place her son as the next in line for the throne. At the opportune moment, she arranged the successful assassination of Claudius and Brittanicus with poison in their food in order that Nero would be declared emperor. Early coins from the new emperor had portraits of both Nero and his mother Agrippina, showing how much power she had over him. However, as he got older, he tired of his overbearing mother and, in turn, arranged her assassination. After several blundered attempts, he was successful when he sent his guards as assassins to get the job done. www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/roman-imperial-nero-as-augustus-ad-54-68-with-agrippina-junior-av-aureus-20mm-762-gm-6h-ngc-choice-vfand-9733-/a/3121-33057.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3121-01132025 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 10000-15000 USD |  |
