Goldberg Coins and Collectibles



Sale 95

THE NEW YORK SALE


Roman Empire
 
 
Lot Photo Description Realized
Lot 1183
Augustus. Gold Aureus (7.75 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Lugdunum, 2 BC-AD 4. CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head of Augustus right. Rev. AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT, C L CAESARES in exergue, Caius and Lucius Caesars standing facing, supporting between them two shields and two spears; above, simpulum and lituus. (RIC 206; Lyon 81; BN 1648-50; BMC 513-8; Calicó 176a). Broad flan with full legends. Some chasing. Choice very fine. Estimate $9,500UP
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Lot 1184
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.78 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Rome, 19 BC. P. Petronius Turpilianus, moneyer. AVGVSTVS CAESAR, bare head of Augustus right. Rev. III VIR TVRPILIANVS, Tarpeia standing facing with both arms extended, buried to waist under shields; below, broken spear. (RIC 299; BN 157-60; BMC 29-31; RSC 494). Rare. Attractive iridescent cabinet tone. Extremely fine. Estimate $5,000UP
According to Roman tradition, early in the Republican history of Rome, the city faced a siege by the Sabine king Titus Tatius. Tarpeia, the daughter of Spurius Tarpeius, the commander of Rome's defenses betrayed the city in return for "what the Sabines carried on their left arms," meaning their golden bracelets. However, once she opened the gates, the Sabines, disgusted by her dishonorable behavior proceeded to heap their shields rather than their bracelets upon her and thereby crushed her to death. The hapless Tarpeia appears here in reference to the conspiracy of M. Egnatius Rufus, who was rebuffed for the consulship and whose supporters began to cause riots. He was accused of plotting against Augustus and executed. Rome could brook no traitors.
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Realized
$6,254
Lot 1185
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.80 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Uncertain mint, ca. 17 BC. CA-ES-AR, bare head of Gaius Caesar (or Augustus?) right within oak wreath. Rev. AVG-VST across field, candelabrum ornamented with rams' heads; all within a floral wreath entwined with two bucrania and three paterae. (RIC 540; BN 1013-6; BMC 684-5; RSC 2). Beautiful old cabinet toning with slight iridescence, a little softness on the highest point of the obverse. A very attractive example. Extremely fine. Estimate $3,000UP
Ex Edward J. W. Hildyard, FSA Collection (Baldwin's 55, 7 May 2008), lot 2013 (originally purchased for £4/15/-).
This coin represents one of the more enigmatic issues of Augustus' long reign as emperor. Sutherland in RIC I attributes the issue to an uncertain mint and dates it to 17 BC, noting that it was in celebration of the ludes Saeculares held that year. The youthful portrait on the obverse is uncertain and could be either a "rejuvenated" portrait of Augustus (Mattingly, RIC I, 1st ed.) or a portrait of the young heir, Gaius Caesar, the eldest son of Augustus' lieutenant M. Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder, whom Augustus adopted that year along with his younger brother, Lucius. The first interpretation rests on the oak-wreath surrounding the portrait, identifying it as the corona civica aurea which in 28 BC was awarded by a grateful Roman Senate to Augustus for having ended the long period of civil wars, and accordingly positively identifies the portrait as being that of Augustus. However, no convincing argument explains why his portrait would be rejuvenated. R. Prideaux recently put forth the idea that the issue was struck at a special military mint operating in Pannonia in 12 BC to appease Agrippa's troops after his untimely death while on campaign in Pannonia in that year, and that the portrait was engraved by someone unfamiliar with the emperor's likeness (see the commentary to Triton XI, 829). This argument fails on two counts: firstly, an engraver with the legions in Pannonia would most certainly be familiar with the portrait of Augustus as the troops were paid in denarii transported from the main imperial mints, and secondly, legions would not simply begin striking coins on their own initiative because to do so would be a treasonous usurpation of an imperial prerogative.

Although not addressed in the Triton commentary, Prideaux also mentions the funereal importance of the candelabrum on the reverse. Rams' heads are fairly common adornments on Julio-Claudian funerary altars (see, e.g., P. Zanker, The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus p. 280 for a Roman funerary altar of the Claudian period that features the garland, candelabra and rams' heads), and an aromatic garland was a staple of Roman funerary rites for obvious reasons. Otherwise the association of the candelabrum with the ludes Saeculares (which is the traditional interpretation of the type) is not readily apparent. Seemingly only a death of significance to the succession would manifest itself on coinage, and the death of Agrippa in 12 BC was one such death as he was not only Augustus' closest friend and confidant but his chosen successor. It is recorded that the emperor mourned his passing for a full month and even had Agrippa's remains interred in his own mausoleum despite Agrippa having constructed a mausoleum of his own.

In light of the funerary nature of the reverse of this coin, and also the fact that nothing specifically ties it to the ludes Saeculares of 17 BC other than the tenuous link of the candelabrum reverse, could it be that the portrait in the obverse is in fact young Gaius Caesar and that it was struck in 12 BC to commemorate both Agrippa's death and Gaius' newfound role as Augustus' direct heir? The framing corona civica would quite nicely associate the youth with the imperium of the principate in this instance and should not necessarily be interpreted as a prerogative solely of the emperor. It also serves as an artistic function as a balance to the floral border enclosing the candelabrum on the reverse. Furthermore, as David Sear notes in the millennial edition of Roman Coins and Their Values, the combination of the youthful portrait along with the title CAESAR simply and clearly suggests the young heir, while its placement in the place of precedence on the obverse further serves to highlight his status.
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Lot 1186
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.69 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Tarraco(?), ca. 18 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Augustus right. Rev. DIVVS IVLIVS, comet with eight rays and tail. (RIC 102 (Colonia Patricia?); BN p. 196 *, pl. LIV, c; BMC 357; RSC 98). Well struck on a nice full flan. Lightly toned. Extremely fine. Estimate $2,500UP
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Realized
$2,360
Lot 1187
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.82 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Emerita(?), ca. 19/8 BC. Head of Augustus right, wreathed with oak-leaves. Rev. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, two laurel branches. (RIC 33a (Caesaraugusta?); BN 1283-4; BMC 318-20; RSC 47). An outstanding example. Well struck with underlying lustrous surfaces and lightly toned. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $2,500UP
When Octavian was awarded the honorary title of Augustus in 27 BC investing him with supreme power, he was also given the right to decorate his door posts with laurel branches, a sign of martial victory, and the corona civica, an oak-wreath symbolizing the saving of a Roman life. In the case of Augustus, the laurel branches signified his victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, and the corona civica was awarded for saving the life of not one citizen but of many thousands when he successfully ended the civil wars. On this coin Augustus is portrayed wearing the oak wreath crown - something that occurs only occasionally on Roman coins - which by law he was required to do at every public gathering.Recent scholarship indicates that the two mints identified in RIC (i.e., Caesaraugusta and Colonia Patricia) are unlikely for several reasons (see the summary in Triton XI, 723). RIC assigns this coin to a possible mint located at Caesaraugusta, but here we follow the recent scholarship and assign it to Emerita.
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Realized
$3,540
Lot 1188
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.75 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Tarraco(?), ca. 18 BC. S P Q R IMP CAESARI AVG COS XI TRI POT VI, bare head of Augustus right. Rev. CIVIB ET SIGN MILIT A PART RECVPE, triumphal arch of Augustus with emperor in facing quadriga above central arch between two soldiers standing facing him, the one on the left raising a standard, the one on the right raising a legionary eagle. (RIC 137 (Colonia Patricia?); BN 1232; BMC 428; RSC 84). Boldly struck on a lovely full flan and well centered. Lustrous surfaces, lightly toned. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $2,500UP
The reverse type depicts the Arcus Augusti, a triumphal arch erected in AD 19 to commemorate the return of the legionary standards captured by the Parthians from Crassus at the disastrous battle of Carrhae in 63 BC. The two soldiers flanking the emperor on the top of the arch are Parthian warriors shown presenting the standards to Augustus. Interestingly, while the use of the triumphal arch gave the impression that Augustus had reclaimed the standards through military victory, they were in fact returned as part of a bloodless diplomatic settlement.
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Realized
$4,425
Lot 1189
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.72 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Emerita(?), 17/6 BC. Bare head of Augustus right. Rev. AVGVSTVS, capricorn right, holding globe attached to rudder; above, cornucopiae. (RIC 126 (Colonia Patricia?); BN 1266-7; BMC 346-8; RSC 21). Rare. Well struck with wonderful surfaces and delicately toned. Extremely fine. Estimate $2,000UP
Augustus was born 23 September 63 BC and thus his solar zodiacal sign is Libra, yet he publicly identified as a Capricorn, his lunar zodiacal sign. Why he did so is not known, but must have been for personal reasons. The capricorn figures prominently not only in Augustan coinage (e.g., on certain Imperial denarii, on coins from Cibyra, Dioshieron, Leptis Magna, Parium, Smyrna, Tralles, and on the cistophori of Asia Minor, amongst others) but also in other mediums, such as beads and cameos, and in literature (both Manilius [Astron. 2.507-9] and Suetonius [Aug. 94.12] identify Augustus as a Capricorn).
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Realized
$1,593
Lot 1190
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.78 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Rome, 13 BC. C. Antistius Reginus, moneyer. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head of Augustus right. Rev. C ANTISTIVS REGINVS around, III VIR in exergue, sacrificial implements: simpulum and lituus above tripod and patera. (RIC 410; BN 542-7; BMCR 119-20; RSC 347). Light iridescent toning. Extremely fine. Estimate $2,000UP
The host of religious implements depicted on the reverse of this denarius advertise the religious authority of Augustus, who took great pains to restore (sometimes going so far as to reinvent) the cults of Rome as a means of maintaining the pax deorum ("peace of the gods") or harmony between mankind and the gods. The simpulum was a type of ladle used to pour libations and frequently served as a symbol of the pontifices, the highest Roman priestly college with fifteen priests; the lituus was a wand used by the augurs, the college of priests charged with interpreting omens, while the tripod and patera are more general sacrificial emblems. Together they represent the emperor's preeminent position as Pontifex Maximus, the supreme priest of Rome.
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Lot 1191
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.76 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Lugdunum, 15 BC. AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head of Augustus right. Rev. IMP X in exergue, bull butting right. (RIC 167a; Lyon 19; BN 1373-82; BMC 451; RSC 137). Boldly struck in high relief with luster remaining. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $1,500UP
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Realized
$2,478
Lot 1192
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.47 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Tarraco(?), ca. 19 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head of Augustus right. Rev. OB CIVIS above, SERVATOS below, oak wreath with ties inwards. (RIC 75a (Colonia Patricia?); BN 1164-9; BMC 376-7; RSC 210). Lightly toned, lustrous surfaces. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $1,500UP
The oak wreath on the reverse of this coin is the corona civica, traditionally bestowed upon a Roman soldier who had saved a fellow citizen in battle by slaying the enemy. Here it is the corona civica that was awarded to Octavian by the Senate in 27 BC, when he was officially recognized as Augustus, the first Roman emperor. This honor recognized that by bringing an end to the civil war and bringing about the destruction of Mark Antony, he had saved the entire citizenry of Rome from endless bloodletting.
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Realized
$1,711
Lot 1193
Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.81 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Emerita(?), ca. 25-23 BC. P. Carisius, propraetorian legate. IMP CAESAR AVGVST, bare head of Augustus left. Rev. P CARISIVS LEG PRO PR, trophy of Celtiberian arms consisting of a helmet, cuirass, shield, and javelins, erected atop pile of arms. (RIC 4b; BN 1061-4; BMC 284-5; RSC 402). Softly struck from a worn obverse die. Plenty of mint luster still present. Lightly toned. Extremely fine. Estimate $1,000UP
This denarius celebrates the victories of Augustus and his legate, P. Carisius, in the Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC) that resulted in the total conquest of Spain. Although much of Spain had been pacified and conquered by the Romans between the early second and mid-first centuries BC, the mountaineering Cantabri and Astures of northern Spain still resisted the Roman juggernaut. Augustus personally led the campaign in 26 BC and enjoyed several important victories before he took ill and was forced to retire to Tarraco. Later in the year he accepted the surrender of the Cantabri. In 25 BC, command was given to Carisius, who, after vicious fighting managed to conquer the Astures. The end of the war was celebrated by the closure of the doors to the Temple of Janus in Rome although in the following year, rebellion stirred among the Cantabri and Astures yet again.
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Realized
$738
Lot 1194
Augustus. Silver Denarius (4.08 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Rome, 19 BC. M. Durmius, moneyer. AVGVSTVS CAESAR, bare head of Augustus right. Rev. M DVRMIVS above, III VIR in exergue, lion attacking stag to left. (RIC 318; BMC 63; RSC 431). Attractively toned with a good portrait. About extremely fine. Estimate $1,250UP
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Realized
$1,593
Lot 1195
Augustus, 27 BC-14 AD. Gold Aureus (7.81g). Mint of Lugdunum 8 BC. AVGVSTVS - DIVI F Laureate head right. Rev. Augustus, togate, seated left. on stool on platform, extending right. hand to infant held out by cloaked male figure; in exergue, IMP XIIII. Very rare. About very fine. Estimate $8,000UP
The type of barbarian offering child to Augustus probably refers to the taking of hostages from German tribes during the campaigns of 8 BC (Mattingly, BMC I, p. cxvi).
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Lot 1196
Divus Augustus. Silver Antoninianus (4.16 g), died AD 14. Rome, commemorative issue under Trajan Decius, AD 250/1. DIVO AVGVSTO, radiate head of Augustus right. Rev. CONSE-CRATIO, altar. (RIC 78; RSC -). Cabinet toning. Choice very fine. Estimate $750UP
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Lot 1197
Tiberius. Gold Aureus (7.95 g), AD 14-37. Lugdunum, AD 14/5. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev. TR POT XVI IMP VII, the emperor in slow quadriga right, holding laurel-branch and an eagle-tipped scepter. (RIC 1; BMC 1; Calicó 307). Rare first issue. Slightly off-center on reverse. Choice very fine. Estimate $9,500UP
Ex Archer M. Huntington Collection.
The reverse of this aureus emphasizes the legitimacy of Tiberius as the chosen heir of Augustus and rightful second emperor of the Julio-Claudian house. He appears in a quadriga holding a laurel branch and the eagle-tipped consular scepter in the role of the triumphator. This can only refer to the triumph that Tiberius celebrated in AD 12 upon the successful completion of his campaigns in Pannonia. According to Suetonius, Tiberius rode in the triumphal procession, but before he reached the Capitol he dismounted from his chariot and fell at the knees of Augustus as a sign of filial (by adoption) piety. In response to this touching act, a law was passed that essentially made Tiberius co-princeps with Augustus and permitted him to govern provinces and undertake the census. Thus the coin, struck in AD 14/5 serves to remind the user of the events of only a few years earlier at a time when there was still a great deal of confusion about how the imperial succession would play out.
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Lot 1198
Tiberius. Silver Denarius (3.70 g), AD 14-37. Lugdunum, AD 18-35. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev. PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right on throne with ornate legs, resting feet on footstool, holding scepter and olive branch. (RIC 30; Lyon 150; BMC 48; RSC 16a). Needle sharp. NGC grade Ch AU*; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Estimate $700UP
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Realized
$1,033
Lot 1199
Tiberius. Silver Denarius (3.68 g), AD 14-37. Lugdunum, AD 18-35. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG FAVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev. PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right on throne with ornate legs, resting feet on footstool, holding scepter and olive branch. (RIC 30; Lyon 150; BMC 48; RSC 16a). NGC grade Ch AU; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Estimate $700UP
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Realized
$1,121
Lot 1200
Tiberius. Gold Aureus (7.73 g), AD 14-37. 'Tribute Penny' type. Lugdunum, AD 15-18. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev. PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right on chair with ornate legs, holding scepter and olive branch. (RIC 27; Lyon 145; BN 17; BMC 39-41; Calicó 305a). Choice very fine. Estimate $4,000UP
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Realized
$4,248
Lot 1201
Tiberius. Gold Aureus (7.55 g), AD 14-37. 'Tribute Penny' type. Lugdunum, AD 36/7. TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Tiberius right. Rev. PONTIF MAXIM, Livia, as Pax, seated right on chair with ornate legs, holding scepter and olive branch. (RIC 29; Lyon 153; BN 22; BMC 47; Calicó 305d). Fine. Estimate $1,000UP
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Realized
$2,596
Lot 1202
Drusus, son of Tiberius, AD 23. AE Sestertius (25.87g). Mint of Rome, AD 23. No legend, caduceus between two crossed cornuacopia, each surmounted by the bust of one of the twin sons of Drusus, Tiberius Gemellus and Germanicus. Rev. DRVS VS CAESAR TI AVG F DIVI AVG N PONT TR POT II around large SC (RIC (Tiberius) 42; BMC 95; C 1). Sharp portraits, with handsome deep olive green patina, some light smoothing in fields. Nearly extremely fine. Estimate $3,000UP
This issue commemorates the birth of the twin sons of Drusus Caesar and Livia Drusilla. Although Tiberius Gemellus was considered as a potential heir to Tiberius, he was murdered by his cousin Caligula.
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Realized
$3,186
Lot 1203
Gaius Caligula, with Germanicus. Silver Denarius (4.00 g), AD 37-41. Lugdunum, AD 37/8. C CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR POT, laureate head of Gaius right. Rev. GERMANICVS CAES P C CAES AVG GERM, bare head of Germanicus right. (RIC 18; Lyon 172; BMC 19; RSC 2). Nice old cabinet toning. Extremely fine. Estimate $9,500UP
Ex Leu 71 (24 October 1997), lot 301.
Ex J. C. S. Rashleigh Collection (Glendining's, 14 January 1953), lot 484.
Germanicus was the son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia, the daughter of Mark Antony, and was born in 15 BC. A scion of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he also became one of Rome's most successful and beloved generals, having avenged Varus' defeat at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, retrieving two of the three lost standards and inflicting heavy defeats against Arminius, the protagonist in Varus campaign. He was not as successful in the field of politics, however, having inadvertently usurped the imperial prerogative on more than one occasion. The most egregious instance was his ordering the recall of the governor of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, for having canceled some of the arrangements for the settlement of Cappadocia and Commagene that Germanicus had ordered. Shortly after this episode, Germanicus fell severely ill and died at Antioch. Suspicion immediately fell on Piso, and it was thought that he had poisoned Germanicus at the instigation of Tiberius who was suspicious of Germanicus' popularity. The truth was never discovered, however, as Piso reportedly took his own life during the course of his trial (Tacitus believed Tiberius may have had him murdered before he could implicate the emperor in Germanicus' death).
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Lot 1204
Nero. Æ Sestertius (28.94 g), AD 54-68. Rome, ca. AD 64. NERO CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate bust of Nero, aegis on neck. Rev. AVG-VST above, PORT OST in exergue, S C in upper field, Bird's-eye view of the harbor at Ostia, containing seven ships within the harbor; above, pharos surmounted by statue of Neptune standing left, holding dolphin(?) and trident; below, river-god Tiber reclining left, holding rudder and dolphin; to left, crescent-shaped pier with portico, terminating with figure sacrificing at altar and with building; to right, crescent-shaped row of breakwaters or slips terminating with figure of a seated nymph. (cf. RIC 181 (rev. legend); BN -; cf. BMC p. 222, note). Dark green and brown patina. A most attractive portrait of Nero and an excellent example of this popular type. Extremely fine. Estimate $20,000UP
Ostia, located at the mouth of the Tiber River, served as the maritime port for the inland city of Rome since the seventh century BC, when it was founded as a Roman colony. Although it was always important for trade, the expansion of its harbor under Julius Caesar made it the primary conduit for the imported grain from Sicily and Egypt that was critical for the survival of Rome. Under Claudius work began on a second harbor simply known as Portus ("the Harbor") and which was completed by Nero. This grand second harbor on the northern mouths of the Tiber was famous for its pharos (light house), which was built on a foundation created by sinking one of the hated Caligula's pleasure barges and filling it with concrete. Unfortunately, the Portus of Ostia was poorly located and was prone to silting up. Already by AD 113, it was necessary for Trajan to supply the city with an additional harbor.
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Realized
$20,650
Lot 1205
Nero. Æ Sestertius (29.34 g), AD 54-68. Lugdunum, ca. AD 65. NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head of Nero left, globe at point of neck. Rev. PACE P R TERRA MARIQ PARTA IANVM CLVSIT, S C across field, view of one side of the temple of Janus with latticed windows to left and garland hung across closed double doors to right. (RIC 439; WCN 426; Lyon 117; BN -; BMC 320). Dark green and red-brown patina, light smoothing in fields. A very attractive example. Extremely fine. Estimate $4,000UP
The reverse legend proclaims that Nero "closed the doors of [the Temple of] Janus with the peace of the Roman people throughout the land and sea" while the reverse type illustrates the temple with its doors closed. Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and endings whose dual aspect was usually indicated by his depiction with two faces. The doors to his temple were traditionally opened to signify declarations of war and closed to indicate the end of hostilities. However, the vastness of the Roman empire and the numbers of enemies on its borders made it a Very rare occasion when the doors of the Temple of Janus were closed. Nero's closure of the doors is usually associated with the successful campaigns of his general Cn. Domitius Corbulo in the East and the reassertion of Roman influence in Armenia on the border with the Parthian Empire. It is deeply ironic that in the year after Nero celebrated the closure of the doors of Janus the great and bloody Jewish Revolt broke out, showing that peace was indeed a rare commodity in the Roman Empire.
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Lot 1206
Nero. Gold Aureus (7.45 g), AD 54-68. Rome, AD 61/2. NERO CAESAR AVG IMP, bare head of Nero right. Rev. PONTIF MAX TR P VIII COS IIII P P, ex S C across field, Mars, Virtus or Roma standing left, holding parazonium and spear, resting foot on cuirass. (RIC 31; WCN 15; BMC 33; Calicó 432). About very fine. Estimate $3,000UP
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Realized
$3,186
Lot 1207
  Nero. Gold Aureus (7.07 g), AD 54-68. Rome, ca. AD 66/7. IMP NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Nero right. Rev. IVPPITER CVSTOS, Jupiter seated left, holding thunderbolt and scepter. (RIC 63; WCN 30; BN 231-2; BMC 77; Calicó 413). Mount removed. About fine. Estimate $1,000UP
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Realized
$1,652
Lot 1208
Galba. Silver Denarius (3.24 g), AD 68-69. Carthage. SER SVLPICIVS GALBA IMP, bare head of Galba right. Rev. HIS-PANIA, S C across field, veiled head of Hispania right. (RIC -; BN -; BMC -; RSC -; cf. Manhattan Sale III, 170 (with IMP AVG)). Possibly unique Carthage mint denarius of Galba. Of the highest rarity and of great historical interest. Toned with some underlying luster. Extremely fine. Estimate $20,000UP
Ex NAC 80 (20 Ocotber 2014), lot 75.
This exceedingly rare denarius - one of just two known specimens - was struck for the ephemeral emperor Galba during the so-called Year of the Four Emperors, probably at the mint of Carthage, which was then known for employing the S C (senatus consulto) legend on denarii despite its general discontinuation for silver in Rome since ca. 40 BC. Although Mattingly previously suggested that this usage, familiar from denarii struck during the revolt of Clodius Macer, was designed to assure the senate that Macer's goal was only to oppose the debauched reign of Nero, its presence on the denarii of Galba implies sanction by the Senate. The reverse type honors Hispania, the original center of Galba's revolt, and it has been suggested that the precise design was inspired by the veiled head on denarii serrati struck by A. Postumius Albinus in ca. 81 BC.
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Lot 1209
Galba. Silver Denarius (3.17 g), AD 68-69. Rome. IMP SER GALBA CAESAR AVG, laureate bust of Galba right, slight drapery on far shoulder. Rev. DIVA AVGVSTA, Livia standing facing, head left, holding patera and scepter. (RIC 189; BMC6; RSC 55a). Beautiful old grey-purple cabinet tone, pleasing portrait. Choice very fine. Estimate $2,500UP
Sulpicius Galba was the elderly governor of Hispania Tarraconensis who seized the opportunity to claim the imperial purple for seven months during the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors (AD 68/9). Although he was a military usurper, Galba claimed legitimacy by associating himself with the family of Augustus, the first and most revered Roman emperor. As it happened, when his father married a second time, his new wife was Livia Ocellina, a distant relative of Livia, the wife of Augustus. The reverse type of this denarius trumpets this ephemeral connection to the Julio-Claudian house by depicting and naming Livia, who was given divine status in AD 42. While the type was a tool for creating an image of legitimacy it was also a bit of a gamble since the Julio-Claudian house had also produced Nero, the emperor whose inept reign created the situation in which rebel governors led to his downfall.
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Lot 1210
Galba. Silver Denarius (3.59 g), AD 68-69. Tarraco(?), AD 68. IMP GALBA, laureate head of Galba left, globe at point of bust. Rev. VICTROIA P R, Victory standing left on globe, holding wreath and palm. (cf. RIC 10 (aureus, direction of rev. legend; R5, with unique at the time specimen reported in the ANS Annual Report 1980, p. 14, fig. 12); C. H. V. Sutherland, "Supplementum Galbianum," QT 1984, -; BMC -; RSC -; cf. Calicó 512 (same dies; aureus)). Extremely rare and possibly unique in silver. Two aurei from the same dies are known. Nice bold high relief portrait. Nicely toned. Choice very fine. Estimate $2,000UP
Ex Aureo & Calicó 275 (10 March 2016), lot 4.
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Realized
$3,068
Lot 1211
Otho. Silver Denarius (2.99 g), AD 69. Rome. [IMP OTHO] CAESAR AVG TR P, bare head of Otho right. Rev. PONT MAX, Ceres standing facing, head left, holding grain ears and cornucopiae. (cf. RIC p. 261, note; BN 25; BMC 9; RSC 11). Fine portrait. Well struck with toning over residual luster. Extremely fine. Estimate $3,400UP
Otho, of Etrurian stock, had been one of the most reckless and miscreant nobles in Nero's court. In AD 58, Otho's wife, the beautiful Poppaea Sabina, began a secret affair with the emperor and soon divorced Otho. At her instence, Nero sent Otho far away, making him governor of the remote province of Lusitania. He remained there as governor for the next ten years, and Suetonius records his rule there as one of well-administered moderation.

In AD 68, Galba, the governor of the neighboring province of Hispania Tarraconensis, revolted against Nero, and Otho joined him in his march on Rome. Otho perhaps thought that by his support he would be named as successor by the aged and childless Galba if Galba were successful in overthrowing Nero, but in this he was to be disappointed. Once Galba had become emperor, he formerly adopted Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus as his heir. With his hopes of peaceful succession now dashed, Otho boldly approached the Praetorian camp and bribed a few guardsmen, who were already aggrieved by Galba's refusal to pay the promised money for their support in his overthrow of Nero. They quickly found the emperor, who was making his way to the camp because of rumors of treachery, and brutally murdered him and Piso. They then declared for Otho, the Senate affirming the decision shortly afterward.

Despite his reckless youth, Otho's short reign showed signs of equitable administration, emulating his former career in Lusitania. However, he never enjoyed the opportunity of fully establishing this benevolent rule for as soon as he was in power he faced the formidable revolt of Vitellius and the Rhine legions. While at first he showed remarkable energy in mustering an opposition to the revolt, after his forces were soundly defeated at the Battle of Bedriacum he committed suicide, preferring to spare his soldiers and the empire further bloodshed.
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Lot 1212
Vitellius. Silver Denarius (3.13 g), AD 69. Rome. A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP AVG TR P, laureate head of Vitellius right. Rev. IVPPITER VICTOR, Jupiter seated left, holding Victory and scepter. (RIC 75; BMC 8; RSC 44). Excellent portrait, attractive old cabinet tone. Nearly extremely fine. Estimate $1,600UP
Vitellius was made Governor of Lower Germany by Galba. When the legions became disaffected from Galba's austere and strict rule, they renounced their allegiance to him and hailed Vitellius as emperor. Vitellius at first refused the imperial title, but he did take the name Germanicus and pledged to lead the revolt. Shortly thereafter the provinces of Britain, Gaul and Spain
defected to him. Meanwhile in Rome Galba had been murdered and Otho installed as the new emperor by the Praetorian Guard.

Otho offered to share the emperorship with Vitellius, but the latter, whose forces were already marching on Rome, refused. A
decisive engagement, the Battle of Bedriacum, was fought between the two sides in the vicinity between Cremona and Verona, and Vitellius's forces were victorious. Despite losing at Bedriacum, Otho perhaps could still have won the war - he had the support of the formidable legions of Dalmatia, Moesia and Pannonia, as well as both the Praetorian Guard and the Roman fleet - but instead chose to avoid civil war by committing suicide.

Once in Rome the Senate decreed Vitellius the usual imperial honors. The historians Suetonius, Tacitus and Dio Cassius do not record many positives about Vitellius's short reign, but he did implement some worthwhile and lasting changes (for instance, he accepted equites into the offices of imperial administration whereas before they had been open only to freedmen). Overall, though, his reign was irresolute, and Vitellius himself is described as lazy and self-indulgent.
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Realized
$1,829
Lot 1213
Vespasian. Gold Aureus (7.28 g), AD 69-79. Rome. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head of Vespasian right. Rev. COS VII, bull standing right. (RIC 840; BN -; BMC 176; Calicó 622). Well struck with underlying luster present. Extremely fine. Estimate $15,000UP
Purchased privately from Tom Cederlind.
The reverse of this aureus resurrects a type from the numismatic iconography of Augustus as a means of linking Vespasian's Flavian dynasty, which owed its imperial power to victory in civil war, to the glorious reign of the first Roman emperor. In this way the undisputed legitimacy of Augustus was made to rub off on the militaristic Flavian dynasty. In its original Augustan context, the bull type represented one of several bovine statues by the Archaic Greek sculptor Myron carried off from Athens to Rome by Augustus in 28 BC. These were subsequently erected before the Temple of Apollo on the Palatine.
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Realized
$15,340
Lot 1214
Vespasian, with Titus and Domitian, as Caesars. Silver Denarius (3.29 g), AD 69-79. Ephesus. IMP CAESAR VESPAS AVG COS III TR P P P, laureate head of Vespasian right. Rev. AVG VESPAS above, LIBERI IMP below, bare heads of Titus, on left, and Domitian, on right, confronted; between, E(PHE). (RIC 1429; RPC 831; BN 347; BMC 455; RSC 2a). Attractive antique tone. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $7,500UP
Ex Gorny & Mosch 133 (11 October 2004), lot 434.
Ex Heritage / Gemini VIII (14 April 2011), lot 301.
Ex Goldberg 70 (4 September 2012), lot 3238.
Ex Manhattan Sale IV (8 January 2013), lot 156.
The portraits of Vespasian and his designated successors, his sons Titus and Domitian, here serve to draw attention to Vespasian's founding a new dynasty and were meant to reassure the populace that there was a plan for an orderly succession in the Flavian house, an important message after the upheaval of the recent civil war (AD 69). The value of this sort of reassuring dynastic typology may be gauged by Septimius Severus' reuse and adaptation of it for some of his coinages struck in the aftermath of the civil wars of AD 193-197.
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Lot 1215
Vespasian. Silver Denarius (3.34 g), AD 69-79. Rome, AD 77/8. CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head of Vespasian right. Rev. IMP XIX across field, modius with seven ears of grain. (RIC 980; BMC 216; RSC 216). Beautiful old iridescent cabinet toning, excellent portrait. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $950UP
In AD 77, an unspecified plague reported in the chronography of St. Jerome is said to have struck down some 10,000 people in Rome. It has been suggested that this disastrous event might have been associated with a famine that resulted in work to secure the grain supply for the city. The supposed famine would explain the sudden and unexpected spike in coin types related to the grain supply in the late years of Vespasian's reign which also continued into that of his son, Titus.
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Realized
$1,058
Lot 1216
Vespasian, AD 69-79. Æ Sestertius (26.58g). Struck AD 71. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III, laureate head facing right. Rev. IVDAEA CAPTA, palm-tree, Vespasian on left, standing right, holding a spear and a parazonium, his left foot resting on a helmet, Judaea on right, seated to right, S C in exergue (RIC 167; BMC 543; C 239; RCV 2327). Some very light smoothing in fields, attractive green-brown patina. Extremely fine. Estimate $3,500UP
Ex Spink Numismatic Circular (April 2007, vol CXV, no.2), item RM3404 (illustrated on the front cover).
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Realized
$4,307
Lot 1217
Titus. Gold Aureus (7.22 g), as Caesar, AD 69-79. Rome, under Vespasian, AD 74. T CAESAR IMP VESP, PONTIF TR POT, Fortuna standing facing, head left on garlanded cippus decorated with rams' heads, holding rudder and cornucopiae. (RIC 696; BN 127; BMC 153; Calicó 751). Boldly struck and well centered. Excellent portrait of Titus. Nearly extremely fine. Estimate $6,000UP
Fortuna, the Roman personification of fortune or luck (good or bad), is appropriate for the reverse of this coin since it was really through her that the Flavian family rose to imperial power in the later 1st century AD. She oversaw Vespasian's position of being the last man standing at the end of the civil wars that wracked Rome after the death of Nero, and she also saw that Titus was left to finish the repression of the Jewish Revolt (AD 66-73). The plunder that he carried home from the Jerusalem Temple won him great glory in Rome and paid for the building of the Colosseum. It was also Fortuna who, in the context of the Jewish Revolt, brought passion to Titus in the form of the Herodian queen, Berenice. Unfortunately, the romance between the two was publicly condemned and Titus, unable to bear the pressure, at last sent Berenice away. Yet this simply illustrates the fickleness of Fortuna: while she could give many great and wonderful things, sometimes she would give just so that she could take away again.
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Realized
$7,670
Lot 1218
Titus. Gold Aureus (7.31 g), as Caesar, AD 69-79. Lugdunum(?), under Vespasian, AD 77/8. T CAESAR IMP VESPASIAN COS VI, laureate head of Titus right. Rev. VES-TA, tetrastyle Temple of Vesta with a round-dome and approached by four steps; within, statue of Vesta standing facing, head left, holding long scepter, flanked to either side by two additional statues. (RIC -; BN -; BMC -; Calicó -). Well struck in high relief with light toning. A completely new legend for Titus. Unique. Choice very fine. Estimate $10,000UP
This unique coin features a somewhat incongruous type combination featuring an apparently unique legend for this denomination dating it to AD 77/8 with a reverse type depicting the Temple of Vesta otherwise known to have been struck for Vespasian and Domitian only in AD 73 and 74. The obverse style and serifs of the lettering may suggest a Lugdunum product, but the combination is difficult to explain. The coin may perhaps represent a mule involving an otherwise unrecorded obverse die.
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Realized
$10,620
Lot 1219
Domitian. Gold Aureus (7.46 g), AD 81-96. Rome, AD 90/1. DOMITIANVS AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Domitian right. Rev. GERMANICVS COS XV, Minerva standing facing, head left, holding thunderbolt and spear; at her feet behind, small round shield. (RIC 697; BN 161; BMC 171; Calicó 841). NGC grade Ch AU; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5. Fine style. Estimate $15,000UP
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Realized
$17,700
Lot 1220
Domitian. Gold Aureus (7.27 g), AD 81-96. Rome, AD 86. IMP CAES DOMIT AVG GERM P M TR P VI, laureate head of Domitian right. Rev. IMP XIIII COS XII CENS P P P, Minerva standing right on capital of rostral column, holding spear and shield; at her feet to right, owl. (RIC 455; BN 102; BMC 98; Calicó -). Well struck and perfectly centered with underlying luster present. Choice very fine. Estimate $6,000UP
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Lot 1221
Domitian. Silver Denarius (3.45 g), as Caesar, AD 69-81. Rome, under Titus, AD 80. CAESAR DIVI F DOMITIANVS COS VII, laureate head of Domitian right. Rev. PRINCEPS IVVENTVTIS, lighted altar hung with garlands. (RIC 50; BN 76-7; BMC 92-6; RSC 397a). An excellent example. Lustrous. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $750UP
This coin, struck in the name of Domitian during the reign of his elder brother Titus as emperor, although meant to show his designation as successor in one significant respect highlights his relative political insignificance. While Titus and Vespasian enjoyed military glory and the adoration of the Roman public thanks to their roles in successfully ending the chaotic Year of the Four Emperors (AD 68/9) and their victorious suppression of the bloody Jewish Revolt (AD 66-73), Domitian was essentially a Flavian nobody who could not directly claim much of a share in these great triumphs. Thus, his titlature on this coin is largely ceremonial rather than imbued with power. Here he is Caesar and Princeps Iuventitis ("Prince of the Youth"), which designates him as the intended successor to Titus but does not give him any imperium (the power to command).
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Realized
$885
Lot 1222
Nerva. Gold Aureus (7.21 g), AD 96-98. Rome, AD 96. IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS II P P, CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM, clasped hands holding legionary eagle set on prow. (RIC 3; BN 5; BMC 7; Calicó 957). A marvelous example. Boldly struck and well centered. Pleasing mark-free lustrous surfaces. About extremely fine. Estimate $20,000UP
The clasped hands motif on Roman coins traditionally represents concord between two or more parties. In this case, the presence of the aquila and prow, indicates that one of the parties involved here was the Roman military. The other can be assumed to be Nerva who was chosen by the Senate to replace the hated and recently assassinated Domitian, but whose tenuous authority was threatened by his inability to gain the support of the army. The claim of concord between the elderly Nerva and the army implied by this type belies the fact that opposition from the praetorian guard forced him to adopt Trajan, a Roman general, as his heir.
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Realized
$23,010
Lot 1223
Trajan. Gold Aureus (7.30 g), AD 98-117. Rome, ca. AD 108-110. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Trajan right. Rev. COS V P P S P Q R OPTIMO PRINC, Arabia, draped, standing facing, head left, holding branch and bundle of canes(?); before her, camel walking left. (cf. RIC 142 (bust); Woytek 290f; BMC 294-5; Calicó 1004a). Rare. Well struck and perfectly centered. Lustrous surfaces. Extremely fine. Estimate $15,000UP
The reverse of this rare aureus celebrates Trajan's annexation of the kingdom of the Nabataean Arabs as the Roman-administered province of Arabia in AD 106. When Rabbel II, the reigning Nabataean king died, Trajan dispatched two legions to secure the leaderless kingdom as part of his long-term preparations for a grand campaign against the Parthians. Despite the existence of an heir, there seems to have been little serious resistance to the Roman takeover and Trajan never adopted the title Arabicus. The reverse shows the personification of Arabia, whose camel at her feet clearly identifies her, and the mysterious objects that she cradles in her arm have been variously described as a bundle of cinnamon or incense - luxury products for which Arabia was famous.
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Realized
$17,700
Lot 1224
Trajan. Gold Aureus (7.17 g), AD 98-117. Rome, ca. AD 112/3. IMP TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Trajan right. Rev. FORVM TRAIAN in exergue, hexastyle entrance arch to the Forum Traiani surmounted by three statuary groups; the central group depicting the emperor and Nike within a facing quadriga, and the groups to either side depicting a trophy between two standing figures; along the facing wall and between each column, two niches containing statues either side of an open doorway, all ornamented with a shield or wreath above. (cf. RIC 255 (bust type); Woytek 403f1 (same rev. die); BMC 510; Calicó 1030). An important architechtural type. Lustrous. About extremely fine. Estimate $12,500UP
The reverse of this coin depicts the façade of Trajan's Forum, notable as both the last of the imperial fora to be constructed in Rome and for the financing of its construction from the spoils of Trajan's victorious Dacian campaign of AD 105-106. Indeed, it was a grand monument to the emperor's Dacian victories that included within its portico-lined piazza the famous Column of Trajan, which documented the campaign, Trajan's Market, and the Basilica Ulpia, which was surmounted by an equestrian statue of Trajan so great in size and majesty that it caused even the late emperor Constantius II to marvel at it on a rare visit to Rome.
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Lot 1225
Trajan. Silver Tetradrachm (14.12 g), AD 98-117. Tyre in Phoenicia, TR P 15, Cos. V (AD 110/1). AYTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANOC CEB EPM AK, laureate head of Trajan right atop eagle standing right; to lower left, club. Rev. HMAPX e IE Y AT E, laureate bust of Melkart-Hercules right, lion's skin tied at neck. (Prieur 1515; McAlee 460). Toned. NGC AU; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Estimate $500UP
Ex CNG E327 (28 May 2014), lot 840.
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Realized
$519
Lot 1226
Trajan, AD 98-117. AE Sestertius (25.52g). Mint of Rome, AD 103-111. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC PM TR P COSV PP. laureate head right., drapery on left. shoulder. Rev. SPQR OPTIMO PRINCIPI / SC Emperor in military attire and chlamys, on horse prancing right., brandishing spear at Dacian on his knees below the horse, wearing cloak, head turned upwards, his right. hand extended. (BN IV, 59, 405. C. 508. BMC 177, 839). Large flan. Brownish green patina, slightly smoothed on reverse. A very handsome example. About extremely fine. Estimate $1,500UP
Ex The New York Sale XXIII, Baldwin / Markov / M&M, January 6, 2010, lot 159.
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Lot 1227
Trajan. Æ Sestertius (23.72 g), AD 98-117. Rome, AD 108-110. IMP CAES NERVAE TRAIANO AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS V P P, laureate bust of Trajan right, slight drapery on far shoulder. Rev. S P Q R OPTIMO PRINCIPI, S C across field, Abundantia standing facing, head left, holding grain ears and cornucopiae; at her feet to left, modius with grain ears; to right, prow. (RIC 492; Woytek 323b; BMC 782). Excellent portrait and attractive brown-green patina. About extremely fine. Estimate $2,500UP
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Realized
$2,596
Lot 1228
Trajan, AD 98-117. AE As (13.43g). Mint of Rome, A.D. 103-111. Laureate bust right, slight drapery on far shoulder. Rev. Virtus standing left, holding Victory and spear. (RIC 483; Cohen 384). Uniform glossy brown patina with some corrosion. Choice very fine. Estimate $750UP
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Lot 1229
Hadrian. Gold Aureus (6.98 g), AD 117-138. Rome, ca. AD 122-125. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Hadrian right. Rev. P M TR P COS III, Genius of the Roman People standing facing, head left, holding patera and grain ears. (RIC 91; BMC 175; Calicó 1328). About very fine. Estimate $1,800UP
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Realized
$4,720
Lot 1230
Hadrian, AD 117-138. AE Sestertius (28.3g). Struck AD 124. IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG P M TR P COS III, laureate bust facing right, wearing an aegis. Rev. PIETAS AVGVSTI, S-C, Pietas standing right, raising her right hand and holding a small vase of incense, lighted altar at her feet on right (RIC 587a var; BMC 1198 var; C 1040 var; RCV 3617 var). A superb and well-detailed portrait, beautiful green-brown patina and most attractive. Extremely fine. Estimate $4,500UP
Ex Spink Numismatic Circular, October 2003, vol CXI, no.5, item RM1562 (illustrated on the front cover).
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Realized
$4,956
Lot 1231
Antoninus Pius. Gold Aureus (7.48 g), AD 138-161. Rome, AD 145-147. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, bare-headed and cuirassed bust of Antoninus Pius right. Rev. TR POT COS IIII, Roma seated left, holding palladium and spear; at her side behind, shield. (RIC 147; BMC 555; Calicó 1654c). Light graffito in obverse field, otherwise of fine style, lustrous and well struck in high-relief. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $20,000UP
Although the reverse type refers to the general greatness of Rome and her empire rather than to specific historical events, several notable developments took place during the fourth consulship of Antoninus Pius when this coin was struck. Most importantly, he elevated Marcus Aurelius to the position of Caesar and identified him as his intended successor. He also married his daughter, Faustina II, to Aurelius and made Aurelius his colleague in the consulship. During his fourth consulship, Pius also dedicated a temple to the divine Hadrian, who had previously adopted and trained him as successor to the imperial purple. With such forward-thinking emperors at the helm, Roma could securely sit on her throne without concern as she does here. She was in good hands for the moment.
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Unsold
Lot 1232
Antoninus Pius. Silver Denarius (3.34 g), AD 138-161. Rome, AD 150/1. IMP CAES T AEL HADR ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P, laureate head of Antoninus Pius right. Rev. TR POT XIIII COS IIII, Tranquillitas standing facing, head right, holding rudder and grain ears. (RIC 202b; BMC 736; RSC 825). Lovely light iridescence. Superb extremely fine. Estimate $300UP
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Realized
$319



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