Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 125

The New York Int'l Sale

Roman Imperatorial Period

Lot	Photo	Description	Bidding
Lot 171		Pompey the Great. Silver Denarius (4.00 g), 48 BC. Military mint traveling with Pompey in Greece. Terentius Varro, proquaestor. VARRO PRO Q, diademed bust of Jupiter right. Reverse: MAGN PRO / COS in two lines in exergue, scepter between dolphin swimming right and eagle standing left. Crawford 447/1a; HCRI 8; Sydenham 1033; RSC 3. Extremely Rare in this condition. A magnificent example! Boldly struck and of the finest style. Needle sharp, perfect metal and beautifully toned with elegant iridescence. A candidate for the finest known. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $15,000 - UP Struck prior to the Battle of Pharsalus in which Pompey was defeated by Caesar, this coin advertises Pompey's most considerable past achievements. Jupiter Terminus (or Terminalis), the divine guardian of boundaries, refers to the grant of proconsular powers awarded to Pompey by the Senate so that he carry the fight to Caesar and save the Republic. The images of the dolphin and eagle represent Pompey's most famous achievements by sea and by land: his decisive defeat of the Cilician pirates in 66 BC, and his conquest over Mithradates VI of Pontus in 65 BC. Additionally, the design of the reverse is divided by a scepter, which here serves not only as an artistic device separating the motifs of the dolphin and eagle, but symbolizes his delegated authority as it was only carried by victorious generals who had been acclaimed imperator by their troops. Ex Leu 86 (5 May 2003), 709. View details	Realized $26,400
Lot 172		Sextus Pompey. Silver Denarius (3.95 g), 37/6 BC. Uncertain mint in Sicily. MAG PIVS IMP ITER, bare head of Pompey the Great right; behind, jug (capis); before, lituus. Reverse: PRÆF above, ORÆ • (MAR)IT • ET / CLAS • EX • S • C in two lines in exergue, Neptune standing left, foot on prow, holding aplustre, between the brothers Anapias and Amphinomus with their parents on their shoulders. Crawford 511/3b; HCRI 334a; Sydenham 1345; RSC 18 (Pompey the Great). Very Rare variety of this popular issue. Wonderful high relief portrait of remarkable quality. Lightly toned with light iridescence. Wonderful style and an absolute beauty! Nearly Mint State. Estimated Value $20,000 - UP The brothers Anapias and Amphinomus carried their parents upon their shoulder to safety during an eruption of Mt. Aetna near their home in Sicily. Familial fidelity was highly valued in Roman society, and was used on this issue along with the obverse depicting the head of Pompey the Great to show his son's, Sextus Pompey, fidelity to his memory. Ex NAC 15 (18 May 1999), 225. View details	Realized $44,400
Lot 173		Sextus Pompey. Silver Denarius (4.15 g), 37/6 BC. Uncertain mint in Sicily. MAG • PIVS • IM[P • ITER], bare head of Pompey the Great right; behind, jug (capis); before, [lituus]. Reverse: PRÆF above; CLAS ET O[RÆ] / (MAR)IT EX [S C] in two lines in exergue, Neptune standing left, foot on prow, holding aplustre, between the brothers Anapias and Amphinomus with their parents on their shoulders. Crawford 511/3a; HCRI 334; Sydenham 1344; RSC 17 (Pompey the Great). Although slightly off-center, the portrait is bold and complete. Extremely Fine / Very Fine. Estimated Value $750 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex Tkalec (29 February 2012), 154. View details	Realized $1,860
Lot 174		Sextus Pompey. Æ As (12.24 g), 42-38 BC. Uncertain Sicilian mint. MGN, laureate head of Janus with the features of Cn. Pompeius Magnus. Reverse: PIVS, prow of galley right. Crawford 479/1; HCRI 336; Sydenham 1044a. Uniform chocolate brown patina with traces of red. Both portraits are nice and expressive. Choice Very Fine. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Purchased privately from CNG in January 2021. View details	Realized $1,740
Lot 175		Julius Caesar. Silver Denarius (3.90 g), 42 BC. Rome. L. Mussidius Longus, moneyer. Laureate head of Julius Caesar right. Reverse: L • MVSSIDIVS • LONGVS, rudder, cornucopiae, globe, caduceus and priest's cap. Crawford 494/39; HCRI 116; Sydenham 1096b; RSC 29. Lightly compact style. Toned. Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $2,000 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Purchased privately from Atlantis, Ltd. (Dave Herman) in August 2000. View details	Realized $8,100
Lot 176		Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus. Silver Denarius (3.93 g), 41-40 BC. Uncertain mint in the region of the Adriatic or Ionian Sea. [AH]ENOBAR, head of L. Ahenobarbus right. Reverse: CN • DOMITIVS IMP, trophy set on prow of galley right. Crawford 519/2; HCRI 339; Sydenham 1177; Domitia 21. Scarce. Excellent portrait. Area of flatness on both sides not affecting the portrait or the reverse design. Choice Very Fine. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP Originally a Pompeian loyalist, Ahenobarbus allied with Brutus and Cassius after the Ides of March. After Philippi he engaged the fleet of the triumvirs under the command of Domitius Calvinus, inflicting a resounding defeat for which he was hailed imperator by his troops, which the reverse of this coin commemorates. Subsequently, however, he joined Antony in opposing Octavian, but then deserted to Octavian before Actium, having become disgusted with Antony's alliance with Cleopatra. Aside from his involvement in the civil wars that racked Rome in the latter half of the first century BC, Ahenobarbus is also remembered for being the paternal great-grandfather of the future emperor Nero. Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex Lanz 151 (30 June 2010), 664. View details	Realized $1,320
Lot 177		Lepidus & Octavian. Silver Denarius (3.99 g), 43 BC. Military mint traveling with Lepidus in Italy. LEPIDVS PO(NT) (MA)X III VIR R P C, bare head of Lepidus right. Reverse: CA[ESAR I](MP) III VIR R P C, bare head of Octavian right. Crawford 495/2a; HCRI 140; Sydenham 1323; RSC 2a. Rare. Both portraits well-defined and completely on the flan. Choice Very Fine. Estimated Value $800 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex Helios 6 (9 March 2011), 754. View details	Realized $2,640
Lot 178		Mark Antony & Lucius Antony. Silver Denarius (3.84 g), 41 BC. Ephesus. M. Cocceius Nerva, proquaestor. M ANT I(MP) (AV)G III VIR R P C M (NE)RVA PROQ P, bare head of Mark Antony right. Reverse: L ANTONIVS COS, bare head of Lucius Antony right. Crawford 517/5a; HCRI 246; Sydenham 1185; RSC 2. Rare. Toned. Choice Very Fine. Estimated Value $750 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex CNG E429 (26 September 2018), 310. View details	Realized $1,380
Lot 179		Mark Antony & Octavia. Silver Cistophorus (11.91 g), 39 BC. Ephesus. M ANTONIVS IMP COS DESIG ITER ET TERT, head of Antony right, wearing ivy wreath, lituus below; all within wreath of ivy and flowers. Reverse: III VIR R P C, draped bust of Octavia right above cista, flanked by coiled snakes. RPC 2201; HCRI 262; Sydenham 1197; RSC 2. Toned. Very Fine. Estimated Value $400 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Purchased privately from CNG in February 1998. View details	Realized $870
Lot 180		Mark Antony & Octavian. Silver Denarius (3.61 g), 41 BC. Ephesus. M. Barbatius Pollio, quaestor pro praetore. M ANT I(MP) (AV)G III VIR R P C M BARBAT Q P, bare head of Mark Antony right. Reverse: CAESAR IMP PONT III VIR R P C, bare head of Octavian right. Crawford 517/2; HCRI 243; Sydenham 1181; RSC 8a. Bold, well-defined portraits. Nicely toned. Choice Very Fine. Estimated Value $700 - UP Mark Antony is reported to have lived extravagantly while in the East, and he exacted large sums from the cities of Asia Minor to finance this lifestyle. It is certainly from these funds where he obtained the bullion to produce this extensive and handsome coinage, struck with the name of his lieutenant M. Barbatius Pollio. Pollio's colleagues, M. Cocceius Nerva (a distant ancestor of the future emperor Nerva) and L. Gellius Poplicola, also struck similar types honoring both Antony's fellow triumvir, Octavian and his brother, Lucius Antony, but the majority are of a different style and are believed to have been struck after Antony's departure from Ephesus. Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex Robert Schonwalter Collection (Triton V, 16 January 2002), 1842. View details	Realized $3,360
Lot 181		Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Silver Tetradrachm (15.47 g). Mint of Antioch, ca. 36 B.C., BACI?ICCA K?EO?ATPA TEA NE?[TEPA], diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra right. Reverse: ANT?NIOC AYTOKPAT?P TPITON TPI?N AN?P?[N], bare head of Mark Antony right. McAlee 174; Prieur 27; RPC I 4094; BMC 53. Toned, with a trace of blue-green iridescence on Mark Antony's portrait. NGC graded Extremely Fine, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 3/5. Estimated Value $50,000 - UP One of the most famous and powerful women in history, Cleopatra will forever be associated with Mark Antony - the events of their lives, and deaths, having become the stuff of literature, film and legend. Each driven by the benefits of the other's status, Antony and Cleopatra embarked on a relationship that saw Antony's military aspirations funded by the wealth of Cleopatra's Ptolemaic Egypt. In return Cleopatra gained the restoration of former Ptolemaic territories in Turkey, Cyprus and the near east, territories which were Antony's to give, and perhaps aspired to even greater power as an empress in Rome itself. Despite Antony and Cleopatra's relationship, and even the birth of their children, Antony married Octavia - a political union to sustain the triumvirate and secure his own power in the east. The marriage wasn't enough though and as the triumvirate faltered accusations were thrown at Antony that he supported the imposition of an eastern Queen on the republic. While he gained financial backing, he lost essential political support. The coin predates the fall of the triumvirate and was struck when Antony, though already married, was reunited with Cleopatra, securing funds for a campaign in Parthia and repaying her again with territory. It may even be an example of the very coinage struck to pay for the campaign. Her title thea neotera (the new goddess) may serve to associate her with her ancestor Cleopatra Thea, a powerful Seleucid monarch, and to justify the grants of territories awarded to her in the east. Alternatively, it may represent the tradition of identifying Ptolemaic queens with Isis-Aphrodite. Cleopatra was an independent and absolute monarch in her own right. Even though their lives and deaths were inextricably linked, while Mark Antony committed suicide because he thought Cleopatra was already dead, Cleopatra did so to deny the victorious Octavian the satisfaction of parading her in triumph. Referencing die-studies, Roman Provincial Coinage notes that, beyond doubt, Cleopatra's portrait is the obverse of this coin (RPC I 4094 note). View details	Realized $58,800
Lot 182		Mark Antony & Cleopatra VII. Silver Denarius (3.74 g), 34 BC. Alexandria. [ANTONI] ARMENIA DEVICTA, bare head of M. Antony right; behind, Armenian tiara. Reverse: CLEOPATRAE [REGINAE REGVM FILIORV]M REGVM, diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra right; before, prow of galley right. Crawford 543/2; HCRI 345; Sydenham 1210; RSC 1. Both portraits clean and distinct. Lightly toned. About Very Fine. Estimated Value $3,500 - UP In the autumn of 34 BC Antony celebrated an unusual and ostentatious (even by Roman standards) triumph through the streets of Alexandria. The event was staged to play up his successes in conquering Armenia, although he had summarily failed in the main objective of the campaign, which was the conquest of Parthia. The parade ended at the Gymnasium of Alexandria, where the entire citizen body hand been assembled to witness what has become known as the 'Donations of Alexandria'. For the spectacle, Antony and Cleopatra dressed as Dionysus-Osiris and Isis-Aphrodite, and sat upon massive golden thrones, with Cleopatra's young son by Julius Caesar, Caesarion, dressed as Horus beside them. Cleopatra's other children were dressed in the attire of the kingdoms they were to inherit. For the Donations, Antony affirmed Cleopatra as queen of Egypt, Cyprus, Libya and parts of Syria, and bestowed upon her children the eastern provinces of Rome from Cilicia to North Africa, as well as Parthia which remained unconquered. As for Caesarion, he was proclaimed the son and legitimate heir of the deified Julius Caesar, and affirmed as King of Egypt.Antony sent an announcement to the Senate requesting confirmation of the Donations, but the Senate refused to countenance such an affront to the dignity of Rome. Ocatavian, who was Caesar's heir through adoption, was of course threatened by Antony's claiming Caesarion Caesar's legitimate heir, and this perhaps above all else led to the outbreak of the final confrontation between Octavian and Antony.The coin is truly remarkable. Never before had the portrait of a foreign head of state appeared on a Roman coin. Additionally, the legend joined with Cleopatra's portrait proclaims "of Cleopatra, Queen of Kings and of her sons (children) who are Kings," thus affirming the Donations that Antony had bestowed. Peter Corcoran Collection, Purchased privately from Ed Waddell in August 2020. View details	Realized $10,200
Lot 183		Octavian. Silver Denarius (3.93 g), 30-29 BC. Uncertain Italian mint (Rome?). Laureate head of Octavian, as Apollo, right. Reverse: IMP CAESAR across field, rostral column ornamented with two anchors and six beaks of galleys, surmounted by a statue of Octavian, holding spear and parazonium. RIC I 271 (Augustus); HCRI 423; BN 68-71; BMC 633-6; RSC 124 (Augustus). Perfectly centered on a nice wide flan. Lightly toned. Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex Gorny & Mosch 244 (6 March 2017), 446; Gilbert Steinberg Collection (NAC, 16 November 1994), 135; CNA VII (4 May 1989), 287. View details	Realized $3,600
Lot 184		Octavian. Silver Denarius (3.79 g), 30-29 BC. Uncertain Italian mint (Rome?). Bare head of Octavian right. Reverse: The Curia Julia, or Roman Senate House, the entryway and windows enclosed by a porch with four columns; on the architrave, IMP CAESAR; at apex, Victory on globe; figures with spears at the ends of the architrave. RIC 266; BMC 631; RSC 122. With a wonderfully expressive portrait. Nicely toned. About Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex Vecchi 9 (4 December 1997), 26. View details	Realized $3,360
Lot 185		Octavian, with Julius Caesar. Æ Dupondius (19.35 g), 36 BC. Vienna in Gaul. IMP above, DIVI • IVLI • CAE[SAR] DIVI • [F] around, bare heads of Julius Caesar and Octavian, back to back. Reverse: [C • ] I • V, prow of quinquireme right, with elaborate superstructure. RPC 517; HCRI 485; FITA, p. 337. Glossy brown and tan patina. Very Fine. Estimated Value $700 - UP Peter Corcoran Collection, Ex CNG E318 (15 January 2014), 387. View details	Realized $2,880