Auction No. 154

Greek Coins
★ Exceptional Lifetime Issue ★
KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’ (336-323 BC). GOLD Stater. Uncertain mint in western Asia Minor. Lifetime issue.

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet decorated with serpent.
Rev: AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ.
Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis Control: to lower left, eagle standing left with closed wings.

Price 3125 (Salamis).

Condition: Near mint state; lustrous.

Weight: 8.59 g.
Diameter: 18 mm.

Greek Coins
★ Lifetime Issue in MS ★
KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’ (336-323 BC). GOLD Stater. Uncertain mint in western Asia Minor. Lifetime issue.

Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet decorated with serpent.
Rev: AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ.
Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis Control: in left field, eagle standing left with closed wings.

Price 3126 (Salamis).

Condition: Mint State.

Weight: 8.63 g.
Diameter: 18 mm.

Greek Coins
★ Symmachy Coinage ★
IONIA. Ephesos. Tridrachm – Double Siglos (Circa 405/4 BC). Symmachy coinage.

Obv: The Herakliskos Drakonopnigon: the Infant Herakles, nude, crouching facing on rock, head left, strangling a serpent in each hand.
Rev: Ε – Φ / Π – E.
Bee.

SNG von Aulock 7821; SNG Kayhan 144; Weber 5836.

Very rare.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 10.23 g.
Diameter: 22 mm.

Greek Coins
PHOENICIA. Byblos (Gebal). ‘Ozba’al (Circa 400-365 BC). Shekel.

Obv: Three hoplites on galley left above waves; below, hippocamp left above murex shell.
Rev: Lion attacking bull left.

E&E-B Group IV.2.1.c; HGC 10, 133.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 13.34 g.
Diameter: 24 mm.

Greek Coins
ACHAEMENID EMPIRE. Time of Xerxes II to Artaxerxes II (420-375 BC). GOLD Daric. Sardes.

Obv: Persian king in kneeling-running stance right, holding spear and bow, with quiver over shoulder.
Rev: Rectangular incuse punch.

Carradice Type IIIb, pl. XIV, 42; Sunrise 28.

x Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger 332 (2017), lot 2317. Although it is believed that the earliest Staters in Lydia are really to be attributed to Kroisos, the most recent series should be dated to the time of Persia’s conquest of the region. From the end of the 6th century BC, gold Darics and silver Sigloi appear, marked by the type of the archer king and struck for decades in the mint of Sardis. The name ‘Daric’ assigned to the Persian gold stater is already found in Herodotus and is mentioned in an Athenian document from 429 BC. These were well known coins in Greek environments, intended to circulate in a huge empire and therefore struck in large quantities. Gold was used by Persian kings as prestige currency, for donations and for large payments, for example to pay Greek mercenaries in their service. This is why many specimens of these staters have been found in Greece and Sicily. The Golden Daric was worth 20 silver Sigloi and corresponded as weight to the value of 1/60th of the Persian mina. The king, connoted as a warrior and hunter, is depicted first with a bow and arrows, then while shooting a bow, and finally with a bow and sword. The date of the beginning of the coinage of the Darics and Sigloi is provided by a clay tablet from Persepolis, dated to about 500 BC, on which the image of the ruler while shooting with a bow is imprinted. This type continued to be reproduced until the end of the dynasty, when Darios III was defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 8.35 g.
Diameter: 17 mm.

Roman Imperial Coins
★ The Port of Ostia ★
NERO (54-68). Sestertius. Rome.

Obv: NERO CLAVD CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P.
Laureate bust right, wearing aegis.
Rev: AVGVSTI / S POR OST C.
Port of Ostia: seven ships within the harbor; above, pharus surmounted by a statue of Neptune; below, river Tiber reclining, holding rudder and dolphin; to left, crescent-shaped pier with portico; to right, crescent-shaped row of breakwaters or slips.

RIC² 178.

In 42 AD, due to the silting up of the river harbor of Ostia, emperor Claudius began the construction of a large seaport, located north of the mouth of the Tiber. The system included a large basin, with two curved piers and many docks, dominated by a large multi-story lighthouse, reminiscent of the famous lighthouse at Alexandria. All these elements are visible on the reverse of this Sestertius, including the personification of the Tiber River. The harbor was finished in 64 AD by Nero, who renamed it ‘Portus Augusti,’ as the reverse legend recalls.

Condition: Near very fine.

Weight: 21.81 g.
Diameter: 33 mm.

Roman Imperial Coins
★ Superb Gordian II ★
GORDIAN II (238). Denarius. Rome.

Obv: IMP M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.

Rev: PROVIDENTIA AVGG.
Providentia standing left, holding cornucopia and wand over globus to left, and leaning upon column to right.

RIC 1.

Very rare.

Son of Gordian I, he was emperor with his father for a few weeks. The mother is unknown, possibly a niece of Herod Atticus. They came from a wealthy family of the equestrian order related to several senators. The name Gordian suggests an Anatolian origin, from the city of Gordius. It seems that Gordian accepted the empire in old age only on the condition that his son would be associated with it, in order to succeed him. In AD 237 Gordian II was in Africa as legate under his father’s command. After a rebellion in Africa in 238, mainly because of the exorbitant taxes imposed by Maximinus, Gordian I accepted the imperium offered by the army and also the title of Africanus. He entered Carthage acclaimed by the crowd and politicians, while in Rome the prefect of the Praetorians was assassinated. The Senate, happy to deprive Maximinus, accepted the new emperor, and most of the Provinces sided with him. However, Capelius, governor of Numidia and supporter of Maximinus Thrax, invaded the province of Africa with the Legio III Augusta, composed of veterans. Gordian II, who had no trained or well-prepared soldiers, was defeated and killed in the battle of Carthage. Following the death of his son, Gordian I committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt, after just twenty days of reign.

Condition: Near mint state.

Weight: 3.43 g.
Diameter: 20 mm.

Roman Imperial Coins
★ Gordian I Africanus ★
GORDIAN I AFRICANUS (238). Denarius. Rome.

Obv: IMP M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: SECVRITAS AVGG.
Securitas seated left on throne, holding sceptre.

RIC 5.

Rare.

Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Africanus, better known as Gordian I, was Roman emperor for a few weeks in 238, together with his son Gordian II. Gordian I came from a wealthy family of the equestrian order related to several senators. The name Gordian suggests an Anatolian origin, from the city of Gordius. He had a sister, Antonia Gordiana, who was the mother of Gordian III. It seems that Gordian accepted the empire in old age only on the condition that his son would be associated with it, in order to succeed him. His political career began as Quaestor under Elagabalus and as Praetor and Consul under Severus Alexander. He also wrote an epic poem entitled The Antoninians to celebrate the emperor Caracalla. Gordian commanded the Legio Scythica in Syria. He held the office of governor in Britain in AD 216 and was consul suffectus under Elagabalus. The fact that his name was erased from some inscriptions in Britain suggests that he was disgraced and later rehabilitated. After a rebellion in Africa in 238, mainly because of the exorbitant taxes imposed by Maximinus, Gordian accepted the imperium offered by the army and also the title of Africanus. He entered Carthage acclaimed by the crowd and politicians, while in Rome the prefect of the Praetorians was assassinated. The Senate, happy to deprive Maximinus, accepted the new emperor, and most of the Provinces sided with him. However, Capelius, governor of Numidia and supporter of Maximinus Thrax, invaded the province of Africa with the Legio III Augusta, composed of veterans. Gordian II, was defeated and killed in the battle of Carthage. Following the death of his son, Gordian I committed suicide by hanging himself with a belt, after just twenty days of reign.

Condition: Extremely fine; some luster in field.

Weight: 3.54 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Roman Imperial Coins
★ Mint State Aureus ★
GORDIAN III (238-244). GOLD Aureus. Rome.

Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: SALVS AVGVSTI.
Salus standing right, feeding serpent held in arms out of patera.

RIC 123; Calicó 3231.

Born to a daughter of Gordian I, sister of Gordian II, because of the young age at which he came to occupy the throne (13), Gordian did not rule directly, but the Senate did so for him. Gordian had become prince because the Senate needed to placate an uprising of the traditionalist urban plebs, bound to the dynastic ideal, and in order to take advantage of his family’s wealth. Moreover, the praetorians had acclaimed him emperor just to show the Senate that they were the ones who decided who to put on the throne. Among the first moves was the dismissal of the legion in Africa because it had supported Capellianus and led to the deaths of Gordian I and II, who were deified. During his relatively long tenure there were several problems to deal with. In 240 Sabinianus, elected caesar in Carthage, prepared to make war on him, but was stopped by the governor of Mauretania. In the north the barbarians were making constant raids and sacking villages and towns. Gordian was too young to face these problems, but fortunately for him he could count on the diplomatic and military skill of Timesitheus, who had become prefect of the praetorium and granted him his daughter, Tranquillina, in marriage in 241. Rome succeeded in repelling the Persians of Shapur I in 243 thanks to Timesitheus, but on his death he was replaced as prefect of the praetorium by Marcus Julius Philip known as ‘the Arab’. The latter, however, was not satisfied with this title but aimed at the throne, and he convinced the army that they needed an adult prince and not a boy. Gordian showed maturity and offered to cede the throne to Philip and become his caesar, but he was killed in 244. The Senate was informed that he had died of wounds sustained in a battle against the Persians. His body was sent to Rome where he was deified.

Condition: Mint State.

Weight: 4.92 g.
Diameter: 20 mm.

Roman Imperial Coins
★ Only Few Specimens on Market ★
CONSTANTIUS GALLUS (Caesar, 351-354). Siliqua. Siscia.

Obv: D N CONSTANTIVS IVN NOB C.
Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VICTORIA CAESARIS / SIS.
Victory advancing left, holding wreath and trophy.

RIC -, cf. 299 note; RSC -; Cohen 45.

Extremely rare.

With the famous Battle of Mursa in 351 Constantius II inflicted a severe defeat on Magnentius, who two years later killed himself along with his brother Decentius, caesar of the West. This marked the beginning of a united kingdom for the winner, who at that point needed a caesar with a view to dynastic succession. Constantius appointed his cousin Constantius Gallus, who married Constantina, sister of the emperor and widow of Hanniballianus. Constantius Gallus was an able general who had brought down several Persian revolts. He had made himself hated not so much for his despotic ways as for his pro-poor monetary policy, in contrast to that initiated by Constantine and continued by Constantius II in favor of gold coinage and the wealthier classes. This led to his eventual assassination by a conspiracy of the Antioch aristocracy and his ‘damnatio memoriae’. In his place in 355 Constantius II appointed Julian, who was destined to become emperor with the appellation “Apostate”.

Condition: Extremely fine; some luster in field.

Weight: 2.74 g.
Diameter: 20 mm.

Roman Imperial Coins
JULIAN II APOSTATA (360-363). GOLD Solidus. Sirmium.

Obv: FL CL IVLIANVS P P AVG.
Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VIRTVS EXERCITVS ROMANORVM / SIRM (wreath).
Soldier standing right, head left, holding trophy and dragging captive to left.

RIC 94; Depeyrot 20/1.

Julian II was born in Constantinople, son of Basilina and Julius Constantius, half-brother of Constantine I ‘the Great’. Because of his young age he was spared in the 337 massacre of Constantine’s family members. His youthful education at the court of Constantius II was in the care of the pagan eunuch Mardonius, marked by the myth of classical culture and paganism, particularly Neoplatonism. Upon the death of Constantius Gallus, Julian took his place as Caesar in 355 and married Constantius II’s sister, Helena, after which he immediately left to fight the Germans who had invaded Colonia Agrippinensium. Here, after a series of fights, he succeeded in winning the favor of the people and the army, who acclaimed him Augustus in 360, raising the ire of Constantius II. Upon the latter’s death Julian became sole emperor and moved back to Constantinople, beginning to deprive the Christian Church of all the rights that had been granted to it by its predecessors, thus earning the appellation “Apostate.” Although he never openly persecuted Christians, his policies undoubtedly favored pagans and Jews. Julian also distinguished himself as a man of culture, writing several works, both satirical and philosophical. His main goal was to get the Romans to return to worshiping the ancient gods, and he thought he would succeed by winning the war against the Persians of Shapur II. After a series of victories the emperor reached the gates of Ctesiphon in June 363, but at that point he hesitated and, instead of attacking the city, decided to wait until he rejoined Procopius’ army. This move proved fatal, for after a hard fight at Maranga on the Tigris, he was wounded and killed at Samarra. Julian was buried at Tarsus, while peace was signed with Shapur II and Jovian, a moderate Christian, was elected new emperor.

Condition: Extremely fine; restorations in field.

Weight: 4.45 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Byzantine Coins
★ GOLD Bulla of 2 Solidi ★
BASIL II BULGAROKTONOS with CONSTANTINE VIII (976-1025). GOLD Bulla of 2 Solidi.

Obv: IC – XC.
Facing bust of Christ Pantokrator, holding book of Gospels.
Rev: + bASIL C COhStAhTI b R.
Crowned half-length busts of Basil and Constantine facing, holding patriarchal cross between.

DOC -; Sear -.

Condition: Very fine.

Weight: 8.84 g.
Diameter: 22 mm.

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