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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Numismatics| ▸ |Rarities||View Options:   | | | |
Portraits of the young Marcus Aurelius as Caesar are a favorite among many collectors.RY13610. Bronze AE 16, Spijkerman 20, gF, weight 1.73 g, maximum diameter 16.1 mm, die axis 0o, Bostra (Bosra, Syria) mint, as caesar, 138 - 161 A.D.; obverse AYPHΛIOC KAICAP, bare headed cuirassed bust right; reverse TYXHN TPAI BOC, turreted and draped bust of Tyche right; price reduced to Forum's cost!; rare; SOLD
Licinius I, 11 November 308 - 18 September 324 A.D., with Licinius II Caesar
"ANTIOCHIA (Antakya, Turkey - 36°12'N, 36°10'E), founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC, lies on the Orontes River about 15 miles from the sea. Named after Nicator's father, it served as a Seleucid capital until the Armenians took it in 83 BC. The Romans gained it in 66 BC and made it the capital of Syria. It struck a large local coinage, but aside from strikes for Vespasian, Hadrian, and Niger its imperial activity began about 217 and ended under the Byzantines in 610. Although sacked by the Sassanians in 253, it became an imperial residence during the Tetrarchy, and finally passed into the Byzantine Empire." - Moneta Historical Research by Tom SchroerSH35421. Billon follis, Bastien, NC 1973, pp. 87 - 97, VF, weight 3.590 g, maximum diameter 23.7 mm, die axis 330o, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, 317 or 318 A.D.; obverse DD NN IOVII LICINII INVICT AVG ET CAES (Domini Nostri Iovii Licinii Invicti Augustus et Caesar), confronted busts of Licinius I and II, holding trophy of arms between them; reverse I O M ET VIRTVTI DD NN AVG ET CAES (Iovi Optimo Maximo Virtuti Domini Nostri Augustus et Caesar), Jupiter standing facing to the right of trophy of captured arms with two bound captives at base, Jupiter nude except for cloak over shoulder and holds long scepter in left hand, SMATS in exergue; extremely rare; SOLD
Pertinax, 31 December 192 - 28 March 193 A.D.
Pertinax was the son of a humble charcoal-burner. After a successful career in the military, as a senator and then as praefect of the city of Rome, he reluctantly accepted the throne offered by the murderers of Commodus. After a reign of only 86 day he was murdered by mutinous guards.SH08958. Orichalcum sestertius, RIC IV 24 (R2), BMC V p. 9, 44; Cohen IV 58, Hunter III 17; SRCV II 6056, VF, weight 25.04 g, maximum diameter 32.3 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 1 Jan - 28 Mar 193 A.D.; obverse IMP CAES P HELV PERTINAX AVG, laureate head right; reverse VOTA DECEN TR P COS II, Pertinax, veiled, standing left, sacrificing out of patera over tripod, S - C (senatus consulto) across field; ex John Aiello; ex Edgar L. Owen; ex NFA Feb 27 - 28, 1979, lot 745; very rare; SOLD
Judean Kingdom, Alexander Jannaeus (Yehonatan), 104 - 76 B.C.
This coin is listed in Hendin's Guide to Biblical Coins as extremely rare and without a price. Struck from the same dies as the Zurqieh example on the Menorah Coin Project. Meshorer reports the lead tesserae of Alexander Jannaeus are found almost exclusively in Transjordan, as was this example.JS08257. Lead tessera, Menorah Coin Project type III, HGC 10 640, VF, weight 1.370 g, maximum diameter 13.5 mm, Transjordan mint, obverse Central elevated dot surrounded by six loop rays, all within a circle.; reverse blank; extremely rare; SOLD
Gaza, Philistia, Autonomous Period, c. 108/107 - 30 B.C.
Gaza's long and rich history as an important port and link in the Incense Route is largely one of subjugation, but beginning around 108/107 B.C., the city apparently was granted autonomous status by the Seleucid king, Antiochus VIII. This act was in line with other bestowals of autonomy to several of Gaza's coastal neighbors (e.g. Sidon and Ascalon) around the same time. The present coin, although undated, is believed by Oliver Hoover in a footnote to his 2007 Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau article "The Dated Coinage of Gaza in Historical Context (264/3 BC - AD 241/2)," to have been struck right before the city's earliest known dated civic issues, of SE 205 (108/107 B.C.). Autonomous coinage would continue to be sporadically produced down to 43/42 B.C., during which time (and for many years before) its "freedom" was dictated by the Romans. In 30 B.C., they added the city to Herod the Great's Judaean kingdom.
ΔHMOY ΓAΞAIΩN is commonly translated as "of the Demos of the Gazaeans" (or similar). This would make sense if the personification so invoked was present pictorially somewhere on our coin. Instead, the head on the obverse, identified as Zeus's by a string of numismatic authorities stretching all the way from Sestini and Mionnet to the present, is sometimes seen with a scepter behind, as on some (or all?) the specimens of the left-leaning double cornucopia variety (e.g. Sofaer 30). An attribution to Demos is therefore unlikely. The alternative interpretation "of the people of the Gazaeans" sounds awkwardly redundant to our modern ears, but is perhaps more accurate, stressing the coin was issued by "the people" and not some authority above the Gazaeans. In reading the long version of their bold statement of autonomy (i.e. ΔHMOY ΓAΞAIΩN IEP[AΣ] AΣY[ΛOY]), the Sofaer authors treated the ethnic more along the lines of an adjective: "of the Gazaean people, sacred [and] inviolable."GB13853. Bronze AE 20, Sofaer 30; Rosenberger 27; HGC 10 585; BMC Palestine p. 143, 1 & 3 var. (horns r.); Mi Supp 8, no. 47 var. (obv. star; horns r.; leg. arr.), aF, uneven strike on oblong flan with casting sprue and attractive sandy sediments; some roughness on rev., weight 4.581 g, maximum diameter 19.8 mm, die axis 0o, Gaza mint, c. late 2nd century B.C.; obverse laureate head of Zeus right, scepter (probably) behind (off flan); reverse ΔHMOY - ΓAΞAIΩN (clockwise beginning upper right), a "branch" of two cornucopias attached to stalk-like base, both horns parallel with tops leaning left, each sporting a dangling grape cluster; this coin sat in the FORVM mystery box unattributed for 20 years!; very rare; SOLD
Antoninus Pius, August 138 - 7 March 161 A.D.
Victory or Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings, with one of the most famous being the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Most other winged deities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike is the goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintance of Athena and is thought to have stood in Athena's outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon. Victory or Nike is also one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek and Roman coins.SH30323. Gold aureus, RIC III 281c, Calico 1680, Cohen II 1032, BMCRE IV 912 var. (laureate head right), Choice aEF, weight 7.197 g, maximum diameter 18.6 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 157 - 158 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P IMP II, laureate and draped bust left; reverse COS IIII, Victory walking left, extending wreath in right hand, palm frond in left hand; superb high-relief bust, well centered, great style; rare; SOLD
Claudius, 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 A.D.
Nice early portrait of Claudius. Claudius inherited a nearly bankrupt treasury from his nephew Caligula. A large gold statue of Caligula was probably melted to provided the gold for Claudius' first issue of aureii.SH37551. Gold aureus, SRCV I 1831, RIC I 15, Cohen I 34, BMCRE I 16, BnF II 30, Choice VF, weight 7.673 g, maximum diameter 18.9 mm, die axis 280o, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, 41 - 42 A.D.; obverse TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P, head right wearing oak wreath; reverse EX S C OB CIVES SERVATOS within Corona Civica, an oak wreath awarded "for saving the lives of citizens"; fine style; rare (R2); SOLD
Hyria, Campania, Italy, 405 - 400 B.C.
A beautiful example of this very rare type. More magnificent in hand!SH28126. Silver didrachm, SNG Cop 380, Choice gVF, weight 7.224 g, maximum diameter 21.1 mm, die axis 225o, Hyria mint, 405 - 400 B.C.; obverse head of Hera Lakinia facing slightly right, wearing necklace and polos ornamented with palmette between the foreparts of two griffins; reverse man-faced bull walking right; superb style, nice metal, well centered, few light scratches in reverse fields, old cabinet toning; very rare; SOLD
Claudius, 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 A.D.
Nice early portrait of Claudius. Claudius inherited a nearly bankrupt treasury from his nephew Caligula. A large gold statue of Caligula was probably melted to provided the gold for Claudius' first issue of aureii.SH33184. Gold aureus, SRCV I 1831, RIC I 15, Cohen 34, BMCRE I 16, BnF II 30, VF, weight 7.644 g, maximum diameter 19.1 mm, die axis 225o, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, 41 - 42 A.D.; obverse TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P, head right wearing oak wreath; reverse EX S C OB CIVES SERVATOS within Corona Civica, an oak wreath awarded "for saving the lives of citizens"; impressive portrait and attractive reddish tone, similar to that of the Boscoreale Hoard found near Pompeii, small spot of rim filing at 2:00, a few small scratches and dings; rare (R2); SOLD
Claudius, 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 A.D.
The reverse inscription abbreviates Senatus Populusque Romanus, Pater Patre, Ob Cives Servatos, meaning "[Awarded by] the senate and the Roman people [to the] father of the country for saving citizens." The wreath on the reverse is the corona civica, the oak wreath awarded to Roman citizens ex senatus consulto (by special decree of the Senate) for saving the life of another citizen by slaying an enemy in battle. It became a prerogative for Roman emperors to be awarded the Civic Crown, originating with Augustus, who was awarded it in 27 B.C. for saving the lives of citizens by ending the series of civil wars.SH76407. Silver denarius, RIC I 41 (R2), RSC II 87, BMCRE I 45, BnF II 59, Hunter I 16, SRCV I 1848, aEF, nice portrait, some die wear, nice surfaces with some light marks and areas of mild porosity, weight 3.745 g, maximum diameter 18.8 mm, die axis 270o, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, 46 - 47 A.D.; obverse TI CLAVD CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR P VI IMP XI, laureate head right; reverse S P Q R / P P / OB C S in three lines within the Corona Civica, an oak wreath awarded "for saving the lives of citizens"; from the Jeff Michniak Collection, the first example of this type handled by Forum; very rare; SOLD
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