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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Roman Coins| ▸ |Roman Tesserae||View Options:   | | | Tesserae (singular: tessera) are ancient tokens. Most were made from lead, but other materials including bronze, bone, ivory, clay, glass and wood were also used. They were used as tickets for theaters, gladiator fights, ferry passage and even brothels. Tesserae liberalitatis were distributed as gifts by the Roman emperor or local government, often to the poor, and used as vouchers to exchange for grain, oil, or other goods. Some ancient lead "tokens" may have been used as small change coinage. |
Lindgren plate coin. The obverse copies a sculptural theme seen on coins, vases and other artwork. Iphicles was the mortal, anxious and timid twin half-brother of Hercules. Hercules protected him from serpents sent by Hera.SH24952. Bronze tessera, Lindgren III 1646 (this coin, listed as unidentified), F, weight 3.982 g, maximum diameter 18.9 mm, die axis 180o, obverse the two infants Herakles and Iphicles, attacked by the serpents sent by Hera; reverse IC O S, Hercules striking Hydra with club; SOLD
Roman Egypt, Antinoopolites Nome?, Portrait of Antinous, c. 137 - 138 A.D.?
On 30 October 130 A.D., Hadrian founded the city of Antinoopolis on the very bank of the Nile river where Antinous drowned. It was the capital of a new nome, Antinoopolites. Perhaps the date on this coin is year 8 of an era beginning with the founding of Antinoopolis.
Which side is the obverse is ambiguous and references diverge.RX38975. Lead tessera, Geissen 3579 (same dies, smaller flan); Dattari 6445 corr; Emmett 4357 (R5); Milne -, aF, weight 4.445 g, maximum diameter 21.5 mm, die axis 45o, Antinoopolis? mint, c. 137 - 138 A.D.?; obverse bust of Serapis right, modius on head, L - H (year 8) across fields; reverse draped bust of Antinous right, wearing Hemhem crown, L - H (year 8) across fields; extremely rare; SOLD
Roman Egypt, Nov 130 - c. 138 A.D.
Both the obverse and reverse types on this tessera are published but the combination does not appear to be published. Nor did we find another example online. According to Milne, lead tesserae served as local small change in Egypt during the first to the third century A.D.
Euthenia is the Greek personification of abundance or plenty. To the Romans she was Abundantia. Her attributes are grain and the cornucopia. On Roman coins of Alexandria she often appears to be the spouse of the Nile; yet, in the Egyptian pantheon Euthenia did not exist and the Nile had no consort.RX90574. Lead tessera, Unpublished; cf. Dattari 6444 and Geissen 3584 (for obverse type) and Dattari 6493 and 3575 (for reverse type), VF , weight 5.107 g, maximum diameter 22.5 mm, die axis 270o, Alexandria(?) mint, Nov 130 - c. 138 A.D. (possibly later); obverse Antinous on horseback right, wearing hem hem crown, caduceus in right hand; reverse Nilus reclining left on crocodile right below, nude to waist, himation around hips and legs, reeds in his right hand, cornucopia in left; before him at his feet stands Euthenia (prosperity) wearing chiton and peplos, offering wreath held in right hand; extremely rare; SOLD
Roman Egypt, Memphis Nome, 1st - 3rd Century A.D.
RX38674. Lead tessera, Geissen 3501 (same dies); Dattari 6416 ff.; Milne 5279 var.; Emmett 4594 (R5) var., VF, weight 5.767 g, maximum diameter 24.6 mm, die axis 0o, Memphis mint, obverse Nilus seated left on hippopotamus right, himation around legs, reed in right, cornucopia in left; Euthenia stands right before him, wearing chiton and billowing peplos, crowning him with wreath; reverse MEMΦIC, Isis-Hekate standing facing, triple face crowned with disk and horns, wearing long chiton and peplos, uraeus in right, left arm around neck of Apis bull standing left with disk between horns; small figure behind her raising hands; rare; SOLD
Roman Egypt, Arsinoiton Polis (Arsinoite Nome), Upper Egypt, 1st - 3rd Century A.D.
The Ptolemies renamed Atef-Pehu (the Krocodilopolitan nome) to Arsinoe and the capital city Krokodopolis (the City of Crocodiles) to Ptolemais Euergetis. In Roman times the nome was the Arsinoiton polis and Krokodopolis was called Arsinoe.RX38696. Lead tessera, Geissen 3495; Dattari 6423; Emmett 4366; Milne -, VF, cracked and repaired, weight 5.912 g, maximum diameter 25.4 mm, die axis 180o, Arsinoe (Krokodopolis) mint, 1st - 3rd century A.D.; obverse bust of Pharaoh right wearing wig, beard and uraeus (cobra) crown, reed before; reverse APCINOEITWN Φ ΠOΛEWC (retrograde), crocodile right on a pedestal, solar disk above, all within laurel wreath tied at the bottom, legend around within dot border; broken into two or more pieces and glued back together - nicely done with no fillers and only noticeable on close examination; extremely rare; SOLD
Lot of 9 Roman Egyptian Lead Tessera, 2nd - 3rd Century A.D.
According to Milne, lead tesserae served as local small change in Egypt during the first to the third century A.D.LT90877. Lead tessera, 9 Roman Egyptian lead tessera, 2nd - 3rd century A.D., Fair to Fine, the actual coins in the photograph, as-is, no returns; SOLD
Roman Egypt, Nov 130 - c. 138 A.D.
Antinous probably joined the entourage of Hadrian when it passed through Bithynia in about 124. He became Hadrian's constant companion and lover but in October 130 Antinous drowned in the Nile. Hadrian's grief knew no bounds; he enrolled him among the gods, erected a temple, and on 30 October 130 A.D., Hadrian founded the city of Antinoopolis on the very bank of the Nile river where Antinous drowned. It was the capital of a new nome, Antinoopolites. Artists vied with each other in immortalizing his beauty. Temples and statues to his memory were erected all over the Empire, and there began a Cult of Antinous. On this coin he is depicted in the guise of Hermanubis.RX90585. Lead tessera, Geissen 3584 (same obverse die), Milne 5420, Savio 11711, Emmett 4398 (R4), F, weight 5.252 g, maximum diameter 19.7 mm, die axis 45o, Alexandria(?) mint, Nov 130 - c. 138 A.D. (possibly later); obverse Antinous on horseback right, wearing hem hem crown, caduceus in right hand; reverse Nike taking flight left, wreath in extended right hand, palm frond upright in left; rare; SOLD
Roman Empire, Gnostic Magic Lead Amulet, c. 3rd - 4th century A.D.
Gnosticism is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century A.D. among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized personal spiritual knowledge above the teachings, traditions, and authority of religious institutions. According to Gnosticism, Abraxas was the God beyond all Gods, the being who created the world, and identified with the god of the Old Testament. The snake-legged deity on our amulet is almost certainly related to the anguiped found on many similar lead pieces inscribed with the names Iao Abraxas (the first being a Greek vocalization of the Tetragrammaton (i.e. YHWH or Yahweh). The god's head, however, appears rather human-like, unlike the usual depictions of Abrasax with a cock's head. A worn mold could be a possible explanation for this among others. Gert Boersema in his KOINON V (2022) paper, "Roman Lead 'Iao Abrasax' Amulets: Magical Pendants, Rings, and Beads," has this to say on the amulet's possible Gnostic links: "Early scholarship, with its heavy emphasis on Gnosticism, identified the Anguipede as a depiction of the Gnostic deity Abrasax, but this view is now generally abandoned, as there is no decisive proof that the name refers to the figure, and the connection to Gnosticism is unclear. Campbell Bonner, the pioneer of modern scholarship of magical gems, understood the figure primarily as a solar deity." Boersema's choice of spelling for Abrasax (instead of the presumably more modern Abraxas) stems from its lettering on the amulets as "ABPACAΞ."AS113990. Lead amulet, cf. Boersema IAA 12 (2 spec., Anguipede holding whip and shield, no dots), aVF, thick gray-green patina, earthen deposits, mold chip at base of 'I' (giving appearance of an 'L'), missing suspension loop(?), weight 3.862 g, maximum diameter 19.8 mm, eastern workshop, c. 3rd - 4th century A.D.; obverse Anguipede (snake-legged god) facing with arms stretched, serpent legs flaring to either side, flanked at center by two dots (indistinct letters or symbols?), all within a thick linear border; reverse star inside crescent moon, IAW counterclockwise below, all within thick linear border; rare; SOLD
Augustus, 16 January 27 B.C. - 19 August 14 A.D.
RP32319. Bronze tessera, T.V. Buttrey, "The Spintriae as a Historical Source," Numismatic Chronicle 1973, 6; cf. Cohen VIII p. 252 (radiate head), aVF, weight 3.893 g, maximum diameter 20.8 mm, die axis 90o, reign of Tiberius, c. 22 - 37 A.D.; obverse radiate head right; reverse XI in circle of dots; rough dark patina, scrapes on the high points of the obverse; ex Stack's Coin Galleries, Dec 2007, lot 336; rare; SOLD
Roman Egypt, Antinoopolites Nome, Portrait of Antinous, c. 130 - 153 A.D.
On 30 October 130 A.D., Hadrian founded the city of Antinoopolis on the very bank of the Nile river where Antinous drowned. It was the capital of a new nome, Antinoopolites. Perhaps the date is from the founding of Antinoopolis.RX39457. Lead tessera, Geissen 3567; Emmett 4291.2 (R4?); Dattari-Savio -; Milne -, F, weight 5.205 g, maximum diameter 23.0 mm, die axis 0o, Antinoopolis mint, c. 130 - 153 A.D.; obverse draped bust of Antinous (as Hermes) right, wearing hem-hem crown of Harpocrates, crescent before, ΘW upward behind; reverse Nike advancing left, wearing chiton, raising wreath extended in right, palm frond over shoulder in left hand, L - B (year 2 of uncertain era) across field; rare; SOLD
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