Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4
Date: 2025-01-14 15:00:00 (2 weeks from now)
Lots: 1152
Total starting: $ 3,093,540.00
In this auction, Numistats has matched 120 coins, providing AI-powered purchase recommendations and detailed analysis. View more.
Auction Summary
La subasta "Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4", programada para el 14 de enero de 2025, presenta una impresionante colección de 1152 lotes, destacando monedas de diversas épocas y regiones. Entre las piezas más notables se encuentra un estater de plata de Arkadia, datado entre 360-350 a.C., que muestra un magnífico retrato de Deméter y Hermes, con un precio estimado de 180,000 USD. También se destaca un denario de Bruto, famoso por conmemorar el asesinato de Julio César, que se ofrece por 150,000 USD, siendo considerado uno de los más icónicos de la numismática romana. Otro ejemplar notable es un estater de oro de Nektanebo II de Egipto, que representa un caballo y un collar jeroglífico, con un precio de 60,000 USD. Además, se presenta un dekadrachm de Siracusa, que es considerado uno de los más bellos de la antigüedad, con un precio de 60,000 USD. Estas monedas no solo son valiosas por su rareza y belleza, sino que también representan momentos significativos de la historia antigua, lo que las convierte en piezas de gran interés para coleccionistas y estudiosos.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 1097 Numistats ref: 673586
No match
British
Category
STUART. James II. 1685-1688. AV 5 Guineas. Dated 1688 and RY QVARTO. Second bust. Bull, Gold 315; SCBC 3397A. In NGC encapsulation 6891729-002, graded AU 55.
From the Alexander Christopher Collection. Description
From the Alexander Christopher Collection. Description
-
Grade
11505.01 EUR
Starting
19175.01 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 73 Numistats ref: 672564
No match
Greek
Category
SICILY, Segesta. Circa 405/2-400 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 17.40 g, 3h). The hero Egestes, nude, standing right, cap slung over shoulder and chlamys over left arm, resting left foot on rock; EΓEΣTAIΩN to left; below, two hounds standing right at his feet, one sniffing the ground; small ithyphallic herm to lower right / Head of the nymph Segesta right, hair bound in ampyx and a star embroidered sakkos, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace with pendants; [ΣEΓEΣTAΞI]A to right, grain ear below. Hurter, Didrachmenprägung T8 (V4/R7); Lederer 6; HGC 2, 1108 (same dies as illustration); BMC 32 = Kraay & Hirmer 203 (same dies); Hirsch 523 (same dies); McClean 2555 (same dies); Regling, Kunstwerk 567 (same obv. die); Rizzo pl. LXII, 14 (same dies). Lightly toned, slight die shift and a little die wear on obverse, light scratch on reverse. VF. Wonderful style. Rare.
Segesta was the principal city of the Elymi in north-west Sicily. The Segestans wrote their Elymian language in Greek characters, as witnessed by their coins. They developed a traditional hostility with Selinos, in the pursuit of which they allied themselves with Athens in 418/7 BC (Thuc. 6. 6-8 and 46). In 409, Segesta passed into the Carthaginian sphere of influence in another attempt to combat the encroachments of Selinos. Carthage captured and sacked Selinos in that same year.
Although the most common denomination at Segesta was the didrachm, a few very rare and extremely accomplished tetradrachms were minted in about 400 with a remarkably detailed representation of a young huntsman. S. Hurter has maintained the traditional identification of this young man as Egestes, the legendary founder of the city, son of the Trojan maiden Segesta by the river-god Krimsos. Other plausible identifications are the hunter Krimsos or Pan, god of the hunt. Description
Segesta was the principal city of the Elymi in north-west Sicily. The Segestans wrote their Elymian language in Greek characters, as witnessed by their coins. They developed a traditional hostility with Selinos, in the pursuit of which they allied themselves with Athens in 418/7 BC (Thuc. 6. 6-8 and 46). In 409, Segesta passed into the Carthaginian sphere of influence in another attempt to combat the encroachments of Selinos. Carthage captured and sacked Selinos in that same year.
Although the most common denomination at Segesta was the didrachm, a few very rare and extremely accomplished tetradrachms were minted in about 400 with a remarkably detailed representation of a young huntsman. S. Hurter has maintained the traditional identification of this young man as Egestes, the legendary founder of the city, son of the Trojan maiden Segesta by the river-god Krimsos. Other plausible identifications are the hunter Krimsos or Pan, god of the hunt. Description
VF
Grade
11505.01 EUR
Starting
19175.01 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 79 Numistats ref: 672570
No match
Greek
Category
SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron I. 478-466 BC. AR Dekadrachm (33mm, 43.07 g, 8h). ‘Damareteion’ series. Struck circa 470-466 BC. Charioteer, wearing long chiton, holding kentron in right hand and reins in both, driving slow quadriga right; above, Nike, wearing long chiton, flying right, crowning horses with open wreath held in her extended hands; in exergue, lion advancing right / Head of Arethousa right, wearing laurel wreath, hoop earring with single pendant, and pearl necklace, enclosed within linear circle; ΣV-RAK-[O]ΣIO-N and four dolphins swimming clockwise around. Boehringer Series XIIe, 378.3 (V193/R267); HGC 2, 1297 (same dies as illustration); Hirsch 577 (same dies); Hunt I 64 (same dies). Toned, die break and chisel cuts on reverse, minor cuts and bumps on edge. Near VF. Very rare.
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection, purchased from Dr. Arnold Saslow, August 1986. Ex Virgil M. Brand Collection (Part 3, Sotheby’s Zurich, 9 June 1983), lot 30; Raffaele Garrucci Collection (J. Hirsch XXXIV, 5 May 1914), lot 186; Theodor Prowe Collection (Part III, Egger XL, 2 May 1912), lot 414.
The story of the Damareteion coinage has its source in a passage in Diodorus (XI 26.3), that relates to the events following the defeat of the Carthaginians by the Syracusans after the battle of Himera in 479 BC. In the wake of their defeat, the Carthaginians expected harsh treatment by their foes, but Gelon, tyrant of Syracuse, imposed quite favorable terms upon them, supposedly at the behest of his wife, Damarete. In response, the Carthaginians are said to have presented Damarete with a crown of gold valued (or weighing) at a hundred talents, and from this gift was struck a coin, called the Damareteion, that weighed ten drachms on the Attic standard. The identification of the coin in question was one of the great mysteries of numismatics, due to the apparent contradictions in the story: the crown was said to be of gold, but the weight of the coin struck from it was given in Attic drachms, which implied a silver, not gold, coin. We know the metal of the coin must have been silver, as Syracuse apparently had no gold until many years after the event. Among the silver coinage, however, there is a suitable candidate that is known to have been struck relative to the time frame of the battle of Himera: the dekadrachms of Quadriga/Arethusa type. The appearance of these impressive coins was unprecedented at the time, and their style of such superior quality, that it is certain that they commemorated a particular, special event. Thus, these dekadrachms came to be known as the ‘Damareteion’ coinage, and their engraver labelled the ‘Damareteion Master.’ These dekadrachms were accompanied by a series of tetradrachms that featured the exact same iconography and style and are regarded as masterpieces themselves, only on a smaller scale. Description
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection, purchased from Dr. Arnold Saslow, August 1986. Ex Virgil M. Brand Collection (Part 3, Sotheby’s Zurich, 9 June 1983), lot 30; Raffaele Garrucci Collection (J. Hirsch XXXIV, 5 May 1914), lot 186; Theodor Prowe Collection (Part III, Egger XL, 2 May 1912), lot 414.
The story of the Damareteion coinage has its source in a passage in Diodorus (XI 26.3), that relates to the events following the defeat of the Carthaginians by the Syracusans after the battle of Himera in 479 BC. In the wake of their defeat, the Carthaginians expected harsh treatment by their foes, but Gelon, tyrant of Syracuse, imposed quite favorable terms upon them, supposedly at the behest of his wife, Damarete. In response, the Carthaginians are said to have presented Damarete with a crown of gold valued (or weighing) at a hundred talents, and from this gift was struck a coin, called the Damareteion, that weighed ten drachms on the Attic standard. The identification of the coin in question was one of the great mysteries of numismatics, due to the apparent contradictions in the story: the crown was said to be of gold, but the weight of the coin struck from it was given in Attic drachms, which implied a silver, not gold, coin. We know the metal of the coin must have been silver, as Syracuse apparently had no gold until many years after the event. Among the silver coinage, however, there is a suitable candidate that is known to have been struck relative to the time frame of the battle of Himera: the dekadrachms of Quadriga/Arethusa type. The appearance of these impressive coins was unprecedented at the time, and their style of such superior quality, that it is certain that they commemorated a particular, special event. Thus, these dekadrachms came to be known as the ‘Damareteion’ coinage, and their engraver labelled the ‘Damareteion Master.’ These dekadrachms were accompanied by a series of tetradrachms that featured the exact same iconography and style and are regarded as masterpieces themselves, only on a smaller scale. Description
VF
Grade
11505.01 EUR
Starting
19175.01 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 86 Numistats ref: 672577
No match
Greek
Category
SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (27mm, 17.70 g, 10h). Struck circa 420-415 BC. Charioteer, wearing long chiton, holding kentron in right hand and reins in both, driving slow quadriga right; above, Nike, wearing long chiton, flying right, crowning horses with open wreath held in her extended hands; in exergue, grasshopper right / Head of Arethousa right, hair in ornate sakkos and wearing ampyx with maeander pattern; ΣYPAKOΣI-ON and four dolphins swimming clockwise around. Boehringer Series XXV, 726 (V358/R494); HGC 2, 1324 (same dies as illustration); BMC 124 (same dies); Gillet 599 = Kunstfreund 112 = Wallenbrock fig. 2.12 (this coin); Jameson 782 (same dies); de Luynes 1188 (same dies); Pozzi 589 (same dies); Rizzo pl XL, 16 (same dies). Attractive light tone around the devices, slightly off center, minor cleaning marks and a little die wear on obverse. Near EF.
Ex M. L. Collection of Coins of Magna Graecia and Sicily (Numismatica Ars Classica 82, 20 May 2015), lot 60; Charles Gillet (‘Kunstfreund’) Collection (Leu & Münzen und Medaillen AG, 28 May 1974), lot 112. Description
Ex M. L. Collection of Coins of Magna Graecia and Sicily (Numismatica Ars Classica 82, 20 May 2015), lot 60; Charles Gillet (‘Kunstfreund’) Collection (Leu & Münzen und Medaillen AG, 28 May 1974), lot 112. Description
Near EF
Grade
11505.01 EUR
Starting
19175.01 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 1129 Numistats ref: 673618
No match
British Medals
Category
STUART. James II. 1685-1688. AV Medal (35mm, 21.30 g, 12h). Coronation. By J. Roettier. Dated 23 April 1685. IACOBVS · II · D · G · ANG · SCO · FR · ET · HI · REX, laureate and draped bust left / A · MILITARI · AD · REGIAM ·, laurel wreath upon cushion; above, hand bearing crown emerging right from the heavens; in two lines in exergue, INAVGVRAT · 23 · AP/1685. MI 605/5; Eimer 273. In NGC encapsulation 6906709-001, graded MS 61 PL. Rare in gold. Top Pop.
From the Drewry Family Collection. Ex World-Wide Coins of California (James F. Elmen) XXIX (16 May 1996), lot 156. Description
From the Drewry Family Collection. Ex World-Wide Coins of California (James F. Elmen) XXIX (16 May 1996), lot 156. Description
-
Grade
11505.01 EUR
Starting
19175.01 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 1130 Numistats ref: 673619
No match
British Medals
Category
STUART (ORANGE). William III & Mary. 1688-1694. AV Medal (35mm, 18.55 g, 12h). Coronation. By J. Roettier. Dated 2 April 1689. GVLIELMVS · ET · MARIA · REX · ET · REGINA ·, draped busts right of William, laureate and armored, and Mary / NE TOTVS ABSVMATVR, Jupiter seated right among the clouds with an eagle, hurling thunderbolts downward toward Phaethon, escaping from chariot advancing right; in two lines in exergue, INAVGVRAT · II · AP/1689. MI 662/25; Eimer 312a. In NGC encapsulation 6906709-003, graded MS 63.
From the Drewry Family Collection. Ex H. Christensen 84 (9 September 1983), lot 468. Description
From the Drewry Family Collection. Ex H. Christensen 84 (9 September 1983), lot 468. Description
-
Grade
11505.01 EUR
Starting
19175.01 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 126 Numistats ref: 672617
No match
Greek
Category
CARTHAGE. Circa 270-264 BC. AV 1½ Shekels – Tridrachm (21.5mm, 12.50 g, 12h). Carthage mint. Head of Tanit left, wearing wreath of grain ears, triple-pendant earring, and necklace with eleven pendants / Horse standing right, head left. Jenkins & Lewis Group IX, 388 (same dies); CNP 76d; MAA 26; SNG Copenhagen 181; Basel 569; Gulbenkian 384; Kraay & Hirmer 210; de Luynes 3749 (same obv. die). In NGC encapsulation 5771750-002, graded Ch AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Fine Style.
Ex Edward H. Merrin Collection (noted on NGC tag).
By the third century BC, the Punic goddess Tanit and the horse had become the standard types of Carthaginian coinage and remained so for the balance of the city’s existence. Tanit was the primary deity of Carthage. A celestial divinity with some fertility aspects, she was the North African equivalent of Astarte. She is always depicted on the coinage wearing a wreath of grain, which may have been borrowed from Demeter and Persephone as the Carthaginians assimilated the Sicilian culture into their own during the various Punic excursions to the island. The use of the horse on the reverse is usually considered part of the foundation myth of Carthage. According to Virgil's Aeneid, the Phoenician colonists who founded Carthage were told by Juno (or Tanit) to establish the new colony at the place where they discovered a horse's head in the ground. Another theory is that the obverse head is actually Demeter or Persephone, whose worship was introduced to Carthage in 396 BC to make amends for the destruction of the goddesses' temples outside Syracuse by the Carthaginian army. Description
Ex Edward H. Merrin Collection (noted on NGC tag).
By the third century BC, the Punic goddess Tanit and the horse had become the standard types of Carthaginian coinage and remained so for the balance of the city’s existence. Tanit was the primary deity of Carthage. A celestial divinity with some fertility aspects, she was the North African equivalent of Astarte. She is always depicted on the coinage wearing a wreath of grain, which may have been borrowed from Demeter and Persephone as the Carthaginians assimilated the Sicilian culture into their own during the various Punic excursions to the island. The use of the horse on the reverse is usually considered part of the foundation myth of Carthage. According to Virgil's Aeneid, the Phoenician colonists who founded Carthage were told by Juno (or Tanit) to establish the new colony at the place where they discovered a horse's head in the ground. Another theory is that the obverse head is actually Demeter or Persephone, whose worship was introduced to Carthage in 396 BC to make amends for the destruction of the goddesses' temples outside Syracuse by the Carthaginian army. Description
fine
Grade
11505.01 EUR
Starting
19175.01 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 731 Numistats ref: 673220
No match
Roman Imperial
Category
Geta. AD 209-211. AV Aureus (20.5mm, 7.52 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 211. P SEPT GETA PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate and bearded bust right, slight drapery / LIB • AVGG • VI • ET • V, distribution scene: Caracalla and Geta, togate, seated left on on curule chairs on platform, extending right hands, to left stands Liberalitas, draped, holding abacus in right hand and cornucopia in left; to left, citizen, togate, standing right, setting one foot on steps to platform and holding out fold of toga with both hands. RIC IV 87 corr. (rev. legend) var. (bust type); Calicó 2889 (same obv. die as illustration); BMCRE 64 var. (same); Adda –; Biaggi 1250 var. (same); Jameson 198 var. (same); Mazzini 70 var. (same). Faint hairlines, minor marks. Near EF. Very rare with slight drapery.
From the Georges Albert Haikel Collection. Ex Dr. Anton C. R. Dreesmann Collection (Part I, Spink London 1238, 13 April 2000), lot 16; Sternberg XIX (18 November 1987), lot 729. Description
From the Georges Albert Haikel Collection. Ex Dr. Anton C. R. Dreesmann Collection (Part I, Spink London 1238, 13 April 2000), lot 16; Sternberg XIX (18 November 1987), lot 729. Description
Near EF
Grade
14381.26 EUR
Starting
23968.77 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 1153 Numistats ref: 673642
No match
Antiquarian Literature
Category
Abraham Ortelius. Parergon sive Veteris Geographiae Aliquot Tabulae. (Antwerp, 1609). Folio (18x12”). Calfskin with gilt lettering and armorial stamp on cover. 38 double-page engraved maps and plates. Bound with Nomenclator Ptolemaicus (Antwerp, 1603). Condition as in photos.
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection.
Parergon sive Veteris Geographiae Aliquot Tabulae by Abraham Ortelius, first published in 1595, this example in 1609, is a landmark atlas that showcases Renaissance-era cartography with a focus on classical history geography of the ancient world. This work is considered one of Ortelius' most significant contributions, as it provides a comprehensive view of historical and mythical geography based on ancient sources. The 1609 edition is identified by the title page featuring classical figures holding globes, symbolizing the atlas's focus on the geographical knowledge of antiquity.
The "Parergon" contains a series of maps and engravings that depict the ancient world, including maps based on the travels of famous figures like Homer, Virgil, St. Paul, Alexander the Great, and several biblical narratives. Some maps portray regions as they were understood in ancient times, such as the Roman Empire, Greece, Southern Asia, and Egypt. Others are dedicated to specific events or journeys from classical literature, including the wanderings of Aeneas and the voyages of Odysseus. Several pages include images of ancient coinage and imagery of significance to the study of classics. Ortelius meticulously compiled these maps using sources from classical geographers, historians, and scholars, including Ptolemy (circa 100–170 AD), Strabo (circa 64 BC–24 AD), Arrian (circa 86 – 160 AD), and Pliny the Elder (circa 23–79 AD) among others.
Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598) was a Flemish cartographer and geographer, widely celebrated as the creator of the first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theater of the World), published in 1570. Born in Antwerp, Ortelius began his career as a map colorist and engraver before becoming a prominent map dealer. His contributions to mapping and atlases, what we refer to a modern geography, left a lasting impact on the history of cartography. His collaboration with many of the leading scholars of his time, helped foster an expansive network of knowledge exchange throughout Europe, and played a key role in laying the foundation for the age of enlightenment and discovery that would follow in the 17th and 18th centuries. Description
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection.
Parergon sive Veteris Geographiae Aliquot Tabulae by Abraham Ortelius, first published in 1595, this example in 1609, is a landmark atlas that showcases Renaissance-era cartography with a focus on classical history geography of the ancient world. This work is considered one of Ortelius' most significant contributions, as it provides a comprehensive view of historical and mythical geography based on ancient sources. The 1609 edition is identified by the title page featuring classical figures holding globes, symbolizing the atlas's focus on the geographical knowledge of antiquity.
The "Parergon" contains a series of maps and engravings that depict the ancient world, including maps based on the travels of famous figures like Homer, Virgil, St. Paul, Alexander the Great, and several biblical narratives. Some maps portray regions as they were understood in ancient times, such as the Roman Empire, Greece, Southern Asia, and Egypt. Others are dedicated to specific events or journeys from classical literature, including the wanderings of Aeneas and the voyages of Odysseus. Several pages include images of ancient coinage and imagery of significance to the study of classics. Ortelius meticulously compiled these maps using sources from classical geographers, historians, and scholars, including Ptolemy (circa 100–170 AD), Strabo (circa 64 BC–24 AD), Arrian (circa 86 – 160 AD), and Pliny the Elder (circa 23–79 AD) among others.
Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598) was a Flemish cartographer and geographer, widely celebrated as the creator of the first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theater of the World), published in 1570. Born in Antwerp, Ortelius began his career as a map colorist and engraver before becoming a prominent map dealer. His contributions to mapping and atlases, what we refer to a modern geography, left a lasting impact on the history of cartography. His collaboration with many of the leading scholars of his time, helped foster an expansive network of knowledge exchange throughout Europe, and played a key role in laying the foundation for the age of enlightenment and discovery that would follow in the 17th and 18th centuries. Description
BC
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 438 Numistats ref: 672928
No match
Central Asian
Category
INDIA, Gupta Empire. First Dynasty. Kumaragupta I Mahendraditya. Circa AD 413-455. AV Dinar (18mm, 7.95 g, 12h). Elephant-rider/Lion-trampler type. kṣhata Kumā[...] in Brahmi, Kumaragupta seated right on caparisoned elephant advancing right and stepping on lion with left foreleg; behind Kumaragupta, an attendant holding a parasol / simhanihaṁtā mahendragajaḥ in Brahmi, Lakshmi, nimbate, standing facing, head left, holding lotus and making benedictional gesture to peacock to left, standing right. Kumar (2nd ed.) 13.6, 630 (same dies); BKB 187; BMC Guptas –; Altekar, pp. 195-7; Bayana 1795-8. Toned. Good VF. Very rare, one of fifteen specimens known.
Description
Good VF
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 741 Numistats ref: 673230
No match
Roman Imperial
Category
Postumus. Romano-Gallic Emperor, AD 260-269. AV Aureus (20mm, 5.66 g, 12h). Trier mint. 4th emission, circa mid AD 262-mid 263. IMP C POSTV MVS • P • F • AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / HERC DEVS ONIENSI, Hercules, nude, standing right, right hand resting on hip, left hand holding lion skin and long club which rests on rock. RIC V.4 195/5 (this coin cited and illustrated); Schulte 37 (dies Av 24/Rv 25 [unlisted die combination]); Calicó –; Adda 513 (same rev. die). Lustrous, a few marks, light edge marks. Near EF. Extremely rare.
Ex Leu Numismatik AG 1 (25 October 2017), lot 341.
By AD 260, Rome had divided her military forces between the eastern deserts, where Valerian campaigned against the Sasanians, and the forests of Germania, where Gallienus was engaged with Alemanni, Franks, and Jugunthi. While the war in the east went poorly for the Empire, the army met with success in the north as Postumus and his troops crushed a Jugunthian army returning from raiding Italy. The troops were ordered to deliver the spoils to the emperor, but refused, raising Postumus to the purple. Rather than claiming the entirety of Roman dominion as his own, the usurper instead consolidated his territory and focused his efforts on controlling Germania, Gaul, Britain, and Hispania. This tactic proved successful. Postumus reigned in Gaul for eight years, duplicating Roman governmental structures such as the senate and the office of consul and securing his borders from both barbarians and Rome until 269, when he was assassinated at Mogontiacum (Mainz) amidst internal unrest. Description
Ex Leu Numismatik AG 1 (25 October 2017), lot 341.
By AD 260, Rome had divided her military forces between the eastern deserts, where Valerian campaigned against the Sasanians, and the forests of Germania, where Gallienus was engaged with Alemanni, Franks, and Jugunthi. While the war in the east went poorly for the Empire, the army met with success in the north as Postumus and his troops crushed a Jugunthian army returning from raiding Italy. The troops were ordered to deliver the spoils to the emperor, but refused, raising Postumus to the purple. Rather than claiming the entirety of Roman dominion as his own, the usurper instead consolidated his territory and focused his efforts on controlling Germania, Gaul, Britain, and Hispania. This tactic proved successful. Postumus reigned in Gaul for eight years, duplicating Roman governmental structures such as the senate and the office of consul and securing his borders from both barbarians and Rome until 269, when he was assassinated at Mogontiacum (Mainz) amidst internal unrest. Description
Near EF
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 268 Numistats ref: 672759
No match
Greek
Category
MYSIA, Lampsakos. Circa 394-350 BC. AV Stater (15.5mm, 8.54 g, 6h). Head of Hermes left, wearing petasos / Forepart of Pegasos flying right within shallow incuse square. Baldwin, Lampsakos 13b (dies II/β) = Gillet 1105 = Sartiges 345 (this coin, illustrated); SNG BN 1143 = Traité II 2546, pl. CLXXI, 13; Boston MFA 1589 = Warren 1013; Jameson 1436. Struck with slightly worn obverse die. Good VF.
From the Georges Albert Haikel Collection. Ex Prospero Collection (New York Sale XXVII, 4 January 2012), lot 466; Münzen und Medaillen AG 64 (30 January 1984), lot 141; Charles Gillet (†1972) Collection; Vicomte de Sartiges Collection (publ. 1910); H. Osborne O’Hagan Collection (Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 17 July 1908), lot 535. Description
From the Georges Albert Haikel Collection. Ex Prospero Collection (New York Sale XXVII, 4 January 2012), lot 466; Münzen und Medaillen AG 64 (30 January 1984), lot 141; Charles Gillet (†1972) Collection; Vicomte de Sartiges Collection (publ. 1910); H. Osborne O’Hagan Collection (Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 17 July 1908), lot 535. Description
Good VF
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 827 Numistats ref: 673316
No match
Early Medieval
Category
CAROLINGIANS. Charlemagne (Charles the Great). As Charles I, King of the Franks, 768-814. AV Tremissis (19mm, 1.04 g, 6h). Lucca mint. Struck after the defeat of Desiderius in 774. + FL • A VI • A • LVC • A, six-rayed star; small leaves between rays; • in Vs and C in legend / D N CAR VLVS RЄX, facing half-length bust. Rossini –; Bernareggi –; Bernareggi, Tremissi –; Bernareggi, Moneta, –; Depeyrot 515B = CNI XI 2 = E&S p. 35, 96; cf. Gariel 172 = Kluge 199; BMC Vandals –; Arslan –; MEC 1, –. Deposits, some weakness with worn dies. Near VF. Extremely rare.
Ex Numismatica Genevensis SA 16 (14 November 2022), lot 314.
Following Charlemagne’s conquest of the Lombardic kingdom in 774 a short lived issue of gold tremisses was struck at a range of mints across northern Italy in his name. These rare coins are all of the same star / cross potent type of the defeated Desiderius except for an extremely rare issue at Lucca that remarkably depicts the King of the Franks on the reverse. Rossini records only six specimens of the portrait issue, four of which are damaged and incomplete. Only one other example has previously appeared at auction. That coin, from the Adams collection (Triton XIX, lot 2207), realized $180,000 in 2016. Description
Ex Numismatica Genevensis SA 16 (14 November 2022), lot 314.
Following Charlemagne’s conquest of the Lombardic kingdom in 774 a short lived issue of gold tremisses was struck at a range of mints across northern Italy in his name. These rare coins are all of the same star / cross potent type of the defeated Desiderius except for an extremely rare issue at Lucca that remarkably depicts the King of the Franks on the reverse. Rossini records only six specimens of the portrait issue, four of which are damaged and incomplete. Only one other example has previously appeared at auction. That coin, from the Adams collection (Triton XIX, lot 2207), realized $180,000 in 2016. Description
VF
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 60 Numistats ref: 672551
No match
Greek
Category
SICILY, Akragas. Circa 410-406 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 17.43 g, 12h). Reverse die signed by Silanos. Nike, wearing long chiton, holding kentron in extended right hand, reins in left, driving fast quadriga left; above, AKPAΓ/ANTIN-O[N] in two lines on tablet (partially retrograde, last two letters outside tablet); in exergue, club left / Two eagles standing right on dead hare below, the closest eagle with wings closed and head raised, the further eagle with wings spread and head lowered; ΣIΛA-NOΣ along left edge. Westermark, Coinage, Period III, 595.1 (O7/R11) = Seltman, Engravers 16c (dies J/o) = Gillet 356 = SNG Spencer 30 = Seltman, Greek, pl. 26, 11 = Woodward 50 = Giesecke pl. 6, 5 (this coin); HGC 2, 86; SNG ANS 1000 (same dies); Berlin 582 (same dies); SNG Fitzwilliam 917 (same dies); Dewing 565 (same dies); Gulbenkian 170 (same dies); McClean 2041 (same dies); Rizzo pl. III, 3 (same dies). Wonderful old collection tone, slight doubling on obverse. Good VF.
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection. Ex Christie’s (30 November 1990), lot 31; Charles Gillet (†1972) Collection; Capt. C. E. Spencer-Churchill Collection (Ars Classica XVI, 3 July 1933), lot 432; W. H. Woodward Collection; Ars Classica XV (2 July 1930), lot 271; Egger XLV (12 November 1913), lot 234; Gustave Durulfé Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 9 May 1910), lot 120.
The late coinage of Akragas, struck in the years just before the Carthaginian capture of the city in 406 BC, was the most magnificent in the city’s history. It included the famous dekadrachm, gold pieces, and a variety of quadriga/two eagles tetradrachms that are all of superb quality. Seltman suggested that some of the finest engravers in Sicily made the dies for these coin, ascribing the obverse of this piece to Kimon, while the reverse is signed by the master Silanos. The symbols most associated with the coinage of Akragas are the eagle and the crab. Sometime after 420 BC, the Akragantines replaced the single eagle with a pair of eagles standing on a hare, the inspiration for which must have come from the Agamemnon of Aeschylus where men saw two eagles, representing Agamemnon and Menelaos, feasting upon a pregnant hare. It has always been believed that the city's dekadrachms were issued to celebrate the victory of Exainetos, an Akragantine, at the Olympic Games in 412 BC. It seems more likely, however, that they were part of the war preparations of Akragas against their enemy Carthage shortly before 406 BC. This tetradrachm is every bit the equal of the dekadrachm in terms of development of the traditional Akragantine themes and fineness of their representation. Description
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection. Ex Christie’s (30 November 1990), lot 31; Charles Gillet (†1972) Collection; Capt. C. E. Spencer-Churchill Collection (Ars Classica XVI, 3 July 1933), lot 432; W. H. Woodward Collection; Ars Classica XV (2 July 1930), lot 271; Egger XLV (12 November 1913), lot 234; Gustave Durulfé Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 9 May 1910), lot 120.
The late coinage of Akragas, struck in the years just before the Carthaginian capture of the city in 406 BC, was the most magnificent in the city’s history. It included the famous dekadrachm, gold pieces, and a variety of quadriga/two eagles tetradrachms that are all of superb quality. Seltman suggested that some of the finest engravers in Sicily made the dies for these coin, ascribing the obverse of this piece to Kimon, while the reverse is signed by the master Silanos. The symbols most associated with the coinage of Akragas are the eagle and the crab. Sometime after 420 BC, the Akragantines replaced the single eagle with a pair of eagles standing on a hare, the inspiration for which must have come from the Agamemnon of Aeschylus where men saw two eagles, representing Agamemnon and Menelaos, feasting upon a pregnant hare. It has always been believed that the city's dekadrachms were issued to celebrate the victory of Exainetos, an Akragantine, at the Olympic Games in 412 BC. It seems more likely, however, that they were part of the war preparations of Akragas against their enemy Carthage shortly before 406 BC. This tetradrachm is every bit the equal of the dekadrachm in terms of development of the traditional Akragantine themes and fineness of their representation. Description
Good VF
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 90 Numistats ref: 672581
No match
Greek
Category
SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25.5mm, 17.21 g, 1h). Dies signed by Euth– and Eum(enes). Struck circa 415-409 BC. Winged Eros as charioteer, wearing long chiton, holding reins in both hands, driving fast quadriga right; above, Nike, wearing long chiton, flying left, crowning charioteer with laurel wreath held in her extended right hand; in exergue, dolphin swimming right behind Skylla, holding trident in extended right hand, swimming right, EVΘ before / Head of Arethousa left, wearing wreath of grain ears and linear necklace with lion head pendant; EVM below, four dolphins and ΣVPAKO-ΣIΩИ around. Fischer-Bossert, Coins 46 (V15/R28); Tudeer 47; HGC 2, 1334; SNG ANS 273 (same dies); SNG Lloyd 1381 (same dies); SNG Lockett 968 (same dies); SNG München 1058 (same dies); BMC 153 (same dies); Basel 460 (same dies); Gulbenkian 279 = Bement 498 (same dies); Gillet 621 (same dies); Hirsch 602 (same dies); Jameson 796 (same dies); de Luynes 1212 (same dies); McClean 2714 (same dies); Rizzo pl. XLIV, 6 = de Luynes 1213 (same dies). In NGC encapsulation 4241982-006, graded AU★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Fine Style. Well centered and struck from dies of fine style.
Ex Penn Collection (Heritage 3089, 20 January 2021), lot 31010; Phoenix Art Museum Collection (Triton II, 1 December 1998), lot 243; Orme Lewis Sr. Collection.
In the last two decades of the 5th century BC Syracuse was the focus of an unparalleled experiment in Greek numismatics. Its economy was fueled by the vast amount of currency required to pay the mercenaries by which the city's hegemony expanded, and the high denomination silver coins struck at this time became canvases for the most brilliant engravers of antiquity. Two of these master engravers, Euth(ymos?) and Eumenes, signed the obverse and reverse dies of this spectacular tetradrachm during the waning years of the Second Democracy (466-405 BC). The innovations in artistic style are numerous and provocative. On the obverse, the chariot is driven not by a human driver but by a winged male figure wearing a long chiton, sometimes described as Nike but more probably Eros, while Nike swoops down from above to crown him. The horses rear and strain at the reins, their forehooves pawing at the air, each horse in a slightly different pose. Below, in the exergue, is an astonishing creature: the monster Skylla, blending the upper torso of a woman with the tail of a sea serpent, hitherto unseen on a coin of Syracuse. On the reverse, the pert head of Arethousa wears her hair in a tight arrangement of plaits coiled at the top of the head, and woven through with grain ears (some specialists speculate the head represents Persephone rather than Arethousa). Both sides of this rare issue are unlike anything that had come before in the extensive Syracusan series and pointed the way toward the genre-defining work of Kimon and Euainetos in the following decades. Description
Ex Penn Collection (Heritage 3089, 20 January 2021), lot 31010; Phoenix Art Museum Collection (Triton II, 1 December 1998), lot 243; Orme Lewis Sr. Collection.
In the last two decades of the 5th century BC Syracuse was the focus of an unparalleled experiment in Greek numismatics. Its economy was fueled by the vast amount of currency required to pay the mercenaries by which the city's hegemony expanded, and the high denomination silver coins struck at this time became canvases for the most brilliant engravers of antiquity. Two of these master engravers, Euth(ymos?) and Eumenes, signed the obverse and reverse dies of this spectacular tetradrachm during the waning years of the Second Democracy (466-405 BC). The innovations in artistic style are numerous and provocative. On the obverse, the chariot is driven not by a human driver but by a winged male figure wearing a long chiton, sometimes described as Nike but more probably Eros, while Nike swoops down from above to crown him. The horses rear and strain at the reins, their forehooves pawing at the air, each horse in a slightly different pose. Below, in the exergue, is an astonishing creature: the monster Skylla, blending the upper torso of a woman with the tail of a sea serpent, hitherto unseen on a coin of Syracuse. On the reverse, the pert head of Arethousa wears her hair in a tight arrangement of plaits coiled at the top of the head, and woven through with grain ears (some specialists speculate the head represents Persephone rather than Arethousa). Both sides of this rare issue are unlike anything that had come before in the extensive Syracusan series and pointed the way toward the genre-defining work of Kimon and Euainetos in the following decades. Description
fine
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 92 Numistats ref: 672583
No match
Greek
Category
SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysios I. 405-367 BC. AR Dekadrachm (36mm, 41.97 g, 9h). Reverse die signed by Euainetos. Struck circa 405-390 BC. Charioteer, wearing long chiton, holding kentron in extended right hand and reins in left, driving fast quadriga left; above, Nike, wearing long chiton, flying right, crowning charioteer with wreath held in her extended hands; below heavy exergual line, [military harness], shield, greaves, cuirass, and crested Attic helmet, all connected by a horizontal spear; [AΘ]ΛA below / Head of Arethousa left, wearing wreath of grain ears, triple-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; ΣΥ-ΡΑ-Κ-Ο-ΣΙΩΝ behind hair, four dolphins swimming around, EY-AINE along lower edge. Gallatin dies R.III/C.II; Scavino 12 (D4/R9); HGC 2, 1299; SNG ANS 363 = Pozzi 615 (same dies); SNG Copenhagen 689 (same dies); SNG Fitzwilliam 1274 (same dies); SNG Manchester 471 (same dies); Boston MFA 421 = Warren 366 = Rizzo pl. LIV, 8 (same dies); Dewing 877 (same dies); de Luynes 1248 (same dies); Nantueil 361 bis (same dies). Old cabinet tone, a little roughness, some porosity, light scratches under tone, minor chipping on edge. Near EF. Clear signature of Euainetos.
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection, purchased from Margaret Amstell, 18 December 1981. Description
From the Gerald F. Borrmann (Northern California Gentleman) Collection, purchased from Margaret Amstell, 18 December 1981. Description
Near EF
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 869 Numistats ref: 673358
No match
World
Category
CHINA, Sycee. Qīng dynasty, circa 1750. AV 10 Tael Ingot (24x116mm, 379.0 g). “Hershey bar” shape. Shi liang engraved on back, shi engraved on side; additional character stamped on side. Cf. Album 30 (18 January 2018), lot 1779 (for same type). EF. Extremely rare.
Similar ingots to this were found in the Geldermansen wreck, a Dutch East India vessel that sank in 1752. Description
Similar ingots to this were found in the Geldermansen wreck, a Dutch East India vessel that sank in 1752. Description
EF
Grade
17257.51 EUR
Starting
28762.52 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 802 Numistats ref: 673291
No match
Roman Imperial
Category
Romulus Augustus. AD 475-476. AV Tremissis (14mm, 1.47 g, 6h). Mediolanum (Milan) mint. D N ROMVLVS AGVSTVS P F (AV)G, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Cross within wreath; COMOB. RIC X 3419; Lacam Type 1, pls. CLXXXV (first and second illustrations) and 48, 34-5 (same dies); Depeyrot 43/2 corr. (obv. legend); Toffanin 541/1; Biaggi –; Mazzini –. Toned, trace deposits. EF. Very rare. An excellent example of this desirable issue struck from fresh dies. From an earlier die state than the examples illustrated by Lacam.
The task of ruling the Western Roman Empire in the late fifth century AD was devoid of the glory that once accompanied the office. Gone were the days of conquest and firm imperial power. In their place were consistent threats on the Empire’s crumbing borders, a corrupt bureaucracy, and the ever-present threat of violent insurrection and usurpation. During this fraught time in Rome, on 31 October AD 475, a new emperor was proclaimed — Romulus Augustus.
Romulus was the young son of the Western Empire’s magister militum, Orestes, who had deposed the Emperor Julius Nepos via military coup. Nepos fled to Dalmatia in exile, while the rogue Orestes elected to put Romulus, about 14 years old, on the throne. With his son as his puppet, Orestes went about his own agenda while trying to fulfill the expected functions of government in Italy, which was largely all that remained of the Western Roman Empire. Unfortunately for Orestes and Romulus, the presence of the Eastern Roman Empire, far more wealthy and powerful, could not be ignored. To gain legitimacy, they needed the recognition of Constantinople. Unfortunately for them, the Eastern Empire was undergoing its own ruling crisis between the rival emperors Zeno and Basiliscus, and both claimants still considered the exiled Julius Nepos as the legitimate western ruler.
Nepos wielded no real power in exile, leaving Romulus Augustus as the de facto emperor in the west. However, his time was destined to be short. Early in AD 476, a group of barbarian foederati, mercenaries in Rome’s employ, demanded a third of the arable land in Italy in payment for their services. Orestes refused their demands. Led by one Odovacer, the mercenaries marched on Ravenna. Orestes and his personal guard tried to stop them, but he was defeated and killed at Ticinum. On 4 September AD 476, Odovacer seized Ravenna. Young Romulus, alone and friendless, sat on the throne wearing his diadem and purple cloak, holding the imperial scepter and orb, awaiting his fate. Odovacar elected to spare his life, but ordered that he hand over the ruling regalia and forced him sign an instrument of abdication, which he sent on to Zeno in Constantinople. Romulus Augustus, whose name combined those of the first king and emperor of Rome, had reigned just under 11 months. Odovacar proclaimed himself King of Italy and informed Zeno that he would rule as viceroy of the Eastern Roman emperor; Zeno politely insisted that Julius Nepos was still the legitimate Augustus of the West. Nepos, however, never set foot in Italy again and was murdered in AD 480, eliminating the last legitimate Western Roman ruler.
Romulus who had survived his own overthrow was sent to the countryside to live out his days on a yearly pension of 6,000 solidi. He was still alive in AD 507 when he had a brief correspondence with Theodoric the Great, who had replaced Odovacar as king.
The sad episode of Romulus Augustus is considered by most historians to mark the end of the Western Roman Empire. The famous historian Edward Gibbon popularized this verdict in his monumental History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon had this to say of the unremarkable, but historic Romulus Augustus. “The son of Orestes assumed and disgraced the names of Romulus Augustus; but the first was corrupted into Momyllus, by the Greeks, and the second has been changed by the Latins into the contemptible diminutive Augustulus. The life of this inoffensive youth was spared by the generous clemency of Odoacer; who dismissed him, with his whole family, from the Imperial palace, fixed his annual allowance at six thousand pieces of gold, and assigned the castle of Lucullus, in Campania, for the place of his exile or retirement.” Ultimately, due to the brief nature of his reign, the coinage of Romulus Augustus is quite rare and highly sought after for its historical significance. This example is a particularly excellent and high grade specimen. Description
The task of ruling the Western Roman Empire in the late fifth century AD was devoid of the glory that once accompanied the office. Gone were the days of conquest and firm imperial power. In their place were consistent threats on the Empire’s crumbing borders, a corrupt bureaucracy, and the ever-present threat of violent insurrection and usurpation. During this fraught time in Rome, on 31 October AD 475, a new emperor was proclaimed — Romulus Augustus.
Romulus was the young son of the Western Empire’s magister militum, Orestes, who had deposed the Emperor Julius Nepos via military coup. Nepos fled to Dalmatia in exile, while the rogue Orestes elected to put Romulus, about 14 years old, on the throne. With his son as his puppet, Orestes went about his own agenda while trying to fulfill the expected functions of government in Italy, which was largely all that remained of the Western Roman Empire. Unfortunately for Orestes and Romulus, the presence of the Eastern Roman Empire, far more wealthy and powerful, could not be ignored. To gain legitimacy, they needed the recognition of Constantinople. Unfortunately for them, the Eastern Empire was undergoing its own ruling crisis between the rival emperors Zeno and Basiliscus, and both claimants still considered the exiled Julius Nepos as the legitimate western ruler.
Nepos wielded no real power in exile, leaving Romulus Augustus as the de facto emperor in the west. However, his time was destined to be short. Early in AD 476, a group of barbarian foederati, mercenaries in Rome’s employ, demanded a third of the arable land in Italy in payment for their services. Orestes refused their demands. Led by one Odovacer, the mercenaries marched on Ravenna. Orestes and his personal guard tried to stop them, but he was defeated and killed at Ticinum. On 4 September AD 476, Odovacer seized Ravenna. Young Romulus, alone and friendless, sat on the throne wearing his diadem and purple cloak, holding the imperial scepter and orb, awaiting his fate. Odovacar elected to spare his life, but ordered that he hand over the ruling regalia and forced him sign an instrument of abdication, which he sent on to Zeno in Constantinople. Romulus Augustus, whose name combined those of the first king and emperor of Rome, had reigned just under 11 months. Odovacar proclaimed himself King of Italy and informed Zeno that he would rule as viceroy of the Eastern Roman emperor; Zeno politely insisted that Julius Nepos was still the legitimate Augustus of the West. Nepos, however, never set foot in Italy again and was murdered in AD 480, eliminating the last legitimate Western Roman ruler.
Romulus who had survived his own overthrow was sent to the countryside to live out his days on a yearly pension of 6,000 solidi. He was still alive in AD 507 when he had a brief correspondence with Theodoric the Great, who had replaced Odovacar as king.
The sad episode of Romulus Augustus is considered by most historians to mark the end of the Western Roman Empire. The famous historian Edward Gibbon popularized this verdict in his monumental History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon had this to say of the unremarkable, but historic Romulus Augustus. “The son of Orestes assumed and disgraced the names of Romulus Augustus; but the first was corrupted into Momyllus, by the Greeks, and the second has been changed by the Latins into the contemptible diminutive Augustulus. The life of this inoffensive youth was spared by the generous clemency of Odoacer; who dismissed him, with his whole family, from the Imperial palace, fixed his annual allowance at six thousand pieces of gold, and assigned the castle of Lucullus, in Campania, for the place of his exile or retirement.” Ultimately, due to the brief nature of his reign, the coinage of Romulus Augustus is quite rare and highly sought after for its historical significance. This example is a particularly excellent and high grade specimen. Description
EF
Grade
23010.02 EUR
Starting
38350.03 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 862 Numistats ref: 673351
No match
World
Category
CHINA, Empire of China. Yuán Shìkăi. 1915-1916. AR Dollar (38mm, 26.83 g, 12h). Tiānjīn Central mint. 1919 striking of a 1916 issue. Uniformed bust facing, wearing plumed kepi / Dragon flying left, holding spear and bundle of arrows. L&M 942; KM (Y) 663. In PCGS encapsulation 50741198, graded MS 63.
From the Alexander Christopher Collection.
After the Xinhai Revolution, a compromise was reached, leading to the abdication of Puyi – the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Yuan Shikai was subsequently appointed as the Provisional President of the Republic of China by the Nanking Senate. In October of the following year, Yuan was elected as the first formal President and took office in Beijing. In May of the third year of the Republic (1914), the new government issued the “Republic Commemorative Dollar,” designed by Luigi Giorgi. The coin's obverse featured Yuan Shikai wearing a plumed hat and dressed in a Military uniform. This finely crafted coin was well-received by the public.
In the fifth year of the Republic (1916), Yuan Shikai sought to restore the monarchy and proclaim himself emperor. The Minister of Finance, Zhou Xuexi, ordered the minting of a ten-yuan commemorative gold coin to raise funds and invited supporters to purchase it. The obverse design was a smaller version of Yuan Shikai's portrait from the “fat man dollar” coin, while the reverse depicted a flying dragon. The dragon had two wings on its back, and its claws held a compass and five arrows, symbolizing the emperor ruling facing south and the unity of the five races. The inscriptions “Empire of China” and “Hongxian Era” appeared on the top and bottom, with “Ten” and “Yuan” on the sides.
When the Tianjin Mint hired Giorgi, his duties included teaching staff to design drawings and engrave dies. During his time there, six students were selected by the mint to learn from him, studying dies that Giorgi had already engraved. In the eighth year of the Republic (1919), Li Boqi, who was then working at the Tianjin Mint, saw that one of the students, Tang Shangjin, had skillfully reproduced Giorgi’s flying dragon die. Impressed by his work, Li instructed him to remove the “Ten Yuan” denomination and engrave a new flying dragon die, and then combine it with the obverse die of Yuan Shikai's portrait from the 1914 Republic Commemorative Dollar. This resulted in the minting of a small batch of gold and silver coins for private gifting and orders to special VIPs, which was a common practice of the mint since the Imperial era. For more information, see: Sun Hao, Silver & Gold Coins of China, 1838-1949 (Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 2016), p. 199-201.
The type is popular among all interested in Chinese numismatics and 20th century coinage in general. Description
From the Alexander Christopher Collection.
After the Xinhai Revolution, a compromise was reached, leading to the abdication of Puyi – the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Yuan Shikai was subsequently appointed as the Provisional President of the Republic of China by the Nanking Senate. In October of the following year, Yuan was elected as the first formal President and took office in Beijing. In May of the third year of the Republic (1914), the new government issued the “Republic Commemorative Dollar,” designed by Luigi Giorgi. The coin's obverse featured Yuan Shikai wearing a plumed hat and dressed in a Military uniform. This finely crafted coin was well-received by the public.
In the fifth year of the Republic (1916), Yuan Shikai sought to restore the monarchy and proclaim himself emperor. The Minister of Finance, Zhou Xuexi, ordered the minting of a ten-yuan commemorative gold coin to raise funds and invited supporters to purchase it. The obverse design was a smaller version of Yuan Shikai's portrait from the “fat man dollar” coin, while the reverse depicted a flying dragon. The dragon had two wings on its back, and its claws held a compass and five arrows, symbolizing the emperor ruling facing south and the unity of the five races. The inscriptions “Empire of China” and “Hongxian Era” appeared on the top and bottom, with “Ten” and “Yuan” on the sides.
When the Tianjin Mint hired Giorgi, his duties included teaching staff to design drawings and engrave dies. During his time there, six students were selected by the mint to learn from him, studying dies that Giorgi had already engraved. In the eighth year of the Republic (1919), Li Boqi, who was then working at the Tianjin Mint, saw that one of the students, Tang Shangjin, had skillfully reproduced Giorgi’s flying dragon die. Impressed by his work, Li instructed him to remove the “Ten Yuan” denomination and engrave a new flying dragon die, and then combine it with the obverse die of Yuan Shikai's portrait from the 1914 Republic Commemorative Dollar. This resulted in the minting of a small batch of gold and silver coins for private gifting and orders to special VIPs, which was a common practice of the mint since the Imperial era. For more information, see: Sun Hao, Silver & Gold Coins of China, 1838-1949 (Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 2016), p. 199-201.
The type is popular among all interested in Chinese numismatics and 20th century coinage in general. Description
fine
Grade
23010.02 EUR
Starting
38350.03 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 420 Numistats ref: 672910
No match
Oriental Greek
Category
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Eukratides I Megas. Circa 170-145 BC. AR Pentadrachm (34mm, 21.12 g, 12h). Diademed and draped bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ above, EYKPATIΔOY in exergue, the Dioskouroi, holding couched spears in right hand, palm fronds in left, on horses rearing right; E above horse’s rump; monogram in lower right field. Zeng, Brief, Fig. 3 (same dies); Bopearachchi –, but cf. 2E (drachm); Bopearachchi & Rahman –; Qunduz –, but cf. 115-6 (tetradrachm with different control); SNG ANS –, but cf. 434-5 (same) and 442 (drachm); HGC 12, –. In NGC encapsulation 6675146-001, graded Choice AU★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Obverse struck with tetradrachm die. Second known example with these controls, and the fifth known of this denomination.
Ex Roma XXIX (9 November 2023), lot 245 (hammer £85,000); Roma XXV (22 September 2022), lot 571.
In late 2019, a large hoard of coins was reportedly discovered in Qunduz, the same area where a large hoard of similar coins was found in 1946 (Zeng, p. 3). According to its composition, this new hoard contained, in addition to already known issues and types, several previously unknown coins. It included five coins of Eukratides I that combined monograms with Greek letters on their reverse. The four larger denominations by weight have the letter E, and the smaller one a Г. Previously known coins of Eukratides I with the combined reverse monogram and Greek letter included a larger one with the letter Δ, and a smaller one with the letter A. In his 1991 catalog of the coins of Baktria, Bopearachchi hypothesized that these letters represented alphanumeric letters, indicating the denomination of that coin (pp. 66-72). The five new coins recorded in the hoard support this hypothesis: the four coins with the letter E being pentadrachms and the one with the Г a tridrachm. Including the present coin (as well as a previously misattributed tridrachm [see CNG E-409, lot 334]), these new issues help with understanding this coinage.
Bopearachchi assigned the tetradrachms of this type to his Série 1 and the drachms to Série 2. These are included with other issues of the same type, but without the additional Greek letter. The inclusion of the newly discovered pentadrachms and tridrachms suggests a revision of his original schema, with these new coins suggesting a compact issue early in his reign when his coinages lacked the reverse epithet MEГAΛOY. The denominations occur across three controls (}, à, and R), suggesting a broad minting of this type, rather than a special issue relegated to one or two mints. Why this system was instituted, and when it ceased (with the pentadrachms and tridrachms disappearing completely), is less clear and requires further study. Description
Ex Roma XXIX (9 November 2023), lot 245 (hammer £85,000); Roma XXV (22 September 2022), lot 571.
In late 2019, a large hoard of coins was reportedly discovered in Qunduz, the same area where a large hoard of similar coins was found in 1946 (Zeng, p. 3). According to its composition, this new hoard contained, in addition to already known issues and types, several previously unknown coins. It included five coins of Eukratides I that combined monograms with Greek letters on their reverse. The four larger denominations by weight have the letter E, and the smaller one a Г. Previously known coins of Eukratides I with the combined reverse monogram and Greek letter included a larger one with the letter Δ, and a smaller one with the letter A. In his 1991 catalog of the coins of Baktria, Bopearachchi hypothesized that these letters represented alphanumeric letters, indicating the denomination of that coin (pp. 66-72). The five new coins recorded in the hoard support this hypothesis: the four coins with the letter E being pentadrachms and the one with the Г a tridrachm. Including the present coin (as well as a previously misattributed tridrachm [see CNG E-409, lot 334]), these new issues help with understanding this coinage.
Bopearachchi assigned the tetradrachms of this type to his Série 1 and the drachms to Série 2. These are included with other issues of the same type, but without the additional Greek letter. The inclusion of the newly discovered pentadrachms and tridrachms suggests a revision of his original schema, with these new coins suggesting a compact issue early in his reign when his coinages lacked the reverse epithet MEГAΛOY. The denominations occur across three controls (}, à, and R), suggesting a broad minting of this type, rather than a special issue relegated to one or two mints. Why this system was instituted, and when it ceased (with the pentadrachms and tridrachms disappearing completely), is less clear and requires further study. Description
BC
Grade
28762.52 EUR
Starting
47937.54 EUR
Estimate
-
Realized