Auction 109
Date: 2018-09-12 00:00:00
Lots: 1094
Total starting: $ 0.00
Total realized: $ 0.00 (+0.00%)
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Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 1
IBERIA, Punic Iberia. Circa 237-209 BC. AR Quarter Shekel (14mm, 1.86 g, 12h). Laureate male head left; club over shoulder / Elephant standing right. MHC 45–58; ACIP 555; SNG BM Spain 102. EF, toned. Good metal for issue. In the wake of its defeat in the First Punic War, Carthage modified its coinage, with its extensive gold and electrum series replaced by debased silver and bronze. In contrast, the Carthaginians in Iberia enjoyed access to the rich gold and silver mines on the peninsula, which allowed the Barcids to develop a coinage that served their military and political needs. The obverse and reverse types chosen for this coinage were purely Carthaginian in character, often featuring Tanit on the obverse and a horse, often with palm tree or uraios, on the reverse. In addition to these traditional types, some new, albeit Punic, types were introduced: the god Melkart, laureate, sometimes bearded, and with club, was added to the obverse, while an elephant, sometimes with mahout, and a ship's prow were placed on the reverse. Perhaps the most controversial new types, though, were those that featured a beardless male portrait, sometimes wearing a royal diadem. The initial tendency of numismatists was to view these portraits as being those of the Barcids, but the modern consensus is that the bareheaded portrait is almost certainly a rendition of a young Melkart. A comparison of three different varieties of Melkart in SNG BM Spain (nos. 97, 98, and 103) is demonstrative of their nearly identical features. The diademed portrait, though, is still an enigma, for, unlike depictions of Melkart, these have a distinct aspect of realism to their features, and the diadem itself is difficult to reconcile with the traditional depictions of Carthaginian deities. Although there are numerous series of Punic coinage in Iberia, their specific chronology is uncertain, typically being placed in the period circa 237-209 BC. Likewise, the place of their minting is also unknown, although some, if not most, must be from the capital at Carthago Nova.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 2
ISLANDS off IBERIA, Ebusus. 2nd century BC. Æ Quarter Unit (16mm, 2.85 g, 10h). Bes standing facing, holding mace and serpent / Bull butting left. ACIP 719; SNG BM Spain 318–21. EF, brown patina with patches of green and red. Well centered and struck. Choice for issue.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 3
APULIA, Luceria. Circa 217-212 BC. Æ Aes Grave Quincunx (34mm, 40.41 g). Four wheel spokes on a raised disk / Four wheel spokes; ••••• (mark of value) in one quarter, L in opposite; all on a raised disk. ICC 345; HN Italy 677a. Good VF, dark green-brown patina.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 4
APULIA, Luceria. Circa 217-212 BC. Æ Aes Grave Teruncius (27mm, 19.78 g). Star of eight rays on a raised disk / Dolphin right; ••• (mark of value) above, L below; all on a raised disk. ICC 347; HN Italy 677c. Good VF, dark green patina.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 5
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 540-510 BC. AR Nomos (28mm, 7.99 g, 12h). Ear of barley with eight grains; MET down left field / Incuse ear of barley with eight grains. Noe Class I, 3; HN Italy 1459; Kraay & Hirmer 288 (same dies). VF, toned, some die wear and light scratches under tone on obverse. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Varesi 66 (29 April 2015), lot 7.Beginning around 550 BC and continuing for more than a century, a number of Greek cities of Magna Graecia minted their coins in an incuse form. Although some minor incuse issues are known from a few other cities, the primary cities that struck them were Metapontion, Sybaris, Poseidonia, Kroton, and Kaulonia. Founded mainly by settlers from Achaia in the Peloponnesos, these cities employed common numismatic features. Most minted on the same weight standard using thin, broad flans struck with the obverse in relief and the reverse in the negative, or 'incuse', almost always using virtually identical designs on both sides. The production of these coins required a sophisticated technique: large, well-executed, dies that were carefully positioned before striking to align the matching designs. It has even been suggested that hubs were used to produce "large numbers of virtually identical dies" (see Rutter, Greek, p. 18). This theory, however, remains controversial, particularly in light of the noticeable slight differences between the obverse and reverse designs. Over time, the fabric of the coinages changed from thin, broad flans to thick, short flans (traditionally called 'dumpy'), though the weight standard was generally maintained. Though there was no monetary union that existed between these mints, hoard evidence suggests that the incuse technique may have been chosen to encourage the retention of the coins within the region, since these incuse coins are rarely found outside Southern Italy. By the middle of the 5th century BC, all of these cities developed double-relief coinages, likely to facilitate trade beyond their immediate region, into neighboring areas where double-relief coinage had become the norm.Metapontion was among the most important cities of Magna Graecia. Little is known of the city from the contemporary literature and its archaeological remains, and thus its coinage helps to fill the evidentiary lacunae. The coinage is some of the most recognizable and beautiful of the Greek world. The ear of barley, well-centered on the die, served as the distinctive symbol of the city from the introduction of coinage around 550 BC. Each kernel is carefully executed and the awns are each depicted as a series of pellets. The city was prosperous, and the ear of barley was symbolic of the wealth derived from the rich surrounding farmland. So great was the importance of barley to the Metapontine economy that the citizens sent a 'golden harvest' (i.e. grain ears in gold) to be dedicated at Delphi (Strabo 6.2.15). The coinage, first studied in depth by Sydney Noe, reveals its long and well-defined development. In addition to the incuse type nomoi (of which approximately 100 obverse dies have been recognized), the presence of drachms and obols indicates a diverse economy served by a rich and well-articulated coinage (Rutter, op. cit., p. 28).Like Metapontion, Sybaris was an important city in Magna Graecia that amassed its wealth through farming and its large port facilities. Among the rest of the Greeks, the inhabitants of Sybaris became so infamous for their lavish and hedonistic lifestyle that the terms sybarite and sybaritic came to mean anyone or anything excessively self-indulgent. At the height of its power, Sybaris ruled over a number of its neighbors. It also maintained relations with the Etruscans to the north, as well as with the cities of Ionia, especially Miletos. Sybaris even founded its own colonies, including Laos, Skidros, and Poseidonia. Beginning around 550 BC, Sybaris struck an incuse coinage of nomoi and drachms, which featured a bull standing left on a series of lines and the first two letters of the ethnic. The use of the bull as a design may be a tauriform representation of the river-god, a type that appears elsewhere in the region. The incuse coinage of Sybaris largely ceased after the destruction of the city by Kroton in 510 BC, though a very rare issue of incuse coinage that had traditionally been thought to be the final issue of the orignial Sybaris may actually be a limited striking after the refounding of the city, circa 510-475 BC.Poseidonia, known in the later Greek period as Paistos and Roman period as Paestum, was another important trading center in Lucania. It began minting incuse nomoi and drachms around 530 BC, like its founding city, Sybaris. These coins show Poseidon preparing to hurl his trident, as well as the ethnic. While these issues of Poseidonia can trace their technical origins to Achaian Sybaris, these issues were struck on a local standard, known as Phokaian, and used by the neighboring Phokaians of Velia. Their incuse coinage was much more modest in scale than the other cities, and short-lived, ending around 500 BC.Kroton was one of the most flourishing cities in Magna Graecia, producing not only a number of Olympic victors and physicians, but was also the home of Pythagoras, who founded his school there around 530 BC. The early coinage of Kroton is the most numismatically complex. Featuring an ornate tripod, symbol of Apollo and allusion to his role in the city's foundation. Subsidiary symbols, such as a heron or crab, periodically appear as subsidiary symbols. One other intriguing feature, unlike the other incuse coinage cities, is the appearance of an incuse eagle flying, or a helmet, replacing the tripod on the reverse. It has been suggested that these reverses may represent subsidiary mints within the region in the vicinty of Kroton: the eagle for Hipponion, the helmet for Temesa.Kaulonia was the last of the Achaian cities to issue incuse type coinage, beginning around 525 BC. The nomoi and drachms employ an intriguing type – Apollo standing right, holding a laurel branch and supporting on his outstretched arm a small nude figure, running and holding a branch in each hand. In the right field, a stag stands right on a ground line with its head left. Unlike Kroton, the connection between Apollo and Kaulonia is not so obvious. Here the imagery refers to the events following the slaying of Pytho when the god went to the Vale of Tempe to purify himself with laurel before establishing his oracle at Delphi. Etymologically, the name of Kaulonia was originally Aulonia, and AYΛ(ON) appears on a single small denomination of Kaulonia's coinage. Meaning valley or gorge, this is a subtle reference to the Vale of Tempe. Therefore, it not only associates Kaulonia with the mythological spot of Apollo's establishment as a major Olympian deity, but also demonstrates Kaulonia's devotion to Apollo (Rutter, op. cit., pp. 30-31).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 6
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 540-510 BC. AR Nomos (28mm, 8.18 g, 1h). Ear of barley with eight grains; MET down left field / Incuse ear of barley with eight grains. Noe Class I, 14; HN Italy 1459; SNG ANS 166; SNG Ashmolean 648; SNG Fitzwilliam 166; Naville V, lot 428 (all from the same dies). EF, toned, slight die shift. Excellent metal. An attractive issue from early in the mint's production. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex New York Sale XXX (9 January 2013), lot 8; Classical Numismatic Group 42 (29 May 1997), lot 54; Münzen und Medaillen AG 79 (1994), lot 41.From the consignor: There are many subtle differences to the incuse coinage of Metapontum. Beside the obvious legend style and location, there are the number of pellets on the barley ear, the width of the barley ear, the presence or absence of awns at the barley base, and the style of both the obverse and reverse border. It remains uncertain if these differences relate to specific engraving styles and talents or if they are natural transitions that work better for coin production. Here the image is of the spread design and the borders are of large dots (obverse) and large rectangular separations (reverse).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 7
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 540-510 BC. AR Sixteenth Nomos – Obol (6.5mm, 0.43 g, 6h). Ear of barley with five grains / Incuse ear of barley with five grains. Noe Class III, 62; HN Italy 1469. Near EF, deeply toned. Excellent metal. Exceptional for issue. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Edward J. Waddell Inventory 51879 (February 2015).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 8
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 540-510 BC. AR Nomos (27mm, 7.85 g, 12h). Ear of barley with seven grains; META down left field, grasshopper upward to right / Incuse ear of barley with seven grains; incuse dolphin upward to left. Noe Class V, 104 (same obv. die); Gorini 11 (this coin illustrated, enlarged on p. 137); HN Italy 1472; SNG ANS 207 = Jameson 259 (same obv. die); Gulbenkian 58 = Locker-Lampson 18 (same obv. die); Traité I pl. LXVI, 9 (same obv. die). Good VF, deep cabinet tone, a few scratches, minor die break on obverse. Very rare. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex M. L. Collection of Coins of Magna Graecia and Sicily (Numismatica Ars Classica 82, 20 May 2015), lot 12; A. D. Moretti Collection; Classical Numismatic Group 40 (with Numismatica Ars Classica, 4 December 1996), lot 613; Münzen und Medaillen AG XIII (17 June 1954), lot 998.From the consignor: The most interesting type of the incuse coinage of Metapontum certainly must be the issues which have the locust (or grasshopper) design detail, as here. There are a number of varieties with the locust/grasshopper detail. Here it is paired with a well detailed incuse dolphin. The locust would have been a serious threat to the agricultural community and likely the dolphin relates to Apollo who would have been seen as the God who eliminated a plague of these insects in the year this coin was struck. Exceedingly rare with only two examples in CoinArchives.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 9
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 540-510 BC. AR Nomos (26.5mm, 6.43 g, 12h). Ear of barley with seven grains / Incuse ear of barley with seven grains. Noe Class VI, 113; HN Italy 1459. VF, toned. Ex CNG Inventory 85340 (February 1995).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 10
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 540-510 BC. AR Nomos (28mm, 6.84 g, 12h). Ear of barley with eight grains; META up right field / Incuse ear of barley with eight grains. Noe Class VI, 117; HN Italy 1479. EF, attractive even gray tone with golden hues around the devices. Well centered on a broad, round flan. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Stack's Bowers Galleries (9 January 2015), lot 10; Coin Galleries (18 August 2009), lot 4012; Lanz 54 (21 November 1990), lot 43; Numismatic Fine Arts XVIII (31 March 1987), lot 12.From the consignor: In contrast to the ear of barley on lot 6, above, here the design is compact and the borders are much more intricate. While I think the borders on this type are more refined, and the spread design of the barley ear on lot 6 looks more natural.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 11
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 540-510 BC. AR Nomos (27mm, 8.10 g, 12h). Ear of barley with seven grains; METAΠ down left field / Incuse ear of barley with seven grains. Noe Class VII, 137 (same dies); HN Italy 1481; SNG ANS 218; SNG Lloyd 305; BMC 12 (same dies); Basel 131 (same dies); Triton XX, lot 24 (same dies). Near EF, toned, traces of find patina, light scratches on reverse. Rare legend variant. Ex Münzen und Medaillen AG 41 (18 June 1970), lot 8.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 12
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 510-470 BC. AR Nomos (23mm, 7.95 g, 12h). Ear of barley with seven grains / Incuse ear of barley with six inner and five outer grains. Noe Class IX, 187; HN Italy 1482. VF, toned, die break on obverse. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 284 (8 August 2012), lot 18.From the consignor: This die pair is fascinating. The obverse die has a serious cud developing and surely must be at the end of its life. It is a barley ear design with seven pellets. Here it is clearly mismatched with a reverse die with fewer pellets. One must assume the reverse of the original pair failed and the celator was trying to get extended life out of the obverse die by matching it to an available reverse die. This is a most unusual pairing for this series and quite rare as such.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 13
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 470-440 BC. AR Eighth Nomos – Triobol (11.5mm, 0.92 g, 6h). Ear of barley with five grains / Incuse boukranion. Noe 266; HN Italy 1487. VF, toned. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex G. Hirsch 293 (25 September 2013), lot 2040.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 14
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 400-340 BC. AR Nomos (20.5mm, 7.74 g, 8h). Obverse signed by the artist Aristoxenos. Head of Demeter left, hair in ampyx and ornamented sphendone; APIΣTO on neck truncation (traces visible) / Barley ear with six grains and leaf to right; ethnic to right, the first letter in linear form, the latter three in dotted form. Noe 433/436 (same obv./rev. dies); HN Italy 1521. VF, toned, slightly off center on obverse. Very rare and numismatically interesting. From the Gasvoda Collection.The present coin is numismatically interesting for details on both of its sides. The obverse die used on this piece was signed by the artist Aristoxenos. K. Rutter, in HN Italy, noted that "[t]he dies signed by Aristoxenos are among the finest in the whole Metapontine series." Coins struck from this die are known from many important collections, such as Bement, Jameson, and McClean, but nearly all of them do not note the signature, as its placement along the truncation, a high point in the relief, rendered it unreadable, if not wholly missing, on most examples. Interestingly, the present coin represents the latest use of this particular obverse die, which had only been known previously from examples of Noe 433 and 434.Regarding the reverse, in his description of type 436, Noe suggested that the dotted letters were possibly indicative of the manner in which the letters of the ethnic were cut. However, Noe incorrectly thought all of the letters were engraved in this manner, whereas the first letter was not; it was engraved in the traditional manner, where dots were used for each end of a line within the letter. With this in mind, one cannot suggest anything other than that the engraver was using his "artistic license" in crafting this die. In fact, one may also observe the use of larger pellets along the awns of each barley grain. Using dots along the awns was canonical at Metapontion, but here they are enlarged to an equal size as the pellets within the epigraphy.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 15
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 400-340 BC. AR Nomos (21.5mm, 7.57 g, 6h). Bare head of Demeter left / Barley ear, leaf to right; |-HP and murex shell above leaf. Noe 526 (same dies); HN Italy 1547; SNG Lloyd 365 (same dies); Jameson 2398 (this coin); Prospero 70 (same dies). VF, attractive cabinet tone, minor porosity. Fine style. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex M. L. Collection of Coins of Magna Graecia and Sicily (Numismatica Ars Classica 82, 20 May 2015), lot 15; A. D. Moretti Collection; Classical Numismatic Group 40 (with Numismatica Ars Classica, 4 December 1996), lot 625; Robert Jameson Collection, 2398.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 16
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 340-330 BC. AR Nomos (21mm, 7.72 g, 8h). Head of Demeter right, wearing wreath of grain ears, veil, single-pendant earring, and pearl necklace / Barley ear with leaf to left; mouse above leaf, Φ below. Johnston Class A, 8.8 (this coin illustrated); HN Italy 1570; SNG ANS 419 (same obv. die); BMC 122 = Weber 775 (this coin). Near EF, deep cabinet tone. Lovely style and with a fantastic pedigree. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Edward J. Waddell Inventory 51793 (January 2015); Naville V (18 June 1923), lot 486; Sir Hermann Weber Collection, 775; Friedrich von Schiller Collection [Artist Collection] (Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 11 July 1899), lot 12.From the consignor: Occasionally a lot description includes the words "old cabinet tone". This coin has the classic look of a coin that has been held in a collection for a long time. The toning matches the pedigree! A stunning coin.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 17
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 330-290 BC. AR Nomos (19.5mm, 7.88 g, 11h). Wreathed head of Demeter left / Barley ear with leaf to left; Artemis-Hekate carrying long torch above leaf, ΛY below. Johnston Class C, 7.6 (same dies as illustration); HN Italy 1590; SNG Ashmolean 757 (same dies). Good VF, deep cabinet tone. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex iNumis 30 (13 October 2015), lot 3.From the consignor: An unusual design composition on the obverse with the hair extending behind and to the front of the neck of Demeter. Wonderful old cabinet tone.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 18
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 290-280 BC. AR Nomos (20mm, 7.95 g, 3h). Head of Herakles left, wearing tainia, lion skin around neck; club over far shoulder / Grain ear with leaf to right; META up left field; kantharos above leaf, BI below. Johnston Class D, 4.1 corr. (control letters on rev.; same dies); HN Italy 1621 corr. (same); Leu 61, lot 38 (same obv. die). EF, deeply toned, minor edge split. Very rare with head left, and among the finest known. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Nomos 13 (7 October 2016), lot 115.From the consignor: The artistic head of Herakles is executed in perfect style and must be the work of the master engraver of the mint at this time. The rarity of this coin cannot be overstated. This is certainly one of the highlights of the many great coins I have owned from Metapontion.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 19
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Circa 290-280 BC. AR Nomos (20mm, 7.85 g, 5h). Head of Demeter right, wearing wreath of grain ears, veil, triple-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; Π behind neck / Barley ear with leaf to left; pig standing right on leaf, ΦI below. Johnston Class D, 4.19 (same dies); HN Italy 1625; Auctiones 18, lot 515; Leu 61, lot 39; NAC 29, lot 44 (same dies); Sternberg X, lot 10. EF, deep cabinet tone, flan crack, light scrape and cut on obverse. Very rare issue, missing from most public collections. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Edward J. Waddell Inventory 51918 (August 2015).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 20
LUCANIA, Metapontion. temp. Pyrrhos of Epeiros. Circa 280-279 BC. AV Tetrobol – Third Stater (13mm, 2.83 g, 5h). Attic standard. Bearded head of Leukippos right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet decorated with Skylla hurling a stone; ΛEYKIΠΠ[OΣ] above / Two six-grained barley ears, each with a curly leaf to outside; M-E across outer fields, ΣI between. Johnston G5.1 (same dies); HN Italy 1630; SNG ANS 397–8; SNG Lockett 404 (same rev. die); Basel 153 = Gillet 202 (same obv. die); Dewing 378; Gulbenkian 72; Jameson 1867. Good VF, underlying luster, slight die wear. Demonstrating the usual flare shown by the die engravers in the service of Pyrrhos during his military expedition in Italy and Sicily, the small gold issues of 280/279 depicting Nike and Leukippos (HN Italy 1629-1631) are of a refinement second to none. The traditional city founder is rendered in exquisite detail with the added novelty of his helmet being decorated with Skylla hurling a stone, the very embodiment of aggressive violence before the enemy in time of war.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 109 . 21
LUCANIA, Metapontion. Punic occupation. Circa 215-207 BC. AR Half Shekel – Drachm (18mm, 3.76 g, 7h). Helmeted head of Athena right / Barley ear with leaf to right; above leaf, owl right, head facing, with wings spread. Robinson, Second, p. 50, 3; HN Italy 1634. EF, toned, underlying luster. From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Hess-Divo 328 (22 May 2015), lot 7; Spink 183 (26 September 2006), lot 540.