Auction 123 - Session 2
Date: 2023-05-24 00:00:00
Lots: 292
Total starting: $ 0.00
Total realized: $ 0.00 (+0.00%)
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Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 463
M. Aemilius Lepidus. 58 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.99 g, 4h). Rome mint. Laureate and diademed female head (Rome?) right; palm frond to left / Equestrian statue of M. Aemilius Lepidus right, holding trophy over shoulder. Crawford 419/1c; Sydenham 830a; Aemilia 22a; RBW –. Light cabinet tone with golden iridescence around devices. EF. A rare Crawford number. A wily and wealthy nobleman, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus parlayed his position as Julius Caesar's colleague in the consulships of 46 BC into the role of power broker between the rivals Mark Antony and Octavian after the great dictator's murder. He won wide-ranging Triumviral powers in the settlement of 43 BC, but took no part in the campaign against Brutus and Cassius and soon lost influence. He helped Octavian defeat Sextus Pompey in 36 BC, but afterward overreached and was easily outmaneuvered by Octavian and stripped of all real powers, retaining only the post of Pontifex Maximus, which he held until his death in 12 BC. This denarius was struck at the outset of his political career. The statue on the reverse honors his great-grandfather of the same name, consul of 187 and 175 BC, a highly successful politician and statesman described by Polybius as "the handsomest man of his time."
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 464
Q. Pomponius Musa. 56 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 4.03 g, 7h). Rome mint. Diademed head of Apollo right / Hercules Musagetes, Conductor of the Muses, standing right, wearing lion skin and playing lyre; club to right. Crawford 410/1; Sydenham 810; Pomponia 8; RBW –. Toned. Near EF. The Muses were nine divine maidens, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory), who embodied the human arts and sciences. They were Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (erotic poetry), Euterpe (music, lyric poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (hymns), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy). Knowingly or not, the moneyer Q. Pomponius Musa's denarius group, surely intended as a canting pun on his cognomen, created a "collector's set" of coins that challenged the holder of one example to find all of its components, which includes Hercules Musarum, the "host" or "conductor" of the assembly.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 465
Q. Pomponius Musa. 56 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.95 g, 9h). Rome mint. Laureate head of Apollo right; handle of plectrum to left / Erato, the Muse of Erotic Poetry, standing right, holding plectrum and lyre. Crawford 410/7d corr. (obv. symbol and rev. type); Sydenham 820a corr. (same); Pomponia 17a corr. (same); RBW –; see P. Davis, "Erato or Terpsichore: A Reassessment" in FIDES, for the identification of the muse as Erato. Lustrous. Good VF. This type is called "Terpsichore" by Crawford and most other authors, but Phil Davis has recently identified this coin type as Erato. A complete discussion of this subject can be found in the article Phil wrote for the festschrift created for the late Rick Witschonke (FIDES, pp. 393-401). Phil's logic is very sound and will make completing a set of Muses much easier as the previously rare, known from a single die, Erato is now shown to be a die variety. (Davis identifies the obverse turtle symbol as being for Terpsichore.)
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 466
Q. Cassius Longinus. 55 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.83 g, 6h). Rome mint. Veiled head of Vesta right / Curule chair within Temple of Vesta; urn to left, voting tablet inscribed AC (Absolvo Condemno) to right. Crawford 428/1; Sydenham 917; Cassia 9; RBW 1533. Iridescent toning, slightly off center. Near EF. Well struck Temple of Vesta. Ex Pegasi Numismatics BBS 141 (21 February 2012), lot 294.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 467
A. Plautius. 55 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.89 g, 6h). Rome mint. Turreted head of Cybele right / Bacchius Judaeus (Aristobulus II, High Priest and King of Judaea) kneeling right, holding reins and offering up olive branch; to left, camel standing right. Crawford 431/1; Sydenham 932; Plautia 13; RBW 1540. Minor marks, light porosity. Good VF. The enigmatic "Bacchius the Jew" depicted in supplication on the reverse has been plausibly identified by Michael Harlan as the Judaean high priest Aristobulus II, who was deposed by Pompey the Great after his siege of Jerusalem in 63 BC. The moneyer, Aulus Plautius, is known to have been a partisan of Pompey's, and his choice of coin types suggests he served under Pompey in the campaign.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 468
L. Vinicius. 52 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.84 g, 8h). Rome mint. Laureate head of Concordia right / Victory flying right, carrying palm frond decorated with four wreaths. Crawford 436/1; Campana, Vinicius 25-39 (O2/R3); Sydenham 930; Vinicia 1a; RBW 1548. Patches of luster, banker's mark on obverse, light graffiti in field on reverse. Good VF. Of the 11 obverse dies recorded in Campana, only one has this obverse legend variation. Rare variety. This reverse type depicts Victory carrying four wreaths attached to a palm frond, referring to Pompey's three recent triumphs on three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa), together with a fourth wreath, which is the golden crown, conferred on him by the Senate on the occasion of his triumph in 63 BC. The reverse also celebrates the good relationship between Pompey, Julius Caesar, and Crassus.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 469
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Hostilius Saserna. 48 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.93 g, 6h). Rome mint. Head of Gallic captive (Vercingetorix?) right; Gallic shield to left / Two warriors in galloping biga right: one driving, holding whip and reins, and the other, facing backward, holding shield and brandishing spear. Crawford 448/2a; CRI 18; Sydenham 952; Hostilia 2; RBW 1569. Attractive old cabinet tone with some light iridescence, slightly off center, some minor die wear on obverse. EF. Outstanding portrait of Vercingetorix. From the Collection of a London Novelist, purchased from Sovereign Rarities. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 100 (29 May 2017), lot 342.The portrait on the obverse has sometimes been identified as the famous chief of the Arverni, Vercingetorix, whom Julius Caesar captured in 52 BC in Alesia. It is difficult to imagine anyone placing such a dramatic portrait of a defeated foe on their coinage, but it is clear from surviving sources of the period that the Romans had a good deal of respect for the Gauls as honorable warriors. Crawford and Sear believe this identification is unlikely, but the large, distinctive, and carefully engraved head suggests the die cutter worked with an eye toward creating an individualized portrait, rather than a stylized personification of a Gaul. The reverse is also of particular historical interest, in that it depicts the manner in which chariots were used in Celtic Gaul, and perhaps in Britain as well.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 470
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Hostilius Saserna. 48 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.95 g, 6h). Rome mint. Bare head of Gallia right; carnyx (Gallic trumpet) to left / Diana (Artemis) of Ephesus standing facing, placing hand on head of stag, leaping left, and holding spear. Crawford 448/3; CRI 19; Sydenham 953; Hostilia 4; RBW 1570. Lightly toned, areas of luster. EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 471
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. C. Antius C.f. Restio. 47 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 4.01 g, 3h). Rome mint. Bare head of the tribune C. Antius Restio right / Hercules advancing right, holding club and trophy, lion skin over arm. Crawford 455/1a; CRI 34; Sydenham 970; Antia 1; RBW 1593. Old cabinet tone. Good VF. Well centered and struck for issue.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 472
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. T. Carisius. 46 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.40 g, 3h). Rome mint. Head of Juno Moneta right, two locks of hair on neck / Implements for coining money: anvil die with garlanded punch die above, tongs and hammer on either side; all within laurel wreath. Crawford 464/2; CRI 70; Sydenham 982b; Carisia 1b; RBW –. Oval flan, banker's mark on obverse. Good VF. A temple to Juno Moneta (Juno "the Advisor") was dedicated on the Capitoline Hill in 344 BC and its grounds served as Rome's first mint. The association between this temple and the minting of coinage was such that the English words "mint," "money," and "monetary" derive from "moneta."
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 473
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. T. Carisius. 46 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.71 g, 7h). Rome mint. Head of Juno Moneta right, one lock of hair on neck / Implements for coining money: anvil die with garlanded punch die above, tongs and hammer on either side; all within laurel wreath. Crawford 464/2; CRI 70; Sydenham 982a; Carisia 1a; RBW 1614. Light cabinet tone. Good VF. One of the few coins to display the implements used in coin production.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 474
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. Lollius Palicanus. 45 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 3.91 g, 10h). Rome mint. Diademed head of Libertas right / View of Rostra in the Roman Forum, ornamented with ships' beaks and surmounted by subsellium (tribune's bench). Crawford 473/1; CRI 86; Sydenham 960; Lollia 2; RBW 1652. Lightly toned with underlying luster, slightly off center. EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 475
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Servius Rufus. 43 BC. AR Denarius (22mm, 3.76 g, 6h). Uncertain Sicilian mint. Bare head (of Brutus?) right; L · SERVIVS RVFVS around / The Dioscuri standing facing, each holding spear and with sword hanging from waist. Crawford 515/2; CRI 324; Sydenham 1082; Sulpicia 10; BMCRR Rome 4205; Kestner 3789; RBW 1793. Lightly toned, light marks, area of weak strike at edge. VF. Ex Historical Scholar Collection; Numismatica Ars Classica M (20 March 2002), lot 2548; Birkler & Waddell IV (9 December 1982), lot 410.The portrait on this type, issued during the confused period between the assassination of Julius Caesar in March of 44 BC and the formation of the Second Triumvirate in November 43 BC, is almost certainly that of Marcus Junius Brutus, Caesar's lead assassin. Crawford assigned the date as 41 BC, which was followed by Sear; this was corrected to 43 by B. Woytek in Arma et Nummi (Vienna, 2003), pp. 433-445. In this context, the striking of a coin clearly favoring the anti-Caesarian faction seems to have been part of a Senatorial strategy aimed at hedging bets against all possible outcomes in the looming civil war. The moneyer, L. Servilius Rufus, is only known from his coins; as part of the Tresviri Monetales for the year, he clearly chose to favor the assassins, while the other two, M. Arrius Secundus and C. Numonius Vaala, struck coins with portraits resembling the young Octavian and the deceased Caesar (or possibly the current senior consul, Aulus Hirtius), respectively. Notably lacking is a portrait resembling Mark Antony, who was currently in rebellion against all the other factions. All of these coins are rare, indicating a rather limited issue, versus the extraconstitutional coinage being rapidly hammered out by the opposing sides in the buildup to war. The portrait on Rufus's issue has also been assigned to an ancestor, Servius Sulpicius Rufus, but there is little or no basis for this attribution. Its close resemblance to surviving portrait busts and coins of Brutus, including the famous Eid Mar type, leaves little doubt of the subject's true identity. As such it is the most affordable available coin type with a contemporary portrait of Brutus. Intriguingly, with Woytek's dating, it seems clear this is also the first numismatic portrait of Brutus, anticipating the Eid Mar and other issues of Brutus by about a year.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 476
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Mussidius Longus. 42 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.91 g, 7h). Rome mint. Diademed and veiled head of Concordia right; star below chin / Shrine of Venus Cloacina: Circular platform surmounted by two statues of the goddess, each resting hand on cippus, the platform inscribed CLOACIN and ornamented with trellis-pattern balustrade, flight of steps and portico on left. Crawford 494/42b; CRI 188a; Sydenham 1093a; Mussidia 6; RBW 1745. Underlying luster, minor marks, small die flaw on obverse. Near EF. Sharply struck reverse.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 477
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. C. Vibius Varus. 42 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.88 g, 6h). Rome mint. Laureate and bearded head of Hercules right / Minerva standing right, holding spear and Victory; shield set on ground to right. Crawford 494/37; CRI 193; Sydenham 1139; Vibia 23; RBW 1740. Residual luster, lightly toned, minor porosity. Good VF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 478
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. P. Accoleius Lariscolus. 41 BC. AR Denarius (20mm, 4.14 g, 1h). Rome mint. Draped bust of Diana Nemorensis right, hair closely bound with fillet / Triple cult statue of Diana Nemorensis facing, supporting on their hands and shoulders a beam, above which are five cypress trees, the figure on left holding poppy in right hand, that on right holding lily in left hand. Crawford 486/1; CRI 172; Sydenham 1148; Accoleia 1; RBW 1701–2. Light iridescent toning, traces of underlying luster. Near EF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 479
Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. Petillius Capitolinus. 41 BC. AR Denarius (19mm, 3.76 g, 9h). Rome mint. Bare head of bearded Jupiter right / The Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus: richly decorated hexastyle façade with ornamented pediment and garlands hanging within three openings. Crawford 487/1; CRI 173; Sydenham 1149; Petillia 1; RBW 1703. Light iridescence with residual luster, off center on obverse. Good VF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 480
The Pompeians. Cnaeus Pompey Jr. Summer 46-Spring 45 BC. AR Denarius (20.5mm, 3.65 g, 6h). Corduba mint; Marcus Poblicius, legatus pro praetore. Helmeted head of Roma right / Hispania standing right, shield on her back, holding two spears over shoulder and presenting palm frond to Pompeian soldier standing left on prow, armed with sword. Crawford 469/1a; CRI 48; Sydenham 1035; RSC 1 (Pompey the Great); RBW –. Toned, some porosity, slightly off center on reverse. Good VF. The elder son of Pompey the Great, Gnaeus Pompey the Younger took up the banner of Republican resistance to Julius Caesar after his father's defeat and death. He was born in 75 BC to Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Rome's leading general, and Mutia Tertia, his third wife. Unlike his more charming younger brother, Sextus Pompey, Gnaeus lacked his father's brilliance and had a vicious streak which disturbed his father's supporters. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BC to seize control of the state, Pompey and both his sons fled Rome along with most of the Senate. The elder Pompey placed Gnaeus in charge of a fleet summoned from Egypt that sank several of Caesar's ships as they attempted to land troops and supplies in Greece. Despite this victory, Caesar defeated Pompey at Pharsalus and pursued him to Egypt, where the old general met his end. Gnaeus and Sextus at first fled to Africa, where they helped Cato and Metellus Scipio raise a new army. Again defeated by Caesar at Thapsus in 46 BC, the Pompey brothers took ship to Spain, where they joined forces with Titus Labienus and raised yet another army. Once again, Caesar pursued. The battle of Munda on March 17, 45 BC was an extremely close-run affair that could have gone either way, but a timely cavalry charge led by one of Caesar's allies won the day. As at Thapsus, Gnaeus and Sextus managed to escape. But after they parted ways, Gnaeus' ship was chased down by Caesar's fleet, and Gnaeus was captured and summarily executed. Sextus managed to give the Caesarians the slip and survived to resist the rule of Caesar and his successors for another decade.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 481
The Pompeians. Sextus Pompey. 42-38 BC. Æ As (32.5mm, 26.66 g, 12h). Uncertain Sicilian mint. Laureate Janiform head of Pompey the Great / Prow of galley right. Crawford 479/1; Martini, Sextus Emission III, Group 1, Series A; CRI 336; Sydenham 1044a; RBW 1676. Glossy brown patina, light roughness at upper periphery, scratch on obverse. Near EF. In fine style, exceptional. From the D.K. Collection.The roller-coaster career of Sextus Pompey, youngest son Pompey The Great, spanned the dying years of the Roman Republic and its rebirth as an Empire. Born around 67 BC in Rome, Sextus came of age during Pompey's ascendancy as the leading general of Rome and the most powerful man in the Republic. After Pompey's defeat by Julius Caesar at Pharsalus in 48 BC, Sextus joined his father's flotilla sailing for the supposed safe haven of Egypt. He thus witnessed firsthand his father's treacherous murder by minions of King Ptolemy XIII. Caesar's assassination on March 15, 44 BC brought a brief revival of Senatorial control during which Sextus, improbably, found himself appointed commander of the Roman fleet. He wasted no time in seizing Sicily and spent the next months building an impregnable power base on the island even as Rome fell under the sway of Caesar's political heirs, Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus. While the Triumvirs hunted down Caesar's assassins, Sextus enjoyed a rollicking life as a pirate king, using his fleet to raid far and wide. Octavian in particular hated the charismatic Sextus and repeatedly sent fleets and armies against Sicily to dislodge him, only to meet humiliating defeat each time. Finally, at the battle of Naulochus in 36 BC, Sextus met his match in Octavian's brilliant commander, Marcus Agrippa. Defeated and stripped of his fleet, he fled to the East and tried to make a separate peace with Mark Antony. Although tempted, Antony was not yet ready to break with Octavian and had Sextus put to death.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 482
The Pompeians. Sextus Pompey. 42-38 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 3.74 g, 12h). Massilia (Marseilles) mint; Q. Nasidius, commander of the fleet. Bare head of Pompey the Great right; trident to right; below, dolphin right; NETVNI to left / Galley with bank of rowers right, under full sail, helmsman steering rudder, hortator standing on prow; star to upper left; Q • NASIDIVS below. Crawford 483/2; CRI 235; Sydenham 1350; RSC 20 (Pompey the Great); RBW 1698. Deeply toned, a couple of minor flan flaws on obverse. Near EF. An excellent portrait and complete depiction of a galley with nautical and mythological imagery. From the Collection of a London Novelist. Ex Classical Numismatic Review XLIV.2 (Summer 2019), no. 511005; Spink (27 March 2019), lot 250.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Auction 123 - Session 2 . 483
The Pompeians. Sextus Pompey. 40-39 BC. AR Denarius (16.5mm, 3.96 g, 11h). Uncertain Sicilian mint. The Pharos of Messana surmounted by statue of Neptune standing right, with foot on prow, holding trident and rudder; in foreground, galley to left, with aquila on prow and scepter, trident, and grappling-iron in stern / The monster Scylla left, her torso of dogs and fishes, wielding a rudder as a club with both hands. Crawford 511/4a-c; CRI 335; Sydenham 1348; RSC 2; RBW 1787 var. (rev. legend). Attractive light toning with iridescent highlights, compact flan. EF. Well struck. From the Collection of a London Novelist. Ex Classical Numismatic Review XLIV.2 (Summer 2019), no. 514997; Numismatica Ars Classica 78 (26 May 2014), lot 757.