Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 132

The New York Sale

Roman Republic

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 139		C. Valerius C.f. L.n. Flaccus. Silver Denarius (3.82 g), 82 BC. Massilia. Draped bust of Victory right; behind, tripod. Reverse: C V(AL) FLA on left, IMPERAT on right, EX S C across inner field, legionary eagle between standard marked H for hastati on left and another marked P for principe on right. Crawford 365/1a; Sydenham 747a; Valeria 12. Beautiful old cabinet tone, and quite lovely. Needle sharp details. Mint State. Estimated Value $2,000 - UP C. Valerius Flaccus was Sulla's proconsul in Gaul, and struck this issue of denarii in Massilia in order to finance the ongoing revolt of Sertorius in Spain. The legionary eagle and standards that appears here on the reverse is the first instance that it appeared on coins as the main design element. Subsequently, of course, it was used as the principal design often on Roman coinage, most notably, perhaps, on the legionary denarii of Mark Antony struck to finance his unsuccessful war against Octavian in 32-31 BC. Ex Roma XIX (26 March 2020), 706. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 140		Mn. Aquillius. Silver Denarius (3.83 g), 65 BC. Rome. III VIR behind, VIRTVS before, helmeted and draped bust of Virtus right. Reverse: (MN) AQV[IL] (MN) F (MN) N, SICIL in exergue, the consul Man. Aquillius standing left, head right, raising a prostrate Sicilia before him, and holding shield. Crawford 401/1; Sydenham 798; Aquillia 2. Lightly toned with underlying luster. NGC grade Ch AU; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Estimated Value $750 - UP The types on this denarius recall the virtue of the moneyer's grandfather, Manius Aquillius, who diligently quelled the slave revolt in Sicily (104-101 BC) that had defied three earlier governors. In 104 BC, the consul Marius took command in Gaul to subdue the Cimbri and Teutones, and the Senate granted him permission to request troops from Rome's allies so that he might pursue the war. When he asked Nikomedes of Bithynia for troops, the king responded that he had none to spare as most of his men had been seized by Roman tax farmers as slaves. The Senate then decreed that no citizen of allied states could be held in slavery to serve in Rome's provinces, and instructed the praetors to see to their liberation.In Sicily, the Roman governor P. Licinius Nerva freed about 800 slaves, but then a group of influential landowners and wealthy elites convinced the governor to desist. The slaves who had not yet been freed stole away from the farms in open revolt. Licinius initially pursued these slaves and inflicted a serious defeat upon them, but when he failed to follow up his victory this emboldened other slaves in the province and the revolt quickly escalated. Soon there was a slave army of 40,000 ravaging the province, inflicting severe havoc on the Roman forces sent to pursue them.All this changed in 101 BC with the arrival of the moneyer's ancestor, the governor Manius Aquillius. He quickly wore down the slave army, reducing their strongholds to rubble and killing many. He defeated their leader in single combat in a notable battle, although he himself suffered a serious head wound. After recovering, he quickly mopped up further resistance and pacified the province. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 141		P. Fonteius P. f. Capito. Silver Denarius (4.09 g), 55 BC. EFP. Fonteius P. f. Capito. Silver Denarius (4.09 g), 55 BC. Rome. P FONTEIVS P F CAPITO III VIR, helmeted and draped bust of Mars right, trophy over shoulder. Reverse: ((MN) FO(NT) TR MIL, soldier on horseback rearing right, thrusting his spear at a Gallic enemy who is about to slay an unarmed person; to lower right, helmet and shield. Crawford 429/1; Sydenham 900; Fonteia 17. Wonderful iridescent toning with hues of gold and blue, and underlying iridescence. Scratch in obverse field. NGC grade Ch AU; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5. Scratches. Estimated Value $750 - UP The reverse commemorates a valorous deed of one Manius Fonteius, but the precise circumstances are lost to us. Both Crawford and Harl suggest he may have served under another ancestor, Marcus Fonteius, who was governor of Gallia Narbonesis from 76-73 BC. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $900
Lot 142		L. Cornelius Lentulus and C. Claudius Marcellus. Silver Denarius (3.74 g), 49 BC. Military mint traveling in the East. Triskeles, with winged head of Medusa facing at center and ear of grain between each leg. Reverse: [L]E(NT) (MAR) [C]OS, Jupiter standing facing, head right, holding thunderbolt and eagle; in right field, harpa. Crawford 445/1a; HCRI 4; Sydenham 1029a; Cornelia 64. Nicely toned. Scarce. Banker's mark. (The "banker's mark" is virtually impossible to see!). Choice Very Fine. Estimated Value $300 - UP Struck under the exiled consuls, Lentulus and Marcellus, the types reference both family history and Roman power. The issue has traditionally been assigned to a mint operating in Sicily, but the hurried nature of the Pompeian withdrawal from Brundisium to Greece suggests it was struck somewhere in the East. The obverse recalls that it was M. Claudius Marcellus, the ancestor of the current consul, who conquered Syracuse in 211 BC. The reverse depicts Jupiter, the chief deity of the Roman pantheon and thus a symbol of unity, and may copy the famous statue of Zeus Eleutherius by Myron. Jupiter appears on all the joint issues of the Lentulus and Marcellus. Ex The William Oldknow Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $660
Lot 143		Q. Sicinius. Silver Denarius (3.82 g), 49 BC. Rome. F[ORT P] R, diademed head of Fortuna Populi Romani right. Reverse: III VIR across field, Q SICINIVS, crossed palm branch and caduceus; above, wreath. Crawford 440/1; HCRI 410; Sydenham 938; Sicinia 5. Traces of luster present. Delicate light iridescent tone. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $300 - UP Little is known of the moneyer Q. Sicinius, and his family, while noble, was not a driving force in Roman politics. The types of the coin show that he sided with Pompey after Caesar crossed the Rubicon. The obverse depicts the head of the Fortune of the Roman People, and the symbols on the reverse all reference Pompey's accomplishments: the palm for his many victories, the wreath that was awarded him by the Senate specifically for his defeat of Mithradates VI in 63 BC, and the caduceus for his defeat of the Cilician pirates. This was the last normal issue of denarii before Caesar's occupation of Rome, at which time Sicinius fled east along with the rest of the Pompeians. Ex The William Oldknow Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $510
Lot 144		Servilius Caepio Brutus. Silver Denarius (3.96 g). 54 BCQ. Servilius Caepio Brutus. Silver Denarius (3.96 g), 54 BC. Rome. BRVTVS, bare head of L. Junius Brutus right. Reverse: AHALA, bare head of Caius Servilius Ahala right. Crawford 433/2; Sydenham 907; Junia 30. Some luster present and lightly toned. NGC grade Ch VF; Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5. Estimated Value $750 - UP Ex The William Oldknow Collection. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,260