Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 137

Pre-Long Beach Auction

Roman Imperial Coinage

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1269		Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.96 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Tarraco(?), ca. 19 BC. CAESAR AVGVSTVS, bare head of Augustus right. Reverse: OB CIVIS SERVATOS, in three lines within oak wreath with ties inwards. RIC 77a; BMC 378-380; RSC 208. Outstanding quality. Lustrous. Mint State. Estimated Value $2,500 - UP The oak wreath on the reverse of this coin is the corona civica, traditionally bestowed upon a Roman soldier who had saved a fellow citizen in battle by slaying the enemy. Here it is the corona civica that was awarded to Octavian by the Senate in 27 BC, when he was officially recognized as Augustus, the first Roman emperor. This honor recognized that by bringing an end to the civil war and bringing about the destruction of Mark Antony, he had saved the entire citizenry of Rome from endless bloodletting. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1270		Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.87 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Lugdunum, 8 BC. AVGVSTVS DIVI F, laureate head of Augustus right. Reverse: C CAES above, AVGVS F in exergue, Caius Caesar on horseback galloping right, holding sword and reins; behind, legionary eagle between two standards. RIC 199; BMC 500-2; RSC 40. NGC grade Ch XF; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5. Light marks beautifully toned. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP Gaius, along with his brother Lucius, were grandson of Augustus, whom he adopted as his heirs. The reverse of this lovely denarius shows Gaius leading Rome's armies (represented by the legionary eagle and standards) in Gaul, his first foray into leading troops in battle. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,440
Lot 1271		Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.79 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Lugdunum, 15-13 BC. AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head of Augustus right. Reverse: IMP X in exergue, bull butting right. RIC 167a; Giard 19; BMC 451; RSC 137. NGC grade Ch XF; Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5. Lovely light iridescent tone. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1272		Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.88 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Lugdunum, 15-13 BC. AVGVSTVS DIVI F, bare head of Augustus right. Reverse: IMP X low across field, ACT in exergue, Actian Apollo standing facing, head left, holding a plectrum and lyre. RIC 171a; BMC 461; RSC 144. NGC grade Ch XF; Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5 attractively toned. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,380
Lot 1273		Augustus. Silver Denarius (3.63 g), 27 BC-AD 14. Lugdunum, 2 BC-AD 12. CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, laureate head of Augustus right. Reverse: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT around, CL CAESARES in exergue, Gaius and Lucius Caesars standing facing, each togate and resting a hand on one of two shields set on ground between them; behind shields, two crossed spears; above, on left, simpulum right, and on right, lituus left. RIC 207; Lyon 82; BMC 519-33; RSC 43. Very Fine. Estimated Value $400 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Realized $324
Lot 1274		Nero. Silver Denarius (3.60 g), AD 54-68. Rome, ca. AD 66/7. NERO CAESAR AVGVSTVS, laureate head of Nero right, sporting slight beard. Reverse: SALVS in exergue, Salus seated left, holding patera. RIC 60; WCN 60; BMC 90; RSC 314. NGC grade XF; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5. Delicately toned and quite attractive. Estimated Value $2,000 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,160
Lot 1275		Vitellius, 69-69 AD. Silver Denarius (3.59g). Tarraco(?), perhaps October-20 December AD 69. A VITELLIVS IMP GERMAN, laureate head of Vitellius left, globe at point of bust. Reverse: VICTORIA AVGVSTI, Victory advancing left, holding shield inscribed S P / Q R in two lines. RIC 36 var. (palm before bust); BN 13 var. (same); BMC 94 var. (same); RSC 101 var. (same). Pleasing portrait and toned. Extremely Rare. NGC grade Ch XF; Strike: 4/5, Surface: 2/5. Estimated Value $2,000 - UP The coinage of Vitellius is very thoroughly documented in RIC, so it is not often that we discover an unpublished variety like the present coin lacking the palm branch before the bust. The purpose of the palm branch must have been an expression of Victory. Since it is lacking on this coin, perhaps this suggests that faith in Vitellius' ultimate victory was lacking. If so, this would indicate a late date of issue, perhaps sometime between October and when Vitellius was assassinated on 20 December 69. Ex Dipl.-Ing Christian Gollnow Collection; E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection (NAC 92, 23 May 2016), 2123. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1276		Vespasian. Æ Sestertius (22.53 g), AD 69-79. Judaea Capta type. Rome, AD 71. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III, laureate head of Vespasian right. Reverse: VI-C-TORIA AVGVSTI, S C in exergue, Victory standing right, foot on helmet, inscribing shield set on palm tree; to right of tree, Jewess seated right in attitude of mourning. RIC 221; Hendin 1508. Dark reddish-brown patina. About Very Fine. Estimated Value $500 - UP From the Dr. Maurice Haber Collection; Ex Superior (19 June 1976), 218; Superior (16 December 1972), 330. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $960
Lot 1277		Titus. Gold Aureus (7.31 g), as Caesar, AD 69-79. Rome, AD 77/8. T CAESAR IMP VESPASIANVS, laureate head of Titus right. Reverse: COS VI, Roma seated to right on shields, holding spear, she-wolf standing to right at feet, head reverted, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus; in left and right fields, two eagles flying towards her. RIC 954; BMC 223; Calicó 738. Rare. Struck in high relief. Well centered with full legends. Very Fine. Estimated Value $3,000 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1278		Nerva. Silver Denarius (3.45 g), AD 96-98. Rome, AD 97. IMP NERVA CAES AVG P M TR P COS III P P, laureate head of Nerva right. Reverse: LIBERTAS PVBLICA, Libertas standing left, holding pileus and scepter. RIC 19; BMC 46; RSC 113. NGC grade XF; Strike: 4/5, Surface: 4/5. Estimated Value $750 - UP View details and enlarged photos	Realized $600
Lot 1279		Aelius. Silver Denarius (3.17 g), Caesar, AD 136-138. Rome, 137. L AELIVS CAESAR, bare head of Aelius left. Reverse: TRIB POT COS II PIE-TAS, Pietas standing right, holding acerrum and dropping incense onto lighted and garlanded altar to right. RIC 2631; BMC 992; RSC 36a. NGC grade Ch XF; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5. Light smoothing. An outstanding example and in our opinion, undergraded. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP On 13 January AD 101, Lucius Ceionius Commodus was born to a Roman consular family from Etruria. Although he is known to have served as praetor in AD 130 and was married to the influential Avidia Plautia, his importance increased dramatically in AD 136, when the emperor Hadrian unexpectedly adopted him and thereby made him Caesar and heir to the purple. At the time of his adoption, Lucius Ceionius Commodus set aside his name and assumed the new name of Lucius Aelius Caesar that linked him to the gens Aelia to which Hadrian belonged.Up until this point it was widely believed that Gnaeus Pedanius Fuscus Salinator II, the grandson of the emperor's well-regarded brother-in-law, Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus, would be Hadrian's heir. Indeed, Hadrian had virtually indicated this himself by giving Salinator a privileged position in his court. However, all of the hopes and expectations for Salinator were dashed in AD 136 when Hadrian fell seriously ill and almost died from a haemorrhage. This near death experience caused the emperor to change his mind and adopt Aelius as his heir instead. This new decision, which the Historia Augustae describes as "against the wishes of everyone" sent political shockwaves through Rome and enraged both Servianus and Salinator. They were subsequently implicated in a (fabricated?) coup attempt and executed. Thus, Aelius was raised to power on a tide of unpopularity and bloodshed. It was not an auspicious beginning.As Caesar, Aelius' first order of business in AD 137 was to join the legions in Pannonia and defend the Danube frontier against Germanic incursions although he had no military experience of any kind. His Danubian campaigns seem to have met with success and he returned to Rome to make a public address at the start of the New Year, AD 138. Although his speech was said to have been well composed and a model for future rhetoricians, Aelius never presented it. He fell ill shortly before and died after drinking a potion intended to help him. It has been suggested that Aelius may have been killed by the onset of tuberculosis. Hadrian honored his dead heir with monumental statues and temples. The emperor then chose Antoninus Pius to be his new heir and Caesar, but ordered Pius to adopt Lucius Verus, the son of Aelius, with the intention that he would become Caesar to Antoninus Pius after he assumed power as Augustus. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,140
Lot 1280		Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. AE Medallion (40 mm, 51.08 g), AD 161-180 and 161-169 respectively. Rome, AD 161-165. IMP ANTONINVS AVG COS III IMP VERVS AVG COS II, confronted bare-headed busts of Marcus Aurelius right and Lucius Verus left, both with slight drapery. Reverse: Jupiter, half-nude and draped to the waist, seated facing on a high-backed throne, holding a thunderbolt in his right hand and a long scepter in his left; on his left, Juno seated facing holding short scepter with her left hand and offering a patera to Jupiter with her right; on his right, Minerva seated facing, holding scepter with her left hand and raising her right to adjust her helmet. Gnecchi II 7, pl. 71, 5; MIR 18, 1009-2/12-22; Banti 7. Extremely Rare. NGC grade Ch VF; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5. Fine style, smoothing. Estimated Value $7,500 - UP The Roman gods, Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, made up the Capitoline Triad whose temple, the Capitolium, and center of worship was based on the Capitoline Hill. The triad, although appearing only infrequently on Roman coinage, played a central role within Roman religion as it consisted of the king and queen of Olympus, as well as the goddess of wisdom. This medallion, which was struck under the joint Antonine emperors, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, was probably distributed to high dignitaries perhaps attending celebrations for the triad. Ex Nomos 23 (30 November 2021), 224. View details and enlarged photos	Unsold
Lot 1281		Martinian. Æ Follis (3.02 g), Usurper, AD 324. Nicomedia. D N M MARTINIANO P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Martinian right. Reverse: IOVI CONS-ERVATORI, Jupiter standing facing, head left, nude but for chlamys over left shoulder, holding Victory on globe and scepter surmounted by eagle; at feet to left, eagle standing left, head right, holding wreath in beak; at feet to right, bound captive right, head left; X/IIΓ//SMNB. RIC 46. Well centered with full legends and brown patina. Much nicer than typically found. Conservatively graded. NGC grade Ch VF; Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5. Estimated Value $4,000 - UP Little is known of the emperor Martinian. Before his elevation to the throne by Licinius I in early July AD 324, Martinian was an official in Licinius' court. It was only after Constantine the Great defeated Licinius at Hadrianopolis on 3 July that Licinius, seeing a need for a trusted colleague to help secure Asia Minor and to prevent Constantine from invading, raised Martinian to the purple.However, Martinian was unequal to the task. Having command of Licinius' navy, he suffered a crushing naval defeat by Constantine's son, Crispus, at the Hellespont, which allowed Constantine to storm across the strait and invade. The result was the total defeat of Licinius by Constantine at Chrysopolis on 18 September AD 324. Through the intervention of Constantia, Constanine's sister and the wife of Liicnius, Constantine spared both Licinius and Martinian. However, subsequently Constantine must have exerienced a change of heart because during the following year, 325, he had both Licinius and Martinian executed. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,760