Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 103

February 18-21 2018 Pre Long Beach Sale

Roman Republican Coinage

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 2160		C. Serveilius M.f. Silver Denarius (3.91 g), 136 BC. Rome. ROMA below, head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet ornamented with griffin's head; behind, wreath and denomination. Reverse: C SERVEILI M F in exergue, the Dioscuri on horseback, galloping in opposite directions. Crawford 239/1; Sydenham 525; Servilia 1. Delicate golden luster present. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $400 - 500 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,116
Lot 2161		Q. Titius. Silver Denarius (3.99 g), 90 BC. Rome. Head of Mutinus Titinus right, wearing winged diadem. Reverse: Q. TITI inscribed on tablet, Pegasus springing right. Crawford 341/1; Sydenham 691; Titia 1. Underlying luster present and lightly toned. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $400 - 500 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $588
Lot 2162		L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi. Silver Denarius (3.88 g), 90 BC. Rome. Laureate head of Apollo right; behind, C. Reverse: L PISO FRVG below, horseman galloping right, holding palm; above, XCII; in exergue, ROMA monogram. Crawford 340/1; Sydenham 661; Calpurnia 12. Very Fine. Estimate Value $150 - 200 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $89
Lot 2163		L. Titurius L.f. Sabinus. Silver Denarius (4.23 g), 89 BC. Rome. SABIN behind, bare head of King Tatius right; before, A. PV; below chin, palm branch. Reverse: [L TITVRI] in exergue, Tarpeia, facing, buried to her waist in shields, with raised hands she tries to thrust off two soldiers who are about to cast their shields onto her; above, star in crescent. Crawford 344/2c; Sydenham 699a; Tituria 5. Nicely toned. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $150 - 200 The story of Tarpeia as depicted on this coin was well-known in ancient Rome, and is recounted by Livy: "The last of these wars was commenced by the Sabines and proved the most serious of all. Spurius Tarpeius was in command of the Roman citadel. Whilst his daughter had gone outside the fortifications to fetch water for some religious ceremonies, Tatius bribed her to admit his troops within the citadel. Once admitted, they crushed her to death beneath their shields, either that the citadel might appear to have been taken by assault, or that her example might be left as a warning that no faith should be kept with traitors. A further story runs that the Sabines were in the habit of wearing heavy gold armlets on their left arms and richly jeweled rings, and that the girl made them promise to give her 'what they had on their left arms,' accordingly they piled their shields upon her instead of golden gifts. Some say that in bargaining for what they had in their left hands, she expressly asked for their shields, and being suspected of wishing to betray them, fell a victim to her own bargain" (Livy I, 11.5-9). Tarpeia's body was then hurled from a steep cliff on the southern summit of the Capitoline Hill, and the Tarpeian Rock, as it became known subsequently, was where notorious traitors were executed in ancient Rome.The head of Titus Tatius, king of the Sabines, relates to the Sabine origin of the moneyer's gens. On one variety of this type, in place of the palm branch which alludes to Roman successes in the Social War, is found a TA monogram, identifying the head as that of King Tatius. A most unusual feature of the obverse is the addition of the letters A PV (argentum publicum), meaning that the issue was struck by metal owned by the Roman state. Noting that a particular coinage was struck by state-owned metal is not without precedent, and in fact it occurs on coins of eight different moneyers during the Republican period. However, it seems unnecessary: presumably all official coinage was made from metal owned by the Roman state, and its significance here is not readily apparent. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $176
Lot 2164		L. Rubrius Dossenus. Silver Denarius (3.87 g), 87 BC. Rome. [DOSSE]N below, laureate head of Jupiter right, scepter at shoulder. Reverse: [L] RVBRI in exergue, triumphal quadriga with side-panel decorated with thunderbolt right. Crawford 348/1; Sydenham 705; Rubria 1. Toned. Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $150 - 200 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $129
Lot 2165		T. Carisius. Silver Denarius (3.92 g), 46 BC. Rome. MONET[A] behind, draped bust of Juno Moneta right. Reverse: T CARISIVS, coining tools: tongs, anvil with garlanded die above, and hammer; all within wreath tied at the top. Crawford 464/2; HCRI 70; Sydenham 982a; Carisia 1a. Areas of striking weakness on both side. Toned. Very Fine. Estimate Value $250 - 300 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $323
Lot 2166		Julius Caesar. Silver Denarius (3.69 g), 49-48 BC. Military mint traveling with Caesar. CAESAR in exergue, elephant advancing right, trampling horned serpent. Reverse: Pontifical implements: simpulum, sprinkler, axe and priest's hat. Crawford 443/1; HCRI 9; Sydenham 1006; RSC 49. Untoned. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $600 - 700 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $911
Lot 2167		Julius Caesar. Silver Denarius (3.80 g), 49-48 BC. Military mint traveling with Caesar. CAESAR in exergue, elephant advancing right, trampling horned serpent. Reverse: Pontifical implements: simpulum, sprinkler, axe and priest's hat. Crawford 443/1; HCRI 9; Sydenham 1006; RSC 49. Lightly toned. Signs of crystallization. Very Fine. Estimate Value $400 - 500 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $470
Lot 2168		Julius Caesar. Silver Denarius (3.83 g), 48-47 BC. Military mint traveling with Caesar in North Africa. Diademed head of Venus right. Reverse: CAESAR, Aeneas advancing left, holding palladium and bearing Anchises upon his shoulder. Crawford 458/1; HCRI 55; Sydenham 1013; RSC 12. Toned. About Very Fine. Estimate Value $300 - 350 The Roman nobility was always at pains to claim descent from either the gods or from mythical heroes, or even more often from both. The Julia gens claimed mythical descent from Iulus, son of the Trojan hero Aeneas, who himself was the son of the goddess Venus and Anchises. Although not struck on as massive a scale as Caesar's well-known elephant type of 49-48 BC, this type is considerably more common than any other coin of Caesar, and was struck to pay for Caesar's protracted North African campaign against the Pompeians. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $411
Lot 2169		Cn. Domitius Ahenobarbus. Silver Denarius (3.63 g), 41-40 BC. Uncertain mint in the region of the Adriatic or Ionian Sea. AHENOBAR, head of L. Ahenobarbus right. Reverse: CN DOMITIV[S] IMP, trophy set on prow of galley right. Crawford 519/2; HCRI 339; Sydenham 1177; Domitia 21. Toned and with a banker's mark behind head ('R'). About Very Fine. Estimate Value $400 - 500 Originally a Pompeian loyalist, Ahenobarbus allied with Brutus and Cassius after the Ides of March. After Philippi he engaged the fleet of the triumvirs under the command of Domitius Calvinus, inflicting a resounding defeat for which he was hailed imperator by his troops, which the reverse of this coin commemorates. Subsequently, however, he joined Antony in opposing Octavian, but then deserted to Octavian before Actium, having become disgusted with Antony's alliance with Cleopatra. Aside from his involvement in the civil wars that racked Rome in the latter half of the first century BC, Ahenobarbus is also remembered for being the paternal great-grandfather of the future emperor Nero. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $541
Lot 2170		Mark Antony. Silver Denarius (3.14 g), 32-31 BC. Legionary type. Patrae(?). ANT AVG III VIR R P C, praetorian galley right. Reverse: LEG II, legionary eagle right between two standards. Crawford 544/14; HCRI 349; Sydenham 1216; RSC 27. Untoned. Very Fine. Estimate Value $350 - 400 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $223
Lot 2171		Mark Antony & Lucius Antony. Silver Denarius (3.36 g), 41 BC. Ephesus. M. Cocceius Nerva, proquaestor. M ANT I(MP) (AV)G III VIR R P C M (NE)RVA PROQ P, bare head of Mark Antony right. Reverse: L ANTONIVS COS, bare head of Lucius Antony right. Crawford 517/5a; HCRI 246; Sydenham 1185; RSC 2. Lightly toned. We note a few tiny bankers' stamps on the head of Lucius. About Very Fine. Estimate Value $500 - 600 View details and enlarged photos	Realized $494