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Second Punic War

Category:  Ancients
Owner:  deposito
Last Modified:  2/15/2024
  
Set Description
Coins struck in or about the time of the Second Punic War between the Roman Republic and Carthage, from 218 to 201 B.C. This is what Polybius was talking about. I have not spent as much money on this collection as I have on my gold coins, but, this collection is more important to me. This is the story that got me looking for ancient coins of the Roman Republic, and back into coin collecting as a 25-year-old.

The Second Punic War was the second of three major wars between Carthage and the Roman Republic. The war was marked by Hannibal's overland journey and his costly crossing of
the Alps and crushing victories over Roman armies in the battle of the Trebia (218), Lake Tresimine (217) and at Cannae (216). Despite these incredible setbacks, the Roman forces eventually recaptured all the major (mostly Greek) cities of Italy and Sicily that had joined the enemy. Finally, in 202, in a battle in Africa on the plains of Zama, Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal and Carthage became a Roman client-state (a "friend of the Romans", which Hannibal had sworn to his father he never would be). Hannibal left Carthage and North Africa after the peace, and found refuge as an adviser in the courts of the Eastern despots. He was finally tracked down by agents of Rome in 183/182, when he committed suicide by poison hidden in a ring.

Most of these coins come from in, or after, the mid-point of the war when the tide had turned in Rome's favor; mostly after 211.

The Moneyers, a political office held for a term, were responsible for getting coinage engraved and struck. For the years from which a lot of these denarii and also the gold coin come, 211-208 BC, the Moneyers were:

L. Cornelius Lentulus
Manlius Vulso
C. Aurunculeius
Terentius Varro
C. Aelius
Cn. Cornelius Dolabella
M. Valerius Laevinus

Later in the Republic a monogram of the Moneyer would appear on the coins, but during this time of patriotic dedication to the survival of Rome, we only find the "X" for 10 (the denomination) and "ROMA" upon these denarii. These denarii all share essentially the same design also; a helmeted head of some syncretic goddess (usually referred to as "Roma") on the obverse. On the reverse are two galloping horsemen (the "Dioscurii" or Gemini twins). The most a series of these early denarii gets as further distinction is an occasional symbol on the reverse, like a wheel or a staff or a spearhead. In very rare instances there is known to be a letter ("H") or monogram of the Moneyer (T Varro).

The time these denarii were first introduced is thought to be about 211 or later. Important Roman victories around this time directly permitted the introduction of a good silver and gold (really silver) currency.
211 - Capua falls to the Romans (after it defected to Hannibal at the end of 216 BC)
209 - Recapture of Tarentum from a Carthaginian garrison by the Romans
208 - Scipio defeats Hasdrubal Barca near Baecula (Spain)

Set Goals
As many nice coins from the Second Punic War era, preferably of silver, and of gold if I'm lucky. This is primarily a study of the anonymous denarius coinage starting in 211, but includes some contemporary circulating coinage that would have been recognized by Mediterranean mercenaries and merchants alike.

Slot Name
Origin/Country
Item Description
Full Grade
Owner Comments
Pics
View Coin 225-214/2 Didrachm ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.225-214/2 BC AR Quadrigatus Jupiter-Victory quadriga The Dioscuri(?) janiform NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
View Coin 225-214/2 Didrachm ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.225-214/2 BC AR Quadrigatus Jupiter-Victory quadriga obv Dioscuri(?) janiform NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 This coin is beat up but the reverse is about the most detailed I've seen when it comes to the heads of Jupiter and the Victory riding shotgun.
View Coin 225-214/2 Didrachm ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.225-214/2 BC AR Quadrigatus The Dioscuri(?) janiform NGC XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 3/5 11-6-2018 artemide aste
View Coin 217 Ptolemy IV of Egypt Ptolemaic Empire ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) PTOLEMAIC KINGDOM Ptolemy IV, 222-205/4 BC AR Tetradrachm Ptolemaic Kingdom rv eagle w/cornucopia obv Serapis and Isis NGC Ch VF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 2/5 This type is thought to have been issued in celebration of the Ptolemaic victory over the Seleukids at the battle of Raphia during the Fourth Syrian War. Official propaganda proclaimed that these two deities, Serapis and Isis, had intervened on behalf of the Egyptians, saving them from defeat (see C. Lorber, “The Ptolemaic Era Coinage Revisited,” NC 2007, p. 116, and L. Bricault, “Serapis et Isis, Sauveurs de Ptolémé IV à Raphia,” Chronique d’Égypte LXXIV (1999), pp. 334-43).

You will note that the eagle on the thunderbolt appears in essentially the same form on the gold Roman coins that would be struck just a few years after this coin. Some people think Rome got gold support from Ptolemy and this reverse on the Roman coins was a tribute to the gold donor. We know from his own huge gold coins that Ptolemy IV had a lot of gold.

Thomas Landvatter, in his die study cited above that appeared in the 2012 ANS American Journal of Numismatics (Second Series, Vol. 24, p. 88), suggests that this issue was “carrying a very specific ideological message directed more widely throughout the empire: Ptolemy IV was equating himself and his wife Arsinoe with the divine sibling-spouses Serapis and Isis.” Landvatter also notes that “[t]his was an ideological statement made during wartime, meant to have wide appeal and explicitly associate the Ptolemaic king and queen with two of the most popular deities in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Indeed, the popularity of the Serapis/Isis cult would outlive the Ptolemaic dynasty and continue well into the Roman Imperial period, only to be eventually usurped by the Christian and Muslim faiths.
View Coin 217 Ptolemy IV of Egypt Ptolemaic Empire ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) PTOLEMAIC KINGDOM Ptolemy III, 246-222 BC AV Octodrachm 217 B.C. Ptolemaic Kingdom rv diademed cornucopia posthumous under Ptol. IV NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 "Fine Style" according to NGC. It has some surface marks which they were kind enough not to mention. It is a huge “Oktadrachm” , or mnaion (25mm, 27.76 g, 12h). It is perfectly aligned at 12h. NGC has certified 95 of these in all conditions. Bought Raw from a CNG auction.

Posthumous issue of Ptolemy III Eugertes, issued by his son and successor Ptolemy IV Philopater. Alexandreia mint. Struck circa 219-217 BC, the coin was probably struck at the time of the Fourth Syrian War, as payment to the victorious soldiers of Ptolemy IV's army on June 13, 217 B.C. where he defeated the Seleucid army of Antiochus III at Raphia with an army that consisted partly of native Egyptian soldiers.

Ptolemy IV had these gold coins struck in memory of his father, to commemorate the great victories over the Seleucids in the Third Syrian War. Previous to the battle at Raphia in order to promote victory, the Queen, Arsinoe III, promised two gold minae for each soldier if the Ptolemaic army was successful. Following the victory, as recorded in the Raphia Decree, one-mina coins of this type were given. They were struck from a combination of the treasure captured by Alexander the Great and the fresh supply of gold from the mines of Nubia.

One week later, not that anyone in Syria or Egypt cared, on June 21, 217 B.C., Hannibal destroyed a second Roman army after leading it into a trap in the mist along the wooded shores of Lake Trasimene. If not struck within a week of the Battle at lake Tresimine, this coin's mintage is still contemporaneous with the start of the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome, in the years of Hannibal's initial catastrophic victories at the river Trebia, Lake Trasimine, and Cannae (218, 217, 216 B.C.).

This huge coin features a bust of the deified Ptolemy III right, wearing radiate diadem and aegis; trident over left shoulder, middle prong ends in a lotus finial / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΠTOΛEMAIOY, radiate and filleted cornucopia; ΔI below. CPE 888; Svoronos 1117; Olivier & Lorber dies 3/11, 112 (this coin); SNG Copenhagen 196; Noeske 137; Boston MFA 2283; Kraay & Hirmer 803 (same obv. die). Near EF, a couple tiny die breaks and usual light die rust on obverse.

From the PRB Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 93 (22 May 2013), lot 615 (hammer $8000); Triton XV (3 January 2012), lot 1317.

One of the greatest Macedonian rulers of Egypt, Ptolemy III's powerful portrait appears on gold mnaieions struck by his son, Ptolemy IV Philopator, who succeeded him in 221 BC. The great conqueror appears almost bloated; while likely an accurate portrait, his well-fed appearance is also visual shorthand for Egypt's bountiful abundance. Ptolemy III also sports an array of godly attributes, including the rayed crown of Helios, the trident of Poseidon, and the aegis of Zeus. The reverse depicts a cornucopia, again symbolizing the plenty of Egypt. An inscription called the "Canopus Decree," dated 238 BC, takes the form of a letter from the Egyptian priesthood praising Ptolemy III and his wife Berenice as "benefactor gods" for their support of Egyptian religion, as well as for their "good governance" and generosity.

The buying power of one gold mnaieion was enormous and unprecedented, more than $1,100 just in gold at today's price of gold around $1250 per troy ounce (31.14 grams compared to the 27.7 grams in this coin) (as of May 29, 2019). This is almost equivalent to a U.S. gold double eagle (the currency kind, not the modern bullion kind). No other kingdom or empire in the ancient world could produce such large gold coins, and this display of economic clout drew thousands of mercenary soldiers into Egypt's service. This large and powerful army was put to maximum use by the third king of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-222 BC). Shortly after inheriting the throne of the Pharaohs, he launched a massive invasion of the neighboring Seleucid Kingdom of Syria. Easily crushing all resistance, he even reached Babylon, where he proclaimed himself King of Kings.
View Coin 222-187 Antiochos III The Great of Syria Selukid Empire ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) SELEUCID KINGDOM Antiochus III, 222-187 BC AR Drachm Seleucid Kingdom rv elephant stg. NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 2/5 SELEUCID KINGDOM. Antiochus III the Great (222-187 BC). AR drachm (17mm, 3.98 gm, 1h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 2/5, marks. Apameia on the Orontes. Diademed head of Antiochus right, with youthful, idealized features, no sideburns and break in bangs / BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ANTIOXOY, elephant walking right; monogram to HYI to right. SC 1065.6.
View Coin 205-200 Philip V of Macedon ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) KINGDOM OF MACEDON Philip V, 221-179 BC AR Tetradrachm Kingdom Of Macedon ex SBC 6 (4/1980), lot 48 Perseus hd./club & wreath NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Philip V, 220 – 179. He allied with Hannibal to menace Rome on their Eastern front. This coin is thought to have been struck in the final years of the Second Punic War. Rome would soon embark on Macedonian Wars that culminated in Roman armies "liberating" most of Greece within the lifetimes of veterans of this war.

Tetradrachm, Pella (?) circa 202-200, AR 16.49 g. Head of young Perseus l., wearing winged griffin-headed helmet, sword on his r. shoulder, in centre of Macedonian shield. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – ΦIΛIΠΠOY Club within oak-wreath; in l. field, monograms.

NGC has certified 24 tetradrachms of Philip V of all types as of June 16, 2023.

Ex Swiss Banc Corporation Sale 6, April 19, 1980, Lot 48
View Coin 215-214 Ptolemy IV ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) PTOLEMAIC KINGDOM Ptolemy IV, 222-205/4 BC AR Tetradrachm Ptolemaic Kingdom yr.48 (215/4 BC(?)) Cyprus(?) obv Ptolemy I. NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 PTOLEMAIC EGYPT. Ptolemy IV Philopater (222-205/4 BC). AR stater or tetradrachm (25mm, 13.97 gm, 12h). NGC Choice VF 5/5 - 3/5. Uncertain Mint 42 (in Syria or Phoenicia? Arados?), dated Year 48 of an uncertain era (215/4(?) BC). Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, aegis tied around neck; dotted border / ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙOΥ-ΣΩTHPOΣ, eagle with closed wings standing left on thunderbolt; MH (date) between eagle's legs, dotted border. CPE 950. Svoronos 849.

The eagle on the thunderbolt appears in similar form on the reverse of the gold issues by Rome just a few years after this coin was struck, in about 212 BC. Maybe Ptolemy sent support - even gold - to Rome in its time of need.

In her new publication, Coins of the Ptolemaic Empire, Catharine Lorber proposes this issue could be tied to an Syro-Phoenician era, beginning in 262/1 BC, that might have replaced an aborted Raphian Era dating system.
View Coin 222-187 Antiochos III The Great of Syria Selukid Empire ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) SELEUCID KINGDOM Antiochus III, 222-187 BC AR Tetradrachm Seleucid Kingdom hldg. bow, testing arrow rv Apollo on omphalus NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
Antiochus III the Great (222-187 BC). AR tetradrachm (26mm, 16.97 gm, 1h). NGC Choice XF 5/5 - 3/5. Antioch on the Orontes, Series 4, ca. after 197 BC. After the Punic War. But a much nicer coin to look at than my other examples of this ruler.

Struck 223-211/10 BC under Antiochus III the Great (222-187 BC). a big silver tetradrachm (28mm, 11h). Struck at Antioch on the Orontes, 1st series. This coin was struck sometime before the start of, or in the first half of, the Second Punic War. Hannibal was ascendant. In 217 BC within months of Rome's defeat by Hannibal at the battle of Lake Trasimino, Antiochos III suffered his own defeat by Ptolemy IV at the Battle of Raphia in the modern day Gaza strip.

Diademed head of Antiochus III right with naturalistic style, smaller eye, receding chin and somewhat sharper features, hair tousled, hairline receding markedly at temple, one diadem tie upward behind, the other falling across shoulder; bead-and-reel border / BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ANT-IOXOY, Apollo seated left on omphalus, right leg drawn back, testing arrow in right hand, left hand on grounded bow right with no grip or pellets. No Symbols. SC 1045.5.
View Coin 237-209 Punic Spain 1/4 shekel ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) PUNIC SPAIN c.237-209 BC AR Quarter-Shekel Punic Spain rv elephant r. obv Melkart(?) w/club NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 2/5 Punic Spain. That's where the Second Punic War started. Hannibal crossed the Ebro and sacked Saguntum. They appealed to Rome for help. There was legal bickering about the interpretation of the peace agreement that had settled the First Punic War. Meanwhile Hannibal headed up out of Spain and around to come down over the Alps into northern Italy.

This series has everything you want from the Second Punic War. The god Melkart on the front we can imagine bears features of Hannibal or someone else known to people at the time in Punic Spain. On the back you get the elephant. What else is the Second Punic War known for?

There are whole shekels and half shekels with about the same design. I'm dreaming big and living small. This coin has really rough surfaces but the centering is real good on the front and pretty good on the back. It's a start.
View Coin 216-214 Bruttium under the Bretti ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) BRUTTIUM, THE BRETTII c.216-214 BC AR Drachm Bruttium, The Brettii Hera Lakinia/Zeus stg. NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 2/5 Bruttium, The Brettii AR Drachm. Second Punic War issue, circa 216-214 BC. Veiled head of Hera Lakinia to right, wearing polos; sceptre over shoulder, kantharos behind / Zeus standing to left, right foot on Ionic capital, holding sceptre; BPETTIΩN to right; before, eagle standing to left on thunderbolt; tiny Γ (engraver's signature) between sceptre and left foot of Zeus. Scheu 78; HN Italy 1970; HGC 1, 1357.
View Coin 215-205 Bruttium under Carthaginian Rule ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) BRUTTIUM c.215-205 BC AR Half-Shekel Bruttium obv Tanit. rv horse+palm under Carthaginian rule NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 Hannibal in South Italy

See this example https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1444311 that hammered at 5,500 CHF in 2012
Mine has an edge chip, so there's that. My horse reverse has something in the right field too, like a reed, which is not in the auctioned example

ex collection of Bernhard Terletzki.
ex Kölner Münzkabinett 80, Köln 2003, Nr. 181.
View Coin 213-211 Akragas under Carthaginian Rule ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) SICILY, ACRAGAS c.213-211 BC AR Quarter-Shekel Sicily, Acragas under Carthaginian rule NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 SICILY. Siculo-Punic Issue. 213-211 BC. AR Quarter Shekel (15mm, 1.90 gm). Attributed to Akragas. Male head right wearing wreath of grain ears; small pellet before and behind / Horse prancing right, Punic "HT" below. Burnett 148; SNG Copenhagen 37
View Coin 213-211 Akragas under Carthaginian Rule ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) SICILY, ACRAGAS c.213-211 BC AR Quarter-Shekel Sicily, Acragas obv male head. rv horse. under Carthaginian rule NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 SICILY. Acragas. c.213-211 BC. AR quarter-shekel (14mm, 1.48 gm, 2h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5. Carthaginian Rule, Phoenician standard. Head of male (Triptolemos?) right, wreathed with grain; dotted border / Horse galloping right; HT (Punic) below, linear border. Cf. HGC 2, 173 (eighth shekel or hemidrachm).

Ex Sovereign Rarities, private sale with old dealer's tag included.
View Coin 216-211 Hannibal in Italy ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) ZEUGITANA, CARTHAGE c.216-211 BC EL 3/8th Shekel Zeugitana, Carthage ex Italo Vecchi Coll. Hannibal in South Italy NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Military coinage of the Punic War, struck to pay Carthaginian soldiers and Bretti mercenaries. It plainly imitates the circulating janiform Roman silver didrachms struck before the war, substituting the Punic goddess Tanit for the Roman dioscurii twins on the obverse.

Bruttium, Carthaginian Occupation EL 3/8 Shekel. Circa 215-205 BC. Janiform female heads (Tanit?), wearing wreaths of grain / Zeus, holding thunderbolt in right hand and sceptre in left, standing to right in quadriga driven by Nike, who holds reins. Jenkins & Lewis 487-493 (Capua); SNG ANS 146 (Capua); SNG Copenhagen 357; HN Italy 2013; HGC 1, 1382; CNG 120, 37 (hammer: USD 6,500). 2.53g, 14mm, 1h.

From the Italo Vecchi Collection;
Ex Bertolami Fine Arts - ACR Auctions, E-Auction 64, 13 January 2019, lot 104. (Hammered 1800 GBP)

View Coin 221-201 Carthage Gold ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) ZEUGITANA, CARTHAGE c.221-201 BC AV Quarter-Shekel Zeugitana, Carthage ex Schulman (6/1966),1371 Tanit-Demeter/horse NGC Ch AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 2/5 This is a gold coin of Carthage from the time of the Second Punic War. Some electrum, and maybe even gold, was struck under Hannibal himself in South Italy while he occupied it. But this coin is attributed to the North African motherland itself, between 203 and 201. This range spans the year of Carthage's surrender in 201, and Hannibal's defeat in 202 to Scipio Africanus at Zama.

Ex Jacques Schulman N.V, Auction 243, June 8, 1966, Lot 1371

Even on coinarchives and ancient coin search, I do not find more than five or six of these struck in the same style. NGC has encapsulated 5 of these, including this one, with this one being technically in the "best grade" but with graffiti on the reverse. Even looking close and turning it under light it is tough to notice the graffiti, which is above the horse's rear legs.

ZEUGITANA. Carthage. Ca. 221-201 BC. AV quarter-shekel (13mm, 1.78 gm, 12h). NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 2/5, graffito. Head of Tanit left, wreathed in two grain ears, hook shaped leaf in the hair, another leaf protruding above forehead, wearing pendant earring and plain necklace; dotted border / Horse standing right, head looking forward, near side front leg advanced in front of the off side leg; dotted border. Jenkins-Lewis Group XIV, 464-467.

North Africa, Carthage AV Fifth Stater. Second Punic War, circa 203-201 BC. Wreathed head of Tanit left, wearing single-pendant earring, and necklace / Horse standing right. Jenkins & Lewis Group XIV, 466 (same dies); MAA 76.
View Coin 240-215 Syracuse ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) SICILY, SYRACUSE Philistis, w.of Hieron II AR 16-Litrai Sicily, Syracuse rv Nike in slow quadriga issue of c.240-215/4 BC NGC VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Philistas, wife of Hieron II the long-time king of Syrakuse and ally of Rome.
View Coin 215-214 Syracuse Hieronymus ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) SICILY, SYRACUSE Hieronymus, 215-214 BC AR 10-Litrai Sicily, Syracuse rv winged fulmen NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 Hieronymus of Syracuse, punk grandkid succeeded his grandfather Hiero II. in B. C. 216. Under the influence of his uncles, Zoippus and Andranodorus, members of the Council of 15 established by Hiero, Hieronymus opens communications with Hannibal.

"'Then please to allow me too now, O Romans, to maintain my authority by 'sailing back' to see what I can get from Carthage.' The Roman legates perceiving the warmth with which the king was engaging in his policy, said nothing at the time; but returned and informed the praetor who had sent them of what had been said. From that time forward, therefore, the Romans kept a careful watch upon him as an enemy." --- Polybius Book 7
View Coin 211 Rome Gold ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AV 60 Asses ex Weber (Hirsch 1908)249 Mars/eagle on fulmen NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Second Punic War issue, among the first gold coins of the Roman Republic. Anonymous. 211-207 BC. AV 60 As (3.36 gm / 14mm). Helmeted head of Mars right; LVX, behind / Eagle standing right on thunderbolt; ROMA below. Crawford 44/2; Sydenham 226. EF with scratch and scuffs.

Video at:
https://studio.youtube.com/video/Yl3_8rNzRKE/edit

NGC has certified 16 of these, not including this one.

"Rome's capture and plundering of Syracuse in 212 BC and successes in Spain around this time provided the gold for the first large Roman coinage in that metal, circa 211 BC. Gold pieces in three denominations, with numerals setting their values at 60, 40 and 20 copper asses, were introduced alongside the silver denarius, quinarius, quadrigatus and sestertius. Although the overall coinage reform proved lasting, the gold denominations were only struck for two or three years and soon disappeared from circulation."

"When the Romans issued their second gold coinage in the war against Hannibal, they continued to make innovations to their monetary system that were borne of necessity. The first gold coinage had been issued c. 218-216 B.C., when Rome was pushed back on its heels after Hannibal’s initial successes on the battlefield. Though the Carthaginian army was still a menacing threat in Italy when this new coinage was struck c. 211-207 B.C., the tide of the war had shifted. This coinage was issued from a position of greater strength than the first.
It is comprised of coins denominated at 60, 40 and 20 asses, and its martial nature is made clear with the designs – the helmeted head of the war-god Mars, and the eagle of the supreme god Jupiter, standing upon his thunderbolt. Various resources had been tapped to issue these coins, including special levies and loot from Syracuse, which fell to the Romans in 212. Meanwhile, in 211 the Romans had forced Capua into submission, thus denying Hannibal his main supply depot in Southern Italy. In that same year the Romans finally abandoned the didrachm (‘quadrigatus’) as their silver coin in favour of the lighter denarius, which would serve as Rome’s principal coin for the next 450 years.
Unlike the first gold coinage, which would appear to have been struck in a single place, and perhaps on a single occasion, the second gold coinage was struck in much larger quantities and demonstrates a variety that suggests portions were struck at moving mints ranging as far afield as Etruria and Sicily. Beyond these final issues of the Second Punic War, the Romans struck no other gold until the Imperatorial period, beginning with aurei for Sulla in the late 80's B.C." Although, someone also struck a gold aureus of Titus Quinctius Flamininus after he "set Greece free" from Macedonian rule about 100 years before that aureus of Sulla.

The eagle on the thunderbolt on the reverse has been interpreted as an attempt to associate Rome with the Ptolemaic empire centered in Egypt. The eagle is somewhat reminiscent of the eagle that had consistently been a symbol on Ptolemaic coinage since the very beginning of the century, and it has been suggested that Ptolemy IV Philopator may have provided gold for this issue to act as a counterweight to the involvement of Philip V of Macedon on the side of Carthage. [Meadows 1998]. We know that in the First Punic War, Ptolemy II had declined to assist Carthage, because Ptolemy said he was a friend of both the Romans and the Carthaginians. An almost exactly-the-same style eagle on thunderbolt appears on a quarter-stater or triobol of Tarentum from 276-272 B.C., also facing right.

This is a coin I have been chasing for a long time. It has scars but is still more attractive than others I've seen lately within this price range. I was the second-highest bidder on both of the incredible examples of this issue that sold on Heritage in January and April this year, 2019. https://coins.ha.com/itm/roman-republic/ancient-coins-roman/ancients-anonymous-ca-211-bc-av-60-asses-15mm-334-gm-4h-ngc-choice-au-5-5-5-5/a/3073-30226.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515 . I even made an offer through Heritage to the owner of the one that sold for less in January. No deal.

There was one in a Roma Numismatics auction that ended about a week before this one, but it was withdrawn as a counterfeit.

This coin is traced back to the collection of Consul Eduard Friedrich Weber, sold with the rest of his collection at Jacob Hirsch Auction XXI, November 16, 1908, lot 249.
https://archive.org/details/AuctionsCatalog21/page/n19 ; https://archive.org/details/AuctionsCatalog21/page/n355

It had a starting price of 81 Marks. https://archive.org/details/AuctionsCatalog21/page/n415

In 1908, a German Mark was a silver coin with an actual silver weight of 0.16 troy ounces. A US Dollar in 1908 contained 0.77 actual silver weight. That's 4.8 Marks per dollar, or, a starting price of just $16.87. I don't know what it sold for.

Weber's family was originally from Bielefeld. His father David Friedrich Weber (1786-1868) moved to Hamburg and founded a company that traded successfully with South America. Eduard himself was born in 1830 and in 1877 he was appointed consul for the Hawaiian Islands, an office he held until 1902. He died September 19, 1907 in Hamburg, and his coins were auctioned off in at least two auctions, this coin in November, 1908.

According to the Forward to the auction catalog by Jacob Hirsch, Weber: "created a collection of Greek and Roman coins of scientific significance not surpassed by any other private collection in the world." "Sometimes he showed me the pieces which he acquired as a schoolboy with the expenditure of his whole pocket money." "He was attended by teachers like Theodor Mommsen and Ernst Curtius who helped to develop his curiosity and enthusiasm for collecting, which kept his personality up to old age in an admirable juvenile freshness." https://archive.org/details/AuctionsCatalog21/page/n5

German Wikipedia says: "one of the greatest German art collectors of his time, Weber was the owner of the important art collection known as "Galerie Weber", which contained mainly Old German, Dutch and Italian paintings. He also had an excellent collection of coins (Greek, Roman and Hamburg coins). Among the approximately 370 works that were open to the public were works by Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Andrea Mantegna, Hans Holbein the Elder, Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach."

The auctioneer Jacob Hirsch had galleries in Paris and Munich where he invited bidders from New York right up until World War One, when he moved to Geneva and got Swiss citizenship.
View Coin 211-208 Victoriatus "L" ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC c.211-208 BC AR Victoriatus rv Victory erects trophy 'L' issue. obv Jupiter. NGC MS "L" denotes Luceria Mint. Someone had this, and also the "VB" series example victoriatus in this collection, all certified by NGC as part of a huge set of mint state victoriatii in the last year (2020). These have been coming to auction at Heritage and CNG, any maybe other places too, over the last six months, and there are now 1,233 certified at NGC with just over 900 in mint state or better (CH MS or GEM MS). These are by far the most attainable high-grade silver from the second punic war now, with denarii, quinarii, quadrigatii, and sestersii far scarcer and more expensive even in worse condition.

Unlike the rest of the post 211 BC reformed silver coinage of the Roman Republic (denarii, quinarii, and sestersii), these victoriatii are thought to have been struck primarily for trade with the Italian Greeks who operated on a drachm standard.
View Coin 211-208 Victoriatus "L" ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC c.211-208 BC AR Victoriatus rv Victory erects trophy 'L' issue. obv Jupiter. NGC MS 1,233 in all varieties certified by NGC
View Coin 211-208 Victoriatus "VB" ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC c.211-208 BC AR Victoriatus rv Victory erects trophy 'VB' issue. obv Jupiter. NGC MS 1,233 in all varieties certified by NGC
View Coin 211 Sestertius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Sestertius NGC VF
View Coin 211 BC Quinarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Quinarius ex Elsen 49 (4/1997), 398 Roma/Dioscuri riding NGC MS Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
View Coin 211 Quinarius H Issue ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Quinarius 'H issue'. obv Roma. NGC VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 Anonymous, Southeast Italy, 211-210 BC. AR Quinarius (2.00 g.). Helmeted head of Roma r. R/ The Dioscuri riding r., each holding transverse spear; H to lower r. Crawford 85/1a; RSC 33b.
View Coin 211 Quinarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Quinarius NGC Ch VF Anonymous. After ca. 211 BC. AR quinarius (17mm, 9h). NGC Choice VF★ , Fine Style. Rome. Head of Roma right, wearing winged Attic helmet with griffin head crest, V behind / The Dioscuri on horses prancing right, both holding couched spear in right hand and wearing pileus with star above; ROMA raised within linear frame below. Crawford 44/6. Sydenham 141. Spectacular cabinet toning.

From the WCN Collection
View Coin 211 Old Style Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC VF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5 Denarius circa 214-213 (NGC says after 211 BC), AR 20mm., 4.30g. Helmeted head of Roma r.; behind, X. Rev. The Dioscuri galloping r.; in exergue, ROMA. Sydenham 167. RBW 166. Crawford 44/5 and Pl. IX, 16.

This is my own designation not a recognized or informed designation of "Old Style"
I base this on the incuse "ROMA" on the reverse which resembles the earlier quadrigatus didrachms, and which is not like the raised "ROMA" on almost all denarii
View Coin 211 Old Style Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius obv Roma NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 2/5 This is my own designation not a recognized or informed designation of "Old Style"
I base this on the incuse "ROMA" on the reverse which resembles the earlier quadrigatus didrachms, and which is not like the raised "ROMA" on almost all denarii
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius ex CNR XIX (1994), 138 Roma/Dioscuri riding NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 A nice heavy early anonymous denarius with some blue and green looking toning.

ex CNR XIX (1994), 138
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC MS Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5 Anonymous. AR Denarius, after 211 BC. Obv. Helmeted head of Roma right.

From a June, 2016 Artemide Aste s.r.l. auction in San Marino. This is one of the denarii I had NGC metallurgic test using XRF. It is 98.97% Silver, 0.49% Gold, 0.27% Copper, and contains traces of Lead and other stuff.
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 ex Collection of Bernhard Terletzki.
ex Fritz Rudolf Künker 23, Osnabrück 1992, Nr. 251.
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC Ch AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius obv Roma NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 From Artemide Aste
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius obv Roma NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 $638.47 to Bertolami in 11-14-2018
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius obv Roma NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 From Nomisma Spa
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius obv Roma NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5 From HD Rauch
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius NGC XF
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC VF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5 Rome. Head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet decorated with griffin crest; X (mark of value) behind, dotted border / ROMA, the Dioscuri, each holding couched spear, on horseback riding right; two stars above, legend raised within linear frame, linear border. Crawford 53/2. Sydenham 229.
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5 From CNG 10-7-2022. 4.34 g.
From the Brian Holland Collection. Purchased from Numismatica Ars Classica June 2007.
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 From Artemide Aste 11-5-2022
209 B.C. Campanian Mint (Capua?). 3.77 g.
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 From Artemide Aste 9-4-2022.
4.11 g.
View Coin 211 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 From Artemide Aste 9-4-2022.
Brinkman "A new arrangement for RRC 53/2. 4.38 g.
View Coin 210 Lucanian Mint ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, after c.211 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback obv Roma NGC Ch XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 3/5 From Artemide Aste 11-5-2022
Rare, only 10 known, Lucanian Mint (Venusia?) 210 B.C. 4.02 g.
View Coin 209 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.209 BC AR Denarius rv Dioscuri on horseback Spearhead issue. obv Roma NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Spearhead series, Southeast Italy, 209 BC. AR Denarius (21mm, 3.55g, 6h).
Helmeted head of Roma r.
R/ The Dioscuri, each holding spear, on horseback r.;
two stars above, horizontal spearhead below.
Crawford 88/2b; RBW 371
View Coin 209 Denarius ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.209 BC AR Denarius NGC XF Spearhead series. South Italy mint. Head of Roma right, wearing winged helmet decorated with griffin crest; X (mark of value) to left / ROMA, the Dioscuri, each holding spear, on horseback riding right; two stars above, spearhead right below. Crawford 88/2b. Sydenham 222. RSC 20aa.

View Coin 209-208 Wheel Issue ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.209-208 BC AR Denarius Serratus Ex NFA MBS (10/1990) 1905 Wheel issue. obv Roma. NGC Ch AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5 This is said to be the first serrated edge denarius of the Roman Republic. It is thought, but not known, that the serrated edge was intended to foil counterfeiters.

Ex NFA MBS (10/1990) 1905
View Coin 209-208 Wheel Issue ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.209-208 BC AR Denarius Serratus rv Dioscuri on horseback Wheel issue. obv Roma. NGC Ch AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 2/5 From Artemide Aste 11-5-2022.
First known serrated denarius.
Six spoked wheel series. 208-207 B.C. (Sicily?) 4.29 g.
View Coin 209-208 Wheel Issue ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.209-208 BC AR Denarius Serratus rv Dioscuri on horseback Wheel issue. obv Roma. NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5 Another serrated wheel denarius.

This one weighs 4.07 grams and has a more stern masculine profile than on the Choice Fine example. But less wear.

From Artemide Aste
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