| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
View Coin
| Lydia - Croesus |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) LYDIA Croesus, 561-546 BC
|
AR Sixth-Stater Lydia rv bipartite incuse obv lion confronting bull
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
From "100 Greatest Ancient Coins" by Harlan Berk - Numismatists are divided on the meaning of the coins's obverse. Many think the lion represents Lydia and the bull someone they defeated. But H.Berk believes the lion symbolizes strength and power, and the bull represents fertility, all highly desired attributes in the ancient world.
|
|
View Coin
| Thasos - Satyr |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) THRACE, ISL. OF THASOS c.500-450 BC
|
AR Stater Thrace, Isl. Of Thasos rv quadripartite incuse obv Satyr abducts nymph
|
NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
Thasos is the northernmost major Greek island. It was colonized very early by the Phoenicians most likely for its gold mines. In ancient times, the isle was renowned for its wine and its coinage features or celebrates the wine God Dionysos who, along with Herakles, are the main deities of the island. This stater's obverse features a nude, ithyphallic satyr carrying off a protesting nymph with her hand raised in struggle. Satyrs were companions of Dionysus and are usually depicted as a half-man, half horse or goat, nude, with a prominent erection. The scene is thought to symbolize the orgiastic cult revelries that occurred on the island celebrating the wine God.
|
|
View Coin
| Sicily, Gela |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) SICILY, GELA c.490-475 BC
|
AR Didrachm Sicily, Gela rv man-headed bull obv horseman w/spear
|
NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
From '100 Greatest Ancient Coins" by Harlan Berk - "Gela was a very wealthy city on the southern coast of Sicily near the river Gelas. The river was regarded as a local god, and nearly all of the city's coinage bears an image of the river god conceived as a bull with the head of a man, reflecting both the animal strength of the rushing water and its more benevolent divine qualities."
|
|
View Coin
| Attica, Athens |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) ATTICA, ATHENS c.440-404 BC
|
AR Tetradrachm Attica, Athens obv Athena
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
From "100 Greatest Ancient Coins" by Harlan Berk - "The Athenian tetradrachm was widely used in transactions throughout the ancient Greek world for over 200 years. Athens had silver mines in Laroium in state ownership, which provided the bullion. The obverse featured the head of Athena, and the reverse the owl of Athena, the iconographic symbol of the Athenian polis, with a sprig of olive and a crescent for the moon. According to Philochorus, it was known as glaux ('little owl') throughout the ancient world and "owl" to present day numismatists. The vast number of owl-tetradrachms available those days financed several key achievements of Athens (eg, reconstructing the Acropolis, building the Parthenon), and the Peloponnesian War."
|
|
View Coin
| Moesia, Istrus - inverted heads |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) MOESIA, ISTRUS 4th Century BC
|
AR Drachm Moesia, Istrus rv sea-eagle on dolphin obv inverted heads
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
Moesia was an ancient land comprising parts of present-day Bulgaria, Serbia, & Romania. Istrus was a city founded by the Milesean's in 7th century BC located where the Danube flows into the Black Sea. The meaning of the inverted heads on the obverse is unknown: the young men represent two branches of the Danube? Or symbolize the rising and setting sun? Or the Dioscuri? Or the slave trade where Istrus made its money? Or a clever solution allowing rapid coin identification from any angle (since there is no “right” side up). One thing is certain, the design is very unique - there are no other coins with similar designs.
|
|
View Coin
| Pan - Panticapaeum |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) BOSPORUS,PANTICAPAEUM 4th Century BC
|
AE21 Bosporus,panticapaeum rv griffin forepart; fish obv Pan or Silenus(?)
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE". The NGC slab notes the obverse as Pan or Silenus(?), but Harlan Berk's book states it is a satyr as identied by its ass's ears and button nose (Pan has horns & a goat face). Satyrs appear on coins of this region to honor King Satyrus I, who was responsible for the growth and prosperity of the Bosporan kingdom. The Bosporan Kingdom, or Cimmerian Bosporus, was named after the strait connecting the northern coastal Black Sea to the smaller Sea of Azov. The capital, Panticapaeum, was founded on the western side (modern-day Kerch, Crimea) by Milesians sometime in 7th or 6th century BC. It was a prosperous trading port with goods ranging from fish and wheat to slaves. The coin's design is very similar to gold stater included in H.Berk's 100 Greatest Ancient Coin list.
|
|
View Coin
| Kingdom of Macedon - Philip II |
ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) KINGDOM OF MACEDON Philip II, 359-336 BC
|
AR Tetradrachm Kingdom Of Macedon Zeus/youth on horseback early posthumous issue
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
From "100 Greatest Ancient Coins" by Harlan Berk - "The horse on the reverse is one of Philip II's own racehorces that won the race at the Olympic Games. The win proved both the ruler's ability as a horseman and his legitimate Greek pedigree, as only true Greeks were allowed to participate in Olympic Games. Philip II's acceptace as a Greek aided his unification of the Greek city-states."
|
|
View Coin
| Corinth, Corinthia - Pegasus/Athena |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) CORINTHIA, CORINTH 4th Century BC
|
AR Stater Corinthia, Corinth Salton Collection obv Pegasus. rv Athena.
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
Provenance: Mark and Lottie Salton Collection. From "100 Greatest Ancient Coins" by Harlan Berk: "The Athenian tetradrachm was widely used in transactions throughout the ancient Greek world for over 200 years. Athens had silver mines in Laroium in state ownership, which provided the bullion. The vast number of owl-tetradrachms available those days financed several key achievements of Athens (eg, reconstructing the Acropolis, building the Parthenon) as well as the Peloponnesian War. The owl of Athena was the iconographic symbol of the Athenian polis, with a sprig of olive and a crescent for the moon. According to Philochorus, it was known as glaux ('little owl') throughout the ancient world and "owl" to present day numismatists."
|
|
View Coin
| Achaemenid Empire - Persia |
ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ACHAEMENID EMPIRE 5th-4th Centuries BC
|
AR Siglos Achaemenid Empire
|
NGC Ch XF
|
|
|
View Coin
| Aspendos, Pamphylia - wrestlers |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) PAMPHYLIA, ASPENDUS c.325-250 BC
|
AR Stater Pamphylia, Aspendus rv slinger,triskeles,club obv wrestlers
|
NGC Ch AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
Aspendos was one of the earliest cities to mint coins. It began issuing coinage around 500 BC, first staters and later drachmas; "the slinger represents the soldiery for which Aspendus was famous in antiquity, the reverse frequently depicts a triskelion."
|
|
View Coin
| Alexander III |
ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) KINGDOM OF MACEDON Alexander III, 336-323 BC
|
AR Tetradrachm Kingdom Of Macedon obv Heracles. rv Zeus. early posthumous issue
|
NGC Ch AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
|
NGC rated "Fine Style". From Harlan Berk: "Most scholars now believe the portrait on the coin's obverse is that of Alexander the Great, the first conqueror of the known world."
|
|
View Coin
| Man headed bull - Herbessus Sicily |
SICILY, HERBESSUS c.339-325 BC
|
AE Drachm Sicily, Herbessus rv man-headed bull obv Sikelia(?)
|
NGC VF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 3/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE (overstruck)". The NGC slab notes the portrait might be Sikelia, which is the Greek word for Sicily.
|
|
View Coin
| Kingdom of Macedon - Alexander III |
ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) KINGDOM OF MACEDON Alexander III, 336-323 BC
|
AE Unit Kingdom Of Macedon James Lomiento, Jr. Coll. early posthumous issue
|
NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
Provenance: James Lomiento Jr. Collection
|
|
View Coin
| Calabria, Taras |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) CALABRIA, TARAS c.early 3rd Century BC
|
AR Didrachm Calabria, Taras rv Taras(?) on dolphin obv horseman w/buckler
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
From "100 Greatest Ancient Coins" by Harlan Berk - "Legend tells that Taras fell into the sea during a shipwreck and only survived because Poseidon sent a dolphin to carry him to shore. The city of Tarentum was founded where he landed."
|
|
View Coin
| Syracuse, Sicily - Hieron II- Poseidon |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) SICILY, SYRACUSE Hieron II, c.275-215 BC
|
AE22 Sicily, Syracuse
|
NGC Ch XF
|
NGC-rated "FINE STYLE". The coin features a fictionalized profile of Poseidon on the obverse, and his mighty trident flanked by two dolphins on the reverse. Poseidon was one of the twelve Olympian deities in Greek mythology (aka Neptune in Roman myth). He was called the "God of the Sea" because his main domain was the ocean, but also "Earth Shaker" because he caused earthquakes and tidal waves (from striking the earth in anger with his trident), and terrible sea storms (from stirring his trident). In Greek myth, Poseidon used his trident to create water sources and to create horses (he was also known as "tamer of horses"). He is usually depicted as an older male with curly hair and a beard. Many ancient cities depicted Poseidon on their coinage to ensure the God looked favorably on their seafarers.
|
|
View Coin
| Caria, Isle of Rhodes - Helios |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) CARIA, ISL. OF RHODES c.250-230 BC
|
AR Didrachm Caria, Isl. Of Rhodes obv Helios 3/4-facing
|
NGC Ch XF
|
From "100 Greatest Ancient Coins" by Harlan Berk - "Isle of Rhodes was originally 3 colonies that combined in 408 BC to form a new capital named after the island. The new city required a new God, Helios, a sun god often equated to Apollo. The rays of the sun are depicted around Helios' hair on the coin's obverse, and the sun god gazes directly at the observer. The rose on the reverse is the flower which the island is named for, and remains noted for today."
|
|
View Coin
| Ptolemaic Kingdom - Ptolemy III |
ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) PTOLEMAIC KINGDOM Ptolemy III, 246-222 BC
|
AE35 Ptolemaic Kingdom Historical Scholar Coll. obv Zeus-Ammon. rv eagle.
|
NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE". Provenance: Historical Scholar Collection
|
|
View Coin
| Ptolemy IV - Serapis & Isis |
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 XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 2/5
|
NGC Rated "Fine Style". From Heritage Auctions: "Two exceptionally attractive high-relief portraits with medium cabinet toning. Despite the surface grade of 2, this coin has overall satiny surfaces with a few spots of brightness and the look of the coin is akin to aged stone. It's quite appealing in hand."
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Republic - Anonymous |
ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Anonymous, c.211-208 BC
|
AR Victoriatus rv Victory erects trophy 'Q' issue. obv Jupiter.
|
NGC MS Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Thrace, Mesambria |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) THRACE, MESAMBRIA c.175-125 BC
|
AR Tetradrachm Thrace, Mesambria posthumous issue
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
Obverse: Head of Heracles wearing lion skin headress. Reverse: Zeus seated left, holding eagle & scepter; in outer left field, helmet above MA; KO below throne.
|
|
View Coin
| Cappadocia Kingdom - Ariarathes V |
ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) CAPPADOCIAN KINGDOM Ariarathes V,c.163-130 BC
|
AR Drachm Cappadocian Kingdom rv Athena w/Nike. Yr.31. also attr. to Ariarath.IV
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Parthian Kingdom - Mithradates II |
ANCIENT - GREEK EMPIRES (6th CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) PARTHIAN KINGDOM Mithradates II,c.121-91BC
|
AR Drachm Parthian Kingdom obv diademed bust
|
NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
Mithradates II ("The Great") led the Parthian Kingdom (current day Iran) to its zenith extending from Syria & Caucases to Central Asia & India.
|
|
View Coin
| Thracian Islands, Thasos |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) THRACE, ISL. OF THASOS 2nd-1st Centuries BC
|
AR Tetradrachm Thrace, Isl. Of Thasos The Morris Collection obv Dionysus rv Heracles
|
NGC Ch AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
Provenance: The Morris Collection. Dionysus being the god of the grape-harvest, wine making, wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theater, made him one of the more interesting ancient gods.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Republic - men voting |
ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC P.Lic.Nerva, c.113-112 BC
|
AR Denarius The Morris Collection obv Roma. rv men voting
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5
|
Provenance: The Morris Collection. Scholars believe the reverse scene was chosen to celebrate the passing of the lex (law) maria in 119 BC. The law prevented candidates and their supporters from harassing voters as they crossed the narrow bridges on their way to the polls.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Republic - combat scene |
ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC Q.Minucius Thermus M.f.
|
AR Denarius rv combat scene c.103 BC. obv Mars.
|
NGC Ch AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5
|
This coin was minted under the authority of Q. Minucius Thermus M.f., a Roman "moneyer" or private citizen officially permitted to mint coins. It commemorates the brave deeds of his ancestor and namesake, Quintus Minucius Q. f. L. n. Thermus, who was elected consul in 193 and assigned Liguria as his province. From his base in Pisa, he waged war against and ultimately defeated the Ligurians. During this time, he may have won the distinction of Corona Civica, the 2nd highest military award to which a Roman could aspire, by saving the life of a fellow citizen in battle through slaying an enemy - the act depicted on this coin's reverse.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Republic - "rape" of the Sabines |
ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC L.Titur. Sabinus, c.89 BC
|
AR Denarius
|
NGC VF
|
Roman mythology believes that after the founding of Rome there were few women and the continuation of the State was in serious jeopardy because men could not have families. Rome's neighbors, fearing a powerful rival, prevented their women from marrying Roman men. So Romulus, founder of Rome, devised a plan: he prepared an elaborate celebration for Neptune Equester and invited all of Rome's neighbors, including the Sabines. Of course, the Sabines brought their women to the grand affair, but when a signal was given the Roman men arose en masse and carried off the Sabine maidens. Romulus spoke to the indignant Sabine women and offered them property, civil rights, and honorable wedlock, if they would stay of their own free will, which they all decided to do. Outraged over the incident, other tribes went to war with Rome over the abduction but eventually Romulus defeated all of them.
|
|
View Coin
| Pontus, Amisus - Perseus |
ANCIENT - GREEK CIVIC (7th CENT BC - 1st CENT AD) PONTUS, AMISUS c.85-65 BC
|
AE32 Pontus, Amisus ex North River Collection under Mithradates VI
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 5/5
|
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Republic - Hispania |
ANCIENT - ROMAN REPUBLIC (4th CENT BC - 1st CENT BC) ROMAN REPUBLIC A.Post. Albinus, c.81 BC
|
AR Denarius Serratus Historical Scholar Coll. obv Hispania. rv figure
|
NGC Ch AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 5/5
|
Provenance: Historical Scholar Collection
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Provincial - Antioch - Augustus |
ANCIENT - ROMAN PROVINCIAL (2nd CENT BC - 3rd CENT BC) SYRIA, ANTIOCH Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14
|
AR Tetradrachm Syria, Antioch yr.30 & Cos 13 (2/1 BC) rv Tyche and the Orontes
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Augustus |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Augustus, 27 BC-AD 14
|
AE Dupondius rv Caligula std. posthumous under Caligula
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
NGC-rated "FINE STYLE". The obverse is Divis Augustus, the divine Emperor Augustus. Born Gaius Octavian, he became emperor in 44 BC when Julius Caesar was assassinated and his will named Octavian as his adopted son and heir. He was known as Octavian until AD 27 when the Roman people honored him with the name, Augustus. His autocratic regime is known as the principate because he was the princeps, the first citizen, the head of "republican" institution that enabled his autocracy even though many Romans despised it. With unlimited patience, skill, and efficiency, he overhauled every aspect of Roman life and brought durable peace and prosperity to the Greco-Roman world.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Caligula |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Caligula, AD 37-41
|
AE Sestertius Divus Augustus temple Pietas/sacrifice before
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 2/5
|
NGC Rated "FINE STYLE"
|
|
View Coin
| Kings of Commagene - Antiochus IV |
KINGS OF COMMAGENE Antiochus IV, AD 38-72
|
AE21 Kings Of Commagene rv male stg. on prow
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Claudius I |
ROMAN EMPIRE Claudius, AD 41-54
|
AR Cistophorus Roman Empire crowned in distyle temple Ephesus(?). rv Augustus
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
|
NGC "Fine Style"
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Nero - Victory |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Nero, AD 54-68
|
AE As MCCLURE COLLECTION rv Victory hldg. shield
|
NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
NGC-Rated "FINE STYLE". Provenance: Reverend Dr. James G.K. McClure Collection.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Nero - Temple of Janus |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Nero, AD 54-68
|
AE Dupondius rv temple of Janus Rome
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 2/5
|
NGC "Fine Style"
|
|
View Coin
| Nero - Securitas |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Nero, AD 54-68
|
AE Dupondius rv Securitas std.; altar Lugdunum. obv bust left
|
NGC Ch VF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 5/5
|
NGC Rated "FINE STYLE"
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Vespasian |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Vespasian, AD 69-79
|
AE Sestertius The Morris Collection rv Mars advancing
|
NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Vespasian - IVDAEA CAPTA |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Vespasian, AD 69-79
|
AE Sestertius betw. bound Jew & Jewess rv IVDAEA CAPTA palm tree
|
NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE". The famous reverse legend "IVDAEA CAPTA" (translated "Judaea Captured") commemorates the triumph of Vespasian's son, Titus, over the Jewish rebels and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.
|
|
View Coin
| Titus - dolphin & anchor |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Titus, AD 79-81
|
AR Denarius rv dolphin & anchor
|
NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
NGC Rated "FINE STYLE".
The dolphin coiled around anchor on the reverse appears on many Roman coins of this era. The design evokes the Latin phrase, "festina lente", meaning “make haste slowly” or “hasten slowly”, with the dolphin representing “haste” and the anchor “slowly”. Emperor Augustus often chided his military commanders to “hasten slowly” because he considered rashness a very dangerous quality for an officer.
|
|
View Coin
| Domitian - Minerva reverse |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Domitian, AD 81-96
|
AR Denarius The Stagnetto Collection rv Minerva stg.
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
Provenance: The Stagnetto Collection. NGC rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Provincial - Antioch - Nerva |
ANCIENT - ROMAN PROVINCIAL (2nd CENT BC - 3rd CENT BC) SYRIA, ANTIOCH Nerva, AD 96-98
|
AR Tetradrachm Syria, Antioch The Morris Collection yr.1 (AD 96/7). rv eagle.
|
NGC Ch XF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Trajan - Melkart |
ANCIENT - ROMAN PROVINCIAL (2nd CENT BC - 3rd CENT BC) PHOENICIA, TYRE Trajan, AD 98-117
|
AR Tetradrachm Phoenicia, Tyre rv Melkart obv Trajan, eagle & club
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
NGC Rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Hadrian |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Hadrian, AD 117-138
|
AE Sestertius rv Fortuna std.
|
NGC Ch VF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE". Provenance: John A. Seeger Collection.
|
|
View Coin
| Hadrian - saluting on horseback |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Hadrian, AD 117-138
|
AE Sestertius
|
NGC VF
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE light smoothing". Raising the right hand has long been considered a gesture of power and authority. In ancient Rome, it was known as "adlocutio" when the Emperor raised his arm to address a large crowd. The gesture was also used by Roman soldiers as a salute to their leader, a practice copied by militaries through the centuries (particularly the Nazis) and still seen today in the modern military salute.
|
|
View Coin
| Hadrian - galley |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Hadrian, AD 117-138
|
AE Sestertius rv galley obv left facing bust
|
NGC XF Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
|
NGC rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Antoninus Pius - Libertas |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Antoninus Pius,AD 138-161
|
AE Dupondius
|
NGC Ch VF
|
NGC-rated "FINE STYLE".
|
|
View Coin
| Faustina Sr. |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Faustina Sr.,AD 138-140/1
|
AR Denarius ex Stack's (5/24/89), 278 posthumous issue
|
NGC Ch AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
|
Faustina Senior (aka, Annia Galeria Faustina the Elder) was a Roman empress and wife of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius. The emperor loved her so dearly he wrote of her, "I would rather live with her on Gyara (an island of exile) than without her in the palace in Rome." Sadly, Faustina Sr. died just two years into his 23 year reign. At his request, the Senate deified her and he minted a massive series of commemorative coins in her honor. This is one such coin.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Marcus Aurelius |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Mar. Aurelius, AD 161-180
|
AR Denarius shield on palm tree rv Victory w/VIC PAR
|
NGC AU Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
|
This coin commemorates the Roman victory in the war with the Parthian Empire over Armenia and Upper Mesopotamia in 161-166 AD. Althougth the Romans won the war, their returning army brought back a pandemic known as the Antonine Plague. The plague significantly depopulated the entire Roman Empire.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Empire - Diva Faustina Junior |
ANCIENT - ROMAN EMPIRE (1st CENT BC - 5th CENT AD) ROMAN EMPIRE Faustina Jr.,AD 147-175/6
|
AE Sestertius posthumous issue
|
NGC VF
|
Marcus Aurelius grieved much for his wife, Diva Faustina Junior, and buried her in the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome. She was deified: her statue was placed in the Temple of Venus in Rome and a temple was dedicated to her in her honor. The reverse of this coin depicts her apotheosis as her reclining on a peacock flying to the heavens with a scepter in her hand.
|
|
View Coin
| Roman Provincial, Syria - Septimus Severus |
ANCIENT - ROMAN PROVINCIAL (2nd CENT BC - 3rd CENT BC) SYRIA, ANTIOCH Sept. Severus, AD 193-211
|
BI Tetradrachm Syria, Antioch wreath in beak rv eagle on animal leg,
|
NGC Ch AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 5/5
|
From English Heritage, "Lucius Septimius Severus (AD 145–211) was born in what is now Libya and became Roman emperor in AD 193 after a ruthless campaign against his rivals. He rose from relative mediocrity to start a new dynasty and his tenure as emperor was characterised by battling usurpers and brutal military campaigns in Parthia and Britain."
|
|