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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Types| ▸ |Nude or Erotic||View Options:   | | | The ancients had a grand appreciation for the beauty of the human body and a rather bawdy view of sexuality. |
In 215, Caracalla introduced the double denarius, or antoninianus. The weight of the new denomination was less than that of two denarii. The orichalcum and copper coinage disappeared gradually, and by the middle of the third century, with Rome's economy in crisis, the antoninianus was the only official currency.SH53592. Silver denarius, RIC IV 258(c) (S); RSC III 279b; BMCRE VI p. 453, 114; Hunter III 32; SRCV II 6836, FDC, sharp, fine style, mirror luster, perfect centering, weight 3.231 g, maximum diameter 19.7 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 215 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS PIVS AVG GERM, laureate head right; reverse P M TR P XVIII COS IIII P P (high priest, holder of Tribunitian power for 18 years, consul for the 4th time, father of the country), Jupiter standing right, nude but for cloak over left shoulder, thunderbolt at side in right hand, long scepter vertical in left hand; ex H. S. Perlin Co. (1989); SOLD
Herakleia, Lucania, Italy, c. 281 - 278 B.C.
SH35572. Silver nomos, HN Italy 1400, EF, weight 6.466 g, maximum diameter 20.6 mm, die axis 180o, Herakleia mint, obverse head of Athena right, wearing crested Corinthian helmeted decorated with Skylla hurling stone, EY behind, I below, [AΛΕ] above; reverse HPAKΛHIΩN, Herakles standing left, club in right hand, bow in left, Nemean lion skin draped over left arm, owl in left field, ethnic right; toned, fine style; SOLD
Macedonian Kingdom, Demetrius I Poliorketes, 306 - 283 B.C.
Demetrios was called Poliorcetes, "The Besieger" for his creative siege engines including a battering ram 180 feet long requiring 1000 men and a wheeled siege tower named "Helepolis" (or "Taker of Cities") which stood 125 feet tall and 60 feet wide, weighing 360,000 pounds.SH21618. Silver tetradrachm, Newell p. 82, 72 and pl. VII, 2; S 6762 var, VF, weight 17.048 g, maximum diameter 26.86 mm, die axis 0o, Macedonia, Pella mint, c. 294 - 291 B.C; obverse Nike atop prow of galley left, blowing trumpet and holds stylis; reverse ΔHMHTPIOY / BA-ΣIΛE-ΩΣ, Poseidon stands left, naked save chlamys over extended left arm, about to hurl trident with right, Δ left, monograms right; SOLD
Roman Republic, L. Cornelius Lentulus and C. Claudius Marcellus, For Pompey the Great, 49 B.C.
Lentulus and Marcellus, the consuls for 49 B.C., were exiled by Caesar upon his war with Pompey. This coin was struck by a mobile military mint in Pompey's camp, possibly in Sicily but more likely in Greece, under the name of the two consuls.SH30342. Silver denarius, Crawford 445/1b, BMCRR Sicily 1, Sydenham 1029, RSC I Cornelia 64a, SRCV I 414, EF, weight 4.067 g, maximum diameter 17.4 mm, die axis 0o, Pompeian military mint, obverse triskeles, head of Medusa in center, grain-ears between legs; reverse LENT MAR COS (consules), Jupiter standing half-right, thunderbolt in right, eagle in left; scarce; SOLD
Aspendos, Pamphylia, c. 465 - 430 B.C.
In 467 B.C. the Athenian statesman and military commander Cimon, and his fleet of 200 ships, destroyed the Persian navy based at the mouth of the river Eurymedon in a surprise attack. In order to crush to Persian land forces, he tricked the Persians by sending his best fighters ashore wearing the garments of the hostages he had seized earlier. When they saw these men, the Persians thought that they were compatriots freed by the enemy and arranged festivities in celebration. Taking advantage of this, Cimon landed and annihilated the Persians. Aspendos then became a member of the Attic-Delos Maritime league.GS87795. Silver stater, Apparently unpublished variant; cf. SNG BnF 1; SNGvA 4477; SNG Cop 153; SNG Delepierre 2811; BMC Lycia p. 93, 1, VF, exceptional style, centered, tight flan (typical for the type), light marks, weight 10.609 g, maximum diameter 18.3 mm, Aspendos (Serik, Turkey) mint, c. 465 - 430 B.C.; obverse nude warrior advancing right, wearing crested helmet, shield on left arm, spear in right hand; reverse triskeles of human legs counterclockwise, within an incuse square, no ethnic, no control symbol; CNG recently sold an example from the same dies, e-auction 429 (26 Sep 2018), lot 167, for $2500 plus fees; they described their specimen as "Unpublished in the standard references. VF. Exceptionally powerful and artistic warrior for series. Extremely rare."; SOLD
Roman Republic, Dictatorship of Julius Caesar, L. Plautius Plancus, 47 B.C.
In the spring of 47 B.C. Caesar and Cleopatra celebrated their victory in the Alexandrine civil war with a triumphant procession on the Nile.
Among the most beautiful of all Roman coin types, both the obverse and reverse designs were popular designs for intaglio engraved gems during the Late Republic. SH42465. Silver denarius, Crawford 453/1a, BMCRR Rome 4004, Russo RBW 1583, RSC I Plautia 15, Sydenham 959, Sear Imperators 29, SRCV I 429, gVF, choice for the type, weight 4.028 g, maximum diameter 19.1 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, dictatorship of Julius Caesar, 47 B.C.; obverse facing head (mask?) of Medusa with disheveled hair, snakes for hoop earrings, L·PLAVTIVS below; reverse winged Aurora flying right, head turned facing, holding reins and conducting the four horses of the sun, wreath on palm frond in left hand, PLANCVS below; a masterpiece reverse design - well struck in magnificent style; SOLD
Aspendos, Pamphylia, c. 325 - 250 B.C.
Aspendos is about 40 km east of Antalya, Turkey about 16 km inland on the Eurymedon River. In 546 B.C. it fell to Persia. After a Persian defeat in 467, the city joined the Attic-Delos Maritime League. Persia took it again in 411 B.C., Alexander in 333 B.C., and Rome in 190 B.C. Although often subject to powerful empires, the city usually retained substantial autonomy.SH38438. Silver stater, SNG Cop 240 var. (EΣTFEΔIY), aEF, toned, weight 10.419 g, maximum diameter 24.7 mm, die axis 0o, Aspendos (Serik, Turkey) mint, obverse two wrestlers, the left one holds the wrist of his opponent with his right, E between their legs; reverse EΣTFΔIY (sic), slinger, wearing short chiton, discharging sling to right, O between legs, triskeles clockwise over upright club on right; SOLD
Seleukid Kingdom, Antiochus I Soter, 281 - 261 B.C.
Antiochus faced a formidable task holding the empire together. Revolt broke out in Syria almost immediately after his father's death. He earned the title Soter (savior) for victory over hordes of Gauls that attacked Anatolia. Elsewhere, he had little success. He was forced to abandon Macedonia, Thrace, Bithynia, and Cappadocia and to execute his eldest son for rebellion.GS82667. Silver tetradrachm, Houghton-Lorber I 379(6)c, Newell ESM 177, Meydancikkale 2929, HGC 9 128g, Choice gVF, attractive style, well centered and struck, dark toning, marks, edge bumps, weight 17.101 g, maximum diameter 29.6 mm, die axis 0o, Seleukeia on the Tigris (south of Baghdad, Iraq) mint, c. 263 - 261 B.C.; obverse diademed head right, eyes to heaven; reverse Apollo seated left on omphalos, nude but for drapery over right thigh, examining arrow in right hand, resting left hand on grounded bow, BAΣIΛΕΩΣ downward on left, ANT-IOXOY complex monograms outer left and outer right; SOLD
Roman Republic, Q. Pomponius Musa, c. 66 B.C., Eroto, the Muse of Erotic Poetry on Reverse
The reverse is a punning reference to the name of the moneyer. He struck coins for each of the nine muses, and Hercules, as their leader, presumably modeled after a group of statues. Each of the muses is indicated by a different obverse symbol. Eroto was not the "Muse of Pornography." She was rather the inspiration of poets such as Ovid. His poetry has literary value, but he was banished by Augustus, partly because of his smutty poetry, but also because of his adultery with the Emperor's daughter Julia. In Victorian England, this type was attributed to Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance. They assigned the tortoise symbol to Terpsichore. They assigned the flower stalk found on this coin to both Eroto and to Terpsichore, depending on the reverse. Under this scheme only the Muse of Dance had two obverse symbols and only Eroto shared her symbol with another muse. Seven of the muses were about equally distributed, but Eroto was considerably rarer, and Terpsichore about twice as common as any other Muse. Victorian sensibilities about sex may have allowed numismatists to decide that Erotic Poetry should be very, very rare. By comparison, the Romans saw Eroto as "just another Muse." Her coins should be about as common as the others. Today we are convinced each of the nine obverse symbols represents only one muse.SH16472. Silver denarius, Sydenham 820a, RSC I Pomponia 17a, Crawford 410/7b, SRCV I 358, gVF, beautifully toned with iridescent blues, slightly flat in centers, weight 3.810 g, maximum diameter 18.7 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 66 B.C.; obverse laureate head of Apollo right, flower stalk behind; reverse Q POMPONI MVSA, Eroto, the Muse of Erotic Poetry (previously described as Terpsichore), standing right, plectrum in right hand, kithara (lyre) in left hand; ex Dr. Charles L. Ruby collection, ex CNG; SOLD
Aspendos, Pamphylia, 400 - 300 B.C.
Aspendos has the best-preserved theater of antiquity, with seating for 7,000. It was built in 155, during the rule of Marcus Aurelius, by the Greek architect Zenon, a native of the city. The Seljuqs used it as a caravansary and in the 13th century converted the stage building into a palace. Until recently the theater was still used for concerts, festivals and events, but shows are no longer allowed due to damage caused by modern theatrical equipment. A new facility has been constructed nearby to continue the tradition of open air theater in Aspendos.SH21676. Silver stater, SNG Cop 228, SNGvA 4566, gVF, weight 10.942 g, maximum diameter 21.9 mm, die axis 0o, Aspendos (Serik, Turkey) mint, 370 - 333 B.C.; obverse two wrestlers, the left one holds the wrist of his opponent with his right and right forearm with his left hand, AΦ between their legs; reverse EΣTΦEΔIIYΣ on left upward, slinger, wearing short chiton, discharging sling to right, triskeles on right with feet counterclockwise, in square of dots, no trace of incuse; SOLD
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