Best pedigree is a nice addition to the stats.
Two old
pedigree coins:
RRC 146/1
Autronia, ex
collection of Algernon Percy, fourth Duke of
Northumberland 1847-1865, as catalogued by Admiral
Henry Smyth in 1856; this actual coin described, with confirmatory
weight, in the
catalogue. A very
rare coin
type.
RRC 438/1, Servius Sulpicius, ex so-called Gonzaga
collection, more likely d'Este
collection, from 1500s or 1600s. The remnants of where there was a small
eagle on an inlay stamp can be seen on the
obverse in front of the
face (the inlay having come off over time). I've considered replacing this coin with a better condition example, but there's no call for it as despite some honest wear the design is clear and the historical connections add value.
Text from
CNG69
The silver
eagle collector's mark found on the
obverse of this and a number of other
Roman imperial coins has generated much speculation regarding its owner. Originating with
Cavedoni (Atti e Memorie Accademia di Scienze, Lettere, ed Arti [1825]), who based
his assumptions on an earlier statement of Maffei and the vague assertion of
Eckhel, this mark was assigned to the d'Este family, a wealthy and powerful Renaissance family from the Emilia-Romana region of
Italy, whose badge included an
eagle. Such an
attribution contradicted earlier numismatists, including Spanheim (Dissertationes de praestantia et usu Numismatum antiquorum [1717]), who asserted it was the mark of the Gonzagas, the rulers of Mantua, a city with an important ancient
Roman connection (it
had been the poet Vergil's birthplace). In 1433, the Holy
Roman Emperor Sigismund granted Gian Francesco Gonzaga (1395-1444), the first Marquis, with the privilege of new coat-of-arms, which contained an imperial
eagle badge. This device was included on the town's silver coinage for the next two centuries.