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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Roman Coins| ▸ |Roman Rarities||View Options:   | | | |
"ANTIOCHIA (Antakya, Turkey - 36°12'N, 36°10'E), founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC, lies on the Orontes River about 15 miles from the sea. Named after Nicator's father, it served as a Seleucid capital until the Armenians took it in 83 BC. The Romans gained it in 66 BC and made it the capital of Syria. It struck a large local coinage, but aside from strikes for Vespasian, Hadrian, and Niger its imperial activity began about 217 and ended under the Byzantines in 610. Although sacked by the Sassanians in 253, it became an imperial residence during the Tetrarchy, and finally passed into the Byzantine Empire." - Moneta Historical Research by Tom SchroerSH35421. Billon follis, Bastien, NC 1973, pp. 87 - 97, VF, weight 3.590 g, maximum diameter 23.7 mm, die axis 330o, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, 317 or 318 A.D.; obverse DD NN IOVII LICINII INVICT AVG ET CAES (Domini Nostri Iovii Licinii Invicti Augustus et Caesar), confronted busts of Licinius I and II, holding trophy of arms between them; reverse I O M ET VIRTVTI DD NN AVG ET CAES (Iovi Optimo Maximo Virtuti Domini Nostri Augustus et Caesar), Jupiter standing facing to the right of trophy of captured arms with two bound captives at base, Jupiter nude except for cloak over shoulder and holds long scepter in left hand, SMATS in exergue; extremely rare; SOLD
Caligula, 16 March 37 - 24 January 41 A.D., Agrippina Senior Reverse
Caius Caesar was born in 12 A.D., the son of Germanicus and Agrippina Sr. He was nicknamed Caligula, meaning "little boots," by the legions because as a child his mother dressed him in military uniforms (including little boots). Initially, he was very popular, succeeding Tiberius in 37 A.D. and for a few brief months ruling very well. However, an unknown disease drove him mad and his reign soon degenerated into debauchery and murder. He was murdered by the Praetorian Guard in 41 A.D.SL113455. Silver denarius, RIC I 14 (Rome), RSC II Caligula and Agrippina 2; BMCRE I 15 (Rome), BnF II 24, Hunter I 7 (Rome), SRCV I 1825, ANACS VF20 (4915709), weight 3.59 g, maximum diameter 17.3 mm, die axis 180o, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, end of 37 - early 38 A.D.; obverse C CAESAR AVG GERM P M TR POT (counterclockwise), laureate head of Gaius right; reverse AGRIPPINA MAT C CAES AVG GERM (counterclockwise), draped bust of Agrippina Senior (his mother), her hair in a queue behind, one curly lock falls loose on the side of her neck; from a Virginia Collector; ex Eastern Numismatics Inc. (Garden City, NY, 19 Aug 2010, $4250); ANACS| Verify; rare; $5000.00 (€4700.00)
Claudius, 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 A.D., Ephesos, Ionia
In 30/29 B.C., the Koinon of Asia and Bithynia requested permission to honor the Augustus as a living god. "Republican" Rome despised the worship of a living man, but an outright refusal might offend their loyal allies. A cautious formula was drawn up, non-Romans could establish cults and build temples for divus Augustus jointly with dea Roma. Communitas Asiae (Community of Asia) was pro-consular Roman province comprised of Lydia, Iconia, Caria, Mysia, Phrygia, and Hellespontus.SL113456. Silver cistophorus, RPC Online I 2221, RIC I 120 (R3, Pergamon), RSC II 3, BMCRE I 228, SRCV I 1838, NGC F, strike 5/5, surface 3/5 (2400265-002), weight 10.53 g, maximum diameter 26 mm, die axis 180o, probably Ephesos (near Selçuk, Turkey) mint, 41 - 42 A.D.; obverse TI CLAVD CAES AVG, bare head left; reverse Temple of Roma and Augustus, two columns, podium with four steps, within temple Augustus and Roma stand facing, Augustus in military garb with spear in right hand and shield in left, Fortuna crowns him with wreath in right hand and holds cornucopia in left hand, ROM ET AVG (Roma and Augustus) on entablature, COM - ASI (Communitas Asiae) across field at center; from a Virginia Collector, ex Eastern Numismatics Inc. (Garden City, NY, 17 Jan 2013, $1695); NGC| Lookup; very rare; $1700.00 (€1598.00)
Antoninus Pius, August 138 - 7 March 161 A.D.
Liberalitas coin types attest to occasions when the emperor has displayed his generosity towards the people by a distribution to them of money, provisions, or both. The first mention of Liberalitas was on coins of Hadrian. It was a type frequently repeated by the succeeding emperors. Indeed these instances of imperial generosity are more carefully recorded on coins than they are by history. Liberality is personified by the image of a woman, holding in one hand a counting board, or square tablet with a handle on which are cut a certain number of holes. These boards were used to quickly count the proper number of coins or other items for distribution to each person. In the other hand she holds a cornucopia, to indicate the prosperity of the state and the abundance of wheat contained in the public granaries.SL113467. Silver denarius, RIC III 237 (R); RSC II 518; BMCRE IV p. 119, 821; Strack III 273; Hunter II -; SRCV II -, NGC Ch MS, strike 5/5, surface 5/5 (2400906-011), weight 3.35 g, maximum diameter 18 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 153 - 154 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVII, laureate bust right; reverse LIBERALITAS VII COS IIII, Antoninus standing slightly left, bare head (with recognizable portrait!) left, togate, coin counting board in right hand, roll in left hand; from a Virginia Collector, ex Eastern Numismatics Inc. (Garden City, NY, 20 Dec 2010, $1650); NGC| Lookup; rare; $1650.00 (€1551.00)
Claudius, 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 A.D., Roman Egypt
RPC I quotes Walker’s surface analysis of Claudius billon at 21 - 26% silver, a significant drop from the 30% silver for those of Tiberius.
The ancients did not all agree on the attributes of Serapis. A passage in Tacitus affirms that many recognized in this god, Aesculapius, imputing healing to his intervention; some thought him identical with Osiris, the oldest deity of the Egyptians; others regarded him as Jupiter, possessing universal power; but by most he was believed to be the same as Pluto, the "gloomy" Dis Pater of the infernal regions. The general impression of the ancients seems to have been that by Serapis, was to be understood the beginning and foundation of things. Julian II consulted the oracle of Apollo for the purpose of learning whether Pluto and Serapis were different gods; and he received for an answer that Jupiter-Serapis and Pluto were one and the same divinity.SH110653. Billon drachm, RPC I 5136 (4 spec.); BMC Alexandria p. 10, 78; Kampmann 12.25; Emmett 76/3 (R4); Geissen -; Dattari -; SNG Hunterian -, F, dark patina, earthen deposits, scratches, porosity, weight 3.330 g, maximum diameter 16.0 mm, die axis 0o, Alexandria mint, 42 - 43 A.D.; obverse TI KΛ KA CE AY, laureate head right, L Γ (year 3) right; reverse draped bust of Serapis right, kalathos on head; the best of this type known to FORVM; very rare; $1000.00 (€940.00)
Vitellius, 2 January - 20 December 69 A.D.
This variant with a bare-headed portrait and GERMANICVS shortened to GERMAN is unpublished in the references and missing from the collections examined by FORVM. It is missing from the ANS collection. We know of two other specimens from auction records on Coin Archives.SL115013. Silver denarius, RIC I 73 var.; RSC II 20 var.; Hunter I 3 var. ; BMCRE I 7 var., BnF III 38 var. (all with laureate head right), NGC F (6710501-002), weight c. 3.2 g, maximum diameter 17.0 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, c. late Apr - Jul 69 A.D.; obverse A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP TR P, bare head right; reverse CONCORDIA P R (harmony with the people of Rome), Concordia seated left, patera in right hand, cornucopia in left hand; ex Stack's Bowers World CCO Auction (26 Feb 2024), lot 74103; NGC| Lookup; extremely rare; $680.00 (€639.20)
Trajan, 25 January 98 - 8 or 9 August 117 A.D., Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria
Herakles is depicted wearing the Nemean lion skin around his neck. The first of Herakles' twelve labors, set by his cousin King Eurystheus, was to slay the Nemean lion and bring back its skin. Herakles discovered arrows and his club were useless against it because its golden fur was impervious to mortal weapons. Its claws were sharper than swords and could cut through any armor. Herakles stunned the beast with his club and, using his immense strength, strangled it to death. During the fight, the lion bit off one of his fingers. After slaying the lion, he tried to skin it with a knife but failed. Wise Athena, noticing the hero's plight, told him to use one of the lion's own claws to skin the pelt.RP114280. Silver tetradrachm, RPC Online III 3536, McAlee 459 (rare), Wruck 156, Prieur 1514, VF, centered, double struck, areas of mild porosity, edge cracks, weight 14.051 g, maximum diameter 25.8 mm, die axis 180o, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, 109 - 110 A.D.; obverse AVTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANOC CEB ΓEPM ΔAK (Imperator Caesar Nerva Trajanus Augustus Germanicus Dacicus), laureate head right, club left below, eagle at point of bust standing right with wings closed; reverse ΔHMAPX - EΞ IΔ YΠAT E (tribunicia potestate XIV, consul VI), laureate bust of Melqart-Herakles right, Nemean lion-skin around neck, tied at front; first specimen of this type handled by FORVM; rare; $400.00 (€376.00)
Trajan, 25 January 98 - 8 or 9 August 117 A.D., Arabian Tridrachm Series, "Rome" Style
In a 1997 book review in the Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau (SNR), Kevin Butcher agreed with William Metcalf that the Greek inscribed silver "coinage of Trajan dated to his sixth consulship" is part of the "Rome style" club. He goes on to write, "The existence of this Rome style coinage in the eastern provinces caused great confusion in the past, with a whole series of coins which we now know belong to Syria, Arabia and Cyrenaica being given to Caesarea by Sydenham. It is largely thanks to M.'s [Metcalf's] work on Caesarea and the Arabian coinage that most of the issues have been reattributed away from Caesarea. The source of confusion was the stylistic similarity of all of these groups, because they are all in the style of the Rome mint." Just how involved Rome was in the minting of these coin groups is still a mystery. Its complexity is suggested by a probable Rome style Arabian drachm of Trajan (RPC III 4075) overstruck on a Nabatean drachm. See FORVM RS113121 for an example!RY114286. Silver tridrachm, RPC Online III 4062A (5 spec.), Woytek Cistophore A1h.1, Ganschow X14d, cf. Metcalf Tell Kalak 8-10 (diff. busts), Sydenham Caesarea 224-226 (same), gVF, great centering, fine style obv. showcasing a high point in Roman imperial portraiture, patch of roughness on neck, otherwise smooth surfaces, mild die wear, weight 10.575 g, maximum diameter 25.1 mm, die axis 180o, struck for use in Arabia by Rome or Arabian mint, "Tr Pot Cos VI" issue, 112 - 114 A.D.; obverse AYTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANOC CEB ΓEPM ΔAK, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from front; reverse ΔHMAPX EΞ YΠATO ϛ (holder of Tribunician power, consul six times), two standards (signa) flanking an aquila with wreath atop left standard and hand atop right standard; Published in RPC Online III (#4 = this coin!); very rare; $400.00 (€376.00)
Marcus Aurelius, 7 March 161 - 17 March 180 A.D., Mostene, Lydia
Mostene, in ancient Lydia, prospered in Roman and Byzantine eras. There is debate, based on a line in Tacitus, over whether Mostene was a Macedonian colony or a native Lydian city. In 17 A.D. the city was hit by an earthquake and was assisted by relief from Tiberius.RP113182. Bronze AE 35, Apparently unpublished; GRPC Lydia -, RPC Online IV -, F, dark green patina, earthen deposits, marks, pit lower right, weight 21.592 g, maximum diameter 35.3 mm, die axis 180o, Mostene (Kepecik, Turkey) mint, c. 161 - 162 A.D.; obverse AVT K M AVPH ANTΩNEINOC, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse EΠI AΛEΞANΔPOY APX ΛYΔ MOCTHNΩN (authority of Alexandros, archon, Mostene), Demeter, holding grain and torch?; from the Michael Arslan Collection, ex Solidus auction 123 (25 Jul 2023), lot 359 (part of); the only known specimen; extremely rare; $250.00 (€235.00)
Trajan, 25 January 98 - 8 or 9 August 117 A.D., Arabian Tridrachm Series, "Rome" Style
In a 1997 book review in the Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau (SNR), Kevin Butcher agreed with William Metcalf that the Greek inscribed silver "coinage of Trajan dated to his sixth consulship" is part of the "Rome style" club. He goes on to write, "The existence of this Rome style coinage in the eastern provinces caused great confusion in the past, with a whole series of coins which we now know belong to Syria, Arabia and Cyrenaica being given to Caesarea by Sydenham. It is largely thanks to M.'s [Metcalf's] work on Caesarea and the Arabian coinage that most of the issues have been reattributed away from Caesarea. The source of confusion was the stylistic similarity of all of these groups, because they are all in the style of the Rome mint." Just how involved Rome was in the minting of these coin groups is still a mystery. Its complexity is suggested by a probable Rome style Arabian drachm of Trajan (RPC III 4075) overstruck on a Nabatean drachm. See FORVM RS113121 for an example!RY114287. Silver tridrachm, RPC Online III 4062A (5 spec.), Woytek Cistophore A1h.1, Ganschow X14d, cf. Metcalf Tell Kalak 8-10 (diff. busts), Sydenham Caesarea 224-226 (same), aVF, fine style obv. showcasing a high point in Roman imperial portraiture, smooth surfaces, flow lines, light marks, rev. strike weak, weight 10.423 g, maximum diameter 23.9 mm, die axis 195o, struck for use in Arabia by Rome or Arabian mint, "Tr Pot Cos VI" issue, 112 - 114 A.D.; obverse AYTOKP KAIC NEP TPAIANOC CEB ΓEPM ΔAK, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from front; reverse ΔHMAPX EΞ YΠATO ϛ (holder of Tribunician power, consul six times), two standards (signa) flanking an aquila with wreath atop left standard and hand atop right standard; Published in RPC Online III (#5 = this coin!); very rare; $250.00 (€235.00)
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