NORTH AFRICA

Apollo to Apollo Collection

North Africa, Carthage AV 1/10 Stater. Circa 350-320 BC. Palm tree with two date-clusters / Head of horse to right. Jenkins & Lewis Group III, 136155; CNP 239; MAA 8; SNG Copenhagen 133. 0.80g, 9mm, 9h.

Good Extremely Fine; well-centered, a wonderful example.

From the Apollo to Apollo Collection.

North Africa, Carthage AR 2/3 Shekel. Circa 300 BC. Head of Tanit-Persephone to left, wearing wreath of barley ears, single pendant earring and necklace / Horse standing to right on ground line, head reverted to left; Punic ‘ayin below. CNP 102a; MAA 37 (3/4 shekel ?); SNG Copenhagen 143; Müller 114; cf. ACIP 576-7 (Spanish mint). 5.24g, 19mm, 12h.

Near Extremely Fine; attractive light cabinet tone. Extremely Rare.

From a private European collection.

North Africa, Carthage AR Shekel. Circa 300-260 BC. Head of Tanit-Persephone to left, wearing wreath of barley ears, single pendant earring and necklace / Horse standing to right, head to left; palm tree to left in background, star to right. CNP 166a; MAA 36; Jenkins-Lewis pl. 26, 16; SNG Copenhagen 141. 7.56g, 20mm, 2h.

Extremely Fine; lustrous metal, lightly toned.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Live Auction 5, 27 September 2022, lot 138.

North Africa, Carthage AR Shekel. Circa 264-241 BC. Head of Tanit-Persephone to left, wearing wreath of barley ears, triple pendant earring and necklace / Horse standing to right, head to left. CNP 87; MAA 42; SNG Copenhagen 187. 7.44g, 22mm, 12h.

Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 93, 6 January 2022, lot 61 (misdescribed, professionally conserved since).

74.

North Africa, Carthage AR 1½ Shekel. Uncertain Iberian mint (Carthago Nova?), circa 237-227 BC. Laureate head to left (Melqart or Hasdrubal), with club over right shoulder / Elephant to right. CNP 445; MHC, Class III, 43 (O28/R42); ACIP 554; AB 486. 11.12g, 24mm, 12h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare.

From a private European collection.

In 237 BC Hamilcar Barca, after having lost the First Punic War against Rome, but having won the Mercenary War against the Libyans, disembarked at Gadir with a Carthaginian expedition with the purpose of ‘re-establishing Carthaginian authority in Iberia’ (Polybios, Histories, 2.1.6), and within 9 years he had expanded the territory of Carthage well into the Iberian Peninsula, securing control of the southern mining district of Baetica and Sierra Morena, before dying in battle in 228. Hamilcar was succeeded by his son-in-law Hasdrubal the Fair who expanded the new province by skilful diplomacy and consolidated it with the foundation of Akra Leuka, Mahon and finally in 227, Qart Hadasht (Latin: Carthago Nova) as his capital, literally meaning ‘new city’ and identical in name to Carthage itself. It was founded on the site of a town named Mastia which was chosen as it possessed one of the best harbours in the western Mediterranean, thus enabling it to serve as the primary port and capital city of the Barcid dominion in Spain.

This bold type has been dated to the early period of Hasdrubal’s command in Spain; in contrast to the coinage attributed to Hamilcar, this type makes no reference to the traditional naval power of Carthage, instead adopting the African elephant as the reverse type. Evidently not a war-elephant (note the absence of either a mahout or a fighting tower) it is perhaps best interpreted as a symbol of Carthage or Barcid power in general. Indeed it is known that Hasdrubal favoured diplomacy and the demanding of hostages to further expand his influence in Spain; the club-wielding Herakles-Melqart implies the threat of force rather than its open display.

Though Robinson (Essays Mattingly) interpreted the beardless head of Melqart on this coin as bearing the features of Hannibal Barca, the dating of the issue (as per Villaronga, MHC) suggests it is more likely to be Hasdrubal, if indeed an individual commander’s likeness is shown.

North Africa, Carthage AR Shekel. Time of Hannibal. Carthago Nova, circa 218-206 BC. Bare male head (Hannibal?) to left / Horse to right, palm tree behind. CNH 74; ACIP 614. 5.96g, 21mm, 12h.

Good Very Fine. Very Rare.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Live Auction 4, 29 November 2018, lot 74.

This coin is conventionally believed to carry the portrait of Hannibal on the obverse.

Hasdrubal ably succeeded his father-in-law in expanding the family’s territory in Spain and power over the local tribes, but was assassinated in 221 BC. He was succeeded by Hamilcar’s oldest son, Hannibal Barca, who was now of sufficient age to command the Carthaginian military forces, and who wasted little time in aggressively expanding Carthaginian influence over the surrounding regions. Barely two years later, Hannibal’s army would besiege Saguntum and massacre the population.

The wholesale slaughter of this Roman ally’s population, and the arrogance with which the Roman ambassadors sent to Carthage to seek redress were met, led directly to the Second Punic War: the great statesman Quintus Fabius, speaking to the Carthaginian senate, gathered a fold of his toga to his chest and held it out, saying ‘Here, we bring you peace and war. Take which you will.’ The Carthaginians replied ‘Whichever you please - we do not care.’ Fabius let the fold drop and proclaimed ‘We give you war.’

Mint State

1 (forthcoming). 3.37g, 20mm, 12h.

Mint State; a wonderful example of this highly desirable issue.

Acquired from Stack’s Bowers Galleries (& Ponterio); Ex New York collection.

3,300