Extremely Rare

Cnaeus Pompeius Magnus AR Denarius. M. Minatius Sabinus, proquaestor. Corduba, 46-45 BC. CN•MAGN IMP, bare head of imperator to right / Corduba city-goddess standing to right, raising hand to greet Pompeian soldier, another city-goddess kneeling to left, presenting soldier with shield, PR•Q upwards to left; M•MINAT SABI in two lines in exergue. Crawford 470/1b; CRI 52; BMCRR Spain 80; ACIP 4013; RSC Minatia 3 and Pompeia 12.

NGC graded Ch XF 4/5 - 3/5 (#5872212-001). Extremely Rare.

Ex WTR Collection, Heritage World Coin Auctions, NYINC Signature Sale 3097, 10 January 2022, lot 30058.

The eldest son of Pompey Magnus, Cnaeus Pompeius (also commonly referred to as Pompey Junior) and his brother Sextus grew up in the long shadow of their father’s fame as the greatest general of his age. The elder Pompey had seemed to hold the whole Roman world in the palm of his hand, yet in the struggle for mastery of the Republic against his former friend and ally Caesar, Pompey was forced to abandon Italy with his family, and was utterly undone at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC.

Defeated, Pompey and his family took flight to Egypt where the general believed they would be safe, since the boy king Ptolemy XIII was indebted to the friendship and the help Pompey had given to his father. Upon their arrival in Egypt however, Pompey was treacherously murdered by a former comrade on the orders of the Egyptian king, who had been advised that this would forestall further civil war, and ingratiate him with Caesar. Stabbed to death by sword and daggers, his head severed and his unclothed body thrown into the sea, Pompey died the day after his sixtieth birthday. Horrified, his family put back out to sea.

Cnaeus and Sextus joined the remainder of the resistance to Caesar in Africa, and after the defeat at Thapsus the brothers escaped to the Balearic islands, whence they crossed over to the Spanish mainland with Titus Labienus, a former lieutenant of Caesar. Struck at Corduba, which became the Pompeian military headquarters, this coin is laden with symbolism. The reverse is as imaginative and unusual as any reverse in the Republican series, and propagandises the welcome received by the brothers in Spain, which readily provided them with the means with which to continue the fight against Caesar. The obverse bears the first securely datable portrait of their dead father Pompey Magnus, whose success in bringing the Sertorian War to a close in 71 BC would still have been remembered in Spain. The legend names ‘Cnaeus Magnus Imperator’, a pious statement that the authority behind the striking of this coinage is that of the wronged and murdered Pompey Magnus, on whose behalf the resistance to Caesar was taken up by his son. This coin must have been struck only shortly before the Pompeian and Caesarean armies met on 17 March 45 BC; the extreme rarity of the issue argues for a limited production run. At the Battle of Munda, some 70,000 troops commanded by Cnaeus, Sextus, and Titus Labienus met Caesar’s battlehardened veteran force of 40,000. The result of the contest was a decisive victory for Caesar; Labienus was killed along with around 30,000 Pompeian troops, and the brothers Cnaeus and Sextus were once again forced to flee. Cnaeus was quickly captured and executed, but Sextus would survive his brother in Sicily for over a decade.

3.85g, 20mm, 1h.

Extremely Fine; beautiful golden tone.

Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, to which the reverse of this coin alludes, with its captured Gallic spoils (the typical shield, the Gallic ‘carnyx’ or war horn, and axe) and obviously Gallic captives, was the springboard from which he was to take control of the Republic and become its Dictator. It allowed him to grow his power base through both fame as the conqueror of so vast a region and of so many peoples, and through strength as the commander of an army that grew ever more experienced and fiercely loyal. His allocation of the provinces of Gaul also granted him a magistrate’s immunity from the prosecution his enemies intended to conduct upon his return to Rome, which would undoubtedly have stunted his career. It was from his province of Cisalpine Gaul that he invaded Italy across the Rubicon, and he did so with the Legio XIII Gemina, who had fought for him in the major battles of his conquest of Gaul.

The importance of this conquest of Gaul to Caesar’s career, and his awareness of this importance, is demonstrated by this coin. It was minted some time after he had left Gaul behind, by the mint which moved with his army as it fought the Optimates around the Mediterranean and beyond – this coin in particular being minted for the Spanish campaign against Pompey’s sons in late 46-early 45 BC - yet it harks back to these Gallic victories, reminding those he paid with these coins of his past as a Roman hero - a conqueror not of his own people, but of his people’s enemies. Furthermore, as Sear points out, the theme of Caesar’s victories in Gaul was undoubtedly “intended to revive memories of ‘the good old days’ in the hearts of his seasoned veterans who were now being called upon to face the Pompeian threat for the third time in only two and a half years” and whose morale may thus have been dangerously flagging.

603.

Lollius Palikanus AR Denarius. Rome, 45 BC. Head of Libertas to right, wearing pearl diadem, cruciform earring, pearl necklace, hair collected into a knot behind, one lock falling down her neck, jewels in hair above forehead; LIBERT[ATIS] downwards to left / View of the Rostra in the Roman Forum surmounted by a subsellium (tribune’s bench); the Rostra consist of a platform supported by an arcade; each column being ornamented with a rostrum; PALIKANVS above. Crawford 473/1; CRI 86; BMCRR Rome 4011-2; RSC Lollia 2. 3.96g, 20mm, 8h.

Good Extremely Fine; attractive light cabinet tone.

Ex Collection of a Hanseatic Romanophile, Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 341, 1 October 2020, lot 5636; Privately purchased in 2002 from Dieter Grunow, Berlin.

Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Rome, late February 44 BC. M. Mettius, moneyer. CAESAR IMP, laureate head to right; lituus and simpulum behind / M ME[TTIVS], Venus standing to left, holding Victory and sceptre and resting elbow on shield set on globe; I in left field. Crawford 480/3; CRI 100; BMCRR Rome 4145; Sydenham 1056; RSC 32. 3.92g, 19mm, 1h.

Very Fine.

Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Rome, January - February 44 BC. P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer. CAESAR DICT PERPETVO, veiled and wreathed head of Caesar to right / Venus standing to left, holding Victory and sceptre resting on shield; [P•SE]PVLLI[VS] downwards on right, MACER downwards on left. Crawford 480/13; CRI 107d; BMCRR Rome 4173; RSC 39. 3.77g, 17mm, 9h.

Extremely Fine.

From the inventory of a UK dealer.

1,800

Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Rome, January-February 44 BC. P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer. CAESAR [DICT P]ERPETVO, wreathed head of Caesar to right / P•SEPVLLIVS MACER, Venus standing to left, holding Victory, and sceptre resting on star. Crawford 480/11; CRI 107b; BMCRR Rome 4168; RSC Sepullia 4. 3.29g, 19mm, 6h.

Near Very Fine.

605. 1,200

Julius Caesar AR Denarius. Rome, 43 BC. L. Flaminius Chilo, moneyer. Wreathed head of Caesar to right / Goddess (Pax or Venus?) standing to left, holding caduceus and sceptre; L • FLAMINIVS downward to right, IIII • VIR upward to left. Crawford 485/1; CRI 113; BMCRR Rome 4201-2; RSC 26. 3.76g, 20mm, 8h.

Very Fine; attractive even cabinet tone.

606.

Marc Antony AR Denarius. Rome, 42 BC. C. Vibius Varus, moneyer. Bare head to right / C•VIBIVS VARVS, Fortuna standing to left, holding Victory and cornucopia. Crawford 494/32; CRI 149; Sydenham 1144; BMCRR Rome 4293-4 RSC 4; Kestner 3739-40; RBW –. 4.05g, 20mm, 12h.

About Good Very Fine; a wonderful portrait.

600

L. Flaminius Chilo AR Denarius. Rome, 43 BC. Diademed head of Venus to right; IIII•VIR behind, PRI•[FL] before / Victory in biga to right, holding wreath and reins; L•FLAM[INI?] below, [CHILO] in exergue. Crawford 485/2; CRI 171; BMCRR Rome 4198 (same obv. die); Sydenham 1088; RSC Flaminia 2-2a; RBW 1700. 3.88g, 19mm, 2h.

607. 510

Good Extremely Fine; small test cut at edge.

Ex Collection of a Hanseatic Romanophile, Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 347, 22 March 2021, lot 931; Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 143, 6 October 2008, lot 421.

608.

Petillius Capitolinus AR Denarius. Rome, 43 BC. Eagle, with wings spread, standing facing, head to right, on thunderbolt; PETIL[LIVS]

CAPITOLINVS around / Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus: richly decorated hexastyle temple with three garlands hanging between columns; the pediment ornamented with armed figures; in the tympanum is a seated figure of Jupiter between two other figures; S-F across fields. Crawford 487/2b; CRI 174a; BMCRR Rome 4222; Sydenham 1151; RSC Petillia 3; RBW 1706. 4.10g, 17mm, 2h.

Good Extremely Fine; beautiful old cabinet tone.

Petillius Capitolinus AR Denarius. Rome, 43 BC. Eagle, with wings spread, standing facing on thunderbolt, head to right; PETILLIVS CAPITOLINVS around / Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus: richly decorated hexastyle temple with three garlands hanging between columns; the pediment ornamented with armed figures, in the tympanum is a seated figure of Jupiter between two other figures, S-F across fields. Crawford 487/2b; CRI 174a; BMCRR Rome 4222-3; Sydenham 1151; RSC Petillia 3; RBW 1706. 3.64g, 18mm, 6h.

Good Extremely Fine.

Ex Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH, Auction 86, 12 May 2010, lot 525.

610. 750

P. Clodius M. f. Turrinus AR Denarius. Rome, 42 BC. Radiate head of Sol to right; quiver with top and strap behind / Crescent moon surrounded by semicircle of five stars; P•CLODIVS•M•F in two lines below. Crawford 494/21; CRI 182; BMCRR Rome 4289; RSC Claudia 17. 4.10g, 19mm, 7h. Near Mint State; lustrous metal.

This coin published in Richard Schaefer’s Roman Republican Die Project (RRDP), binder 12, p. 109, available online at: http://numismatics.org/ archives/ark:/53695/schaefer.rrdp.b12#schaefer.rrdp.b12_0164; Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Auction 29, 30 March 1994, lot 498.

L. Mussidius Longus AR Denarius. Rome, 42 BC. Diademed and veiled head of Concordia right; star below chin, CONCORDIA behind / L•MVSSIDIVS•LONGVS, shrine of Venus Cloacina: two statues on platform with balustrade inscribed CLOACINA. Crawford 494/42b; CRI 188a; Sydenham 1093a; RSC Mussidia 6. 3.56g, 20mm, 11h.

Extremely Fine; hints of underlying lustre.

Acquired from Apollo Art Auctions; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd, E-Sale 67, 6 February 2020, lot 761; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XIII, 23 March 2017, lot 588. 612.

C. Vibius Varus AR Denarius. Rome, 42 BC. Bust of Minerva to right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet and aegis / Hercules standing to left, resting hand on club set on ground and holding lion skin; C•VIBIVS downwards on right, VARVS downwards on left. Crawford 494/38; CRI 194; BMCRR Rome 4303; RSC Vibia 26. 3.93g, 20mm, 8h.

Near Extremely Fine; attractive golden tone.

Q. Servilius Caepio (M. Junius) Brutus with P. Servilius Casca Longus AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with the army (western Asia Minor or northern Greece), summer - autumn 42 BC. CASCA LONGVS, laureate bust of Neptune to right, trident below / BRVTVS IMP, Victory in long tunic walking to right, palm branch over left shoulder and breaking diadem with both hands, broken sceptre on ground. Crawford 507/2; CRI 212; BMCRR East 63-65; RSC 3. 3.85g, 18mm, 12h.

Near Extremely Fine; small banker’s mark, attractive deep cabinet tone.

Ex Collection of a Hanseatic Romanophile, Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 341, 1 October 2020, lot 5676; Acquired in 2000 from Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH.

C. Cassius Longinus and P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Brutus and Cassius, probably at Smyrna, early 42 BC. Diademed head of Libertas to right; LEIBERTAS upwards before, C•CASSI•IMP upwards behind / Capis and lituus; LENTVLVS SPINT in two lines below. Crawford 500/3; CRI 221; BMCRR East 77; RSC 4. 4.03g, 20mm, 6h.

Near Extremely Fine; wonderful old cabinet tone.

Ex collection of Dipl.-Ing. Adrian Lang; Ex Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH, Auction 89, 5 December 2011, lot 1345.

C. Cassius Longinus and P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Brutus and Cassius, probably at Smyrna, early 42 BC. Diademed head of Libertas to right; LEIBERTAS upwards before, C•CASSI•IMP upwards behind / Capis and lituus; LENTVLVS SPINT in two lines below. Crawford 500/3; CRI 221; BMCRR East 77; RSC 4. 3.85g, 19mm, 6h.

Near Extremely Fine; attractive iridescence.

Amongst the Finest Known

Sextus Pompey AR Denarius. Q. Nasidius, commander of the fleet. Massilia, 44-43 BC. Bare head of Pompey Magnus to right; NEPTVNI behind, trident before, dolphin swimming to right below / Galley under oar and sailing to right; star in upper left field, [Q]•NASIDIVS below. Crawford 483/2; CRI 235; Sydenham 1350; BMCRR Sicily 21-24; RSC 20 (Pompey the Great); RBW 1698. 4.14g, 19mm, 5h. About Good Extremely Fine; amongst the finest known examples of this issue.

9,000

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica SG, Auction 92, 23 May 2016, lot 401.

According to Dio Cassius, following success in naval battles against Octavian, Sextus Pompey (one of the sons of Pompey the Great) came to be known as ‘Son of Neptune’ as reflected in the obverse legend NEPTVNI and trident symbol. The reverse legend names Quintus Nasidius, an admiral under Pompey Magnus and then Sextus. Realising the futility of the Pompeian cause, Nasidius eventually defected to the camp of Marc Antony, and fought under him at the Battle of Actium, after which point he disappears from the historical record.

618.

Marc Antony AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony, 41 BC. Bare head to right, lituus behind, M•ANTONIVS•IMP•III•VIR•R•P•C• around / Pietas standing to left, holding turibulum and cornucopiae upon which two storks perch, PIETAS - COS across fields. Crawford 516/5; CRI 238; Sydenham 1172; RSC 79. 4.04g, 19mm, 3h.

Near Extremely Fine; in unusually good condition for the type. Very Rare.

Ex Spink & Son Ltd, Auction 19004, 27 March 2019, lot 258.

Following the defeat of Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 42 BC, Marc Antony travelled to Asia to settle affairs in the East. During the course of this journey he produced a series of gold and silver coins in honour of his younger brother Lucius Antoninus, surnamed ‘Pietas’, who was consul in 41 BC. Lucius had been a firm supporter of his brother and of Caesar, and while Antony was absent from Rome Lucius and Antony’s wife Fulvia acted in his interests. Lucius assumed the cognomen ‘Pietas’ which we see celebrated on this coin through fraternal devotion to his brother when he and Fulvia fell out with Octavian, resulting in an armed uprising towards the end of 41 BC (see Cassius Dio 48.5.4).

Interestingly, matters could have gone very badly for Octavian at this time: he was attempting to fulfil his obligations to the army in Italy following Philippi and settle vast numbers of veterans on land which had been confiscated throughout the country, but delays and complications resulted in animosity which grew to such a height that Octavian feared for his life. Cassius Dio tells us that the final push to armed conflict was instigated by the veterans who, when Lucius and Fulvia refused to appear for a trial against themselves and Octavian regarding the progress of the veterans’ settlement, sided with Octavian and began making preparations for war. Lucius withdrew from Rome and, confident that his brother’s legions would soon arrive to assist him, remained in the city of Perusia which was duly besieged by Octavian. No rescue came for Lucius, and starvation forced him to surrender in February 40 BC. His life was spared and Octavian made him governor of Spain as a sign of his continuing goodwill towards Marc Antony.

The imagery on this coin is symbolic of the fraternal bond between Marc Antony and his brother. The storks were chosen as symbols of familial piety as it was believed these birds would support their elderly parents on their own wings, and were the personal sigil of Antony. Combined with the figure of Pietas, this reverse therefore signifies the deep bond of brotherly love between Marc Antony and Lucius.

619.

Marc Antony and Octavian AR Denarius. Military mint moving with Antony, Ephesus, spring-early summer 41 BC. M. Barbatius Pollio, Quaestor Pro Praetore. M•ANT•IMP•AVG•III•VIR•R•P•C•M BARBAT•Q•P (partially ligate), bare head of Antony to right / CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C•, bare head of Octavian to right. Crawford 517/2; CRI 243; BMCRR East 100; RSC 8a. 3.71g, 20mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine; two bold portraits.

From a private European collection.

Ex J. Q. Adams (6th US President) & Family Collection

600

Marc Antony AR Denarius. Athens, 38-37 BC. III•VIR•R•P•C•COS•DESIG•ITER•ET•TERT, radiate bust of Sol to right / M•ANTONIVS•M•F•M•N• AVG[VR•IMP•TER], Antony standing to right, veiled and dressed as a priest wearing toga, and holding lituus. Crawford 533/2; CRI 267; BMCRR East 141-143; RSC 13a. 4.10g, 18mm, 6h.

Extremely Fine; wonderful deep old cabinet tone. Rare.

1,950

Ex collection of a Lawyer, Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 341, 1 October 2020, lot 5686; Ex Collection of John Quincy Adams & Family / Massachusetts Historical Society Holdings, Stack’s Auction, 5-6 March 1971, lot 657; Ex Henry Adams (1838-1918) - Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886) Collection - President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) Collection. The almost 10,000 coins of the Adams family collection were amassed over three generations, beginning with 6th President of the United States, John Quincy Adams. The present coin is listed in the handwritten catalogue of Roman coins in the possession of the MHS by Henry Adams with the exact weight of 63 grains. The catalogue is undated, but was written before 1913.

116 (same dies). 8.03g, 20mm, 11h.

Very Fine. Extremely Rare; only one other example on CoinArchives.

The exceptional rarity of this coin can be attributed to its legends on both the obverse and reverse; in which the more common letter ‘E’ of ‘TERT’ is replaced with ‘II’. This legend is found on only one pair of dies, which were likely engraved by a local Athenian engraver (CRI p.171). Joseph Eckhel notes that the variation in spelling likely dates this coin towards the very end of the Roman Republic and, if it is accepted that Marc Antony was acclaimed Imperator Tertio (for the third time) in 38 BC, then there is a two-year period in which coins of both legend variations must have been struck (BMCRR p.508, note). The two portraits belong to Marc Antony on the obverse and, Octavia, sister of Octavian, on the reverse. By 38 BC tensions between Antony and Octavian had been simmering for some time, punctuated by key inflection points, such as their battle for political power in the Second Triumvirate and the Perusine War in 41 BC, during which Antony’s first wife Fulvia fought against Octavian before being exiled. This coin could be seen to symbolise a time of truce between the two men after a troublesome past.

This was the final representation of Octavia on the coinage of Antony, as the alliance between her husband and brother disintegrated shortly after it was stuck. When her first husband C. Claudius Marcellus died in 40 BC, Octavia’s subsequent union with Antony sealed the treaty of Brundisium signed in the same year, in which Antony and Octavian divided control of the Roman world between them, with the latter assuming control of the west and the former the east. To cement their alliance further, Antony’s eldest son was betrothed to Octavian’s daughter Julia, then only an infant. The following year the efforts to ensure peace in the Empire were consolidated when an agreement was reached with Sextus Pompey at Misenum, after which Antony returned to Athens to spend the winter with Octavia. The dating of this coin is therefore reinforced, as it seems likely that these dual-portrait coins were issued after Antony’s return to Athens to commemorate his brief reconciliation with Octavia.

This portrait of Octavia differs from earlier representations in expression, features and the elaborate treatment of her hair. This style is more consistent with representations of Victory (H. Appold Grueber, Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum, vol. 2, p. 508). This is particularly noteworthy when it is considered that Octavia, alongside Livia, Octavian’s wife, was granted sacrosanctitas, making it illegal to verbally insult her, as well as being pardoned from male guardianship, both of which were extraordinary achievements in Roman society. Furthermore, although they divorced in 33 BC, Octavia raised all of Antony’s surviving children, including children by Fulvia and Cleopatra, three of whom Antony sired while married to Octavia. She has been characterised by her qualities of loyalty, nobility and humility, qualities which are perhaps referenced in this representation which alludes to the goddess Victory.

There are only two further known examples of this extremely rare type with this variation of legend: one was held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for almost one hundred years prior to being sold in Sotheby’s Metropolitan Museum of Art sale (Part I, 10 November 1972, lot 11), where it was described as being “of the highest rarity and probably unique.”; the other came to sale earlier this year (CNG, Triton XXIV, lot 979) and realised a hammer price of USD 55,000.

Extremely Rare

Marc Antony and Octavian AV Aureus. Military mint moving with Octavian, Gaul, 39 BC. Head of Octavian to right; behind CAESA[R] upwards, before IMP downwards / Head of Antony to right; behind ANTONIVS upwards, before IMP downwards. Crawford 529/1; CRI 301; BMCRR Gaul 9091; Biaggi 64; Calicó 105a. 8.03g, 20mm, 6h.

Near Very Fine. Extremely Rare.

This coin, struck during a brief moment of reconciliation between Marc Antony and Octavian, is particularly notable because of its absence of triumviral titles and the name of the moneyer. Following a tumultuous period in the relationship between Antony and Octavian brought almost to disaster by the Perusine War of 41-40 BC, the two senior triumviri temporarily reconciled with the signing of the Treaty of Brundisium in 40 BC, dividing the Roman world between them.

Antony took the east and Octavian took the west; they further strengthened this pact through the marriage of Antony to Octavia, Octavian’s sister. Viewed in this context, the present example should be regarded as a commemoration of the short-lived peace between the two men (CRI, p. 185).

7,500

Sextus Pompey AR Denarius. Uncertain mint in Sicily (Catania?), 42-40 BC. MAG [PIV]S IMP ITER (partially ligate), diademed and bearded head of Neptune to right; trident over left shoulder / Naval trophy set on anchor, top of trident visible above helmet; the arms composed of the stem of a prow in right and aplustre in left, two heads of Scylla at base, PRÆF C[LAS ET ORÆ M]ARIT EX S C (partially ligate) around. Crawford 511/2b; BMCRR Sicily 16-17; CRI 333; Sydenham 1347; RSC Sextus Pompey 1a; RBW 1784. 3.52g, 19mm, 6h. Good Extremely Fine.

Ex Jonathan P. Rosen Collection, Classical Numismatic Group, Auction 108, 16 May 2018, lot 528; Ex Italo Vecchi Ltd., Nvmmorvm Avctiones 6, 9 June 1997, lot 1015.