Roman Imperial Coins

Lot # 10084 - ROMAN. Plotina, wife of Trajan. Augusta, A.D. 98-117. Bronze (4.05g). Phrygia, Ancyra. Loukios, magistrate. PLOTEINA SEBASTE, draped bust right / ANKYRANON EPI LOUKIOU, cult statue of Artemis Ephesia flanked by two stags. RPC III 2536; BMC Phrygia 21. aVF for the type. Very rare. From the Collection of David Allan; acquired from CNG, 1 Jan 2002, ticket no. 87342; noted at the time as a possibly unique piece. (P)Estimate: AUD 250

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Status International 406

Lot # 10083 - ROMAN. LYCIA, Lycian League. Nerva. A.D. 96-98. Silver Drachm (3.69g). Dated A.D. 97. AYTOKPAT NEPOYAC KAICAP CEBACT, laureate head of Nerva right; L-Y across fields / YPATOY TPITOY, owl perched on two lyres. BMC 8; RPC III 2673; SNG Copenhagen 44; SNG von Aulock 4266. A boldly struck and very attractive example, with fine iridescent toning. Struck from a slightly worn reverse die, otherwise about Extremely Fine. From the Titan Collection; acquired from the David Allen Collection, previously from the Coppenolle Collection; acquired from Noble Numismatics, Sale 86, Sydney, 21-23 November 2007.Estimate: AUD 300

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Status International 406

Lot # 10082 - ROMAN. SELEUCIS AND PIERIA, Antioch. Otho. A.D. 69. Bronze As (7.14g). Gaius Licinius Mucianus, legatus Syriae. Dated Year 117 of the Caesarean era (A.D. 69). Laureate head right / Date in five lines within laurel wreath. McAlee 317; RPC I 4316. Attractive dark brown patina. gVF. A choice example for this very rare type. This bronze As proclaims Otho's fleeting authority in the East under the powerful legate Gaius Licinius Mucianus. The laureate portrait asserts the new emperor's legitimacy, while the distinctive five-line civic date within a laurel wreath anchors the issue firmly in the Caesarean era of Antioch, linking local chronology with imperial power. For the type see; Leu Auction 7, lot 1489, hammered USD 1,800. (P)Estimate: AUD 2500

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Status International 406

Lot # 10081 - ROMAN. JUDAEA, Jerusalem. Procurators. Porcius Festus. A.D. 59-62. Bronze Prutah (2.76g). Irregular issue. Palm frond / Illegible inscription within wreath. Cf. TJC 345l. VF. A highly unusual and enigmatic issue from the brief procuratorship of Porcius Festus, successor to Antonius Felix. Clearly struck in Jerusalem, this irregular type diverges from standard Festus issues in both execution and style. The palm frond remains clear, while the largely illegible reverse inscription may indicate local or unofficial production. Scarce and intriguing, especially for collectors focused on Roman provincial Judaea. Ex Savoca 243, lot 181, hammered US$200. (P)Estimate: AUD 250

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Status International 406

Lot # 10080 - ROMAN. EGYPT, Alexandria. Nero, with Poppaea. A.D. 54-68. Billon Tetradrachm (13.80g). Dated RY 11 (A.D. 64/5). Radiate head of Nero right / Draped bust of Poppaea right; L IA (date) before. Koln 168-9; Dattari (Savio) 197-8; K&G 14.85; RPC I 5280; Emmett 128.11. A very attractive deep old cabinet toning. (P)Estimate: AUD 250

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Status International 406

Lot # 10079 - ROMAN. IONIA, Smyrna. Britannicus. A.D. 41-55. Bronze (4.18g). Philistos and Eikadios, magistrates. Bareheaded and draped bust right / Nike standing right, holding trophy over shoulder. Klose type XXXI; RPC I 2476 (Nero). gVF. Dark green-brown patina. Attractive for the issue. This is a genuinely intriguing type, RPC records only 92 examples. Even the portrait is debated; Klose identified the head as Britannicus, while the RPC editors argue it is Nero, and either interpretation is believable. If it is Britannicus, the backstory is dramatic: he was the son of Claudius and Messalina, born about A.D. 41-42, and in A.D. 55 he was poisoned as Agrippina the Younger cleared the way for Nero's rule. For the type see; CNG 490, lot 82, hammered US$1,400. (P)Estimate: AUD 250

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Status International 406

Lot # 10078 - ROMAN. JUDAEA. Claudius. A.D. 41-54. Bronze Prutah (2.93g). Jerusalem mint. Antoninus Felix, procurator. Dated RY 14, A.D. 54. Two oblong shields and spears crossed / BPIT KAI, six-branched palm tree bearing two bunches of dates; L I(A) (date) across field. Hendin 6377 (this coin illustrated); TJC 340; RPC I 4971. gVF. Exceptional for the type. (P)Estimate: AUD 250

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Status International 406

Lot # 10077 - ROMAN. EGYPT, Alexandria. Claudius. A.D. 41-54. Billon Tetradrachm. Dated RY 2, A.D. 41/2. Laureate head right; LB (date) to right / Messalina standing left, leaning on column right, holding two children in outstretched hand and cradling grain ears. RPC I 5115; Dattari (Savio) 121; K&G 12.5. NGC VF, with edge chip. This tetradrachm presents an arresting dynastic portrait type for Messalina, Claudius' third wife, whose appearance on Alexandrian coinage sits in sharp contrast to her later downfall and execution in A.D. 48 after allegations of conspiracy at court. Ex Stack's Bowers Galleries, June 2020 Collector's Choice World Auction, lot 72068 (24 June 2020), hammered USD 180.Estimate: AUD 300

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Status International 406

Lot # 10076 - ROMAN. JUDAEA, Herodians. Agrippa I, with Agrippa II. A.D. 37-43. Bronze (1.42g). Caesarea Paneas mint. Dated RY 5, A.D. 40/1. Diademed bust of Agrippa II right; [LE date to left] / Crossed cornucopiae. Meshorer 119 (Tiberias mint); Hendin 1243; RPC I 4979. gF. Earthen dark green-brown patina. Very rare. For the type and a lower-quality example see; CNG Auction 118, lot 524, hammered US$800. This rare Caesarea Paneas issue from Agrippa I's fifth regnal year reflects the Herodian dynasty's close alignment with Rome while showing how portrait coinage could be used in a largely non-Jewish city, unlike Jerusalem where aniconic traditions prevailed. The series, naming figures from both the Herodian and imperial families, offers a vivid glimpse into the political and cultural balance of early 1st century Judaea. (P)Estimate: AUD 500

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Status International 406

Lot # 10075 - ROMAN. JUDAEA, Procurators. Valerius Gratus. A.D. 15-26. Bronze Prutah (1.98g). In the names of Tiberius and Julia Augusta (Livia). Jerusalem mint. Dated RY 5 of Tiberius (A.D. 18/9). TIB/KAI/CAP in three lines within wreath / Palm frond; IOYLIA and L (E) (date) across field. Meshorer 328; Hendin 6368; RPC I 4965. VF. Exceptional for this very difficult issue. This prutah is more than a modest bronze; it is a concise record of Rome's rule in Judaea. Struck under the governor Valerius Gratus in honour of Julia Augusta (Livia), it circulated in a province where Roman power was tolerated more than welcomed, serving as both small change and a daily reminder of imperial presence. In this well-preserved state, it offers a rare, tangible glimpse into early imperial policy and provincial tension.Estimate: AUD 250

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Status International 406

Lot # 10074 - ROMAN. SPAIN, Hispalis. Tiberius, with Germanicus and Drusus Caesars. A.D. 14-37. Bronze As (17.63g). Laureate head of Tiberius left / Confronted bare heads of Germanicus and Drusus. ACIP 3361; RPC I 74. VF. A very pleasing coin, quite good for the type. (P)Estimate: AUD 500

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Status International 406

Lot # 10073 - ROMAN. KINGS OF THRACE. Rhoemetalces I and Pythodoris, with Augustus. Circa 11 BC-A.D. 12. Bronze (9.52g). Jugate heads of Rhoemetalces and his queen Pythodoris right / Bare head of Augustus right. RPC I 1711; Youroukova 204. The finest known for this interesting issue, with wonderful green patina and subtle greenish sandy highlights. Well detailed and well struck for the issue. A truly exceptional piece. gEF. (P)Estimate: AUD 750

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Status International 406

Lot # 10072 - ROMAN. JUDAEA, Herodians. Herod IV Philip. 4 BC-A.D. 34. Bronze (6.26g). Caesarea Philippi (Panias) mint. Dated RY 5 (A.D. 1/2). Bare head of Philip right; L E (date) across lower field / Tetrastyle temple, the Augusteum of Panias, set on podium with two steps. Meshorer 96; Hendin 6251; RPC I 4939; Sofaer -. Dark brown surfaces, repatinated. VF. Extremely rare. Herod Philip, tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis and son of Herod the Great, governed a largely non-Jewish population centred on Panias at the foot of Mount Hermon. There he refounded the city as Caesarea Philippi and presided over a sanctuary complex dominated by the grotto of Pan and a marble Augusteum to the Roman emperor. It is in this cultural setting, imperial cult and Hellenised civic life, that Philip could break with Judaean tradition and place his own portrait on coins. As Hendin observes (p. 257), 'Philip was able to immortalize his face on his coins largely because so few Jews lived in the territories over which he ruled,' since a portrait would have been viewed by observant Jews as a 'graven image.' The present issue dates to Regnal Year 5 (L E = A.D. 1/2), still in the reign of Augustus, and pairs Philip's bare head with the facade of the Augusteum, a clear statement of loyalty to Rome and of the city's identity. The temple, shown tetrastyle on a two-step podium, evokes the sacred topography of Panias while advertising the imperial cult that anchored Philip's regime. Surviving examples are few and typically worn or corroded; this piece, with dark brown surfaces, a bold portrait, and a well-defined temple, is an especially choice representative of an extremely rare type linking Herodian rule, Roman authority, and the distinctive religious landscape of Caesarea Philippi. For the type and similar quality see; CNG Auction 114, lot 525, hammered USD 8,500. (P)Estimate: AUD 2500

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Status International 406

Lot # 10071 - ROMAN. GAUL, Nemausus. Augustus, with Agrippa. 27 BC-A.D. 14. Bronze Dupondius (12.36g). Struck circa 9/8-3 BC. Heads of Agrippa left, wearing rostral crown and laurel wreath, and Augustus right, wearing laurel wreath, back to back / Crocodile right chained to palm frond with short fronds; wreath with long ties above, palm fronds below. RPC I 524; SNG Copenhagen 699. Attractive dark green-brown patina. VF. Exceptional for the type. (P)Estimate: AUD 500

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