Ancient Coins
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ANCIENT COINS GREEK COINS 1001 Sicily, Akgragas (495-480 BC), silver didrachm, sea eagle standing r., rev. crab within shallow incuse, certified and graded by NGC as Very Good £100-150 1002 Sicily, Syracuse, gold dilitron, Emergency issue of the Second Democracy, winter 406-5 BC, head of Athena l., wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with serpent, palmette and elaborate spiral tendrils, legend before, signed IM below neck, rev. Aegius with gorgoneion centre, wt. 1.80 gms. (Boeh., Essays Thompson pl.38, 12), a few surface marks, very fine, extremely rare - only a few specimens known £1500-2000 1003 Attica, Athens (c. 510-500 BC), silver tetradrachm, head of Athena r., in archaic style, full plume visible, rev. AΘE, owl stg. r., olive leaf to left, crescent to right, wt. 17.1gms. (HGC.4; Seltman Group H), very fine, rare £10,000-12,000 A very fine example of an early Athenian tetradrachm of superb archaic style. A well-centred strike, with the full plume of Athena’s helmet visible. This impressive archaic tetradrachm was issued a decade before the first Persian war. Athens provided the Ionian Greeks with assistance in their rebellion against the Persians, but aside from the sack of Sardes, the campaign was unsuccessful. Nonetheless, the Persian King Darius, aiming to punish Athens for their support of the Ionian rebellion, launched an invasion of Greece, landing at Marathon in 490 BC. Only twenty five miles from the city of Athens, the vastly outnumbered Athenian hoplite force crushed the invading Persian army, who turned and fled after suffering horrendous casualties. This silver tetradrachm is one of the earliest Athenian ‘Owl’ tetradrachms produced by the great city, and the coin would become a legend in the world of numismatics. ANCIENT COINS 1004 Attica, Athens, tetradrachm (c. 500-480 BC), helmeted head of Athena r., wearing earring, rev. AΘE, owl standing right, head facing; above to left, olive-spray with berry, all within incuse square, wt. 16.61 gms. (Seltman grp. C (uncertain dies, perhaps A39/P41); Asyut grp. V; SNG Copenhagen 15), darkly toned, well centred, choice very fine, very rare £4000-4500 An attractive example of this early issue and of superb Archaic style. ROMAN COINS 1005 Roman Provincial, Syria, Antioch, mid 3rd century, billon tetradrachms (2), of Philip I and Herennia Etruscilla, fine or better (2) £30-40 1006 Aelia Zenonis (wife of Basiliscus, AD.475-476), solidus, Constantinople, AEL ZENONIS AVG, bust r.. crowned by Manus Dei, rev. VICTORIA AVGGG followed by officina letter A, Victory stg. l., holding long jewelled cross, star in field, in ex. CONOB, wt. 4.13gms. (RIC X, 1004; DOC.594; MIRB.4b; Depeyot p.258, 93/2), struck on a slightly oval flan, fine to very fine, one of only of a handful of specimens known, and of the highest rarity £8000-10,000 Aelia Zenonis was empress for a short period of time during the reign of her husband Basiliscus, who was proclaimed emperor in 475 after a plot to depose Zeno. However, after a short term of just over a year, Basiliscus was evicted from the throne by a resurgent Zeno, who was supported by the senate and the wealth of the imperial treasury, which he had taken from Constantinople on his departure, forcing Basiliscus to raise taxes and fuel his own unpopularity with the people. Zeno, rather than executing the family, had Basiliscus, Zenonis and their son Marcus transported to Cappadocia where they were imprisoned in a dry cistern to die from exposure. ANCIENT COINS 1007 Severus Alexander (AD 698-705), Æ sestertius, Rome mint, IMP ALEANDER PIVS AVG, laur. bust r., rev. SPES PVBLICA SC, Spes walking, wt. 24.60gms., very fine £50-60 BYZANTINE COINS 1008 1009 1008 Justinian I (AD 527-565), gold solidus, Constantinople mint, DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVI, helmeted and cuir. bust facing, holding a gl. cr. and shield, rev. VICTORIA AVGGG, followed by officina letter A, angel stg. facing, holding long staff surmounted by chi-ro and gl. cr. on r., star in field, in ex. CONOB, wt. 4.50 gms. (Sear 140), good very fine £200-220 1009 Maurice Tiberius (AD 582-602), gold solidus, Constantinople mint, DN MAVRC TIB PP AVG, dr. and cuir. bust facing, wearing plumed helmet and holding gl. cr., rev. VICTORIA AVGG, followed by officina letter B, angel stg. facing, holding long cross surmounted by chi-ro symbol and gl. cr. on r., in ex. CONOB, wt. 4.50gms. (Sear 478), extremely fine with lustre £250-300 1010 1011 1012 1010 Maurice Tiberius (AD 582-602), gold tremissis, Constantinople mint, DN TIBERI PP AVG, diad., dr. and cuir. bust r., rev. VICTOR MAVRI AVS, cross potent, in ex. CONOB, wt. 1.50gms. (Sear 488), good very fine £90-100 1011 Heraclius (AD 610-641), gold solidus, Constantinople mint, DD DN HERACLIUS ET HERA CONST PP AVG, busts of Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine facing, wearing chalmys and elaborate crown, rev. VICTORIA AVGY, followed by officina letter Δ, cross on steps, in ex. CONOB, wt. 4.40gms. (Sear 449), slightly off centre, extremely fine with lustre £200-250 1012 Tiberius III (AD 698-705), gold solidus, Constantinople mint, D TIBERIAS PC AV, cuir. and crowned bust facing, holding spear and shield, rev. VICTORIA AVGYH, followed by officina letterA , cross on steps, in ex. CONOB, wt. 4.50gms. (Sear 1360), small flan, extremely fine £300-350 ANCIENT COINS ANCIENT COINS 1013 Leo IV (AD 775-780), gold solidus, Constantinople mint, Leo IV and Constantine VI, wearing crown and chalmys, seated facing on double throne, rev. facing busts of Leo III and Constantine V wearing crown and loros, wt. 4.40gms. (Sear 1584), a little double struck, large flan, good very fine £400-450 1014 Leo IV (AD 775-780), gold solidus, Constantinople mint, Leo IV and Constantine VI seated facing on double throne, wearing crown and chalmys, rev. facing busts of Leo III and Constantine V wearing crown and loros, wt. 4.50gms. (Sear 1584), good very fine or better £400-450 1015 Nicephorus I (AD 802-811), gold solidus, Constantinople mint, NICIFORVS BASILE, facing bust of Nicephorus wearing crown and chalmys and holding cross potent and akakia, rev. STAVRACIS DESPO, facing bust of Staurachius wearing crown and chalmys and holding cross potent and akakia, wt. 4.40gms. (Sear 1604), nick at edge, extremely fine £400-600 ANCIENT COINS ISLAMIC COINS 1016 Umayyad, temp. Marwan II (127-132h), dinar, no mint (Dimashq), 132h, wt. 4.21gms. (A.141), very fine and a rare date £5000-6000 A key date as the last year of the Umayyad caliphate. 1017 1018 1019 1017 Abbasid, temp. al-Mansur (136-158h), dinar, 143h, wt. 4.20gms. (Lowick 204), slight edge clip, good very fine £175-225 1018 Abbasid, temp. al-Mansur, dinar, 152h, wt. 3.83gms. (Lowick 239), evenly clipped, good fine £150-200 1019 Abbasid, al-Rashid (170-193h), dinar, 192h, rev. li’l-khalifa, wt. 4.24gms. (Bern.73), slightly bent, minor marks on edge, otherwise extremely fine £200-225 1020 1021 1022 1020 Abbasid, al-Ma’mun (194-218h), dinar, 200h, with mint date formula beginning bismillah al-rahman al- rahim…. obv. citing al-Hasan with his letter ’ayn below, rev. citing Dhu’l-Riyasatayn, wt. 4.20gms. (Bern.102), slightly ragged edge, very fine or better £200-225 1021 Abbasid, al-Ma’mun, dinar, Reform type, 208h, without mint-name, wt. 4.25gms. (Bern.116), spademark on obverse rim at 7 o’clock, otherwise good very fine £250-300 1022 Abbasid, al-Ma’mun, dinar, Madinat al-Salam, 215h, wt. 4.07gms. (Bern.116Jh), edge clip, fine £200-250 ANCIENT COINS ISLAMIC COINS 1023 1024 1023 Abbasid, al-Ma’mun (196-218h), dinar, Misr 218h, wt. 4.08gms. (Bern.116De), slightly clipped, about very fine £120-150 1024 Abbasid, al-Mutawakkil (232-247h), dinar, al-Basra 245h, wt. 3.89gms. (Bern.158Je), clipped, obverse weakly struck, very fine and scarce £200-250 1025 1026 1025 Abbasid, al-Mu’tazz (251-255h), dinar, Samarqand 253h, wt. 4.17gms. (Bern.162Qe), good very fine £250-300 1026 Abbasid, al-Mu’tamid (256-279h), dinar, Surra man ra’a 266h, wt. 3.96gms. (A.239.2; Bern.175Jc – date not recorded), slightly crimped good very fine and rare £800-1000 1027 Abbasid, al-Mu’tadid (279-287h), dinar, Nisibin 283h, wt. 4.42gms. (A.241; Bern.211Hg – 1 example recorded), about extremely fine and very rare £2000-2500 1028 Abbasid, al-Mu’tadid, dinar, Harran 288h, wt. 2.59gms. (A.241; Bern.211Hj), minor weakness on part of outer legend, but extremely fine and rare £1500-2000 ISLAMIC COINS 1029 Abbasid, al-Mu’tadid, dinar, al-Rafiqa 283h, wt. 4.16gms. (A.241; Bern.211Ha), extremely fine and rare £1250-1500 1030 1031 1032 1030 Abbasid, al-Mu’tadid, dinar, al-Rafiqa 282h, wt. 4.02gms. (A.241; Bern.211Ha),very fine and rare £1000-1250 1031 Abbasid, al-Mu’tadid, dinar, Madinat al-Salam 279h, wt. 4.16gms. (A.241; Bern.211Jh – an unrecorded date), very slightly crimped, otherwise good very fine and extremely rare £1250-1500 1032 Abbasid, al-Muktafi (289-295h), dinar, Harran 289h, wt. 2.88gms. (A.243.1; Bern.226Hj), crimped, good very fine £600-800 1033 Abbasid, al-Muktafi, dinar, Harran 291h, with the vizier Wali al-Dawla, wt. 3.16gms. (A.243.2; Bern.228Hj), slightly clipped flan, extremely fine £1500-2000 1034 1035 1034 Abbasid, al-Muktafi, dinar, Harran 292h, wt. 3.34gms. (A.243.1; Bern.226Hj – 2 examples recorded), extremely fine and very rare £1500-2000 1035 Abbasid, al-Muktafi, dinar, Harran 294h, wt.