Auktion Nr. 143

Münzen der Griechen
★ Ex Hess 1929 – Exceptional Stater ★
BRUTTIUM. Kaulonia. Nomos – Stater (Circa 525-500 BC).

Obv: KAVΛ.
Apollo advancing right, holding branch; small daimon running right on left arm; to right, stag standing right, head left.
Rev: Incuse and reverse of obverse.

Noe 23e (this coin); HN Italy 2035; HGC 1, 1416.

Ex Hess 194 (1929), lot 100, from the Vogel collection; ex Leu 2 (1972), lot 52

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 7.96 g.
Diameter: 30 mm.

Münzen der Griechen
★ Ex NAC ★
KINGS OF MACEDON. Demetrios I Poliorketes (306-283 BC). Tetradrachm. Amphipolis.

Obv: Diademed and horned head right.
Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΔHMHTPIOY.
Poseidon seated left on rock, holding trident and aphlaston; monograms to inner left and right.

Newell 112; HGC 3.1, 1014b.

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica Stock

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 17.25 g.
Diameter: 30 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Very Rare Aureus ★
DIVUS CLAUDIUS (Died 54). GOLD Aureus. Rome.

Obv: DIVVS CLAVDIVS AVGVSTVS.
Laureate head left.
Rev: EX S C.
Quadriga right, with car in form of small temple, decorated with figures, two patera and lituus, surmounted by four miniature horses flanked by Victories.

RIC² 4 (Struck under Nero); Calicó 354a.

Condition: Good fine.

Weight: 7.51 g.
Diameter: 19 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
HADRIAN (117-138). GOLD Aureus. Rome.

Obv: HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P.
Bare head left.
Rev: LIBERALITAS • AVG VII.
Liberalitas standing facing, head left, holding coin-scoop and cornucopia.

RIC² 2216; Calicó 1289.

Very rare

Condition: Very fine.

Weight: 7.07 g.
Diameter: 19 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
GORDIAN III (238-244). GOLD Aureus. Rome.

Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: AETERNITATI AVG.
Sol standing facing, head left, holding globe and raising hand.

RIC 97; Calico 3186.

Born to a daughter of Gordian I, sister of Gordian II, because of the young age at which he came to occupy the throne (13), Gordian did not rule directly, but the Senate did so for him. Gordian had become prince because the Senate needed to placate an uprising of the traditionalist urban plebs, bound to the dynastic ideal, and in order to take advantage of his family’s wealth. Moreover, the praetorians had acclaimed him emperor just to show the Senate that they were the ones who decided who to put on the throne. Among the first moves was the dismissal of the legion in Africa because it had supported Capellianus and led to the deaths of Gordian I and II, who were deified. During his relatively long tenure there were several problems to deal with. In 240 Sabinianus, elected caesar in Carthage, prepared to make war on him, but was stopped by the governor of Mauretania. In the north the barbarians were making constant raids and sacking villages and towns. Gordian was too young to face these problems, but fortunately for him he could count on the diplomatic and military skill of Timesitheus, who had become prefect of the praetorium and granted him his daughter, Tranquillina, in marriage in 241. Rome succeeded in repelling the Persians of Shapur I in 243 thanks to Timesitheus, but on his death he was replaced as prefect of the praetorium by Marcus Julius Philip known as ‚the Arab‘. The latter, however, was not satisfied with this title but aimed at the throne, and he convinced the army that they needed an adult prince and not a boy. Gordian showed maturity and offered to cede the throne to Philip and become his caesar, but he was killed in 244. The Senate was informed that he had died of wounds sustained in a battle against the Persians. His body was sent to Rome where he was deified.

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 5.01 g.
Diameter: 20 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Exquisite Vetranio ★
VETRANIO (350). Siliqua. Siscia.

Obv: D N VETRANIO P F AVG.
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM / SIS.
Victory advancing left, holding wreath and trophy.

RIC 267.

Among the best pieces in the market. Vetranio was a valiant soldier of humble origins who served under Constantine I and became magister militum under Constans I, proving himself an experienced officer. When the usurper Magnentius killed Constantus in 350, Constantina, sister of Constantius II and Constantus I, asked Vetranio to proclaim himself augustus to protect his family, as the Danubian troops would be more loyal to him than to an emperor in the far East. He was proclaimed augustus at Sirmium in March 350. Constantius, who was involved against the Sasanids, accepted him as a colleague, sending him a diadem and money and putting him in command of Danubian troops to fight Magnentius. Vetranio was initially loyal to Constantius, but then their relationship broke down and he decided to ally himself with Magnentius. The two sent a peace proposal, demanding the marriages of Magnentius to Constantina and Constantius to Magnentius‘ daughter, but Constantius refused. Vetranio then met with the latter first at Serdica, then at Naissus, where he was deposed on December 25, 350. Constantius managed to get the troops to acclaim him emperor and stripped Vetranio of his purple, but rewarded him with an estate at Prusa in Bithynia, where, however, he committed suicide in 356.

Condition: Near mint state.

Weight: 2.91 g.
Diameter: 20 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
HONORIUS (393-423). GOLD Solidus. Ravenna.

Obv: D N HONORIVS P F AVG.
Diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear and shield decorated with christogram.
Rev: R – V / COMOB.
Roma and Constantinopolis, each seated on cuirass, supporting between them shield inscribed VOT / XXX / MVLT / XXXX; palm-branch between legs.

RIC 1331; Ranieri 20; Depeyrot 4/1.

Rare. Honorius became Augustus of the West at the age of ten at the behest of his father Theodosius I, who was intent on establishing the succession before his death. Given his young age, however, he was assisted by the valiant general Stilicho, who was half Vandal in origin and unlikely to have been aiming for the throne. The East, on the other hand, was entrusted to Honorius’s brother Arcadius, and this was home to unrest because the two brothers did not like each other and were both assisted by cunning and manipulative advisers. By now there was no longer talk of a western and eastern part of the empire, but of two separate empires. Theodosius‘ project of a united empire in solidarity with the barbarian peoples, integrated into the Roman army, had failed. According to some historians Arcadius was the first Byzantine emperor. Stilicho faced great difficulties on the eastern front, mainly due to Alaric’s Goths and other tribes crossing into Gaul. The situation precipitated and the Senate refused to pay a large sum of money to Alaric, further accusing Stilicho of conspiring with the enemy and condemning him to death in 408. It was the beginning of the end for the West, because the most valuable politician and general was lost. Honorius resided in Ravenna, where he treacherously attempted to murder Alaric, who was there to renew the ‚foedus‘ with the emperor. This caused him to break off all negotiations and led to the famous ’sack of Rome‘ in 410, which marked the end of the city as capital. The news of Rome’s fall represented a trauma for the empire and the collapse of the certainty of its invincibility. Honorius also did not recognize the marriage between his half-sister Galla Placidia and Ataulf, Alaric’s successor. This marriage was strongly desired by the Goths and may have been a response to the crisis in the empire, as Ataulf intended to settle permanently in Roman territories by offering protection to the emperor instead of fighting him. In 413 General Flavius Constantius defeated four usurpers in the western provinces, succeeded in signing a peace treaty with Ataulf, and became associate emperor under the name Constantius III (421) but, unrecognized by the eastern empire, died shortly thereafter. In 423 Honorius also died, marking the final surrender, the birth of the Romano-Barbarian kingdoms and the first steps of medieval history.

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 4.51 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Justa Grata Honoria ★
JUSTA GRATA HONORIA (Augusta, 426-450). GOLD Solidus. Ravenna.

Obv: D N IVST GRAT HONORIA P F AVG.
Diademed and draped bust right, wearing earring and necklace; being crowned by manus Dei above.
Rev: BONO REI PVBLICAE / R – V / COMOB.
Victory standing left, holding long jewelled cross; star to upper left.

RIC 2022; Ranieri 87; Depeyrot 15/1.

Very rare. Justa Grata Honoria was the first daughter of Galla Placidia and Flavius Constantius, elder sister of Valentinian III, and was given the title of Augusta probably in 426. In 449, with her husband Eugenius, she attempted to overthrow her brother but the plot was unraveled and Eugenius was put to death. Honoria then offered herself in marriage to Attila. The king of the Huns accepted the marriage proposal and demanded half of the Western Empire as dowry, but Valentinian refused, although Theodosius II was in favor. Honoria had her life saved through the intercession of Galla Placidia, but she was forced to go into exile and marry the senator Bassus Herculanus. Her portrait is known only through the very rare gold coins (Aurei and Tremissis) minted in Ravenna.

Condition: Near extremely fine.

Weight: 4.50 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Galla Placidia ★
GALLA PLACIDIA (Augusta, 421-450). GOLD Solidus. Ravenna.

Obv: D N GALLA PLACIDIA P F AVG.
Diademed and draped bust right, wearing earring and double pearl-necklace, crowned by Manus Dei; christogram on shoulder.
Rev: VOT XX MVLT XXX / R – V / COMOB.
Victory standing left, holding long jeweled cross; star to upper left.

RIC 2012; Ranieri 73; Depeyrot 13/2.

Galla Placidia was the daughter of emperor Theodosius I and his second wife Galla Justina. With her two Roman imperial dynasties were united, the Valentinianic dynasty (her maternal grandfather was Valentinian I) and her father’s Theodosian dynasty. In 390 she received the title ’nobilissima,‘ which gave her dignity on a level with her brothers (Arcadius, Honorius, and Gratianus). After the sack of Rome in 410, Alaric’s Visigoths left the city and took with them Galla Placidia, then 18 years old, as a hostage to force Honorius to concede to their demands for tribute and land. Upon Alaric’s death, Ataulf led the Visigoths and Galla Placidia to Gaul, whom he took in marriage by Roman rite in 414 at Narbo, naming her queen of the Visigoths, hoping for Honorius‘ recognition. But the marriage was not recognized by the court in Ravenna, and Ataulf elected Priscus Attalus emperor, who was defeated by the Roman army, captured and sent to Honorius. Ataulf and Galla Placidia then traveled to Spain (early 415), where the king died shortly thereafter. The successor Walha, in exchange for a large amount of grain, agreed to fight for the Romans against the Vandals and Suebi in Spain, and to give back Galla Placidia, who returned to Ravenna with Constantius, who became her husband and was rewarded by Honorius with the consulship (417). Constantius III and Galla Placidia had two children, Justa Grata Honoria and the future emperor Valentinian III, on whose behalf Galla actually reigned for more than a decade. She died in 450, shortly after Justa Grata Honoria’s marriage to Bassus Herculanus, and was buried in Rome in a chapel in the old St. Peter’s Basilica.

Condition: Extremely fine.

Weight: 4.46 g.
Diameter: 22 mm.

Münzen des Römischen Kaiser
★ Johannes Tremissis ★
JOHANNES (Usurper, 423-425). GOLD Tremissis. Ravenna.

Obv: D N IOHANNES P F AVG.
Rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM / R – V / COMOB.
Victory advancing right, holding wreath and cross on globe.

RIC 1904; Ranieri 55-6; Depeyrot 12/3.

Very rare. Almost nothing is known about Johannes Primicerius except that he died in Aquileia in 425 and was the chief of the congregation of notaries, the civil officials of the Western Empire. When Emperor Honorius died in 423, Theodosius‘ nephew, Theodosius II, delayed choosing a successor, perhaps thinking of reuniting the two empires under his own command. Castinus, an esteemed victorious general against the Visigoths, obtained from the Senate the proclamation of Johannes and the appointment of consul for himself. With this gesture, however, Castinus made himself an enemy of Theodosius and of Galla Placidia, who probably wanted to have Valentinian, who was then four years old, elected and become his mentor. Johannes‘ brief reign was marked by tolerance for all non-Christian confessions, unlike the previous emperors of the lineage of Theodosius. Praised by Procopius of Caesarea for his temperance and intelligence. But rebellions were not long in coming: the military garrison of Arles rose up and assassinated the prefect of the praetorium, while Bonifatius rebelled in Africa, blocking grain supplies directed to Rome. Johannes then attempted to make peace with Theodosius, who instead confirmed the appointment of Valentinian III and Galla Placidia and began the conflict. Johannes in 424 sent his collaborator Flavius Aetius to seek military support from the Huns, and closed in on Ravenna. The Eastern army, however, easily descended into Italy and besieged the city, which fell thanks to the corruption of the garrison. Johannes was captured and deposed, then sent to Aquileia where he was beheaded. A few days later Aetius arrived with a large Hunnic contingent, but he came to an agreement with Galla Placidia: the Huns were paid off and sent back home, while Aetius became magister militum. Castinus instead ended up in exile.

Condition: Near extremely fine.

Weight: 1.45 g.
Diameter: 13 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Very Rare Consular Bust Issue ★
VALENTINIAN III (425-455). GOLD Solidus. Ravenna.

Obv: D N PLA VALENTINIANVS P F AVG.
Rosette-diademed bust left, wearing consular robes, holding mappa and long cross over shoulder.
Rev: VOT X MVLT XX / R – V / COMOB.
Valentinian seated facing on throne, holding mappa and cross.

RIC 2036; Ranieri 99-100; Depeyrot 14/1.

Flavius Placidius Valentinianus was born in 419 to Constantius III and Galla Placidia, placed very young on the throne after the death of Honorius, who had left no heir, while the court of Ravenna had chosen Johannes as augustus in an attempt to free itself from the control of the Eastern Empire. Appointed caesar in 424, he was crowned augustus of the West in Rome the following year, but his mother Galla ruled in his stead for more than a decade. Despite her diplomatic prowess Galla Placidia was in trouble when she faced the valiant general Flavius Aetius, who had sided with Johannes and for him gained the support of the Huns. After the defeat of the usurper Galla could not put the general to death, but she put him back to work in the Gauls, where he displayed great military experience and earned the title of ‚magister militum‘. Flavius Aetius, in fact, found himself in charge of a power greater even than that of the young emperor and his mother, and did his best to contain barbarian pressure on the Rhine and Danube fronts, while he could do nothing against Genseric’s Vandals who conquered Carthage. Another serious threat was posed by the Huns who, having renounced tribute from the Eastern Empire under Marcian control, turned to the West: the sister of Valentinian III, Justa Grata Honoria, unwilling to marry the man for whom her family had destined her, sent a plea for help to Attila, in some ways legitimizing his coming to the West. This started a war in Gaul. Aetius prevailed in the battle near the Catalaunian Fields (451) but Attila, although defeated, managed to sack Mediolanum. Here occurred the famous and mysterious meeting with pope Leo I the Great, who succeeded in getting him to desist from an invasion of Italy (453). Attila died shortly afterward, however. The end of Valentinian III’s reign came, however, at the hands of his most trusted advisers. Jealous of the power Aetius was gaining, the eunuch Heraclius and the prefect of the praetorium in Rome, Petronius Maximus, persuaded the emperor to get rid of him (454). Without Aetius Valentinian had deprived himself of his own power and was murdered the following year by two assassins sent by Maximus.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 4.46 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

Münzen der Römischen Kaiser
★ Petronius Maximus Usurper ★
PETRONIUS MAXIMUS (Usurper, 455). GOLD Solidus. Rome.

Obv: D N PETRONIVS MAXIMVS P F AVG.
Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VICTORIA AVGGG / R – M / COMOB.
Emperor standing facing, wearing crown with trefoil ornament, holding long cross and crowning Victory on globe, right foot on human-headed serpent.

RIC 2201; Depeyrot 48/1.

Extremely rare. Petronius Maximus was born in Rome in 397, coming from the prominent Anicia family. Thanks to his father, a consul, he began his long career at age 14 and soon became praetor, serving under three emperors, Honorius, Johannes, and Valentinian III. By 445 he was appointed patrician and had become the most distinguished and richest of the senators. He even financed a forum in Rome on the Caelian. When he came into conflict with Valentinian III, Petronius Maximus decided to get Flavius Aetius out of the way first, agreeing with the eunuch Heraclius to persuade the emperor to kill the important general. Petronius therefore asked to take the place of Aetius and, upon Valentinian’s refusal, hired two assassins to kill the emperor in 455. Thereupon he forbade Empress Licinia Eudoxia to observe mourning for her husband’s death and forced her to marry him, then appointed her son Palladius as caesar and gave him in marriage one of Valentinian and Licinia’s daughters. Petronius failed, however, to gain recognition from the Eastern emperor, Marcian, and had to face the threat from North Africa. Licinia in fact asked for the help of Genseric’s Vandals, who headed for Rome and caused terror and riots in the city. Petronius attempted to flee but was assassinated and thrown into the Tiber. Only gold Solidi were struck in his name, in the mints of Rome and Ravenna, and no silver or bronze denominations. His portrait is characterized by the sole use of the pearl diadem, in total contrast to the rosette diadem of the other emperors of the period.

Condition: Good very fine.

Weight: 4.44 g.
Diameter: 21 mm.

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