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The Coinex Sale - 6 October 2004

ANCIENT

Spink’s annual Coinex auction (6-7 October 2004) will include a collection of ancient Greek coins, the property of a Gentleman. Within this collection are a number of high quality coins, and some rarities. A 12 Litrae of The Sikeliotes, struck in Morgantina in Sicily (c. 214-213 B.C.) is a very rare variety, depicting a laureate head of Zeus on its obverse and a winged thunderbolt on the reverse. Its estimate is £2,000-3,000.

An attractive example of a Siculo-Punic tetradrachm will be offered at £1,200-1,400. The horse’s head on the reverse of this coin is particularly fine. A superb Thraco-Macedonian Oktodrachm of The Bisaltae is one of the most impressive pieces in the collection. It shows on its obverse a bridled horse, behind which is a young male figure, wearing a petasos and holding two spears. The coin is struck from very good metal and is almost extremely fine (estimate £6,000-8,000).

Two lovely tetradrachms of Maroneia are included. Both of them show a horse prancing left as their obverse type. An early and rare tetradrachm from Mende (c. 520-480 B.C.) depicts an ass walking right, with a crow pecking at its rump (estimate £1,200-1,500). A later issue of the same city shows Dionysos reclining on an ass, holding a kantharos (estimate £1,800-2,200).

A really good example of a tetradrachm of King Perseus of Macedon is included at £1,000-1,200. It is struck on a broad flan and is extremely fine in grade. With a beautiful steel-blue iridescent tone is a tetradrachm of Mithradates VI, King of Pontus (estimate £1,200-1,500). For collectors of eastern dynasties, there is a tetradrachm of Kamnaskires II, King of Elymais (estimate £1,200-1,500).

After this collection, ancient Greek coins from other properties will be offered. Among these are included an attractive drachm from Velia in Lucania, showing the forepart of a lion tearing at a stag’s leg (estimate £800-900).

A tetradrachm of Rhegium in Bruttium has a particularly attractive facing lion’s head on its obverse. There will also be an extremely fine tetradrachm from Messana in Sicily (estimate £2,000-2,500).

A lovely example of a tetradrachm from Abdera in Thrace (c. 386-375 B.C.) shows a griffin seated (estimate £3,000-4,000).

A tetradrachm of the Ionian Island Chios (c. 412-350 B.C.) shows a sphinx on its obverse (estimate £2,800-3,000).

Also included in the ancient Greek coins section of the sale will be gold staters of Lysimachos, a Chalcidian League tetradrachm, a Philip II Twelfth stater, drachms of Chalkis and the Euboean League, issues of the Seleucid dynasty, and some multiple lots of Parthian tetradrachms and Sasanian drachms.

In the Roman section of the sale, there is a good selection of coins from all periods. In the Republican, there are several lots of denarii of Julius Caesar, and a denarius of Augustus & Julia. In the Imperial, and of particular note, is a denarius of Caligula & Divus Augustus. The coin is of superb quality and the portrait of Divus Augustus does look remarkably like that of Tiberius (estimate £5,000-6,000).

Later in the Imperial section is a denarius featuring the portraits of Vitellius and his father, Lucius Vitellius (estimate £850-950). A good very fine aureus of Trajan has as its reverse type Trajan on horseback, thrusting a spear at a fallen Dacian (estimate £2,500-3,000).

A very rare coin to be offered is an AE issue of Antoninus Pius from Bostra in Arabia. The obverse shows Antoninus Pius’s laureate head and the reverse shows a bust of Zeus-Ammon. The reverse legend reads LEG III CYR. This refers to legio III Cyrenaica, which was stationed in Bostra during the reign of Antoninus Pius. The coin is in particularly good condition for this interesting issue, being very fine to good very fine (estimate £300-400).

A denarius of Carausius is included. It has a reverse depicting Pax, with a letter (possibly L) in the left field. There is also an attractive antoninianus of Allectus which has a pretty radiate, draped and cuirassed bust seen from behind.

A number of late Roman gold coins are included in the sale. Among them are a solidus of Jovian (estimate £400-500), a solidus of Johannes (£1,000-1,200), a solidus of Anthemius (estimate £800-1,000), and a solidus of Galla Placidia (estimate £4,500-5,000).

Finally in the ancient coin section of the auction will be offered miscellaneous Roman coins, and Byzantine and Palaeologan coins.

FOREIGN

Following the foreign section of the Pimprez hoard there are over 200 lots of foreign coins, some commemorative medallions and a section of Islamic coins. The foreign coins includes a large group of Albanian gold, a good group of Egyptian gold coins including several rare pieces – in particular a 500 Qirsh of Abdul Aziz, AH 1277 year 15, one of only 56 struck (lot 917, £4,000-£5,000) .Other notable coins include an extremely rare Venetian ducatone of St. Justina, struck in gold to the weight of a 6 zecchini under Paolo Renier (1779-89), lot 1017 (£5,000-£6,000). A group of Russian coins (lots 1046-1067) includes several scarce pieces; one should mention lot 1047, a novodel Ducat of Sophia Alexeiena (£1,200-£1,500).

The highlight of the Indian coins must be a gold Mohur of Shah Jahan III struck at the Ahmadnagar Farrukhabad mint in 1760 (lot 989), this is in exceptional condition and is very rare, guide price £600-700. For collectors of early Indian coins there is a gold dinar of the Kushan ruler Kanishka with the deity Orlagno on the reverse (lot 976, £350-450).

The Islamic section (lots 1101-1220) is marked by a large collection of gold coins of Iran, these include coins of the Samanids, Buwayhids, Ghaznavids, Ilkhanids and Safavids, but it is the Zand and Qajar dynasties of Persia that are best represented. All of these are notable for their exquisite calligraphy and are beautiful coins to own. You are recommended to view lots 1169 and 1193 especially on our web site, both estimated at £80-100, a small price to pay for a minor work of art!

Also in this sale: The Unique Gold Penny of Coenwulf, King of Mercia (796 - 821) and The Pimprez Hoard