Alessandria, serie zodiacale

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Asta Busso Peus 420 e asta Naville Numismatics 35.

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Dr. Busso Peus Nachf.   |   Auktion 420   |   1 November 2017

Lot 316. Estimate: 500 EUR   |   Starting price: 500 EUR. Price realized 550 EUR.

Kaiserliche Prägungen
Antoninus Pius, 138-161. Bronze-Drachme Jahr 8 (= 144/145), Alexandria. Kopf / Sonne im Sternbild des Löwen: Heliosbüste über Löwen. Dattari 2968 var. (Averslegende); Geissen 1495. 21.19 g.; Braungrüne Patina Selten Sehr schön Leichte Korrosionsspuren
Erworben 1984 bei Knopek, Köln.

 

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Naville Numismatics Ltd   |   NN Live Auction 35   |   29 October 2017

Lot 421. Estimate: -   |   Starting price: 180 GBP. Price realized: 1'250 GBP

Egypt, Alexandria. Dattari. Antoninus Pius, 138-161 Drachm circa 144-145 (year 8), Æ 35.5mm., 21.30g. Laureate head r. Rev. zodiac, Mars in Scorpio: bust of Ares, l., wearing helmet and cuirass; below, scorpion, l.; before, star; in field, LH. RPC Online 13551. Dattari-Savio Pl. 155, 2972.

Lovely dark brown tone, Very Fine.
From the Dattari collection.

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Moon in Cancer

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (33mm, 26.33 g, 12h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AYT K T AIΛ A∆P ANTωNINOC CЄB ЄYC, laureate head right / Moon in Cancer – Draped and diademed bust of Selene (Moon) right; star of eight rays before, crescent moon below, crab beneath all; L–H (date) to either side. Köln 1494; Dattari (Savio) 2964; K&G 35.270; Emmett 1681.8 (rev. of this coin illustrated on p. 74A); Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 144 (this coin). Good VF, lovely dark brown patina with traces of green. Rare. As nice as the specimen that appeared in Triton XVIII (2015), which is the only other example of comparable quality to appear since 2000.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection. Ex Kerry K. Wetterstrom Collection (Classical Numismatic Auctions XIII, 4 December 1990), lot 159; John Work Garrett Collection (Part I, Numismatic Fine Arts/Bank Leu, 16 May 1984), lot 795; Frederick S. Knobloch Collection (Stack’s, 10 June 1970), lot 565.

An enormous crab came to the aid of the Lernaean Hydra in its battle with Herakles by nipping Herakles’ foot with a claw. In reward for the crab’s service, Hera set its image among the twelve signs of the Zodiac.

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Sun in Leo

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (35mm, 25.56 g, 12h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AYT K T AIΛ A∆P ANT[ω]NINOC CЄB ЄVC, laureate head right / Sun in Leo – Lion leaping left; above, radiate and draped bust of Helios (Sun) left and eight-rayed star; L H (date) below. Köln 1498 var. (obv. bust type); Dattari (Savio) 2966; K&G 35.276; Emmett 1531.8 (R5); Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 146 (this coin). Good VF, dark green and reddish brown patina. Very rare with the reverse type left, as indicated by Emmett’s R5 rating. None in auctions since 2000, and this variant missing from most major collections.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection, purchased from Numismatica Aretusa SA (Lugano–Franco Chiesa), 27 March 1980.

 

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Venus in Taurus

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (34mm, 23.87 g, 11h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). [A]VT K T AIΛ A∆P ANTωNINO[C CЄB ЄVC], laureate head right / Venus in Taurus (night house) – Diademed and draped bust of Aphrodite (Venus) left; star of eight rays before her; below, bull butting left; [L H (date) in exergue]. Köln 1492; Dattari (Savio) 2960; K&G 35.280; Emmett 1450.8; Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 143 (this coin). Good VF, dark brown patina with areas of green and red, some roughness. Rare. Exceptional, basically as struck with some encrustation.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection. Ex Adolph Hess AG 251 (7 May 1981), lot 163.

The Great Sothic Cycle was a calendrical cycle based on the heliacal rising in July of the star Sirius (known to the Greeks as Sothis) and lasting approximately 1460 years. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, in a Golden Age, the beginning of the flooding of the Nile coincided exactly with the rising of Sirius, which was reckoned as the New Year. Only once every 1460 years did Sirius rise at exactly the same time. Thus, the coincidence of this along with the concurrent beginning of the flooding of the Nile gave the event major cosmological significance by heralding not just the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of a new eon. This event also was thought to herald the appearance of the phoenix, a mythological bird which was reborn every 500 to 1000 years out of its own ashes. According to one version of the myth, each new phoenix embalmed its old ashes in an egg of myrrh, which it then deposited in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. So important was the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle, both to the realignment of the heavens and its signaling of the annual flooding of the Nile, that the Egyptians celebrated it in a five-day festival, which emphasized the important cosmological significance.

In the third year of the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 139/40), a new Great Sothic Cycle began. To mark this event, the mint of Alexandria struck an extensive series of coinage, especially in large bronze drachms, each related in some astrological way to the reordering of the heavens during the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle. This celebration would continue throughout Pius’ reign, with an immense output of coinage during the eighth year of his reign in Egypt, which included this coin type, part of the Zodiac series.

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Mars in Scorpio

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (35mm, 21.87 g, 11h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AVT K T AIΛ A∆P ANTω[NINOC] CЄB ЄVC, laureate head right / Mars in Scorpio – Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, head left, of Ares (Mars); before, star of eight rays; to either side, L H (date); beneath all, scorpion left. Köln 1500; Dattari (Savio) 2972; K&G 35.264 corr. (incorrect obv. legend given, illustrated example is Dattari 2971); Emmett 1460.8 (R4 – rev. of this coin illustrated on p. 74A); Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 147 (this coin). VF, attractive brown and dark green patina. Rare. Exceptional surfaces and comparable to the specimen we sold in Triton XX in 2017 for $6500 on the hammer.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection. Ex Numismatic Fine Arts Fall Mail Bid Sale (18 October 1990), lot 2400.

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Saturn in Aquarius

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (34mm, 28.73 g, 12h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AVT K T AIΛ A∆P ANTωNINOC C ЄB ЄYC, laureate head right / Saturn in Aquarius (day house) – Veiled and draped bust of Kronos left with solar disk atop head, falx (sickle) behind shoulder; star of eight rays to left; below, youth swimming left, looking back over his shoulder, wearing chlamys and holding an inverted amphora with both hands; L H (date) below. Köln 1506 var. (without falx); Dattari (Savio) 2979 & 8836; K&G 35.274; Emmett 1596.8 (rev. of this coin illustrated on p. 74A); Curtis, “The Coinage of Roman Egypt: A Survey” (reprinted from The Numismatist, January-August 1956), Pl. XXVIII (this coin’s reverse illustrated); Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 149 (this coin). Good VF, beautiful dark brown patina with smooth surfaces. Very rare. Comparable to the two specimens that we have recently sold (Triton XX, lot 379 & CNG 88, lot 1095). Whereas the coin in CNG 88 is technically a higher grade, this coin has superior surfaces.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection. Ex Kerry K. Wetterstrom Collection (Classical Numismatic Auctions XIII, 4 December 1990), lot 174; William B. Porter Collection; Carl W.A. Carlson Collection; Col. James W. Curtis Collection.

A wonderful coin that Giovanni describes as “Affascinante!” (Charming!) in his book.

 

 

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Saturn in Capricorn

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (34mm, 26.55 g, 12h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). A[VT] K T AIΛ A∆P ANTω[NЄ]INOC CЄB ЄYC, laureate head right / Saturn in Capricorn – Capricorn seated right; above, veiled and draped bust of Kronos (Saturn) right with solar disk atop head, falx (sickle) behind shoulder; star of eight rays to right; L H (date) below. Köln 1504 (same dies); Dattari (Savio) 2977; K&G 35.273; Emmett 1598.8 (R3); Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 148 (this coin). Good VF, dark brown patina with patches of green, minor roughness. Very rare. Only two inferior specimens have been sold at auction since 2000.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection, purchased from Numismatica Aretusa SA (Lugano–Franco Chiesa), 24 September 1980.

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Jupiter in Pisces

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (37mm, 20.69 g, 11h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AVT K T AIΛ A∆[P] ANTωNINOC ЄB (sic) ЄVC, laureate head right / Jupiter in Pisces – Bust right of Zeus (Jupiter), wearing taenia and draped on left shoulder, transverse scepter across right shoulder; star of eight rays before (faint); fish right and fish left below; [L]-H (date) to either side. Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 2981; K&G 35.260; Emmett 1692.8; Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 150 (this coin). VF, dark brown patina with traces of green, twice holed in antiquity – which does not affect any significant part of the design. Rare, one of the better types in the Alexandrian Zodiac series.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection. Ex Kerry K. Wetterstrom Collection (Classical Numismatic Auctions XIII, 4 December 1990), lot 178.

[apollonia]

Esemplare in vendita nel CNG Shop.

Rare Zodiac Drachm of Antoninus Pius

Jupiter in Sagittarius

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (34mm, 20.64 g, 1h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AVT K T AIΛ A∆P ANTωNINOC CЄB ЄVC, laureate head right / Jupiter in Sagittarius: Centaur galloping right, drawing bow and arrow; above centaur, bust of Jupiter (Zeus) right with slight drapery; L H (date) below. Köln 1502 var. (obv. legend and star above centaur’s head); Dattari (Savio) 2974 var. (star above centaur’s head); K&G 35.262 var. (same); Emmett 1693.8. Good VF, attractive reddish-brown patina with touches of green. Rare. One of the finest known examples for the type. The star that usually appears on the reverse above the centaur’s head (indicating that this type represents the constellation) appears to have been left off of this die by the celator.

Alexandria saw an immense output of coinage during the eighth year of Antoninus Pius’s reign. The Zodiac drachms, mythological types, and a host of issues for the nomes appeared that year. One explanation for this activity centers on the celebration of the renewal of the Great Sothic cycle, the point when the star Sothis (Sirius) rises on the same point on the horizon as the sun. This cycle of 1461 years began early in the reign of Pius in AD 139, and apparently prompted a renewal in the ancient Egyptian religion, while the coin types also stressed the connections to the Greco-Roman Pantheon.

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Very Rare Zodiac Wheel

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (37mm, 23.78 g, 12h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AVT K T AΛ A∆[P] ANTωNЄINOC CЄB ЄV, laureate head right / Two Zodiac wheels, one inside the other, “Aries” at the top, the signs of both coinciding; in the innermost circle, conjoined busts left of Sarapis and Isis (with their typical attributes); not dated. Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 2983 (same rev. die); K&G 35.257 (rev. of this coin illustrated); Emmett 1708.8; Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis145 (this coin). Near VF, rough dark brown surfaces. Very rare and elusive type, with the details mostly visible. Better than the Zodiac Wheel type we sold in CNG 102 (2016), lot 768, which realized $7,000 on the hammer.

 

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection. Ex M&M Numismatics, Ltd. I (7 December 1997), lot 296; Kerry K. Wetterstrom Collection (Classical Numismatic Auctions XIII, 4 December 1990), lot 157; John Work Garrett Collection (Part III, Numismatic Fine Arts/Bank Leu, 29 March 1985), lot 484k (part of).

The Great Sothic Cycle was a calendrical cycle based on the heliacal rising in July of the star Sirius (known to the Greeks as Sothis) and lasting approximately 1460 years. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, in a Golden Age, the beginning of the flooding of the Nile coincided exactly with the rising of Sirius, which was reckoned as the New Year. Only once every 1460 years did Sirius rise at exactly the same time. Thus, the coincidence of this along with the concurrent beginning of the flooding of the Nile gave the event major cosmological significance by heralding not just the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of a new eon. This event also was thought to herald the appearance of the phoenix, a mythological bird which was reborn every 500 to 1000 years out of its own ashes. According to one version of the myth, each new phoenix embalmed its old ashes in an egg of myrrh, which it then deposited in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. So important was the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle, both to the realignment of the heavens and its signaling of the annual flooding of the Nile, that the Egyptians celebrated it in a five-day festival, which emphasized the important cosmological significance.

In the third year of the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 139/40), a new Great Sothic Cycle began. To mark this event, the mint of Alexandria struck an extensive series of coinage, especially in large bronze drachms, each related in some astrological way to the reordering of the heavens during the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle. This celebration would continue throughout Pius’ reign, with an immense output of coinage during the eighth year of his reign in Egypt, which included this coin type, part of the Zodiac series.

 

 

[apollonia]

Esemplare presentato alla Triton XXI, che chiude l’8 gennaio 2018.

Bronzo di tema zodiacale con l’Ariete ma spesso erroneamente identificato come appartenente alla serie ‘Zodiaco’.

EGYPT, Alexandria. Hadrian. AD 117-138. Æ Drachm (36mm, 28.56 g, 12h). Dated RY 20 (AD 135/136). [AVT KAIC T]PAIAN • AΔPIANO[C CЄB], laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Ram, wearing crown composed of two uraei and disk, standing right before altar; above, draped bust right of Sarapis wearing kalathos; L K (date) across upper field. Köln 1206; Dattari (Savio) 1825 (this coin – reverse illustrated on pl. XXII); K&G 32.715; RPC III 6110/15 (this coin); Emmett 1028.20 (R2); Staffieri, Alexandria In Nummis 82 (this coin). VF, reddish brown and green patina. A one-year type coin for Hadrian.

From the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection, purchased from Dr. Piero Beretta, Milan, October 1972. Ex Dr. Piero Beretta Collection (Milan); Giovanni Dattari Collection, no. 1825.

An interesting type that is often misidentified as a ‘Zodiac’ type (Aries). Unlike the coin in lot 87, with Zeus-Sarapis riding a ram, this is the more commonly encountered type depicting Sarapis in combination with Ammon or Khnum.

 

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Auguri

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Nell’asta CNG 433 che si conclude tra qualche ora viene battuta una dramma alessandrina in bronzo di Antonino Pio della serie zodiacale, che raffigura il Sole in Leone. La peculiarità è che il leone procede a destra anziché a sinistra come negli altri esemplari.

Sun in Leo

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (33mm, 22.15 g, 12h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/5). Laureate head right / Sun in Leo: Lion leaping right; above, radiate and draped bust of Helios (Sun) and eight-rayed star; L H (date) below. Köln 1495-6; Dattari (Savio) 2968; K&G 35.278; Emmet 1530.8. VF, brown surfaces, earthen deposits around devices, flan cracks.

Ex Cornelius C. Vermeule III Collection (Classical Numisimatic Group 50, 23 June 1999), lot 1162.

 

[Afranio_Burro]

Buongiorno a tutti,

ripesco questa vecchia discussione per segnalare che nella prossima asta CNG (n° 117 del 19-20/05/2021) verrà battuta una bellissima dracma della Serie dello Zodiaco. Partenza 12000 USD, per una stima di 20000 USD.

Link dell'asta: https://www.sixbid.com/en/classical-numismatic-group/8452/roman-provincial/7021954/egypt-alexandria-antoninus-pius-ad?term&orderCol=lot_number&orderDirection=asc&priceFrom&displayMode=large&auctionSessions=9206|321410&sidebarIsSticky=false

Posto anche la foto, nel caso il link all'asta dovesse scadere. Ecco il rovescio:

[Afranio_Burro]

Ed ecco il dritto (non son riuscito a comprimere il file fino alle dimensioni accettate..) corredato dalla descrizione:

Lot 431. EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (34.5mm, 24.71 g, 12h). Zodiac series. Dated RY 8 (AD 144/145). AYT K T AIΛ A∆P ANTωNINOC CЄB ЄYC, laureate head right / Zodiac wheel, with “Aries” at the top, around an inner circle with the conjoined busts left of Helios and Selene (with their typical attributes); not dated. Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 2983 var. (obv. bust type); K&G –; RPC IV.4 Online 16967; Emmett 1705.8 (R5). Attractive dark green surfaces with touches of red, hint of smoothing on obverse. EF. Extremely rare “Zodiac wheel” variety, none in CoinArchives, and the authors of RPC IV Online cite only one specimen, which appeared in the Leo Hamburger sale of 19 October 1925, as lot 992 (the Niklovitz collection). Our coin is certainly the finest known for this extremely rare variety, and overall one of the finest known Zodiac wheel types from Alexandria. 


The Great Sothic Cycle was a calendrical cycle based on the heliacal rising in July of the star Sirius (known to the Greeks as Sothis) and lasting approximately 1460 years. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, in a Golden Age, the beginning of the flooding of the Nile coincided exactly with the rising of Sirius, which was reckoned as the New Year. Only once every 1460 years did Sirius rise at exactly the same time. Thus, the coincidence of this along with the concurrent beginning of the flooding of the Nile gave the event major cosmological significance by heralding not just the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of a new eon. This event also was thought to herald the appearance of the phoenix, a mythological bird which was reborn every 500 to 1000 years out of its own ashes. According to one version of the myth, each new phoenix embalmed its old ashes in an egg of myrrh, which it then deposited in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. So important was the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle, both to the realignment of the heavens and its signaling of the annual flooding of the Nile, that the Egyptians celebrated it in a five-day festival, which emphasized the important cosmological significance.

In the third year of the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 139/40), a new Great Sothic Cycle began. To mark this event, the mint of Alexandria struck an extensive series of coinage, especially in large bronze drachms, each related in some astrological way to the reordering of the heavens during the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle. This celebration would continue throughout Pius’ reign, with an immense output of coinage during the eighth year of his reign in Egypt, which included this coin type, part of the Zodiac series.
 

The authors of RPC IV Online question the authenticity of the Hamburger specimen, but as the photo is most likely of a cast of the coin, typical of auction catalogues of that era, it makes it difficult to condemn the coin. Our specimen is undoubtedly genuine, so the type does exist. .

 

[apollonia]

L’esemplare della Triton XXI che avevo descritto al Post # 62 agli inizi del 2018 è stato venduto a un hammer di $12000 dalla stima di $5000.

[Vietmimin]

3 hours ago, Afranio_Burro said:

Buongiorno a tutti,

ripesco questa vecchia discussione per segnalare che nella prossima asta CNG (n° 117 del 19-20/05/2021) verrà battuta una bellissima dracma della Serie dello Zodiaco. Partenza 12000 USD, per una stima di 20000 USD.

Link dell'asta: https://www.sixbid.com/en/classical-numismatic-group/8452/roman-provincial/7021954/egypt-alexandria-antoninus-pius-ad?term&orderCol=lot_number&orderDirection=asc&priceFrom&displayMode=large&auctionSessions=9206|321410&sidebarIsSticky=false

Posto anche la foto, nel caso il link all'asta dovesse scadere. Ecco il rovescio:

Grazie. Una moneta stupenda! Già adottata dal RPC:

https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/16967