06-07-2016 – 01-01-1970
Buy or Bid Sale 198
Harlan J. Berk offers ancient and world coins in Buy or Bid Sale
Harlan J. Berk holds its 198th Buy or Bid sale. This sale is comprised of 460 ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine and world coins. At the same time there are many new exciting projects coming up at HJB Ltd., the first of which is a new website. This website is expected to launch in the next 1-2 months and should change the clients’ buying experience in positive way. Many clients have talked to the company over the years about ways they could improve the site. They listened. Visitors will notice better navigation, improved aesthetic appeal and just overall more fun while finding coins for your collection. Unfortunately this BBS sale could not launch at the same time as the new site but all good things take time. Now onto some auction highlights!
Lot 6: Sicily, Camarina, AV diobol. Starting price: 12,500 USD.
Lot 6: Sicily, Camarina, AV diobol. The Greeks did not strike large denomination gold pieces. Of course the exception to this are the large Ptolemaic gold coins. What this coin lacks in size it makes up for in amazing artistry. A beautifully sculpted head of Athena and pair of olive leaves on the reverse with a ‘KA’ denoting Kamarina. Sicily had some of the most talented die engravers of all the Greek city states as evidenced by this coin.
Lot 9: Faustina II, aureus. Starting price: 15,000 USD.
Lot 9: Faustina II, aureus. A beautiful aureus of Faustina II, the wife of Marcus Aurelius. This is a rare portrait type with the stephane pictured. From the Jonathan Kern collection.
Lot 87: Attica, Athens, so called “Civic Mint”. Starting price: 13,650 USD.
Lot 87: Attica, Athens, so called “Civic Mint”. Extreme rarity of civic mint. This coin is extremely rare with Athena on the reverse not wearing a helmet and with the olive leaves in the lower right hand corner which is typical of the early issues of the civic mint. Berk had an example of this in the Gemini Rockefeller sale which was only VF, but did not have the cheek porosity that this coin has on the obverse. It brought a hammer price of $35,000.00. Less than ten coins of this rare issue exist.
Lot 357: Crassus, 30s BC, Cnossus of Crete, AE. Starting price: 2,800 USD.
Lot 357: Crassus, 30s BC, Cnossus of Crete, AE. A beautiful type. It is uncertain whether the issuer of this coin was Marcus Licinius Crassus, the grandson of Crassus the colleague of Julius Caesar and Pompey in the “first triumvirate”, or P. Canidius Crassus: see RPC, p. 219.
You can find the complete auction catalog at NumisBids or at the Harlan J. Berk website.