01-11-2014 – 01-01-1970
Auction 24
Pecunem Auction 24 is online
On 2 November 2014, Pecunem will be holding its 24th online auction. This sale, produced by Munich-based dealer Gitbud & Naumann, contains more than 800 lots with a total presale estimate of over €220,000.
Auction 24, which focuses on coins of the ancient world, features many outstanding pieces. Some of the highlights are:
Lot 128. ATTICA. Athens. Tetradrachm (Circa 500-480 BC).
This tetradrachm in archaic style comes from the earliest period of Athens’ coinage. It is the forerunner of the famous classical-style coins produced in this Greek metropolis. On this example we can see the symbols of the city: the goddess Athena with her sacred animal, the owl. The fine archaic style of this piece is a wonderful specimen of early Greek art.
Lot 472. DIVUS ANTONINUS PIUS (Died 161). Sestertius. Rome.
Because coins were probably the most extensively used form of communication between a ruler and his people in the Roman Empire (the so-called newspapers of their day), we can see a great deal of diverse and complex imagery on Roman coins. In addition to gods and personifications, which illustrate the virtues of a ruler, we can also see many regular daily themes, including political campaigns and other propaganda. After the end of a successful imperial career, so-called consecration coinage was frequently produced. By order of the Roman senate, the title Divus was given to the deceased emperor, who was then considered deified and took his place in the imperial cult with the pantheon of Roman gods. Typically, this coinage depicts the death or ascension of the emperor with imagery such as an empty throne, burning altar, a quadriga that takes an emperor to the heavens, or, as in this example, a huge, richly decorated pyre upon which the deceased was burned.
Lot 517. MANLIA SCANTILLA. Augusta (193). Denarius. Rome.
This Manlia Scantilla denarius – very rare in this quality – is one of the gems of the current auction. Manlia Scantilla was the wife of Didius Julianus, who ruled for just four months in AD 193. The short reign makes the coinage of this ruler and his family very rare and sought after collector’s items.
Lot 650. CONSTANTIUS I (Caesar, 293-305). Aureus. Nicomedia.
This aureus of Constantius I, father of Constantine the Great, depicts on the reverse a detailed representation of Hercules. The hero holds his typical weapon, the club, and wears the skin of the Nemean lion over his elbow, while reminding us of his eleventh labor by holding the apples of the Hesperides in his hand. According to legend, the Hesperides guarded a miraculous tree with golden apples, which was planted by Gaia to be given to the gods Hera and Zeus for their wedding. The fruit from this tree gave the gods eternal youth. Hercules succeeded in his task by employing a ruse whereby he convinced Atlas, father of the Hesperides, to pick the apples.
To see all of the lots offered in Pecunem Auction 24, please visit the website of Pecunem.
The auction lots will begin closing at 5:00 PM CET on 2 November 2014, so make sure to register before that time to participate in the sale.