CLASSICAL NUMISMATIC GROUP AUCTION 111

Classical Numismatic Group is proud to present CNG 111, an Internet and Mail Bid Sale closing electronically on Wednesday, 29 May 2019, from 10 AM ET (U.S.). This sale offers 1168 lots with a presale estimate of $2.75 million.

Our annual spring sale features Greek, Celtic, Oriental Greek, Central Asian, Roman Provincial, Roman Republican, and Roman Imperial coinage. Additionally, there are featured selections of Byzantine, Early Medieval, Islamic, World, United States, and British.

CNG 111 is highlighted by a number of collections and individual rarities, which make up the majority of coins on offer:

• Greek, Roman, Early Medieval, and British Coins from the Ealing Collection
• Further Selections from the Gasvoda Collection
• Pedigreed Carthage Dekadrachm
• The Siren Collection of Early Electrum Coinage
• Continued Offerings from the MNL Collection of Seleukid Coins
• Jewish War Year 4 Shekel
• Further Selections from the Michel Prieur Collection of Syro-Phoenician Silver Coinage
• The Brexit Collection of Roman Gold Coins, including an Aureus of Pertinax and the First Portrait of Commodus in Gold
• Very Rare Procopius Solidus
• Impressive Wu Zhu Mold from the Arthur B. Coole Collection
• Selections from the RAJ Collection of World Medals
• Stunning 1907 Wire Rim Indian Eagle
• Important Early Anglo-Saxon and Norman Coins
• The G.W.K. Roberts Collection of British Milled Coinage

Catalogs for CNG 111 have been mailed to our active mailing list and bidding is open on the site. Some of the individual highlights from CNG 111 are:

Lot 60–SICILY, Kamarina. Circa 425-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 16.46 g, 7h). Athena, wearing crested Attic helmet and long chiton, holding kentron in right hand and reins in both, driving galloping quadriga right; above, Nike flying left, preparing to crown Athena with wreath held in both hands; in exergue, two amphorai dividing KAM-A-PINA / Beardless head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin headdress tied at neck; bow to left. Westermark & Jenkins 152 (O10/R19); HGC 2, 526; SNG Fitzwilliam 945 (same dies); SNG Stockholm 431 = Pozzi 400 (same dies); Athena Fund I 1 (same dies); BMC 13 (same dies); Gillet 368 = Rizzo pl. V, 15 (same dies); Jameson 525a (same dies); Weber 1246 (same dies). Good VF, toned, a little off center. Estimated at $7,500

Ex Hess-Divo 307 (8 June 2007), lot 1055; Münzen und Medaillen AG 66 (23 October 1984), lot 25.

Lot 64–SICILY, Leontini. Circa 440-430 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25mm, 17.25 g, 12h). Head of Apollo right, wearing laurel wreath / Head of roaring lion right; LEO-NTIN-ON and four barley grains around. Boehringer, Münzgeschichte 52 var. (lion head left; same obv. die); HGC 2, 669 var. (same; same obv. die as illustration); Weber 1382 (this coin – reverse photo switched with 1381). Good VF, old cabinet tone. Estimated at $5,000

Ex Henry Platt Hall Collection (Part I, Glendining & Co., 19 July 1950), lot 44; Sir Hermann Weber Collection, 1382; Ferdinand Bompois Collection (Hoffman, 16 January 1882), lot 426 (possibly 425: Weber lists 426, but that coin is listed at 16.70 grams, while 425, of the same type, is at a closer weight of 17.20 grams).

Lot 265–IONIA, Uncertain. Circa 600-550 BC. EL Trite – Third Stater (12mm, 4.71 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Carapace of scarab beetle / Two incuse squares with geometric designs. Weidauer –; Traité –; SNG Kayhan 673; Linzalone 1110 ("ram", same incuse punches). VF. Extremely rare denomination for type.
Estimated at $2,000

Lot 382–JUDAEA, Jewish War. 66-70 CE. AR Shekel (22.5mm, 14.12 g, 12h). Jerusalem mint. Dated year 4 (69/70 CE). Omer cup; "Y[ear] 4" (date) in Hebrew above, "Shekel of Israel" (in Hebrew) around / Sprig of three pomegranates; "Jerusalem the holy" in Hebrew around. Deutsch – (O–/R25); MCP FJR 10, dies O8/R13; Meshorer 207; Kadman 27; Hendin 1364; Bromberg 72; Shoshana I 20212 = Shoshana II 20124; Sofaer 36; Spaer 178. Near EF, die flaws on obverse.
Estimated at $15,000

Year 4 shekels are decidedly rarer than those of Years 1-3, reflecting the deteriorating military and political situation of the Judean rebels. While surviving shekels of each of the first three years number in the hundreds, fewer than 50 survive for Year 4. The Jewish forces, increasingly confined to the environs of Jerusalem, were suffering severe shortages of everything from precious metals to foodstuffs, meaning there was far less silver available to strike coins, and very little in the way of goods for them to be spent buying. The dies used for striking coins also show signs of haste in preparation. This specimen appears to have a noticeable metal defect, or "delamination," in the obverse field left of the chalice; however, this same "metal flaw" appears on the only other known specimen struck from this obverse die (sold in Heritage 3005, May 2009, lot 20062), indicating it is a raised area in the die itself. Normally such a die flaw would have been abraded and polished away before striking, but here it was apparently overlooked or not viewed as important enough to correct, all indications of mounting difficulties at the mint.

Lot 734–Commodus. As Caesar, AD 166-177. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.29 g, 5h). Rome mint. Struck under Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, AD 175. COMMODO CAES AVG FIL GERM, bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right / PR INC • IVVENT, Commodus, wearing military tunic and cloak, standing left, holding olive branch in right hand and grounded reversed spear in left, trophy of arms to right. RIC III 600 (Aurelius; corr. omits bust cuirassed); MIR 309-12/17; Calicó 2314 (same obv. die as illustration); BMCRE 637 (Aurelius and Verus; corr. omits bust cuirassed); Biaggi –; Jameson –; Mazzini –. Near EF, underlying luster. Well struck on a broad flan. Rare.
Estimated at $10,000

From the Brexit Collection. Ex Palombo 16 (21 October 2017), lot 50 (realized 30,000 CHF); Vinchon (30 November 1993), lot 40; Vinchon (23 April 1976), lot 250.

Lot 738–Pertinax. AD 193. AV Aureus (20mm, 7.25 g, 12h). Rome mint. Struck 1 January-28 March AD 193. IMP CAES P HELV PERTIN • AVG, laureate head right / LAETITIA • TE MPOR COS II, Laetitia, draped, standing left, holding wreath in lowered right hand and vertical scepter in left. RIC IV 4a; Woodward, Pertinax, dies 7/E; Calicó 2383; BMCRE 7; Biaggi 1039; Jameson –; Mazzini 18; Gorny & Mosch 240, lot 527 (same rev. die); NAC 33, lot 515 (same rev. die). EF, a few faint scratches and edge imperfections. Rare. Estimated at $30,000

From the Brexit Collection.

The 89-day reign of Pertinax was, in many ways, a rerun of Galba’s transient principate 125 years before. Like Galba, Pertinax was considered a distinguished elder statesman who could manage affairs after the collapse of a long-established dynasty. Like Galba, Pertinax tried to impose strict economy after a period of extravagance. And, when he tried to discipline the mutinous Praetorians, he met Galba’s fate.

Pertinax’s gold aurei are struck from an extraordinary number of dies, given the brevity of his reign. Thirteen obverse dies and 41 reverse dies have been recorded, indicating an almost frenzied output at the Rome mint during this period, perhaps attempting to keep up with his promised payments to the Praetorians. Though uniformly of high quality, the portraits vary greatly in detail and are clearly produced by many engravers. The obverse die seen here shows a distinctive three-pointed beard that was later adopted by his eventual successor, Septimius Severus.

Lot 935–GERMANY, Sachsen-Ernestinische Linie. Friedrich III der Weise (the Wise). 1485-1525. AR Breiter Guldengroschen (49mm, 29.30 g, 6h). In the name of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Dies by Ulrich Ursenthaler of Innsbruck. Undated, but struck circa 1508-1519. FRID’ · DVX SAX (shield) ELECT’ · IMPER (shield) QVE · LOCVM · TEN (shield) E’S · GENERA’ (shield), armored bust right, wearing snood; breastplate inscribed IHS : MARIA / (symbol) MAXIMILIANVS (symbol) ROMANORVM (symbol) REX · (rosette) · SEMPER (rosette) AVGVST, nimbate heraldic eagle facing, head left, with wings displayed; electoral arms on breast. Keilitz 70.2; Schnee 37; cf. Davenport 9699. Superb EF, toned, traces of underlying luster.

Estimated at $10,000

Friedrich the Wise was the first ruler of modern Saxony. He founded the University of Wittenberg in 1502, and in 1508 he appointed Martin Luther to a professorship in Philosophy. Later on, Friedrich was instrumental in protecting Luther from the wrath of the Church by refusing to enforce the Papal bull, which required Luther's writings be burned and the reformer be sent to Rome. When, in 1521, Luther was placed under the imperial ban by the diet at Worms, Friedrich had him brought to his castle for protection.

Lot 1006–1907 St. Gaudens High Relief Wire Rim Double Eagle – $20. NGC MS 62. (642344-001). Truly a lovely coin with incredibly clean surfaces that seem to merit a much higher grade than the holder indicates. Struck in high relief and simply gorgeous! Estimated at $10,000

Lot 1054–ANGLO-SAXON, Kings of Northumbria. Æthelwald Moll, with Archbishop Ecgberht. 759-765. AR Sceatt (13mm, 1.06 g, 12h). York mint. + EDIh∂ΓD around central small cross pattée / ECGBERhT ΛR around central small cross pattée. SCBI –; BMC –; Pirie –; Pirie, Guide 2.4; Beowulf 1446 (same obv. die); North 193 note (Alchred); SCBC 853. Good VF, dusky find patina, some hard green deposits. Extremely rare, the finest of only four known specimens.
Estimated at $7,500

Found Yapham, East Riding, Yorkshire 2018.

For over 150 years, only a single, chipped specimen of this extremely rare coinage was known. Found in Richmond, Yorkshire in 1832, the legend was initially read as EDIIHALD, and correctly given to Æthelwald Moll. Grantley ("On a unique Styca of Alchred of Northumbria and Archbishop Ecgberht," in NC [1893]) interpreted it as an issue of Alchred, assuming that the final two letters were retrograde AL, a view which predominated until Stewart ("A Northumbrian Coin of King Ethelwald and Archbishop Ecgberht," NC [1991]) returned again to the original reading, arguing that the whole legend should be read retrograde and outward. Since then, three further specimens have been discovered, confirming the reading by Stewart. The attribution to Æthelwald Moll is no longer in doubt (See James Booth, "Notes on the Keith Chapman Collection of Northumbrian Silver Sceattas: c. 700-c. 788," in: T. Abramson, ed., Studies in Early Medieval Coinage 2 [London, 2011], p. 193).

Lot 1098–LANCASTER. Henry IV. 1399-1413. AV Noble (34mm, 7.03 g, 3h). Second (Light) coinage, Primary series Pb(ii) (type V). Tower (London) mint. Henry standing facing in ship with bowsprit, holding sword and shield; ornaments 1-11-11-1, ropes 3/1, quatrefoils 3/3, lis 1-2-1; cross below second lis on hull / Voided short cross potent over cross fleurée; in each angle, crown over lion passant over trefoil; at center, h within angled quadrilobe; all within polylobe, with trefoils in spandrels; double saltire stops. Stewartby p. 318; Schneider –; North 1355; SCBC 1715. Good VF, slight weakness on king’s face, otherwise unusually well struck on a broad flan. Rich golden tone. Very rare and with an excellent pedigree.
Estimated at $7,500

Ex Magnus Collection (Spink 212, 28 March 2012), lot 842; Duprée Collection (acquired by Spink in 1989); R. C. Lockett Collection (English Part V, Glendining, 17 October 1961), lot 4288; Bernard Roth Collection (Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 19 July 1917), lot 192. Found at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, 6 July 1901.

Printed catalogs for CNG 111 are now available. To order the catalog, please call our U.S. office at (717) 390-9194. Catalogs have been mailed to customers on CNG’s active mailing list. Prospective bidders may also view the virtual catalogs at https://issuu.com/cngcoins/docs/cng_111_virtual_catalog. The sale can be viewed online at cngcoins.com, sixbid.com, and numisbids.com.

In addition to our Internet & Mail Bid Sale 111, CNG will also feature over 800 lots from many of the same collections listed above in their Electronic Auction 445, closing one week later on Wednesday, 5 June 2019, from 10AM ET (U.S.). Bidding for CNG Electronic Auction 445 will begin on 15 May 2019.

CNG is currently accepting consignments for future auctions sales. Please contact the firm for further details and consignment deadlines.

For further details and any additional information, please contact CNG, LLC at:

Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
P.O. Box 479
Lancaster, PA 17608-0479
Telephone: (717) 390-9194
Fax: (717) 390-9978
Email: cng@cngcoins.com

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