NOMOS TO SELL COLLIER COLLECTION FOR ANS

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V28 2025 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 28, Number 19, 2025, Article 23

The collection of Prof. James M. Collier is being sold by Nomos AG to benefit the Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics offered by the American Numismatic Society. -Editor

The American Numismatic Society is pleased to announce that the Collection of James M. Collier is currently at auction by Nomos AG in Nomos 35 and Obolos 37. For Nomos 35, pre-bidding Part I will close on June 15, 2025 at 09:00 CEST (3:00 AM ET), and pre-bidding Part II will close on June 16, 2025 at 09:00 CEST (3:00 AM ET). For Obolos 37, Part I will close on May 17, 2025 at 16:00 CEST (10:00 AM ET), and Part II will close on May 18, 2025 at 16:00 CEST (10:00 AM ET). All proceeds from the collection will establish an endowment at the ANS to offer the Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics in perpetuity.

The Collier Prize was established in 2020 with the generous support of ANS Trustee Carole Anne Menzi Collier in honor of her late husband Professor James M. Collier. It is the most substantial financial award supporting scholarship in ancient numismatics. The auctions will include many fine examples of ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine coins from the Collier collection. The auctions are now live at nomosag.com/auction.

James Collier initially taught art history before fully dedicating himself to painting, in which he drew inspiration both from the rich tapestry of art history, but also from the world around him. His work is deeply influenced by his understanding of artistic periods, in particular of the Renaissance, yet he remained attuned to the nuances of objects he loved, such as coins and medals, blending the two to create a unique and compelling visual narrative. His coin collection contains many of the great highlights of ancient numismatics, such as an exceptional group of coins of Syracuse, including a stunning decadrachm of Euainetos (lot. 169). In the extensive Roman series, there are many highlights, such as a remarkable specimen of the sesterius of Nero with his lost triumphal arch (lot 659) and a full set of the twelve Caesars in silver (lot. 640).

The Collier Prize is awarded biennially to the best single or multi-authored work in the field of ancient numismatics, with the winner(s) receiving $20,000 (to be split equally for a multi-authored work). The prize was first awarded in 2021 to Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) II.3 (Spink, 2020) by Richard Abdy and Peter Mittag, and most recently to Moneda Ibérica (monedaiberica.org), developed and edited by Manuel Gozalbes Fernández de Palencia, Pere Pau Ripollès Alegre, Alejandro Peña, and Juan Francisco Onielfa.

The Sydney F. Martin Executive Director, Dr. Ute Wartenberg Kagan, commented on the auction: "We are most grateful for the generous support of our trustee, Carole Anne Menzi Collier, and Nomos AG for hosting this auction. The proceeds will help the ANS continue to enrich the study of ancient numismatics by supporting this prize and honoring significant research publications in the field."