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HERITAGE: NYINC WORLD AND ANCIENTSHeritage Auctions will be hosting their NYINC World and Ancients Signature Auction on January 22-23. Select items from the Curators' Picks are discussed below. -Garrett 
Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Marc Antony, as Rulers of the East (37-30 BC). AR denarius (20mm, 3.24 gm, 12h). NGC Choice XF 4/5 - 4/5, flan flaw. Alexandria, 34-32 BC. CLEOPATRAE-REGINAE•REGVM•FILIORVM•REGVM, diademed and draped bust of Cleopatra right, seen from front, stem of galley prow below / ANTONI•ARMENIA•DEVICTA, bare head of Marc Antony right; Armenian tiara behind. Crawford 543/1. Sydenham 1210. Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Ptolemaic Egypt, succeeded to the throne alongside her younger brother in 51 BC. The resulting succession crisis led to her seeking support from Rome, thereby becoming Caesar's lover. She assembled an army and, with Roman reinforcements, took back her throne. In 47 BC, she had a child whom she named Ptolemy Caesar - it is unknown whether Caesar was the child's father, but she claimed that he was. She married a different brother of hers and ruled with him until his death in 44 BC. Following Caesar's assassination and the Battle of Philippi, Marc Antony called upon Cleopatra to explain her role in the aftermath of Caesar's assassination. He was captivated by her and returned to Alexandria, leaving behind his wife and children in Italy. She gave birth to his twins, Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, in 40 BC. Antony had intentions to rule vast swaths of land with his young family, and Octavian took issue with this, so they engaged in a propaganda war that escalated to military battles. In the midst of a battle, Marc Antony received false news that Cleopatra was dead - she had simply retired to her mausoleum. He fell on his sword and supposedly had himself carried to Cleopatra and bid her to make peace with Octavian before dying. Cleopatra then ended her own life. Although Suetonius claimed that she died by asp bite, other Roman writers such as Strabo, Plutarch, and Cassius Dio said that she poisoned herself.
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JUDAEA. Samaria. Neapolis. Caracalla (AD 198-217). BI tetradrachm (26mm, 12.07 gm, 12h). NGC XF 4/5 - 3/5. AD 215-217. AVT KAI AN-TONINOC C?, laureate, cuirassed bust of Caracalla right, seen from behind / ?HMAPX ?? V?ATOC T•?, temple complex atop Mt. Gerizim; all within linear border supported by eagle standing facing, head left, with wings spread, wreath in beak. Prieur 1700. Bellinger 337. Extremely rare.
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PAEONIAN KINGDOM. Lycceius (ca. 359/6-335 BC). AR tetradrachm (22mm, 12.75 gm, 4h). NGC Choice AU 4/5 - 4/5. Laureate head of Zeus right; dotted border / ????-?I??, nude Heracles crouched left, left arm wrapped around the neck of the Nemean lion, brandishing club in right hand; bow and quiver in lower right field. SNG ANS 1019.
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French Protectorate. Ranavalona III silver Specimen 5 Francs 1895 SP62 PCGS, KM-XM3, Lec-37. Mintage: 25. Crowned, veiled portrait of the Queen / RAMODOMAMDRIANIMPOINIMERINA (rose) MADAGASCAR (horse). Crowned heart over the petals of the Royal Poinciana (national flower)with large "R" dividing date. A wonderful creation by Pinches & Co. for the curious Dr. Reginald Huth. Struck from a particularly paltry mintage of just 25 pieces, this pieces boasts alluring cerulean and dove tones, perfectly framing the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar, Ranavalona Manjaka III. Ex. Archipelago Collection (Heritage Auction 61284, November 2022, Lot 99398); Heritage Auction 3046 (April 2016, Lot 30299)
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Castile. Alfonso VIII (1158-1214) gold Morabetino SE 1250 Safar (AD 1212) MS62 PCGS, Toledo mint, Fr-101, Vives-2038. An enchanting gold piece from the Kingdom of Castile, an important entity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. This issue cites, in Arabic, Alfonso as the Prince of the Catholics and the Pope of Rome as the Emir of the Church of the Messiah.
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Umayyad. temp. al-Walid I (AH 86-96 / AD 705-715) gold Dinar AH 89 (AD 707/708) MS67 NGC, A-127, Fr-11. 4.29gm. The sole-finest certified example of a Year 89 al-Walid I Dinar and the first Umayyad Dinar that Heritage has ever encountered in a MS67. A supreme example of the type, destined to be a highlight of the Islamic Dynasties coinage in this sale.
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