Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3046 14-15 April 2016
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EGYPT. Alexandria. Otho (AD 69). Æ drachm (35mm, 24.81 gm, 12h). Dated RY 1, struck January-April AD 69. [ΑVTOK M]APK OΘΩNOΣ KA Σ[EB], laureate head of Otho right / Half-length bust of winged Nike, bust facing, head right, date L A in right field. RPC 5363. Dattari 335. Extremely rare, one of only 11 known specimens, and greatly superior to the BM specimen illustrated in RPC. Struck on a broad, weighty flan and displaying an exceptional portrait and bust of Nike. Brown patina, lightly smoothed in isolated areas. NGC VF 4/5 - 3/5, smoothing.Bronze coins of Otho, the shortest-reigning of the first 12 Caesars, are nonexistent in the Roman Imperial series, leaving the collector with only one option if he or she wishes to assemble a set of sestertius-sized bronzes: A drachm of Egypt. These, however, are exceptionally rare. Although billon tetradrachms and bronze fractions of Otho from Egypt are relatively abundant, only a handful of drachms minted during the 90-day reign have survived, most of them in poor condition. In his review of Otho's Alexandrian bronzes Adriano Savio listed ten specimens of the drachm, eight of these being in major museums. Only two coins were in private hands, sold as part of the Reginald Godfrid Peckitt collection (Sotheby, London, March 1929) and as part of the Kerry Wetterström collection (Classical Numismatic Auction 13, New York, 1990). The present coin, inarguably the best of its kind, was unknown to Savio. It was brought from Central Europe to Australia in the 1950s and from there to US in 2015. The portraiture shows that the Egyptian die engravers had only a vague idea of Otho's appearance: He sports a normal head of hair instead of the helmet-like wig seen on Roman silver and gold coins.
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD
EGYPT. Alexandria. Otho (AD 69). Æ drachm (35mm, 24.81 gm, 12h). Dated RY 1, struck January-April AD 69. [ΑVTOK M]APK OΘΩNOΣ KA Σ[EB], laureate head of Otho right / Half-length bust of winged Nike, bust facing, head right, date L A in right field. RPC 5363. Dattari 335. Extremely rare, one of only 11 known specimens, and greatly superior to the BM specimen illustrated in RPC. Struck on a broad, weighty flan and displaying an exceptional portrait and bust of Nike. Brown patina, lightly smoothed in isolated areas. NGC VF 4/5 - 3/5, smoothing.Bronze coins of Otho, the shortest-reigning of the first 12 Caesars, are nonexistent in the Roman Imperial series, leaving the collector with only one option if he or she wishes to assemble a set of sestertius-sized bronzes: A drachm of Egypt. These, however, are exceptionally rare. Although billon tetradrachms and bronze fractions of Otho from Egypt are relatively abundant, only a handful of drachms minted during the 90-day reign have survived, most of them in poor condition. In his review of Otho's Alexandrian bronzes Adriano Savio listed ten specimens of the drachm, eight of these being in major museums. Only two coins were in private hands, sold as part of the Reginald Godfrid Peckitt collection (Sotheby, London, March 1929) and as part of the Kerry Wetterström collection (Classical Numismatic Auction 13, New York, 1990). The present coin, inarguably the best of its kind, was unknown to Savio. It was brought from Central Europe to Australia in the 1950s and from there to US in 2015. The portraiture shows that the Egyptian die engravers had only a vague idea of Otho's appearance: He sports a normal head of hair instead of the helmet-like wig seen on Roman silver and gold coins.
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD