Kolbe & Fanning
Auction 161 18 Sep 2021
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Complete Set of Ars Classica Catalogues of Ancient Coins
Ars Classica / Naville et Cie. COMPLETE SET OF SEVENTEEN CLASSIC AUCTION CATALOGUES FEATURING ANCIENT COINS. Lucerne, 1921–1938. Seventeen well-illustrated quarto volumes, as bound in ten. As follows: I. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES PROVENANT DE LA COLLECTION DE FEU LE PROF. S. POZZI. Lucerne, 14 mars (changed to 4 avril) et jours suivants, 1921. (4), 194 pages; tables; 3334 lots; 101 superb plates depicting every coin offered. Old photocopy prices realized list laid in. The plates are almost entirely priced in pencil, with many of the coins having the name of the buyer recorded. II. MONNAIES ROMAINES IMPÉRIALES PROVENANT DES COLLECTIONS DE M. PAUL VAUTIER ET DE FEU LE PROF. MAXIME COLLIGNON ... Lucerne, 12–14 juin 1922. (6), 107, (1) pages; 1886 lots; 57 fine plates. Original printed prices realized list laid in. III. MONNAIES D'OR, ROMAINES ET BYZANTINES. COLLECTION DE SIR ARTHUR J. EVANS ... Lucerne, 16 juin 1922. (6), 42 pages; 342 lots; 11 fine plates depicting every coin offered. Neatly hand-priced and mostly named. [bound with] IV. MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES PROVENANT DES COLLECTIONS DE S.A.I. LE GRAND-DUC ALEXANDRE MICHAÏLOVITCH, DE SIR ARTHUR EVANS ET D'AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 17–19 juin 1922. (6), 73, (1) pages; 1035 lots; 36 fine plates depicting every coin offered. Neatly hand-priced in ink. V. MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES PROVENANT DES DOUBLES DU BRITISH MUSEUM, DES COLLECTIONS DE FEU LE GÉNÉRAL A.L. BERTIER DE LA GARDE ET DE DIVERS AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 18 juin 1923 et jours suivant. (6), 132 pages; 3038 lots; 85 fine plates depicting every single-coin lot. Neatly hand-priced in ink. VI. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES EN OR ET EN ARGENT COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE FEU CLARENCE S. BEMENT ... PREMIÈRE PARTIE: IBÉRIE À EUBÉE INCL. Lucerne, 28 janvier 1924 et jours suivants. (6), 90, (2) pages; 1082 lots; 37 fine plates depicting all coins offered. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] VII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES EN OR ET EN ARGENT COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE FEU CLARENCE S. BEMENT ... SECONDE PARTIE: ATTIQUE À MAURITANIE INCL. Lucerne, 23–24 juin 1924. (4), 84 pages; lots 1083–1909; 31 fine plates numbered 38–68 depicting all single-coin lots. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] VIII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES ANTIQUES EN OR, ARGENT ET BRONZE COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE FEU CLARENCE S. BEMENT ... Lucerne, 25–28 juin 1924. (6), 107, (1) pages; 1770 lots; 64 fine plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. X. CATALOGUE DES MONNAIES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS D'UN GRAND INDUSTRIEL DÉCÉDÉ, DE FEU LE BARON ALEXANDRE DE PETROWICZ, DE M. LE REV. EDGAR ROGERS, M.A. ET DE PLUSIEURS AUTRES AMATEURS... Lucerne, 15–18 juin 1925. (6), 127, (1) pages; 1770 lots; 76 fine plates depicting all lots; 2 monogram plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] XI. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES ANTIQUES COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE H.C. LEVIS ... Lucerne, 18–20 juin 1925. (6), 78, (2) pages; 1139 lots; 42 fine plates. Photocopy prices realized list laid in. XII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES, QUELQUES MÉDAILLES DE LA RENAISSANCE ET DES TEMPS MODERNES, PIERRE GRAVÉES, BIBLIOTHÈQUE NUMISMATIQUE COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS DE FEU E. BISSEN ... DE M. JULES WERTHEIM ... DE SIR ARTHUR J. EVANS ... DE LA SÉRIE PARTHE DE FEU ALEXANDRE DE PETROWICZ ET DE PLUSIERS AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 18–23 octobre 1926. (6), 207, (1) pages; 3172 lots; 88 fine plates depicting all single-coin lots; 1 monogram plate. Original prices realized list laid in. [bound with] XIII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES, BIBLIOTHÈQUE NUMISMATIQUE, COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS DE FEU LE CAV. ROBERTO ALLATINI ... DE M. LE CAP. E.G.S. CHURCHILL ... DE FEU LE PROF. OSCAR BLOCH ... DE FEU LE COL. G. VEITH ... ET DE PLUSIERS AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 27–29 juin 1928. (6), 106, (2) pages; 1597 lots; 48 fine plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. Address slip made out to Tom Virzi laid in. XIV. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS DE M. LE CAP. E.G.S. CHURCHILL, NORTHWICK PARK, (DEUXIÈME PARTIE) ET DE DEUX AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 2 juillet 1929. (4), 40, (2) pages; 467 lots; 17 fine plates depicting all lots. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] XV. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ANTIQUES GRECQUES, ROMAINES, BYZANTINES, ETC. BIBLIOTHÈQUE NUMISMATIQUE. COLLECTIONS DE DEUX AMATEURS ÉTRANGERS DÉCÉDÉS ET D'AUTRES PROVENANCES. CHOIX TIRÉ DE LA COLLECTION W.H. WOODWARD, LONDRES. Lucerne, 2 juillet 1930 and following. (4), 135, (1) pages; 2267 lots; 74 fine plates. Original prices realized list laid in. XVI. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ANTIQUES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES. COLLECTION DE FEU RENÉ DE ST. MARCEAUX ... DE FEU WM. CARR ... DU CAPT. E.G. SPENCER CHURCHILL ... D'ARTHUR COLEGATE ... DE MISS WINIFRED LAMB ... AINSI QUE D'AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 3 juillet 1933. (4), 127, (1) pages; 2029 lots; 77 fine plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. XVII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ANTIQUES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES CONTENANT LES COLLECTIONS DE R. BURRAGE ... DU DR J.S. DE VIENNE, ET D'AUTRES AMATEURS ÉTRANGERS, AINSI QUE LA COLLECTION TRÈS IMPORTANTE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES FORMÉE PAR SIR ARTHUR J. EVANS ... Lucerne, 3 octobre 1934 and following. (2), 142, (2) pages; 2072 lots; 65 fine plates. Valuations list laid in. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] XVIII. COLLECTION TRÈS IMPORTANTE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES FORMÉE PAR UN DIPLOMATE ÉTRANGER DEPUIS LONGTEMPS DÉCÉDÉ. Lucerne, 10 octobre 1938. (4) pages; 544 lots; 21 fine plates depicting all single-coin lots, each with a facing leaf of text; (2) pages. Neatly hand-priced in ink. Ten bound volumes. 4to, somewhat later matching maroon pebbled cloth, gilt; original printed card covers bound into most but not all volumes. Bindings somewhat worn, with a few volumes exhibiting more than usual wear, but with the catalogues themselves, aside from the usual browning, generally near fine. A very good set. Superbly illustrated and meticulously catalogued, the Ars Classica catalogues comprise one of the most important series of auction sales of choice ancient Greek and Roman coins ever issued, and they remain indispensable in establishing and tracing pedigrees. The original plates, which have few peers for the period, are of exceptional quality and allow one to definitively plate match coins for provenance purposes. The series was catalogued and conducted by Dr. Jacob Hirsch (1874–1955) after he moved from Munich to Geneva following the First World War. Lucien Naville (1880–1956) assisted Hirsch in establishing his new business in Switzerland, and the early sales were conducted in his name; once Hirsch gained Swiss citizenship, however, he was able to run the business himself under the aegis of Ars Classica. The seventeen Ars Classica sales that focused on ancient coins are present here: the rarely encountered Sale IX, which offered an important collection of Swiss coins, is lacking. We note that the copy of the Pozzi sale here present has many of the buyers' names recorded on the plates (which illustrate every coin in the catalogue). Sale III is also mostly named. All of these sales are listed in the Clain-Stefanelli and Grierson bibliographies. Rather than providing a tedious listing of numerical citations, it may be worth pointing out that John Spring, in his Ancient Coin Auction Catalogues, includes 12 of these catalogues in his listing of "Most important sales of ancient Greek coins," 2 in his listing of "Most important sales of Celtic coins," 4 in his listing of "Most important sales of aes grave," 1 in his listing of "Most important sales of struck Roman Republican coins," 8 in his listing of "Most important sales of Roman Imperial coins," 2 in his listing of "Most important sales of Byzantine coins," and 1 in his listing of "Most important sales of coins of the barbarian migrations." An exceptional set of this most important series of catalogues.
Ars Classica / Naville et Cie. COMPLETE SET OF SEVENTEEN CLASSIC AUCTION CATALOGUES FEATURING ANCIENT COINS. Lucerne, 1921–1938. Seventeen well-illustrated quarto volumes, as bound in ten. As follows: I. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES PROVENANT DE LA COLLECTION DE FEU LE PROF. S. POZZI. Lucerne, 14 mars (changed to 4 avril) et jours suivants, 1921. (4), 194 pages; tables; 3334 lots; 101 superb plates depicting every coin offered. Old photocopy prices realized list laid in. The plates are almost entirely priced in pencil, with many of the coins having the name of the buyer recorded. II. MONNAIES ROMAINES IMPÉRIALES PROVENANT DES COLLECTIONS DE M. PAUL VAUTIER ET DE FEU LE PROF. MAXIME COLLIGNON ... Lucerne, 12–14 juin 1922. (6), 107, (1) pages; 1886 lots; 57 fine plates. Original printed prices realized list laid in. III. MONNAIES D'OR, ROMAINES ET BYZANTINES. COLLECTION DE SIR ARTHUR J. EVANS ... Lucerne, 16 juin 1922. (6), 42 pages; 342 lots; 11 fine plates depicting every coin offered. Neatly hand-priced and mostly named. [bound with] IV. MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES PROVENANT DES COLLECTIONS DE S.A.I. LE GRAND-DUC ALEXANDRE MICHAÏLOVITCH, DE SIR ARTHUR EVANS ET D'AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 17–19 juin 1922. (6), 73, (1) pages; 1035 lots; 36 fine plates depicting every coin offered. Neatly hand-priced in ink. V. MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES PROVENANT DES DOUBLES DU BRITISH MUSEUM, DES COLLECTIONS DE FEU LE GÉNÉRAL A.L. BERTIER DE LA GARDE ET DE DIVERS AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 18 juin 1923 et jours suivant. (6), 132 pages; 3038 lots; 85 fine plates depicting every single-coin lot. Neatly hand-priced in ink. VI. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES EN OR ET EN ARGENT COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE FEU CLARENCE S. BEMENT ... PREMIÈRE PARTIE: IBÉRIE À EUBÉE INCL. Lucerne, 28 janvier 1924 et jours suivants. (6), 90, (2) pages; 1082 lots; 37 fine plates depicting all coins offered. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] VII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ANTIQUES EN OR ET EN ARGENT COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE FEU CLARENCE S. BEMENT ... SECONDE PARTIE: ATTIQUE À MAURITANIE INCL. Lucerne, 23–24 juin 1924. (4), 84 pages; lots 1083–1909; 31 fine plates numbered 38–68 depicting all single-coin lots. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] VIII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES ANTIQUES EN OR, ARGENT ET BRONZE COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE FEU CLARENCE S. BEMENT ... Lucerne, 25–28 juin 1924. (6), 107, (1) pages; 1770 lots; 64 fine plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. X. CATALOGUE DES MONNAIES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS D'UN GRAND INDUSTRIEL DÉCÉDÉ, DE FEU LE BARON ALEXANDRE DE PETROWICZ, DE M. LE REV. EDGAR ROGERS, M.A. ET DE PLUSIEURS AUTRES AMATEURS... Lucerne, 15–18 juin 1925. (6), 127, (1) pages; 1770 lots; 76 fine plates depicting all lots; 2 monogram plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] XI. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES ANTIQUES COMPOSANT LA COLLECTION DE H.C. LEVIS ... Lucerne, 18–20 juin 1925. (6), 78, (2) pages; 1139 lots; 42 fine plates. Photocopy prices realized list laid in. XII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES, QUELQUES MÉDAILLES DE LA RENAISSANCE ET DES TEMPS MODERNES, PIERRE GRAVÉES, BIBLIOTHÈQUE NUMISMATIQUE COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS DE FEU E. BISSEN ... DE M. JULES WERTHEIM ... DE SIR ARTHUR J. EVANS ... DE LA SÉRIE PARTHE DE FEU ALEXANDRE DE PETROWICZ ET DE PLUSIERS AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 18–23 octobre 1926. (6), 207, (1) pages; 3172 lots; 88 fine plates depicting all single-coin lots; 1 monogram plate. Original prices realized list laid in. [bound with] XIII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES, BIBLIOTHÈQUE NUMISMATIQUE, COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS DE FEU LE CAV. ROBERTO ALLATINI ... DE M. LE CAP. E.G.S. CHURCHILL ... DE FEU LE PROF. OSCAR BLOCH ... DE FEU LE COL. G. VEITH ... ET DE PLUSIERS AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 27–29 juin 1928. (6), 106, (2) pages; 1597 lots; 48 fine plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. Address slip made out to Tom Virzi laid in. XIV. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES GRECQUES COMPOSANT LES COLLECTIONS DE M. LE CAP. E.G.S. CHURCHILL, NORTHWICK PARK, (DEUXIÈME PARTIE) ET DE DEUX AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 2 juillet 1929. (4), 40, (2) pages; 467 lots; 17 fine plates depicting all lots. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] XV. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ANTIQUES GRECQUES, ROMAINES, BYZANTINES, ETC. BIBLIOTHÈQUE NUMISMATIQUE. COLLECTIONS DE DEUX AMATEURS ÉTRANGERS DÉCÉDÉS ET D'AUTRES PROVENANCES. CHOIX TIRÉ DE LA COLLECTION W.H. WOODWARD, LONDRES. Lucerne, 2 juillet 1930 and following. (4), 135, (1) pages; 2267 lots; 74 fine plates. Original prices realized list laid in. XVI. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ANTIQUES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES. COLLECTION DE FEU RENÉ DE ST. MARCEAUX ... DE FEU WM. CARR ... DU CAPT. E.G. SPENCER CHURCHILL ... D'ARTHUR COLEGATE ... DE MISS WINIFRED LAMB ... AINSI QUE D'AUTRES AMATEURS. Lucerne, 3 juillet 1933. (4), 127, (1) pages; 2029 lots; 77 fine plates. Neatly hand-priced in ink. XVII. CATALOGUE DE MONNAIES ANTIQUES GRECQUES ET ROMAINES CONTENANT LES COLLECTIONS DE R. BURRAGE ... DU DR J.S. DE VIENNE, ET D'AUTRES AMATEURS ÉTRANGERS, AINSI QUE LA COLLECTION TRÈS IMPORTANTE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES FORMÉE PAR SIR ARTHUR J. EVANS ... Lucerne, 3 octobre 1934 and following. (2), 142, (2) pages; 2072 lots; 65 fine plates. Valuations list laid in. Neatly hand-priced in ink. [bound with] XVIII. COLLECTION TRÈS IMPORTANTE DE MONNAIES ROMAINES FORMÉE PAR UN DIPLOMATE ÉTRANGER DEPUIS LONGTEMPS DÉCÉDÉ. Lucerne, 10 octobre 1938. (4) pages; 544 lots; 21 fine plates depicting all single-coin lots, each with a facing leaf of text; (2) pages. Neatly hand-priced in ink. Ten bound volumes. 4to, somewhat later matching maroon pebbled cloth, gilt; original printed card covers bound into most but not all volumes. Bindings somewhat worn, with a few volumes exhibiting more than usual wear, but with the catalogues themselves, aside from the usual browning, generally near fine. A very good set. Superbly illustrated and meticulously catalogued, the Ars Classica catalogues comprise one of the most important series of auction sales of choice ancient Greek and Roman coins ever issued, and they remain indispensable in establishing and tracing pedigrees. The original plates, which have few peers for the period, are of exceptional quality and allow one to definitively plate match coins for provenance purposes. The series was catalogued and conducted by Dr. Jacob Hirsch (1874–1955) after he moved from Munich to Geneva following the First World War. Lucien Naville (1880–1956) assisted Hirsch in establishing his new business in Switzerland, and the early sales were conducted in his name; once Hirsch gained Swiss citizenship, however, he was able to run the business himself under the aegis of Ars Classica. The seventeen Ars Classica sales that focused on ancient coins are present here: the rarely encountered Sale IX, which offered an important collection of Swiss coins, is lacking. We note that the copy of the Pozzi sale here present has many of the buyers' names recorded on the plates (which illustrate every coin in the catalogue). Sale III is also mostly named. All of these sales are listed in the Clain-Stefanelli and Grierson bibliographies. Rather than providing a tedious listing of numerical citations, it may be worth pointing out that John Spring, in his Ancient Coin Auction Catalogues, includes 12 of these catalogues in his listing of "Most important sales of ancient Greek coins," 2 in his listing of "Most important sales of Celtic coins," 4 in his listing of "Most important sales of aes grave," 1 in his listing of "Most important sales of struck Roman Republican coins," 8 in his listing of "Most important sales of Roman Imperial coins," 2 in his listing of "Most important sales of Byzantine coins," and 1 in his listing of "Most important sales of coins of the barbarian migrations." An exceptional set of this most important series of catalogues.