Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3032 10-12 April 2014
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Caracalla (AD 198-217). AV aureus (20mm, 7.14 gm, 11h). Laodicea ad Mare, AD 198. IMP CAE M • AVR • ANT AVG, youthful laureate and cuirassed bust of Caracalla right, aegis on breastplate, seen from front / SPES PV-BLICA, Spes advancing left, holding lily flower in right hand and raising hem of stola with left. RIC 333 (R2). BMCRE 646. Cohen --. Calicó 2821 (this coin illustrated). A very rare and important piece, with a splendid military bust! A couple minor deposits, otherwise fully struck and brilliant. NGC (photo-certificate) Choice MS★ 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style.From The Andre Constantine Dimitriadis Collection. Ex Sotheby's (Zurich, 26 October 1993), lot 106; NFA XX (9 March 1988), lot 271; "Collection of a Deceased Nobleman, formed before the Great War" (Sotheby's Zurich, 28 November 1986), lot 106. During the Roman civil war of AD 193-194, the Syrian metropolis of Laodicea ad Mare supported the eventual winner, Septimius Severus, while the more famous and populous Antioch ad Orantum backed Pescinnius Niger. Consequently, Antioch saw its minting privileges severely curtailed while Laodicea received preferential treatment, including the rarely granted authority to strike gold coins. This splendid gold aureus depicts a youthful Caracalla, aged about 10, in full military kit, including an ornate breastplate adorned with a facing head of Medusa-- the famous aegis of legend that granted godlike immunity to its wearer. The reverse depiction to Spes, personification of hope, alludes to the expectation that the young heir might perpetuate a stable dynasty and good government.
Estimate: 16000-20000 USD
Caracalla (AD 198-217). AV aureus (20mm, 7.14 gm, 11h). Laodicea ad Mare, AD 198. IMP CAE M • AVR • ANT AVG, youthful laureate and cuirassed bust of Caracalla right, aegis on breastplate, seen from front / SPES PV-BLICA, Spes advancing left, holding lily flower in right hand and raising hem of stola with left. RIC 333 (R2). BMCRE 646. Cohen --. Calicó 2821 (this coin illustrated). A very rare and important piece, with a splendid military bust! A couple minor deposits, otherwise fully struck and brilliant. NGC (photo-certificate) Choice MS★ 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style.From The Andre Constantine Dimitriadis Collection. Ex Sotheby's (Zurich, 26 October 1993), lot 106; NFA XX (9 March 1988), lot 271; "Collection of a Deceased Nobleman, formed before the Great War" (Sotheby's Zurich, 28 November 1986), lot 106. During the Roman civil war of AD 193-194, the Syrian metropolis of Laodicea ad Mare supported the eventual winner, Septimius Severus, while the more famous and populous Antioch ad Orantum backed Pescinnius Niger. Consequently, Antioch saw its minting privileges severely curtailed while Laodicea received preferential treatment, including the rarely granted authority to strike gold coins. This splendid gold aureus depicts a youthful Caracalla, aged about 10, in full military kit, including an ornate breastplate adorned with a facing head of Medusa-- the famous aegis of legend that granted godlike immunity to its wearer. The reverse depiction to Spes, personification of hope, alludes to the expectation that the young heir might perpetuate a stable dynasty and good government.
Estimate: 16000-20000 USD