Provenance & Plate Coins V: Rome

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Richard Schaefer (1946-) Collection [AKA “Goodman Coll.”];
– RBW Collection Duplicates, with his white envelope [Richard B. Witschonke (1945-2015), from RS, Apr 1989 ; CNG EA 374 (11 May 2016), 436];
– Shetland Sheepdog Collection [CNG EA 548 (18 Oct 2023), 403].
(See RBW-Schaefer-Russo note.)
Notes: This die exhibits the defining feature of McCabe’s Group G3 (see also the Sextans below): the long, low prow-stem — so much so that it appears to overlap the dotted border!

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Ex “old Italian Hoard from off the Italian coast” [Elsen 37 (17 Dec 1994), 209-227 (some group lots): “…une petite partie d’un grand trésor trouvé anciennement dans la mer en Italie“];
– RBW Collection Duplicates [Richard B. Witschonke (1945-2015), from Elsen 37 (17 Dec 1994), 219 ; Agora 42 (6 Oct 2015), 116];
– Dr. Jay M. Galst (1950-2020) Collection [CNG EA 550 (15 Nov 2023), 457].
(See RBW-Schaefer-Russo note.)
Related: This copy of Essays in Honour of Roberto Russo, inscribed to Galst by RBW & van Alfen, is now in my library, reunited with Galst’s Sextans, a touching artifact of the friendship between two fine numismatists.

Notes: Galst owned only a few Republican bronzes. (The galley prow’s apotropaic eye fit the ophthalmological theme of his collection.) He bought this Sextans eight months after the death of his friend, the great RRC collector and scholar, RBW. I suspect he got the coin to accompany the copy of Essays Russo, shown above, that RBW had inscribed to Galst (along with co-editor, Peter van Alfen).
Did RBW know that, sooner or later, Galst would take his inscription as a challenge (“I’m not sure that any of these will interest you...”)? A credit to Galst that, being inexperienced in RRC, he nonetheless found a coin to perfectly fit the book, both in substance and in provenance.
The volume includes Andrew McCabe’s important essay on “The Anonymous Struck Bronze Coinage of the Roman Republic,” using many of RBW’s coins as data (and Schaefer’s, though neither of the present coins were included).

(Photo Credit: Nomos.) Collection History:
– Robert Hoge (1947-) Collection [Nomos Obolos 34 (10 Nov 2024), 798];
– RBW Collection Duplicates, with his white envelope [Richard B. Witschonke (1945-2015), gift from Russo, 1997 ; CNG EA 376 (15 June 2016), 761 (part), corr.: “Crawford 56/3(?). Very rare issue.”];
– Roberto Russo (1945-2012) [by 1997].
(See RBW-Schaefer-Russo note.)

Notes (1): Shortly after gifting this coin to RBW, Russo published the primary reference for its type, “Unpublished Roman Republican Bronze Coins” (1998, Essays Hersch). Though not cited, this ex. is an obv. die match to Russo 9 (later one of McCabe’s [2013] Group A2 plate coins). Once considered very rare, enough examples have appeared in the past 25 years that it is now only “somewhat rare.” (RBW’s tag labels it “4th Known per RR,” though both his and RHW’s tags indicate they struggled to ID it as Cr. 41/6e rather than as the very similar Cr. 56/3, as CNG labeled it. In this condition, it is hard to blame them, though once you’ve seen Russo’s plates, the die-match is clear.)
Notes (2): RBW & Hoge (“RWH”) were both ANS curators. After RBW’s death, Hoge bought dozens of his Republican bronzes, I suspect, in memory of his colleague. Based on the Nomos & CNG sales, he appears to have previously owned only a handful, bought decades earlier (1960s-80s).

(Photo Credit: Nomos.) Collection History:
– Robert Hoge (1947-) Collection [Nomos Obolos 34];
– RBW Collection Duplicates [Richard B. Witschonke (1945-2015), Agora 57 (14 Jun 2016), 122];
– Johns Hopkins University / “Garrett Collection” [Part III, NFA & Bank Leu (29 March 1985), 384 (part of)];
– Wolfgang Helbig (1839-1915) Collection, No. 128, his white inventory no. painted on edge [sold to JHU in 1888].

Institutional History: Johns Hopkins University, Inv. No. 31.2.(86, 91, or 94?), w/ orange no. 5153 painted on edge (c. 1888-1942), acq. for JHU with assistance from Robert Garrett (1847-1896), T. Harrison Garrett (1848-1888), et al. in 1888.
Curated by John Work Garrett (1872-1942) at his residence, Evergreen Museum & Library (Baltimore), which was also bequeathed to Johns Hopkins University. The orange collection numbers found on the edges of many JHU-Garrett coins appear to be in his hand (cf. hand-writing samples in Part I catalog), but I haven’t found confirmation.
Notes: Helbig, German archaeologist in Rome and this coin’s earliest known collector, is reputed to have started the tradition of throwing a coin in Trevi Fountain..

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Frederick Hastings Rindge (1857–1905) Collection [Part I, Malter XXIX (22 Mar 1985), 284];
– S & S Collection [acq. Malter XXIX ; CNG EA 536 (12 Apr 2023), 424].
Institutional History: Boston Museum of Fine Arts, c. 1880s-1905/1941 (long-term loan/exhibition).
Notes: Rindge’s Republican coins were among the first and most important to be shown at the BMFA from at least 1889 until 1905 (but prob. later). Also in my collection: L. Flaminius Chilo Denarius, ex Rindge/BMFA loan [CNG EA 536, 440].

(Photo Credit: CJJ.) Collection History:
– Alba Longa Collection (José Fernández Molina, d. 2003) [vol II, Aureo & Calicó 339 (14 Nov 2019), 1398];
– Aureo 89 (4 Mar 1998), 1345;
– A.N.E. (Xavier Calicó), Asociacion Numismatica Española (Barcelona, 15 Dec 1981), 508.
See also: ANS, Roman Republican Die Project, “Richard Schaefer Binder” No. 22, p. 2 (this coin illustrated twice from the 1981 & 1998 sales above).

(Photo Credit: Soler y Llach.) Collection history:
– Ex Crippa FPL 1971 / 1, No. 379;
– Kricheldorf 29 (3 Mar 1975), 249;
– Sammlung Leo Benz (1906-1996) [Part I, Lanz 88 (23 Nov 1998), 407];
– Colección Scipio [Part III, Soler y Llach 1124 (23 Feb 2022), 458].
Published:
– CNR 8/18 (this coin illustrated) in A. Banti (1980-2), Corpvs Nvmmorvm Romanorvm, vol. 5 (pp. 91 [photo], 93 [text], corr.: ·ꓘ not ꓘ).
See also: Illustrated twice in ANS, Roman Republican Die Project, Schaefer Binder #19 (Processed, 300-399): pp. 320_08_od [142, corr.] (ꓘ) & 320_10_od [144] (·ꓘ).

Notes: One of my favorite catalog sets! Rare hardbound Leo Benz (Lanz 88, 94, 100), ex Lanz Library. (Plus a set of the standard-issue softcover Benz catalogs.)

(Photo Credits [edited for layout & size, see below]: McCabe [on Flickr] & NAC.)
Collection History:
– Richard Schaefer (1946-), Goodman Collection, Part 3, w/ tickets [CNG 45 (18 Mar 1998), 1626 ; acq. 1989, ex Lluís Lalana (Barcelona)];
– Richard B. Witschonke (1945-2015), RBW Collection [Duplicate, priv. sale to A.M.];
– Andrew McCabe, Ahala Collection (AM#13127-72) & Lambeth Bridge Collection [NAC 152 (18 May 2025), 235 (incl. prov. collage & video)].
(See also RBW-Schaefer note & the Sextans above re: McCabe’s contribution to Essays Russo.)

Notes, Provenance: Collage above edited from photos published online by AM of the coin, sale listings & collector tags.
Left: cropped, from online listing, NAC 152, Lot 235; Top R.: from AM’s Flickr album; Bottom R.: cropped from AM’s Ahala Coll. Trays, Obv. & Rev. (see also CoinTalk [27 Oct 2019]).

A. McCabe’s (2018, The Asylum) article, “Imhoof-Blumer, Fontana, and Quadras y Ramon Kibitzing My Collection,” discussed another example from his & RBW’s Collections. That one (NAC 61, 1194 = RBW 1199) was reportedly ex Knobloch Collection (Stack’s 1978, 249, no photo) and Lockett (though I find no record of his Roman Republican collection).

It is interesting to consider the relative desirability of the two provenances: This coin’s is reportedly much younger, but its earliest photograph (1998) is actually 13 years older. Lockett and Knobloch would generally be considered “better” pedigrees (and satisfy the pre-1970 standard), but one could argue Schaefer (Goodman) is more important for Republican AE. Then again, an unpublished “RBW Duplicate” is far less significant than the primary RBW reference coin (i.e., from NAC 61, NAC 63, or Triton III, all published in Russo, 2013, The RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins).

I bid on many of McCabe’s coins, but was particularly excited about this one, as it passed through three of the most important private Republican AE collections in recent memory. The combination is important: one of those collections is great, but two shows a relationship, the start of a network; better yet, three begins to outline an intellectual community.

* Dating (return): Crawford originally dated the L. Pomponius Molo coins to 97 BCE, but later agreed (p. 173) with Mattingly (1977, NC) that a more likely date is 93 or even 91. (As it happens, Sydenham 703, usually dis-preferred to Crawford on dating, had given 93.) See also: Champlin 1968: p. 53, Luce 1968: p. 28, McCabe website.

(Photo Credit: Nomos.) Collection History:
– Robert Hoge (1947-) Collection [Nomos Obolos 34 (10 Nov 2024), 900 ; bt. Dan Brown, c. 1964];
– Ex Frederick Knobloch inventory [sold to Dan Brown, Jan 1964, #55, uncertain FPL or BBS (see Yale Note)];
– Ex Yale University Collection;
– (possibly) ex Edward Ingraham II (1887-1972) Collection [donated c. 1963 (see Yale Note)].

Notes: Struck around the end of the Social War (91-87) and Sulla’s “March on Rome” and first Consulship (88/87). The reverse imagery may refer to the Social War or the Moneyer’s ancestor Marcus Claudius Marcellus’s victories in the Second Punic War, or may simply be generic imagery without specific referent. The Moneyer named on this coin (Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus) later served Pompey as Praetor in 75 BCE, then was Consul in 72 BCE during the Third Servile War (War of Spartacus).

(Photo Credit: Bertolami.) Collection History:
– “John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) Collection,” added by Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886) in 1860s London while serving as Minister to the UK [see Adams-RBW Provenance note, below];
– Massachusetts Historical Society, donated by Henry Adams (1838-1918) in 1914 [deaccessioned, sold: Stack’s (5 Mar 1971), 496 (part); see Adams-RBW Provenance Note below]];
– RBW Collection [Richard B. Witschonke (1945-2015), Part II, NAC 63 (17 May 2012), 101].
Published:
– RBW 1325 (this coin illustrated), in: Russo, Robert (2013), The RBW Collection of Roman Republican Coins (Zurich: NFA);
– Mike Markowitz (2025), “The Adams Family Collection of Ancient Coins,” pl. 19-21 (this coin illustrated).

My thanks to Jordan Montgomery for the RBW images, and to Humilau for the image from Charles Francis’ 1913 catalog, showing corr. weight of 26 grains.

My catalog collection includes Christian Blom’s annotated saleroom copy of the 1971 “John Quincy Adams” sale catalogs, with hand-written buyer names. For Lot 496 (this coin), Blom marked RBW as buyer. (The neighboring lots are marked “JAS,” confirmed by the 1979 Sawhill catalog.)

(Photo Credit: Stack’s.) Collection History:
– Este Family Collection (erroneously dubbed “Gonzaga Collection“), begun by Leonello d’Este c. 1430, countermarked w/ gold Aquiletta by Alfonso II c. 1574;
– “Collectionneur Anonyme” (Horst-Ulbo Bauer?) [Monnaies et Médailles Vente Publique 52 (1975), Lot 263, one of 24, the largest such private collection to be published];
– David B. Simpson Collection [Stack’s Bowers Global Showcase (12 Aug 2024), Lot 40053].
Published/Exhibited:
– Important exhibition at the Este Castle, c. 1571-4, curated by Pirro Ligorio (perhaps only 10% of the Este coll. was countermarked, being the 1,200-1,500 coins exhibited);
– T.E.P. (this coin, uncertain number), The Este Project, F. Catalli et al. (database down).

Notes: I know where this coin was in 1574 and 1975. Where was it for the intervening four centuries? This coin was part of the magnificent collection of 24 coins with Este Aquilette formed the anonymous collector (H.U. Bauer?) of MM 52. Most of those coins came from famous collections of the 19th and 20th centuries, but I have yet to find this one among their sales. Fortunately, I love nothing more than a question of provenance to research. I’m sure I’ll find more soon (i.e., within a few decades or less).

Although this coin is not known (yet) to have been published in the centuries immediately after it was famously exhibited at the Castello Ferrara, c. 1571-4, Fulvio Orsini published the earliest illustration (to my knowledge) of its type a few years later, in 1577. In 1734, Morrel published at least one Este coin in his Thesaurus, also illustrating the present type. Though a common coin, one wonders if the authors weren’t familiar with this specimen, having seen the famous collections of their time.

(Photo credit: CNG.) Collection/Sale History:
– Ex Birkler & Waddell III (10^th NYINC, 10 Dec 1981), 260;
– Robert W. Bartlett (1931-2017);
– American Numismatic Society [Bartlett Bequest; CNG Keystone 4 (2 Sep 2021), 141];
– NGC 5872729-057 encapsulated w/ custom “Ex American Numismatic Society” label.

Substantine Notes: This coin’s depiction of Augustus seated is generally believed to represent the long-lost statue of the divine Augustus commissioned by Livia at the Theater of Marcellus, described by Tacitus (Ann. 3.64 [Perseus, Latin]; Engl. trans. [ToposText]). (See, e.g., Kuttner 1995: 40.)
(The same is occasionally suggested for the Dupondius below, but its seated figure is surely Caligula. It may have commemorated Caligula’s completion of the Temple of Divus Augustus.)

Provenance Notes: Although he collected other types as well, Bartlett specialized in Roman Imperial Sestertii. Of the 62 coins from his bequest in the ANS online catalog, at least 48 are Sestertii. Shown above: ANS Magazine 2018, Issue 1: p. 62; group photo, Bartlett bequest in trays at ANS, New York. For edited photo highlighting which coins I think are mine (this coin & Bretti bronze), see my Bartlett provenance photos on Imgur.

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Archer M. Huntington (1870-1955) Collection;
– Hispanic Society of America [HSA 1001.1.22981, donated 1940s];
– American Numismatic Society [ANS 1001.1.22981, long-term loan (received 13 June 1947), accessioned, deaccessioned ; CNG EA 397 (17 May 2017), 469];
– Lampasas Collection [CNG EA 488 (24 Mar 2021), 404].
Published (for Institutional Use): Hispanic Society of America. n.d. (c. 1947). Coins (A.M. Huntington Collection) on Loan to the American Numismatic Society. Photographic Record. NY: HSA. Plate 936.

It appears some white powder was applied to the Dupondius, perhaps to make the details more easily visible in photographs? A bit of it still remains on the surface. Two Huntington Augustus AEs shown below still with the same peach museum tags 80 years later:

Also: Augustus AE Quadrans.
– Archer M. Huntington (1870-1955) Collection;
– Hispanic Society of America [HSA 1001.1.10488, donated 1940s];
– American Numismatic Society [ANS 1001.1.10488, long-term loan (received 13 Dec 1946), accessioned, deaccessioned ; Jencek 20 (8 Apr 2014), 90];
– Lampasas Collection [CNG EA 493 (9 Jun 2021), 539].
Published (for Institutional Use): Hispanic Society of America. n.d. (c. 1947). Coins (A.M. Huntington Collection) on Loan to the American Numismatic Society. Photographic Record. NY: HSA. Plate 448.

(Photo credit: CNG.) Collection & Selected Sale Hist.:
– (prob.) 1906 Caesarea Hoard (Noe 1937: 179) [dispersed by Indjoudjian Frères, Paris & Istanbul];
– Franz Trau Jr. (1881-1931) [Hess/Gilhofer & Ranschburg, (22 May 1935), 394];
– Walter Niggeler (1878-1964) [Leu/Münzen & Medaillen AG, Slg. Niggeler, Part II (21 Oct 1966), 659];
– Peter J. Merani (1936-2020) [CNG Triton XXIV (19 Jan 2021), 139; video on YouTube];
– Four additional sales not naming consignors.

Selected Publications:
– RPC I 3637, ex. 5 (this coin illustrated);
– RPC Supplement II (2006) p.56 & Consolidated Supplement (2015), 3637.5 (this coin cited);
– CNR 16, p. 136, no. 73 (this coin illustrated), in: A. Banti & L. Simonetti (1978), Corpus Nummorum Romanorum, Vol XVI: Da Messalina a Nerone;
– Trau 394 (this coin) in: Attic Books (1976) reprint, Hess/Gilhofer & Ranschburg, Sammlung Franz Trau: Münzen der römischen Kaiser;
– Howgego 850i (6^th coin cited);
– Sydenham-Malloy 79a (this coin cited, “Niggeler Sale #659,” on p. 142 in Malloy’s 1978 Supplement);
– Burns Fig. 4.23 (this coin illustrated on p. 83) in: Jasper Burns (2007), Great Women of Imperial Rome (Routledge) [my “association copy” is signed & inscribed to someone from the acknowledgements list];
– Wildwinds “digital plate coin,” Caesarea & Nero pp.

(Photo Credit: HJB.) Collection History:
– Jyrki Muona Collection [HJB 212 (9 Sep 2020) 511 (part of 35 denarii)];
– This coin among dozens of denarii donated to science by Muona — drilled, sliced, and quartered so we would all know what is inside. The results totally changed what we knew about Roman silver coins & the economy (from Walker’s 1976 surface analysis): A few more notes in Otho “Numislit Exhibit”.

Selected Research/Publication History:
– Ponting & Butcher (2005/2015), Archaeology Data Service, UK: No. M16 (this coin illustrated, before cut), Public Dataset: “Analysis of Roman Silver coins, Augustus to the reform of Trajan (27 BC – AD 100)”;
– Butcher & Ponting (2014), M16 (this coin analyzed & illustrated by microscopic cross-section), pp. 136 & 253, in: Metallurgy of Roman Silver Coinage, from the Reform of Nero to the Reforms of Trajan (Cambridge);
– Butcher, Ponting & Muona (2009), M16 (this coin illustrated by microscopic cross-section), pp. 299-303, in: “The Denarii of Otho: A Stylistic and Compositional Study,” RIN 100: 291-310.

Note: I also have a Titus (ex Muona & Orfew/Andrew Short Collection) from the same group & appearing in some of the same research as “M40.”

(Photo Credit: CJJ.) Collection History:
– Archer M. Huntington (1870-1955) Collection;
– Hispanic Society of America, w/ original museum tag [HSA 1001.1.22362, donated 1940s];
– American Numismatic Society [ANS 1001.1.22362, long-term loan (received 13 June 1947), accessioned, deaccessioned];
– Lampasas Collection [CNG EA 397 (17 May 2017), 522 ; CNG EA 487 (10 Mar 2021), 510];
– Charles Chamberlain Collection [CNG EA 509 (9 Feb 2022), 664].
Published (for Institutional Use): Hispanic Society of America. n.d. (c. 1947). Coins (A.M. Huntington Collection) on Loan to the American Numismatic Society. Photographic Record. NY: HSA. Plate 915.

Note: The little peach museum tags with deaccessioned Huntington coins were issued by the Hispanic Society of America (HSA) and retained by the American Numismatic Society (ANS).
They look white in the HSA’s 1946 inventory photos, but upon enlarging & comparing closely (i.e. centering), it becomes clear that the very same labels still accompany most of the coins.
My Huntington Augustus AEs also have their HSA tags, photographed above.

(Photo Credit: HJB.) Collection History:
– Henry Platt Hall (1863-1949) Collection [Part II, Glendining “Catalogue of the important collection…” (16 Nov 1950), 1198 (part)];
– (probably, see Hall-Trau note) ex Sammlung Franz Trau Jr. (1881-1931) [Hess/Gilhofer & Ranschburg, (22 May 1935), 561];
– JSW Collection, w/ tray tag [J.S. Wagner, CNG EA 169 (25 Jul 2007), 203];
– Curtis Clay Collection, w/ tray tags [Part II, HJB BBS 225 (30 Nov 2023), 23].

Institutional/Publication Hist.:
– RIC II.1 263 (this coin illustrated [from plaster cast of reverse] in the 2007, 2nd Ed.);
– Plaster cast after Hall Collection, held at Heberden Coin Room of Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University.
“Digital Plate Coin”:
– Wildwinds (RIC 263, after CNG EA 169) on Vespasian page;
– Romanatic database Nr. 3073 (archived), citing Oxford Cast Collection (former website of Simon Wieland, Lars Rutten).
See also: Hall-Trau Provenance Note and Clay-Kraay Note below.

Additional examples in Turin & Budapest cited by Fabressi et al. (1881) Regio Museo di Torino 4: p. 271, no. 665 and Gohl (1907) in both Numizmatikai Közölny VI: p. 79, no. 14 & Rivista Italiana Numismatica XX: p. 539, no. 14 (cited in BMCRE2, p. 426). No photos or weights. I have not yet verified current disposition to rule out one being sold as a duplicate to Trau (then Hall et al.). A couple others have appeared at auction since the mid-2000s.

(Photo Credit: CJJ / CNG.) Collection History:
– Kenneth Bressett (1928 – ) Collection [bought for $8 in 1957 from M. Salton ; CNG Keystone Auction 6 (11 Mar 2022), 3156 (corr.: legends, ref., date & mint all in error)];
– Mark M. Salton-Schlessinger (1914-2005) [with his tag & uncertain envelope];
– (possibly) Ex Hesperia (V. Clain-Stefanelli/R. Hecht, Baltimore) FPL 1 (Spring 1951), 386 (“F/VF”) or 387 (“G”).

Notes: See also Salton-Hesperia Provenance Note below. This coin on “captives” page.

This legend is sometimes described as a misspelling (IVDEA for IVDAEA), but that seems unlikely. Though relatively uncommon, it appears on multiple dies for several As and Sestertius types.

(Photo Credit: HJB.) Collection History:
– Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750) Collection [formed c. 1722-1747];
– St. Florian Monastery Collection [1747-1955 ; Dorotheum, Zeno Part I (13 Jun 1955), 952, ill. on plate 16];
– c. 1941: taken by Nazi Sonderauftrag Münzen for collection of planned Führermuseum (Kunstmuseum Linz), recovered May 1945 from Salzbergwerk Altaussee (Altaussee salt mine) by US 3^rd Armed Div. (w/ “Monuments Men”), moved to CCP Munich & restituted to St. Florian (c. 1948 f.);
– Ex Alex G. Malloy (uncertain sale), 574 & Silenos (Angel Borislov, eBay, 11 Nov 2005);
– Curtis Clay Collection, w/ tray tags [Part IV, HJB BBS 227 (14 May 2024), 93 ; Berk’s coin-in-hand video].

Notes: My Apostolo Zeno catalog set (Parts I-III) is a custom bound “association copy,” inscribed to Prof. Ernst Meyer (1898-1975) by the cataloger, Prof. Robert Göbl (“d[er]. V[erfasser].”).

See also: Zeno-Clay-et al. Notes and Clay-Kraay Note below.
This coin has an especially fascinating and historically important object biography, but my comments ran too long, so I’ve moved them below.

(Photo Credit: HJB.) Collection History:
– Sammlung Dr. Karl Gustav Elberling (1797-1873), published 1864/5;
– Curtis Clay Collection, w/ tray tags [Part IV, HJB BBS 227 (14 May 2025), 97 (w/ video, also on vimeo) ; acq. NAC Auction I (19 May 1999), Lot 1990];
– (probably, see note) Francis Hobler (1796-1869) Collection, published 1860 (p. 440: nr. 930, incorrect weight?) [Sotheby (4 Jul 1859), Lot 523 (part, 2nd coin)].

Additional possible post-Elberling sales at bottom of this entry (see also post-Elberling endnote).

Publication History:
– Elberling 32 (this coin illustrated) on Pl. V, Nr. 88, in “Die Wichtigsten Exemplare in Meiner Sammlung Römischer Münzen,” Part III, in Publications de la Section Historique de l’Institut Royal Grand-Ducal de Luxembourg (v. 20, 1864/5).
– Elberling described this coin as “very rare, even Hobler and Mediobarbus do not record it” (trans. C. Clay). Yet Hobler describes this exact type, probably this very coin! (See also note.)

-Hobler 930 (probably this coin described on p. 440, but weight listed as 486 rather than 426 grains), in: Francis Hobler (1860), Records of Roman history from Cnæus Pompeius to Tiberius Constantinus on the Roman coins (volume 2).

Cited in the following after Elberling & Cohen:
– Cohen VII [Supplement] (1868: p. 155) 114 (10 Fr.) (this coin described), in Description Historique des Monnaies Frappées sous l’Empire Romain… [on Google books];
– Cohen (1882: p. 359) 929 (4 Fr.) (this coin described), in Feuardent’s revised 2nd edition [on Google books] (notice that, 14 years later, Feuardent had reduced Cohen’s est. by 60%!);
– BMC 1651, note (this coin cited), in Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum, vol 4 (Mattingly & Carson, 1940: p. 266, note) [on Archive];
– RIC 753 (this coin cited with note of doubt, “probably same Rev. as No. 750”), in The Roman Imperial Coinage, vol III (Mattingly & Sydenham, 1930: p. 122 & note);
– Strack +83 (this coin cited as “probable”);
– ERIC II 780 (this coin cited as unverified).
See also: OCRE RIC III 753 (zero specimens).

See also: Elberling-Clay Note, below.

Related: Also in my collection, Elberling’s later article from the same series, “Wichtigsten Examplare in Meiner Sammlung… [Teil V]” (PSH v. 23, 1867/8), which he signed & inscribed to GTI de la Fontaine (1787-1871), Luxembourg’s first Prime Minister (1848) & co-founder of the Grand Duchy’s historical institute (to which Elberling’s collection was promised, but ultimately not delivered).

Additional Possible Collection/Sale History (see also post-Elberling endnote) (back to top):
– Nicolò Majer, Catalogo di monete antiche e moderne… FPL 8 (8 Oct 1908), page 66, no. 1497 (citing Cohen 898, var. based on 1859 edition);
– Stiavelli et al. Santamaria 1 (6 Apr 1908), 525.2 (part);
– Spink Numismatic Circular 158 (Jan 1906), no. 23130).

(Photo Credit: Naville.) Collection History:
– “Mentor Collection” (property of George Muller) [Naville 84 (8 Oct 2023), Lot 460].
Suspected Publication & Collection History:
– Pinkerton Pl. III, No. 6 (this reverse possibly illustrated by I. Barlow from “the author’s casket”), in: John Pinkerton (1784/1789/1808 eds.), An Essay on Medals: Or, An Introduction to the Knowledge of Ancient and Modern Coins and Medals; Especially those of Greece, Rome, and Britain;
– John Pinkerton (1758-1826) Collection, sold to Neve;
– Philip Neve, Esq. [Neave] (c. 1748-1824) Collection;
– Thomas Thomas, Esq. (c. 1770-1843) [Sotheby, 8 July 1844, Lot 909 (noting, below, ex Pinkerton, “No. 6 of plate 3…from Mr. Neave”; “fair state of preservation”)];
– (possibly also) Marmaduke Trattle (1751-1832) Collection & Matthew Young (1770-1838) (see Thomas-Neve note).

Notes: Sometimes provenances can be positively identified from very old line drawings, beyond a reasonable doubt (e.g., Elberling’s Antoninus Pius Sesterius, above).
This is not one of those. I suspect, based on circumstantial evidence and physical similarities, that this coin is the same one illustrated in Pinkerton’s 1784 Essay on Medals, “from the author’s casket.”
Fittingly, Sotheby’s described the condition only as “fair” (which, as today, meant it wasn’t the worst possible, but not good either).

My coin and the engraving share a combination of distinctive features of centering: “BRITANNIA” placed just at the edge w/ “COS” falling off the flan; the dotted border begins & ends almost identically; the “S-C” (below) & “IIII” (to r.) are missing (though the engraver has added a blank exergue & wide base to the rock that should not exist; see below). Notice also the distinctive (but not unique) shape of the banner and especially the short curly hair (an erroneous detail), which may be inspired by the minor tooling on the nape of my Britannia’s neck.
The biggest difference is the lower-right “corner” of the flans, mine being much shorter. However, the details support my hypothesis: If the lower-right flan had actually been present as engraved, the “S-C” would certainly have been visible (probably also “IIII”). Instead, they are absent, suggesting that portion of the flan was missing. Additionally, the base of the rocks (truncated on my coin) is far too wide in Pinkerton’s illustration, probably modeled on the broader Sestertius reverse. (For the full rev. legend, see BM 2012,4083.6 or Ackerman’s drawing below.)

Pinkerton’s illustrations were, to be sure, idealized, as usual for the late 19th cent. (Compare, above, to Ackerman’s accurate drawings of the same types 60 years later. Sources: S&S Lib., UCLA.) But we can make educated guesses about which details Pinkerton rendered more faithfully.
This was one of only two coins illustrated from Pinkerton’s own cabinet (Pl. III, 6; the other, Pl. III, 10, “Maria, wife of Honorius”). The vast majority were from the Hunterian, where they remain now, so we can compare drawings & photos for some insight.

The details that Pinkerton tended to represent most faithfully were the centering and visible portions of the legends and the dotted borders. (Damage, wear, and major devices were subject to artistic license — for which Ackerman harshly criticized him.)

We can trace the Pinkerton coin’s fate to at least 1844, as summarized in Sotheby’s Thomas catalog. But the trail runs cold soon after the Thomas sale, where it was bought by Giuseppe Bassegio, an Italian antiquities dealer living in London.
If it’s the same coin, it was still in London a century or so later, when it came into the possession of Spink’s director of ancient coins, George Muller (“Mentor Collection,” formed c. 1940s-70s).
A final clue to my coin’s biography: The obverse is spackled in old animal glue of the kind commonly used in the 18th and 19th centuries, suggesting it was once affixed to some sort of display with Britannia facing outward.

(Photo Credit: CGB.fr [edited].) Collection History:
– Ex Fürstlich Waldeck’schen Münzkabinettes in Arolsen [collection formed principally by Prince Christian August of Waldeck-Pyrmont (1744 – 1798), sold early 1930s to E. & H. Cahn, Münzhandlung Basel];
– Ex Sammlung August Voirol (1884-1967) [MMAG 38 (6 Dec 1968), 456, catalog by Herbert A. Cahn (1915-2002), from whom Voirol probably bought it (see Voirol-Cahn note below)];
– Ex Bryan O’Neal [purchased CGB.fr (4 March 2025), Lot 113, consigned HJB 234 (29 Jan 2026), 386 (unsold, discounted after-sale)];
– NGC Encapsulated: 5873015-010 (“VF Strike: 4/5 Surface: 2/5 smoothing“).
Publication Hist.:
– Mittag (1994) Fig. 2 (this reverse illustrated), in: Peter Franz Mittag, “Kaiser oder Philosoph? Kurze Bemerkungen zur Münzprägung Marc Aurels,” Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau 73: 61-74.

Notes: The Princely Waldeck Collection, housed for nearly two centuries at Arolsen Castle, was acquired by a young Herbert A. Cahn (1915-2002) and his brother Erich for the initial inventory for their new firm, Münzhandlung Basel (early 1930s).
The firm was later renamed Münzen und Medaillen, A.G. This coin’s collector, August Voirol, became a partner in MMAG, alongside, among others, his close friend H. A. Cahn. Cahn wrote Voirol’s SMB obituary & cataloged the sales of both the Voirol and Waldeck Collections.
Given the biographical context, the Voirol sale catalog is a uniquely valuable source not only for identifying ex Waldeck coins, but for understanding how they were dispersed.

Notes, Basel Auctions containing Waldeck Coins (or NOT): H. Cahn’s Voirol catalog (MMAG 38) identifies 54 coins “aus Sammlung Fürst Waldeck,” 48 from Münzhandlung Basel Auctions 3, 4, 6, and 10, the other 6 presumably acquired privately. (Auctions 4, 6, 10 also incl. other colls.)
Importantly, Voirol’s coins from Münzhandlung Basel Auction 1 (28 Jun 1934) are not identified as ex-Waldeck (MMAG 38, 423 & 468).
John Spring’s (2009) Ancient Coin Auction Catalogs, 1880-1980 identified Auction 1’s consignor (“alten fürstlichen Sammlung“) as Waldeck, an attribution widely adopted since.
Recently, however, some provenance researchers have raised doubts (NF 5 Jun 2024). While Cahn himself later identified the Prinz W. of Auctions 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 as Waldeck (e.g., here, in MMAG 38; see also Poinsignon III, 4203), he never identified Auction 1 as the same collection. (Even after dropping the anonymity for the other sales.)
Cahn’s Voirol catalog supports the conclusion that Spring was mistaken. In fact, the coins in Münzhandlung Basel Auction 1 were not from the Waldeck Collection.

Lost & Found Provenance: While I don’t use AI provenance research (i.e., machine-learning image-matching), it’s always possible a prior collector or dealer did so. The present coin is the only one in my collection for which I know that to be true, since the owner-creator of CoinCabinet.io (Bryan O’Neal) posted about it on Facebook. He bought it from CGB (no provenance), found the Voirol sale, and consigned it to Aaron Berk, from whom I bought it.
I never buy a coin unless I can extend the provenance, so it was fortunate that he missed the Waldeck collection and the article published by Mittag.

While I don’t use AI tools myself, the prior owner’s use of them serves to illustrate the changing technology of provenance research. (Much as my Mazaios Stater illustrates Merrill-Lynch’s notorious 1990s ancient coin investment fund and the early history of slabbing ancient coins, c. 2002.)

(Photo Credit: HJB.) Collection History:
– Philip V. Hill (1917-1995) Collection, w/ tray tag [Spink 110 (4 Oct 1995), 284 (part, 6th of 6)];
– Curtis Clay Collection, w/ tray tag [Part VII, HJB BBS 231 (29 Apr 2025), 90 ; Berk’s coin-in-hand video].
Publication History:
– BMC 230-note (this coin cited), in Carson & Hill, eds. (1975: p. 473), British Museum Catalogue, Coins of the Roman Empire V: Pertinax to Elagabalus;
– Hill 1545 (this coin cited), in Hill (1964/1977), The Coinage of Septimius Severus and His Family of the Mint of Rome, A.D. 193-217.
See also: Lusnia (1995: 136), citing Hill 1545 in note 71 (corr., should be in note 72?).

Notes: Uncommon variety, Domna’s portrait is bare-headed rather than wearing the usual diadem or stephane (cf. BMC 230, RIC 605). Based on Julia Domna Venus Genetrix AE Asses recorded in Acsearch and Coryssa, I believe ~25% of have the portrait sans stephane (all struck from one obv. die). Though Hill was only aware of this example (c. 1960s-1970s, having missed Münzhandlung Basel 8 [1937], Lot 880), I’m aware of ~10 others in commerce since 2010.
Remarkably, just 3 months before acquiring it, Curtis Clay cited this very coin as a reference in HJB 86 (11 Jul 1995), Lot 1071 (later CNG ex Martin Armstrong): “BMC 230-note (P.V. Hill Collection)”!

(Photo Credit: Leu.) Collection History:
– Collezione Giuseppe Mazzini (1883-1961);
– George His (1927-2021) Collection [CNG MBS 69 (8 Jun 2005), 1465];
– Sammlung Dipl. Ing. Adrian Lang [Leu 12 (15 May 2022), 1386].

Publication Hist.:
– Mazzini 351 (this coin illustrated), in M. Ratto (1957), Monete Romani Imperiali, vol. III, Pl. XCI;
– Banti 105 (this coin illustrated on p. 331), in (1983) Il Grandi Bronzi, v. IV.2.

See Also: Wildwinds, Gordian III page, RIC 337a (this coin illustrated); see also Sear 8741 page.
Notes: This coin on “Barbarians, Captives & Enemies” page; video & additional provenance background on blogpost (15 Jul 2022).

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Kenneth Bressett (1928 – ) Collection [CNG Keystone Auction 6 (11 Mar 2022), 3231 & 3244 ; acq. Boston, 1950];
– Joseph Powers [Boston Numismatic Society ; prob. acq. Seaby, 1940s];
– Dorchester Hoard (1936) [IRBCH 470].

Notes: “The Great Dorchester Hoard of 1936” (Mattingly, NC 1939), one of the largest & most important hoards ever found in Britain (>22,000 total coins, 20,748 identified). Although fully tabulated by Mattingly, my specimens are of common types not individually cited: Gordian III (Cohen 299, 128 specimens); Philip I (Cohen 9 X3, 526 specs.), (Cohen 25, 411 specs.), (Cohen 215, 167 specs.).

(Photo Credit: Agora Auctions.) Sale History:
– Ex NFA Fall 1990 MBS;
– Ex Agora Auction 26 (10 Feb 2015), Lot 168;
– Ex Economopoulos Enterprises (n.d.), with tag (Nick Economopoulos, Holicong, PA).

Publication:
– SRCV 8963 (this coin illustrated), in: Sear, David R. (2005) Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume III: The Third Century Crisis and Recovery.

(Photo Credit: CJJ.) Collection History:
– Colin E. King (1862-1921) Collection [Chapman Brothers (5 Apr 1892), 377 (obv. illustrated on Pl. III), sold for $1];
– George H. Earle, Jr. (1856-1928) Collection [Henry Chapman “Earle Sale” (25 Jun 1912), 703 (not ill.), purchased by “HY” (Henry Chapman?) for $1.80 over “Black” (Harry E. Montgomery), per annotated copy];
– Mark M. Salton-Schlessinger (1914-2005) & Lottie Salton (1924-2020) Collection, with their tag & envelope [Künker 377, Salton Collection Part IV (20 Oct 2022), 5990].

Note: David Fanning (2020: pp. 271-2) described Chapman’s Earle sale as the single most important early American ancient coin auction catalog (with the King sale ranked No. 7). Both images above are from Dan Hamelberg’s hand-named & priced copies (linked above, via NNP-ANS). In Earle 1912, the “HY” was written more clearly on earlier lots, for Henry Chapman acting as agent for clients, I assume. “Black” (underbidder) is a code (no. 112, H.E. Montgomery in the Bass-Hamelberg annotated Earle; codes changed: Otis Balcom was “Black” in Hamelberg’s annotated King). Sadly, the buyer name in 1892 is cropped from ANS’ image, but it was presumably Earle (named as buyer for many others).

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Nicholas M. McQ. Holmes (1949-) Collection [CNG e-Auction 442 (17 Apr 2019), 128a ; bought from C. J. Martin (Coins) Ltd., 1987];
– Normanby, Lincolnshire, Hoard (1985) [IRBCH 854], No. 59.
Publication Hist.:
– Normanby 59 (this coin illustrated on Pl. 8, described on p. 166), in: R. Bland & A. Burnett (1988), The Normanby Hoard and Other Roman Coin Hoards [CHRB VIII], London: BM Press;
– reprinted by Spink (Bland et al., 2018) in: The Cunetio & Normanby Hoards; with notes to aid identification by Sam Moorehead.

Notes: A hybrid type, with the sole-reign obverse of Gallienus & joint-reign reverse of Valerian (AVGG). A second, similar coin of this type was in the Holmes Collection (128b), now also my coll., differing in Gallienus bust style and with “V” in the left rev. field rather than “T.” That coin was from the Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, Hoard (1989), No. 345, illustrated in CHRB IX.

(Photo Credit: Jacquier.) Collection History:
– Philippe Gysen (1950-2019) Collection, Inv. #5 [Jacquier 46 (Slg. Gysen, Part II; 20 Sep 2019), 315; acq. Berliner Münzauktion 74 (31 Oct 1992), Lot 512].
Publication Hist.:
– Bastien Suppl. II 196-e (this coin illustrated), in Amandry, Estiot & Gautier (2003), Le Monnayage de L’Atelier de Lyon, Supplement II;
– Hiland & Oliva 9 (this coin illustrated), in Le Règne de l’Empereur Probus, Histoire et Numismatique, p. 79.

See Also: Probvs.net RIC 17 (ex. 1 of 3, this coin illustrated online);
– Probuscoins.fr Coin ID 555 (this coin illustrated online).

Notes: As Grzegorz Kryszczuk kindly informed me, this coin was No. 5 in Gysen’s inventory, making it one of his first coins (acq. 1992).

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Malcolm Lyne (1943-2023) Collection [CNG EA 573 (23 Oct 2024), 745];
– W.C. Boyd (1841-1906) Collection with handwritten tray tag [Baldwin’s 42 (2005), 674 (part of 17, illustrated on p. 73)];
– acq. from Lincoln (London), Feb. 1903.

Publication Hist.:
– Lyne, Malcolm (2009), “The C and L Mints of Carausius and Allectus, AD 287-296,” Spink Numismatic Circular vol. CXVII, issue 1 (Mar 2009): pp. 5-6 (this coin illustrated);
– Webb 847 (probably this coin [“Lincoln”], cited in error [CONCORDIA M]), in Percy Webb (1907), “The Coinage of Carausius,” Numismatic Chronicle 7: p. 337 & (1908) The Reign and Coinage of Carausius, p. 199 (Spink reprint) [see prov. note below].

Provenance Note: Boyd’s tag described this coin as Cohen 34 (CONCORDIA M), which corresponds to Webb 847. (Interestingly, he nonetheless he transcribed the garbled legend quite accurately!) Webb cites one of two specimens to Lincoln, very likely this one, sold only a few years earlier to Boyd. (Nicely illustrating various ways original collector tag may help recover lost object-biography.)

Substantive Note: This coin was the featured topic of Lyne’s 2009 SNC article. He believed it might resolve a great mystery in Romano-British coinage, arguing the “C” mintmark represented Classis naval fleet. (To my knowledge, the theory has not caught on. What will the forthcoming RIC V.5 say?)

(Photo Credit: CNG [edited].) Collection History:
– Paul DiMarzio (1962-) Londinium Collection, w/ tag [CNG EA 525 (19 Oct 2022), 1389 ; Hookmoor FPL 1 (Feb 2016), 12];
– Lee Toone (1958-) Collection, w/ tag [Clive Eyre, October 2010].
Publication History:
– CT 7.01.007 (this coin illustrated on p. 161 & described on p. 160) in: H. Cloke & L. Toone (2015), The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine.
See Also: Lech Stepniewski (2004 ff.),“Not In RIC,” CORRIGENDA Vol. VI, p. 134, Lond. 136 (this coin illustrated online).

(Photo Credit: CNG [edited].) Collection History:
– Paul DiMarzio (1962-) Londinium Collection, w/ tag [CNG EA 516 (18 May 2022), 631 ; acq. L. Toone, 28 May 2018];
– Lee Toone (1958-) Collection, w/ tag [DG Coins & Antiquities (“Dei Gratia,” Dave Shelley) at the York Coin Fair, 15 Jan 2010].
Publication History:
– CT 9.02.016 (this coin illustrated) in: H. Cloke & L. Toone (2015), The London Mint of Constantius and Constantine;
– Marsden (2024): Slide 10 (this coin illustrated after Cloke & Toone) in: “Tale of Three Cities,” paper presented at the Britannia Nummaria 2024 Conference (16 Oct).

Notes: H. Cloke or L. Toone colls. were not distinguished in book or by CNG (“Authors’ collections” & “CT Collections“). Differences between Toone’s priv. coll. tags & his Hookmoor dealer tags ill.: see BNS’ bio page (to PDF) or “Main List” via BNS “Coin Tickets” page.
Speculative, but I suspect also ex Langtoft B Hoard, 2000 (additional info on file, educated guess).

(Photo Credit: CNG.) Collection History:
– Kenneth Bressett (1928 – ) Collection [CNG Keystone Auction 6 (11 Mar 2022), 3335, 3336, 3351, 3352, 3361, 3365];
– Lincoln W. Higgie, III (1938-) Collection;
– Lincoln Higgie Hoard (1967, Turkey).

Notes: The “Lincoln Higgie Hoard” was “discovered in Turkey by Lincoln W. Higgie, III, in 1967 and sold intact to Ken Bressett.” It contained about 40 VRBS ROMA AEs, plus a couple dozen Constantine I and II. Characteristic of the era, no publications or other reports of the hoard seem to have been made (nor does one imagine cultural property and export permits were considered a major concern).

(Photo Credit: Künker, edited.) Collection & Publicationn History:
– Carl-Friedrich Zschucke (1938-2023) Collection [Künker 435 (18 Nov 2025), Lot 9664].
– Zschucke 58-1(3) (this coin illustrated on Plate XI), in: Zschucke, C.F. 1997. Die römische Münzstätte Trier (von der Münzreform der Bronzeprägung unter Constans und Constantius II. 346/348 n. Chr. bis zu ihrer Schließung im 5. Jh. (3rd edition [1982/1988].)

Notes: Zschucke was known as a preeminent collector and scholar of the late Roman coinage at Trier, publishing several books on the mint (among other numismatic topics). I haven’t yet found a copy of the relevant volume in the U.S., but from the images I’ve found online, at least one of the coins in this group is illustrated (sale listing by “apolliniaugusti” on todocoleccion.net). I would be surprised if some of the others aren’t as well (especially given the rarity of “fallen horsemen” at this mint).