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Quintillus Billon Antoniniaus (2.68g, 17.5mm, 12h). Rome mint, 270 CE.

Obverse: IMP C M AVR QVINTILLVS AVG. Radiate and draped bust right.

Reverse: CONCORDIA AVG / Δ to right. Concordia standing left, sacrificing over altar & holding double cornucopiae.

Reference: RIC 13; Cohen 17.

Provenance: Ex-Ancient & Medieval Coins Canada Auction 2 (9 Nov 2019), Lot 210, from the “Orfew”/Andrew Short Collection; Naville Numismatics Auction 35 (London, Online, 29 Oct 2017), Lot 717, from the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection (1914-2001; Curator, National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian), incl. her hand-written tag w/ notes.

Numis./Hist. Notes: The brief reign of Quintillus lasted only weeks or months in 270 CE. That he produced coins at all – in fact, a considerable number of issues in AE, billon and gold, including those at Provincial mints – despite reigning for as little as a few weeks, provides strong evidence of how important coin production was to Emperors to quickly legitimize and publicize their rule, as well as evidence of how efficient the process was.

Provenance Notes: Elvira “E.E.” Clain-Stefanelli (her husband, Victor, also a numismatist, is known as “V.E.”) was a curator, then Executive Director of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian, 1956-2001. She is known for bringing the national coin collection from provincial backwater to world-class status.

A famous numismatist, her obituary was published in 2001 in the Washington Post. Her wikipedia entry.

The Clain-Stefanelli Collection (begun by Vladimir in the 1930s, assembled together until his death, continued by Elvira until at least the early 1990s), was auctioned by Stack’s (“Demarete Collection”) and then Numismatica Ars Classica and their affiliated auctioneer, Naville Numismatics (London). Naville sold this coin to “Orfew” (online handle of collector subsequently named in CNG sales as the applied linguist Andrew Short); from there it was consigned to Ancient & Medical Coins Canada, from which it joined the Jackson-Jacobs Collection.

Album: All Coins

Categories: Roman Coins

Tags: #AE & Billon #Pedigreed #Rare #Roman #Showcase

A splendid Alexandrian Tetradrachm of Gordian III (Emperor, 238-244 AD), notable for its rarity, important pedigree, and being illustrated in important reference volumes.

Full writeup & video of this coin available here.

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Roman Provincial. Gordian III (238-244). Billon Tetradrachm (23mm., 12.35g, 12h). Struck in Egypt, Alexandria, 243-4 AD.
Obverse: Α Κ Μ ΑΝΤ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟϹ ƐΥ (see Numis. Notes below). Laureate, draped & cuirassed bust of Gordian right, seen from behind.

Reverse: Bust of Helios facing right, radiate & draped, seen from behind. In fields, L-Z (Regnal Year 7).

References: Dattari 4731 (this coin, not illustrated); Dattari-Savio plate 252, 4731 (this coin illustrated); RPC VII.2 (in press) 3669.9 (this coin illustrated); RPC Online Temp. 3037 (this coin illustrated, #11417); Milne 3466; BMC Alexandria 1859; Emmett 3407; K & G 72.137.

Pedigree: Ex-Naville Numismatics (London) Auction 60, #308; from the Dattari collection, formed before 1901.

Album: All Coins

Categories: Provincial Roman Coins

Tags: #AE & Billon #Greek #Large #Pedigreed #Rare #Roman #Showcase

Corinth, Corinthia. AR Stater (8.52g, 21mm, 9h). Struck circa 345 – 305 BCE

Video of this coin available here

Obverse: Pegasos flying right, Ϙ symbol below.

Reverse: Head of Athena left, wearing Corinthian helmet. Γ below chin, dove within wreath.

References: Ravel 1029; Calciati Pegasi 419; BCD Corinth 110; SNG Lockett 2094.

Provenance: Ex Prof. Samuel-Jean Pozzi (1846-1918) Collection, sold at Naville et Cie (Lucerne, 14 March 1921), Catalogue de Monnaies Grecques Antiques Provenant de la Collection de feu le Prof. S. Pozzi, Lot 1688 (Hammer, Sfr 17). Published in Boutin’s 1979 catalog of the collection, No. 3756.

Privately purchased from Anthony “Tony” Tumonis at Halden Birt’s Glass Shoppe Coins (Tucson, AZ, circa 1991-2).

Notes: One of the scarcer reverse dies for this type but, in my view, an especially expressive and lifelike Athena. Dark old cabinet tone. Well centered. Among the favorites of collection.

Hist. Notes: Dr. Samuel-Jean Pozzi (1846-1918) was a celebrated French gynecologist whose life was cut short when a disgruntled patient murdered him. He had been assembling one of the world’s finest private collections of Greek coins for 25 years.

The Pozzi Collection was cataloged for the first sale by Naville et Cie in 1921. During the early 20th century “golden age” of ancient coin catalogs, the Pozzi catalog set the standard, illustrating every lot and providing weights to 0.01g — a level of completeness previously unthinkable. For decades, it was a standard reference for Greek coinage by scholars, dealers, and collectors.

Alan S. Walker described it as “very possibly the best known and most famous auction catalogue of Greek coins ever produced” (2008, AJN, p. 604). For this reason, as Harlan J. Berk commented, “The Pozzi pedigree is one of the most revered in numismatics” (Berk 2004, BBS 190).

Bibliographic: Further references for the Pozzi Sale: Clain-Stefanelli 1988*; Daehn 2084; Grierson, p. 296; Kroh, p 11 (four stars); Spring 471, “Most important sales of ancient Greek coins.” References for the Boutin (1979) catalog: Clain-Stefanelli 1932*; Daehn 2031.

Album: All Coins

Categories: Greek Coins

Tags: #Animals #Classic #Greek #J & J Family Collection #Pedigreed #Showcase #Silver

Alexander III (336-323 BC) AR Tetradrachm (17.20 gm; 23 mm; 6h). Amphipolis mint, temp. Philip III Arrhidaios, circa 323-320 BC.
Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion’s skin headdress
Rev: Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; monogram before.
Ref: MJ Price 115 (corr. by CNG; misidentified by JJFN & Pars). (PELLA Entry here)

Pedigree: Ex-Pars Coins (Parviz Ahghari, La Jolla, CA; purchased 25 Oct 2012, VCoins Shop SKU: PCW-G3692)

Sold to the José Miguel Márquez del Prado (Madrid, Spain) Collection (28 April 2013 by private treaty from our JJFN), eventually auctioned by CNG e-421, #65 (Lancaster, PA, 30 May 2018).
Usually one doesn’t get to say who bought one’s coins, but this collection was sold at CNG Feature Auction 108 and e-Auction 421, he had a fantastic collection of Greek AR Tetradrachms, particularly of Alexander III & other Macedonian Kings, as well as those of successor kingdoms/Diadochi, and related types (e.g., the Punic Sicily).
Sadly, CNG chose not mention us in the pedigree! 🙂

Album: Sold Coins

Categories: Greek Coins

Tags: #Classic #Greek #Historic #Large #Pedigreed #Showcase #Silver #Sold