Numismatica Ars Classica Zurich

Auction 91  –  23 May 2016

Numismatica Ars Classica Zurich, Auction 91

The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei

Mo, 23.05.2016, from 11:30 AM CEST
The auction is closed.

Description

The George W. La Borde Collection of Roman Aurei Part I
THE ROMAN REPUBLIC
C. Numonius Vaala. Aureus, 41 BC, AV 8.11 g. Bust of Victory r. Rev. C·NVMONIVS Soldier rushing l., attacking wall defended by two further soldiers; in exergue, VAALA. Babelon Numonia 1. C 2. Bahrfeldt 70.6 (this coin). Sydenham 1086. Gruber 4215. RBW –. Crawford 514/1 (these dies). Calicó 27 (these dies).
Extremely rare, fifteen specimens known of which apparently only three are in private
hands. An issue of great importance and fascination. Struck on a very broad flan,
unobtrusive edge marks, otherwise a very pleasant good very fine
Provenance
Viscount Gustave Ponton d’Amécourt (1825-1888) Collection sold by Maurice Delestre auctioneer, Rollin & Feuardent experts, auction, Paris, 25-30 April 1887, lot 45, for 675 Francs.
Consul Eduard Friedrich Weber (1830-1907) Collection sold by Jacob Hirsch, auction XXIV, Munich, 10 May 1909 sqq., lot 773, for 1’500 Marks.
Fedor Ivanovich Prowe (1872-1932) Collection sold by Adolph Hess, auction 137, Frankfurt, 20 May 1912 sqq., lot 1142, for 940 Marks.
L. Vierordt Collection sold by Jacques Schulman, auction 139, Amsterdam, 5 March 1923 sqq., lot 534 sold for 660 NL florins.
Naville sale 18 June 1925, H.C. Levis, 182.
Sold by Fritz Rudolf Künker, auction 136, Osnabrück, 10 March 2008, lot 837.

The college of moneyers had a long tradition of selecting types that illustrated the highlights of their family history, and this rare aureus of the moneyer C. Numonius Vaala is no exception. The reverse depicts the corona vallaris, or ”wall crown,” that was awarded to the first soldier to breach the walls of an enemy encampment or city, and shows the moneyer’s ancestor (whose precise identification, unfortunately, has been lost to us) in the heroic act. In addition to the crown, it appears that the ancestor also took the cognomen Vaala, which became hereditary for this branch of the Numonii. While the reverse highlights the family’s illustrious history, the obverse is perhaps the more intriguing from an historical point of view. It carries the portrait of Victory, but surprisingly she has a marked resemblance to Fulvia, the wife of Mark Antony. Vaala’s fellow moneyers for the year chose similarly ambiguous types: both M. Arrius Secundus' denarii (Crawford 513/2 and 513/3) and L. Servius Rufus' denarii (Crawford 515/2) portray an ancestor's portrait which, respectively, resembles Octavian or Brutus. Why would there be such ambiguity at the mint in 41 B.C.? The answer lies in the uncertainty of the times. Mark Antony’s younger brother, Lucius Antony, with the support of Fulvia, was involved in the short-lived Perusine War against Octavian during 41-40 B.C. They had raised eight legions in Italy and at one time had even held Rome itself, but by the winter they had been forced to retreat to Perusia by the forces under Octavian. Forced by starvation, the city soon capitulated, and Octavin pardoned both Lucius Antony and Fulvia. At the time these coins were struck, however, the war had not yet ended, and thus it appears that the moneyers were simply hedging their bets by selecting these purposefully ambiguous types that in each case could be argued to have favored whichever side won. Octavian saw through the ruse and apparently took offense at the lack of loyalty shown by Rome’s moneyers as the following year he put an end to the long tradition of the college of moneyers featuring their family histories on the coinage produced at the Capitoline mint.

Question about this lot?

Bidding

Price realized 180'000 CHF
Starting price 80'000 CHF
Estimate 100'000 CHF
The auction is closed.
Feedback / Support