zadie's top coins of 2023

[zadie]

In terms of collecting, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in the hobby as I have this year. In 2022, a large part of my list was made up of cistophoric tetradrachms from the Roman promagistrates in Asia and Cilicia. This year will be no different! Enjoy this (albeit different) list of Roman Republican coins. The cistophori are in no particular order but the one denarius I included in the list is my coin of the year.

 

8. A Cistophorus of C. Fannius from Apamea

Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Fannius as Propraetor of Asia. Mantitheos son of Mantitheos, magistrate. AR Cistophoric tetradrachm. Apamea, 49/48 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C. FAN PONT PR. Two serpents flanking a tetrastyle temple, surmounted by a female cult statue holding patera and sceptre. MΑΝΤΙΘΕΟ[Σ] / MΑΝΤΙΘ[ΕΟΥ]. 27 mm, 12.14 g. Stumpf 57; Metcalf 481 (This coin, O24/R80). Ex CNG 61, 2002, Lot 755.

Gaius Fannius presents as an enigmatic character at a glance but his journey up the ladder of the cursus honorum paints a surprisingly vivid picture of the last years of the Roman Republic. His coins are found in four of the five mints in Asia and Cilicia: Ephesus, Apamea, Laodicea and Tralles.

Fannius began his public career in around 62-59 BC, having been elected to the fifteen-member college of Pontiffs. Here he served alongside a young M. Aemilius Lepidus (future consul and triumvir), P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther (future consul and governor of Cilicia) and M. Licinius Crassus, the eldest son of the richest man in Rome.

We next see Fannius in 59 BC, during the consulship of Caesar and Bibulus. During this year he would serve as one of the Tribune of the Plebs. We also get an insight into Fannius’ political leanings. Both Consuls, one a radical Populare and the other an equally radical Optimate, struggled fiercely for supremacy over that year’s political agenda. Part of Caesar’s main legislative goals for the year was pushing through a substantial land reform bill in the Senate. He was met by stiff resistance from both his consular colleague and three of that year’s tribunes, one of them Fannius.
Fannius evidently served as Praetor but we do not have a firm date on when this could have been. However, given that Fannius was granted command in Asia in 49 BC it is reasonable to assume that he held the praetorship in around 54 BC following a law that Pompey passed in 52 BC, mandating a period of at least five years between magistrates leaving office and assuming provincial positions.

After this point, it is not entirely clear what becomes of Fannius. Cicero speaks of him as if he were dead in 48 BC. This report seems credible as Fannius would likely have offered his allegiance to Pompey and the Optimates in the ensuing civil war. However, a certain C. Fannius is mentioned by Cicero as having been sent to Sextus Pompey as a senatorial envoy before the Battle of Mutina in 43 BC. This man apparently joined with Sextus and subsequently served with him until surrendering to Antony in 35 BC.

 

7. A Cistophorus of T. Ampius Balbus from Ephesus

Promagisterial Cistophori. T. Ampius Balbus as Proconsul in Asia. Theodoros and Aratos, magistrates. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Ephesus, dated 58-57 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / T·AM-PI·T·F·PRO-COS. Two serpents entwined by a tripod surmounted by cult statue of Artemis; In the left field, EΦΕ. In the right field, a flaming torch. ΘΕΟΔWPOC - APATOC in exergue. 27 mm, 11.69 g. Stumpf 4; Metcalf 11 (This coin, O2/R11). One of six known for the type.

Hailing from a lowly plebeian family, T. Ampius Balbus rose further up the ladder of the cursus honorum than any of his forebears. His public career began in 63 BC, during the consulship of Cicero and (Antonius) Hybrida, serving as one of that year’s plebeian tribunes. During his term he would join forces with another tribune, T. Labienus (Caesar’s future lieutenant) in order to pass a bill in the Senate that would allow Pompey to wear the golden crown of a triumphator at all public games. He would also be permitted to affix the much coveted purple border to his toga at the theater. The bill passed amidst Pompey’s extraordinary conquests in Asia.

Continuing his career, Balbus is next seen as Praetor in 59 BC during the consulship of Caesar and Bibulus. However, there are no records of his activities during this time. After his term had ended, he was granted the proconsular command of Asia. In the province he was immediately preceded by Quintus, brother of Cicero. Taking up command in 58 BC, Balbus would serve his term as proconsul without much fanfare, he was prorogued by the Senate for the year of 57 BC but instead given command of Cilicia where he continued to strike coins. He left the province in 56 BC and was succeeded by P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther.

We next see Balbus as a Pompeian belligerent in the civil war. Taking up position as a legate for Pompey, Cicero records him raising levies in Capua in 49 BC. After the disastrous battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC and with the Pompeian faction in disarray, Balbus attempted to retreat to Asia before Caesar could plunder the vast wealth kept at the temple of Diana in Ephesus. Before his mission could be completed however, he was intercepted by Caesar and subsequently surrendered to him.

Balbus strikes coins in four of the five mints in Asia and Cilicia: Ephesus, Pergamum, Laodicea and Tralles. They are also the first signed cistophori by a Roman promagistrate after C. Atinius briefly struck coins in his own name over 60 years earlier.

 

6. A Cistophorus of P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther from Apamea

Promagisterial Cistophori. P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther as Proconsul and Imperator in Cilicia. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Apamea, 56-53 BC. Kastor, son of Apollodoros, magistrate. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / P·LENTVLVS·P·F·IMPERATOR. Two serpents entwined by a bow case. In the left field, AΠA. In the exergue, KAΣTOPOΣ - AΠOΛΛOΔΩPOY. 27 mm, 12.20 g. Stumpf 73; Metcalf V (Apameia). Ex Lanz 157 (9 December 2013), lot 182.

Some of the governors on this list are not very well-attested for, especially when it comes to the years in which they entered political office. This is not the case with P. Cornelius Lentulus Spinther. We have a full accounting of his entire career through the cursus honorum.  Lentulus began his public career as an urban quaestor in 74 BC, during the consulship of Lucullus and Cotta. He would go on to serve as Curule Aedile in 63 BC, where he would aid Cicero in unraveling Catiline's conspiracy to overthrow the Republic. Being elected to the office of Praetor in 60 BC, he served his term in Rome and afterward was awarded the command of Hispania Citerior. Lentulus attained the consulship in 57 BC. Serving alongside Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos, Lentulus was the one to recall Cicero from exile. He would later go on to serve as governor in Cilicia and be hailed as Imperator by his troops.

As governor of Cilicia, Lentulus’ coins are only found in Apamea and Laodicea. His coins use a more varied legend formula than his predecessors. Coins in Apamea bear the legend P·LENTVLVS·P·F·IMPERATOR, while the coins in Laodicea are signed P·LENTVLVS·P·F·IMP. In Laodicea there is also a brief emission of coins that use the legend P·LENTVLVS·P·F·PRO·COS, probably issued before he was acclaimed imperator by his troops.

 

5. A Cistophorus of C. Fabius from Pergamum

Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Fabius Hadrianus as Proconsul in Asia. Demeas, magistrate. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Pergamum 55-53 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C·FABI·M·F·PROCOS. Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, monogram of Pergamon. In the right field, Asclepius' staff. ΔΗΜΕΑC in exergue. 12.18 g. Stumpf 28; Metcalf 114 (This coin, O2R/14). Ex NAC Auction 59, April 2011, Lot 799.

C. Fabius is not very well-attested for in the historical record. Until quite recently, the only evidence of his existence was that of the coins he minted whilst he was governor of Asia. His coins were struck at all five mints producing cistophori at this time.

 He evidently served as Praetor in 58 or 57 BC but we do not know anything further about his career. Fabius might have been the son of M. Fabius Hadrianus, a legate of Sulla active during the Third Mithridatic War. The only epigraphic record found outside of his coins is an inscribed marble block found in the city of Metropolis in 1998 and subsequently published in 2022:

“The people (honor) C. Fabius, son of Marcus, their proconsul, because he (proved) to be generous and because, in his unsurpassed power, with great steadfastness, virtue and justice, he—both as a magistrate and as a private benefactor—decided to rebuild our hometowns after the reconquest of the province, that had become […]”

 

4. A Cistophorus of C. Septimius from Tralles

Promagisterial Cistophori. Gaius Septimius as Proconsul in Asia. Polydeukes, magistrate. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Tralles 56-55 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / C·SEPTVMIVS·T·F·PROCOS. Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, TPAΛ. In the right field, Pileus of Pollux. ΠOΛYΔEYKHΣ in exergue. 28 mm, 11,98 g. Stumpf 42; Metcalf 333 (This coin, O6/R32).

C. Septimius served as praetor in 57 BC, during the consulship of Lentulus and Metellus. During his term, he showed himself to be a staunch ally of Cicero and lobbied vigorously for his return from exile. After serving out his year, he was granted the proconsular command of Asia in 56 BC. After his proconsulate ended, we do not have any record of his activities until he was proscribed and killed at the hands of the second triumvirate in 43 BC.

As the mints of Laodicea and Apamea had recently been transferred to the neighboring province of Cilicia, we only find his coins in the three remaining Asian mints: Tralles, Pergamon and Ephesus. The cistophori of Septimius are dated year 78 (57-56 BC) and year 79 (56-55 BC).

3. A Cistophorus of C. Atinius Labeo Macerio

Promagisterial Cistophori. C. Atinius Labeo Macerio. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Ephesus, 122-121 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, EΦΕ, dated ΙΓ = 13 = 122-121 BC. C·ATIN·C·F in exergue. 27 mm, 11,97 g. Stumpf 1b (same dies); Metcalf 701-704.

Long before the days of T. Ampius Balbus, C. Fannius and C. Fabius, barely ten years after the Kingdom of Pergamon was bequeathed to the Roman Republic by Attalus III in 133 BC, a curious set of coins were produced in the city of Ephesus. A Roman provincial magistrate by the name of C. Atinius began striking coins in his own name. This man has been identified as Gaius Atinius C. f. Labeo Macerio, who as Tribune of the Plebs in 131/130 BC attempted to have a sitting Censor thrown off the Tarpeian rock due to having omitted Atinius from the list of active senators. When this measure was vetoed in the senate, he instead attempted to consecrate the Censor’s property, by this effectively trying to deprive the Censor of his wealth. 

 

2. An Unsigned Cistophorus of C. Atinius Labeo Macerio

Promagisterial Cistophori. Unsigned issue of C. Atinius. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm. Ephesus, 122-121 BC. Serpent emerging from cista mystica; all within wreath / Two serpents entwined by bow case; In the left field, EΦΕ. 27 mm, 12,23 g. Stumpf -; Metcalf -.

The coins of C. Atinius are very rare today, I know of less than 10 specimens in both private and public collections. Even rarer however, are the unsigned issues of C. Atinius. I bought this coin from Biga thinking it was unique, I have subsequently been made aware of at least one other residing in a private collection. They were minted in the 13th year, just like the signed issues. More importantly however, they are both linked to each other via the obverse die. Judging by the evident die wear seen on the unsigned specimens they were struck subsequent to the signed issues. The implications of this are myriad, did Atinius cease to sign his coins before the end of the year? Why? Was he reprimanded for this anti-republican act of self-aggrandizement? We will probably never know.

 

1. A Denarius of Octavian and Agrippa from the Prowe Collection (Coin of the Year)

Second Triumvirate. Octavian and Agrippa. AR Denarius. Military mint travelling with Octavian, 38 BC. Confronted heads of divus Julius Caesar and Octavian, DIVOS IVLIVS – [DIVI·F]/ M·AGRIPPA·COS - DESIG. 17 mm, 3.84 g. Crawford 534/2. Ex Fedor Ivanovich Prowe (1872-1932); Hess Adolph 137, May 1912, Lot 1530.

(GIF courtesy of my friend @filolif, transition between what the coin looks like today versus what the cast looked like in the 1912 catalogue.)

 

Thank you all for a wonderful 2023!

Edited December 29, 2023 by zadie

[Parthicus]

A great group of coins, this shows very nicely how specialization in one area can really illuminate a portion of history.

[filolif]

9 hours ago, zadie said:

(GIF courtesy of my friend @filolif, transition between what the coin looks like today versus what the cast looked like in the 1912 catalogue.)

You're very welcome! More than happy to help visually represent such an awesome old pedigree.

Excellent 2023 selections! Looking forward to seeing your new additions (Stumpf and otherwise) in 2024!

[zadie]

5 hours ago, Parthicus said:

A great group of coins, this shows very nicely how specialization in one area can really illuminate a portion of history.

Thank you! I really enjoy this part of history and I think these coins generally do not get the attention they deserve.

 

1 hour ago, filolif said:

You're very welcome! More than happy to help visually represent such an awesome old pedigree.

Excellent 2023 selections! Looking forward to seeing your new additions (Stumpf and otherwise) in 2024!

🙏

[Sulla80]

#In terms of collecting, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in the hobby as I have this year.

A pleasure to hear - and thanks for sharing the coins & write-ups. Best wishes for continued fun in the New Year!

[David Atherton]

Superb list! You're #1 is indeed a stunner.

[panzerman]

Nice selection of coins! Glad that you had a spectacular year. Detailed writeups/ always nice to see other collector's material.

 

 

John

[zadie]

3 hours ago, Sulla80 said:

#In terms of collecting, I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun in the hobby as I have this year.

A pleasure to hear - and thanks for sharing the coins & write-ups. Best wishes for continued fun in the New Year!

Thank you so much! My best to you and yours.

 

1 hour ago, David Atherton said:

Superb list! You're #1 is indeed a stunner.

I'm delighted that you think so! It really struck a cord with me when a friend gave me a heads-up of it being for sale, even more so when I found that it was from the Prowe collection.

 

1 hour ago, panzerman said:

Nice selection of coins! Glad that you had a spectacular year. Detailed writeups/ always nice to see other collector's material.

 

 

John

Thank you John! I enjoy reading write-ups more so than writing them but it's hard not to include a few paragraphs for coins that are more often than not listed with just a basic attribution.

[JayAg47]

Nice lot of coins, especially the Octavian and Agrippa denarius. I'm still hunting for my first Cistophoric tetradrachm, although I'm not as knowledgeable on the varieties. 

Edited December 30, 2023 by JayAg47

[lordmarcovan]

These cistophori are outside my wheelhouse, but I will say that I like the overall look of #6.

The Octavian/Agrippa denarius is great, and I like the "then and now" animated GIF of it.

[Ursus]

I really appreciate specialized collections. Cistophoric tetradrachms are outside of my own collecting areas, but I learned a lot reading your list.

To my non-specialist eyes, the coin showing Octavian and Agrippa is especially attractive.

[zadie]

6 hours ago, JayAg47 said:

Nice lot of coins, especially the Octavian and Agrippa denarius. I'm still hunting for my first Cistophoric tetradrachm, although I'm not as knowledgeable on the varieties. 

Cistophori are really fun. There's a million different ways to collect them and despite the fact that I only collect those issued by Roman magistrates I still find myself having an itch for civic issues once in a while. Especially those from rarer mints like Nysa, Sardes and Adramytion. Thanks for the comment!

 

1 hour ago, lordmarcovan said:

These cistophori are outside my wheelhouse, but I will say that I like the overall look of #6.

The Octavian/Agrippa denarius is great, and I like the "then and now" animated GIF of it.

Good eye! I neglected to mention that #6 is ex @kapphnwn, a fact that raises it's appeal further in my book.

 

57 minutes ago, Ursus said:

I really appreciate specialized collections. Cistophoric tetradrachms are outside of my own collecting areas, but I learned a lot reading your list.

To my non-specialist eyes, the coin showing Octavian and Agrippa is especially attractive.

Thank you so much for the nice comment! There's so much to learn within classical numismatics and I too enjoy immensely learning about niche areas from other collectors. Even if I'm not particularly interested in the historical context there's something truly contagious about passion in numismatics.

[Qcumbor]

Fantastic denarius ! (jealous Q typing here) and great group of cistophoric tets

Q

[Limes]

Looking at your list, I get the feeling you like cithoporic tets 😁I have little to no experience/knowledge with/of these, but I like the reverse of the first and second, with the temple between the snakes and the DIana Ephesus. And you coin of the year is  fantastic coin, well done! Have a great 2024!

[savitale]

Great to see a specialist at work! I get the impression that cistophori don't always get the attention they deserve, nice to see someone giving them some love.  I like #5. A Cistophorus of C. Fabius from Pergamum, because I think it it is pretty cool when a coin is the only source of an historical figure's existence.

[Di Nomos]

Your number one coin is stunning. I also have a coin from the Prowe collection, so appreciate that pedigree, though mine is Greek.