I wanted something nice, with an old provenance. Finally found some in todays auction. I ended up the under bidder on my preferred lot despite a large raise at the end. and like last time, I ended up with my runner up choice. Almost lost it (below) EASTERN EUROPE, Imitations of Philip II of Macedon. 2nd-1st centuries BC. AR Tetradrachm (20.5mm, 10.57 g, 2h). Velemer type. Mint in the region of Velem, Hungary. Celticized head of Zeus, diademed and beardless, right / Horseman, with radiate headdress, riding left. OTA 471; KMW 1406 (same dies). Fine, toned, typical areas of weak strike. Ex Archbishop Sharp Collection (1644-1714). Dr. John Sharp (1644-1714) was a clergyman who rose through the offices of the Church of England to become Archbishop of York in 1691. Sharp started collecting coins in 1687 and focused his energies primarily on the issues of the British Isles, acquiring many highly important rarities. Sharp was in contact with several other leading numismatists of his age, including Ralph Thoresby, to whom he addressed his manuscript, Observations on the Coinage of England, published in 1785. The great 19th Century numismatist, Rogers Ruding, regarded this work as, “the first systematic treatise ever composed on the subject.” On Sharp's death the collection was left to his son and was kept together for some 250 years by his descendants. Two dispersals were made in the 1960s: Sotheby, 14 March 1966 (European, Spanish American, together with miscellaneous coins and medals) and Glendinings, 5 October 1977 (British, Charles I to Queen Anne). On 7 December 2018, Morton and Eden sold the coins from Anglo-Saxon times through to James I and some medals. In the words of the late Harry Manville, “Sharp pedigrees are among the oldest available in British numismatics.” Let us see your oldest Provenanced coin.
Very cool. Though I can't verify it, this one is ex John Quincy Adams: Roman Republic, M. Volteius M. f., 78 B.C., Ancient Counterfeit, Ex John Quincy Adams Collection Fouree silver plated denarius, cf. RSC I Volteia 4 (official, Rome mint, 78 B.C.), Fair, illegal mint, weight 2.881g, maximum diameter 17.5mm, c. 78 - 40 B.C.; obverse laureate helmeted head of Attis right; reverse Cybele seated in chariot drawn by two lions; with a John Quincy Adams Collection tag from the Stack's Sale Ex John Quincy Adams Collection, 6th President of the United States, and His Descendants, ex Massachusetts Historical Society Collection, ex Stack’s Sale , 5-6 March 1971. lot 907 ? ex Forvm
These are my oldest provenances. Nowhere near as old as Archbishop Sharp, though! Geta. AR denarius, Rome, 210 CE; 18mm, 3.74g, 6h. BMCRE 68, CRB 86, Hill 1143 (S2), RIC 92, RSC 219 (Cohen, 3 Fr., citing the Gosselin Sale). Obv: P – SEPT GETA – PIVS AVG BRIT; man’s laureate head r., bearded. Rx: VICTORI–AE BRIT; Victory standing l., naked to waist, holding wreath and palm. Commemorates victories declared in Britain. This coin is a reverse die link with the Arnold specimen illustrated in RSC, which I also own. Near VF. Provenance: From The Chris Rudd Collection of Bronze Age and Roman Coins, DNW 142 (London), 15 September 2017, lot 1692; ex James T. Joyner Collection, acquired from Paul Withers, Galata Coins (Wolverhampton, UK); ex Eton College Collection (Windsor), Sotheby’s (London), 1–2 December 1976, lot 568 (part); this coin is probably one of the duplicates purchased for Eton College from the British Museum in 1873. ------------------------ Elagabalus. AR denarius, Rome, 221 CE; 21mm, 3.05g, 12h. BMCRE 242–3, RIC 40, RSC 184. Obv: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG; laureate head r. Rx: P M TR P IIII COS III P P; Sol advancing left, raising right hand, holding whip in l., star in field l. EF. Provenance: From the estate of Markus R. Weder (1953–2016); ex collection of Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (known as Prince Napoléon, 1822–91), and from the duplicates of the British Museum.
I'd love to have a really interesting provenanced coin one day. Until then, this is the best I can do. A Magnentius "Ex Lückger." Seller's photo. Gert Boersema had (and still has) some coins from Col. Hermann-Joseph Lückger, Germany (1864-1951), "a German entrepreneur in the textile industry and amateur historian and collector of art."
This is my oldest provenance in the sense that it was in the collection of Frederick Hastings Rindge who died in 1905 but it's earliest recorded appearance was in Malter XXX in June, 1985 when Rindge's descendants sold his collection, which is where RBW purchased it: This is my coin with oldest recorded provenance. This was part of a large donation to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts made by Dr. Malcolm Storer in 1932 and was given MFA accession number 32.756:
I tried to get a coin from the JQA Collection in the past, but failed. A fourree is a great example to grab.
I love the MFA, so a coin that went through them is very appealing to me. Yours has a wonderful tone. I can see why RBW had it...and why you grabbed it.
Figured I would post this here, since it fits the celtic theme of the OP. Probably why I bought it. Despite the well styled portrait, I loved the reverse even more. EASTERN EUROPE, Imitations of Philip II of Macedon. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 19.32 g, 12h). Zweigarm type. Mint in the Carpathian region. Head of Zeus right / Rider on horseback left, holding branch (or palm frond). Lanz 589; OTA 296; CCCBM I 28; KMW 1209. Good VF, attractively toned. Lot includes Seaby ticket from 9 June 1987 I saw Clio in the shallows today. Fortunately he was grabbing small bronzes and drachms. Left this one alone.
I love Archbishop Sharp provenances. Probably the oldest provenance you can find. I have a few stycas from his collection, which were found in Ripon in 1695 and sold to the Archbishop. I also have this coin of Offa from the Sharp collection: I would really like to find a coin provenanced to the Robert Cotton collection, but they are mostly in the British museum, with a few untraced examples that might be floating around out there.
