Coins from famous collections.....

Post your coins that once where in prominent collections. I have 21 coins from the Dr. Larry Adams collection.

 

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That is a cool coin. Can you tell us a bit about the Larry Adams collection, or a bit about him?

 

Very nice, John. Cool coin and great provenance.

I have several coins from various famous collections. Most of them I acquired not really for their provenance, rather that they were VERY cool coins. I found out later of their provenance. It made me feel good that what was important to me, was also an important coin for a "famous collector"!

I enjoy my various coins from EE Clain-Stefanelli, because of her 40 tenor at the Smithsonian. She must have seen SO many coins, since she built up the Smithsonian collection to over 1,000,000 coins. And, for her to have added coins to her personal collection must had been special to her.


RASENNA (ETRURIA)
Goddess MENRVA
(forerunner of Rome's Minerva)

Etruria, Populonia
2-½ asses , AR 0.85 g
3rd century BC
Obv: Radiate female head r.; behind, Retrograde CII (mark of value, very similar to the Roman IIS Sestertius designation - 2 Asses and a Semis).
Rev: Blank.
Ref: EC 104 (misdescribed, Female head with an Attic helmet). Historia Numorum Italy 179.
NAC Comment: Of the highest rarity, apparently only the second specimen known. Dark patina and about very fine.
Ex: From the collection of E.E. Clain-Stefanelli
(@ancientcoinguru further pointed out and had me further research E.E. Clain-Stefanelli's excellent provenance...
ANS Executive Director Ute Wartenburg reported that Elvira Eliza Clain-Stefanelli died Oct. 1, 2001. Mrs. Stefanelli retired in 2000 as the Senior Curator of the National Numismatic Collection in the Numismatics Division of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. She was at the Smithsonian for forty years, and was responsible with her husband Vladimir for organizing and building up the National Numismatic Collection (from 60,000 to over 1,000,000 pieces.) She survived a Nazi concentration camp in WWII Europe, moved to Rome, and learned numismatics there. In New York she and her husband worked for Stack's and started the Coin Galleries division there. Her most recent publication was "Life In Republican Rome On its Coinage", a lavishly illustrated discussion of the themes which appear on the coinage of the Roman Republic, published in 1999. Her major contribution to the science of numismatic literature was her classic "Numismatic Bibliography", published in 1985.

 

From the David Cervin collection. Had a large collection of Early Dated
coins from Europe. His collection was sold in 2003.

 

The coin pictured below came from the Guy Lacam collection & was illustrated in his monumental book on Late Roman Coinage. The coin was auctioned by NFA in 1987. His attribution is no longer accepted today & the coin is considered to be an official strike from the Constantinople Mint, 5th Officina. The coin is considered rare & this example is the finest known.

 

Yes, his collection was sold by CNG in four auctions. CNG 100/ Triton XIX/ 2 e-auctions. He had over 3K AV coins in his collection. He was a Doctor/ Dermatologist. Died as a result of car accident, around 82nd birthday. He was known as a passionate numismatist, and will be missed by all.

 

Nice coin, Al! I have a Zeno from NFA as well. NFA had the highest quality grading standards, and had coins that dreams are made of....

 

Probably one of the most famous/ Norweb/ have 5 all are modern era/ here is one....

 

I have many coins from the Michel Prieur collection who passed away in 2014. He authored the book The Syro-Phoenician Tetradrachms & Their Fractions, from 57 BC to AD 253. Pictured below are a few from my collection.

 

No idear who Dr.Lawrence D.Sporty is ?

 

John, That's a lovely example too ! I agree with you on their quality standards too.

 

My old and getting more feeble brain recalled that the letter at the end of the reverse legend was not officina but the position in the 15 year indiction cycle (here 5 and 6 on panzerman's coin). Has that theory now been discredited? Can someone comment on how this worked and when it was believed?

 

Great idea for a thread John. And cool coins so far

I have a few coins myself from the E. E. Clain-Stefanelli collection


L. Flaminius Chilo, Denarius - Rome mint, 109 or 108 BC
Helmeted head of Roma right, ROMA behind head and X below chin
L·FLAMINI/CILO in two lines at exergue. Victory in prancing biga right
19 mm, 3,83 gr
Ref : RCV # 179, RSC Flaminia # 1, Sydenham #540, RBW # 1144, Crawford # 302/1.
From the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli collection



M. Plaetorius M.f. Cestianus. Denarius - Rome mint, c. 69 BC
Male head right (Mercury ?) with flowing hair. Behind symbol
M·PLAETORI – CEST·EX·S·C Winged caduceus
18 mm, 3,86 gr
Ref : RCV #344, RSC Plaetoria # 5, Sydenham # 807, RBW # 1453, Crawford # 405/5
From the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli collection



L. Aemilius Lepidus Paullus and L. Scribonius Libo, Denarius - Rome mint, 62 BC
PAVLLUS LEPIDVS CONCORD, diademed and draped bust of concordia right
PVTEAL SCRIBON above and LIBO below the puteal scribonianum, ornamented with garland between two lyres and hammer
3,11 gr - 19/20 mm
Ref : RCV #368, RSC, Aemilia #11
From the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli collection

Q

 

John, Nice score on that 8 Escudo in an OGH ! Norweb was famous for his collection of American coins, but he also had fine foreign & ancient coins too .

 

Doug, according to CNG the letter Epsilon denotes the 5th Officina .

 

I don't think it was a famous collection but he was a famous collector, he wrote several books and is mentioned in almost every reference of late Byzantine coins. Simon Bendall, I just acquired another coin from his collection as well and I will post that one after I receive it and photograph it.

Here is the info for this coin

2018 ALEXIUS III ANGELUS-COMNENUS AE HALF TETARTERON SBCV-NL DOC 6 CLBC 8.4.2

OBV Full Length Figure of the Virgin, nimbate, orans, wearing tunic and maphorion turned to r. Manus Dei in upper r. field.

REV Full length figure of emperor wearing stemma, divitision, and colored piece and jeweled loros of a simplified type.; holds in r. hand scepter cruciger and in l. Globus cruciger

Size 15mm
Weight 1.97gm
DOC lists 1 examples with weight 2.13gm and sized at 18mm

This came from the collection of the late Simon Bendall. This coin is thought to have been minted in Constantinople the only half tetarteron thought to be minted from there.

 

Perhaps from one of the more notorious collectors
Antiochos IV Ar Tetradrachm Antioch 168-164 BC Obv. Head right diademed Rv, Zeus Nikephoros seated left. SC 1400 HGC 620a Purchased from Sotheby's Nelson Bunker Hunt Collection Auction 4 Lot 458 June 19 1991. For some time Nelson and his brother William had been trying to corner the silver market which lead to record prices of about $50 an ounce.(January 1980) Their efforts provoked a backlash leading up to "Silver Thursday" March 27 1980 when the price of silver and gold crashed. As the Hunts were largely buying on margin when the price began to plummet they were unable to meet their margin calls cause a major panic on Wall Street. Though they managed to survive this incident, the crash did eventually force them into bankruptcy in 1988.The coins were sold in a series of auctions between June 1990 and 1991.

 

Thessaly, Krannon
AE Chalkous, struck ca. 350-300 BC
Dia.: 15.4 mm
Wt.: 2.41 g
Obv.: Thessalian rider and horse, rearing right
Rev.: KPAN Bull butting right, trident above
Ref.: BCD Thessaly II 118.5; HGC 4, 391
Ex zumbly collection; Ex BCD collection with tag stating “V. Ex Thess., Apr. 94, DM 35”; Ex AMCC 2, Lot 5 (Nov. 9, 2019)


Roman Empire
Commodus (AD 177-192)
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck ca. AD 192
Dia.: 17 mm
Wt.: 2.66 g
Obv.: L AEL AVREL COMMA VG P FEL; Commodus bust right wearing lion skin on head.
Rev.: HER-CVL RO-MAN AV-GV; Club in wreath
Ref.: RIC III 251, Scarce
Ex W.F. Stoeckin Collection (1888-1975). Acquired in the 1960s from Prof. L. De Nicola in Rome


Roman Empire
Probus, BI Antoninianus, Tripolis mint, second officina, struck ca. AD 276-282
Dia.: 22 mm
Wt.: 3.82 g
Obv: IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: CLEMENTIA TEMP•, emperor standing right, holding eagle-tipped sceptre, receiving globe from Jupiter, holding sceptre, crescent in lower centre, KA in ex.
Ref.: RIC V(b) 927.
Ex Doug Smith Collection, acquired in 1997 from Kreuzer


Roman Empire
Diocletian, AD 284-350
AE Antoninianus, Rome mint, 6th officina, struck AD 285-286
Dia.: 24.73 mm
Wt.: 3.55 g
Obv.: IMP DIOCLETIANVS AVG. Diocletian radiate bust right.
Rev.: IOVI CONSER-VAT AVG. Jupiter standing holding thunder bolt and scepter. XXIZ below.
Ref.: RIC V:II 161
Ex Dr. Walter Neussel Collection; Auktion GM 92, Lot 365 (Nov. 1998); Dr. Busseo Peus Nachf. Auktion 420, Lot 6051 (Nov. 2017)


Roman Empire
Maximinus II Daia As Caesar
Æ Follis, Alexandria mint, 5th officina. Struck late AD 308-309.
Wt.: 7.12g
Obv.: Laureate head right
Rev.: Genius standing left, holding patera from which liquor flows, and cornucopia; K-E/P//ALE.
Ref.: RIC VI 100a.
Ex Dr. Louis Naegeli Collection (1858-1951), Ex W. F. Stoeklin Collection (1888-1975). Obolos 9, March 25, 2018, Lot 437.


Roman Empire
Constantius II as Caesar
BI Follis, Arelatum Mint (Arles), 4th officina, struck AD 328
Dia.: 19.9 mm
Wt.: 3.2 g
Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: VIRTVS CAESS; Campgate with 4 turrets, star above, gates open, each door with two panels, each panel ornamented with two dots; S – F flanking sides; QCONST in exergue.
Ref.: RIC VII Arles 323
Ex Zachary “Beast” Beasley Collection of Camp Gates. Ex CNG Electronic Auction 134, Lot 452 (March 2006). Ex VAuctions 250, Lot 167 (Aug. 5, 2010). Ex FORVM Ancient Coins (Jun. 2019)


Egypt, Alexandria
Antoninus Pius
BI Tetradrachm, Alexandria mint, RY 11 = AD 147/8.
Dia.: 24 mm
Wt.: 13.81 g
Obv.: ANTωNEINOC CEB EYCEB, Laureate bust right
Rev.: L ENΔEKATOV, Elpis standing left, lifting hem of skirt and holding flower
Ref.: Dattari-Savio pl. 111, 8160 (this coin illustrated); Emmett 1383.11; RPC Online IV temp #13607 (this coin cited).
Ex Robert L. Grover Collection of Roman-Egyptian Coinage, previously held by the Art Institute of Chicago (1981.511); ex Giovanni Dattari Collection (1853-1923)

 

Here are two from the Baron von Bruck collection....finest known/
AV 2 Tari d'oro ND Messina Mint
Friedrich II von Hohenstaufen/ King of Sicily/ Germany/ HRE
1198-1250
AV 3 Tari d'oro ND Messina Mint
Konrad II von Hohenstaufen/ King of Sicily/ Germany/ HRE
1254-58

 

This Korkyra stater is ex Prospero collection sold in 2011 and before that R. C. Lockett collection, sold by Glendinnings in the 50's. Would love to know where Lockett picked it up from?