old Swiss collection

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Silphium Addict, Nov 26, 2024.

  1. Silphium Addict

    Silphium Addict Well-Known Member

    The running joke for ancient coin auction bogus provenance is “old Swiss collection”
    Got this coin from NAC Autumn Sale:
    https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=13311977
    jt951.jpg
    Image from ACsearch

    Kyrenaika, Kyrene
    510-500 BC AR hemidrachm 2.01 g, 12 mm
    O: silphium fruit with pedicle and outline
    R: crude incuse square
    BMC Cyrenaica 7a

    Smiled when I first saw the provenance: “Swiss collection from Tessin assembled in 1920s” but bid as it is one of the earliest fractions from Cyrene.
    IMG_1885.jpg
    The old tag was included, but no sale information on it. Didn't know what to think of the added numbers.

    Got around to cataloging yesterday when it was raining. When I checked BMC Cyrenaica, it matched 7a (plate II, 12 P). The "P" is for Paris (BnF collection), but it is listed corrected in the catalog as "Pozzi."
    BMCza.jpg screen clipping from Internet Archive: A Catalog Of The Greek Coins In The British Museum (Cyrenaica) [vol. 29] : Reginald Stuart Poole; et al. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

    I thought it looks like it might be the same coin. It is! Listed in BMC as Pozzi, Ars Classica I, 03/14/1921, lot 3257 and Rhousopoulos, J Hirsch XIII, 05/15/1905, lot 4592.
    Pozzi3257.jpg
    screen clipping from HEIDI: Ars Classica [Editor]; William S. Kundig, Buch- und Kunsthandlung [Contr.]; Naville & Cie [Contr.]; Galerie Fischer [Contr.]; Pozzi, Samuel [Oth.]: Ars Classica S. A. ([Nr. 1]): Catalogue de monnaies grecques antiques: provenant de la collection de feu le Prof. S. Pozzi; dont la vente aura lieu aux enchères publiques le 4 avril 1921 et jours suivants dans les Galeries Fischer à Lucerne (Suisse) (Genève, 1920)
    Rous4582.jpg Rous4582r.jpg screen clipping from HEIDI:
    Jacob Hirsch <München> [Editor]: Auctions-Catalog einer hochbedeutenden Sammlung griechischer Münzen aus dem Nachlasse eines bekannten Archäologen: öffentliche Versteigerung ... Montag den 15. Mai 1905 und ff. Tage (Katalog Nr. 13) (München, 1905)

    The weight, flan shape and centering match exactly. Even though the catalog images are from casts, the small defect on the right side of the silphium fruit and on the reverse edge are the same. As is the horn silver deposits beside and at one edge of the reverse incuse square.

    When I checked other lots from this collection on ACSearch, a few are from the Pozzi sale. So, the coin really is from an "old Swiss collection" and a very nice one!
     

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    Last edited: Nov 26, 2024
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  3. derkerlegand

    derkerlegand Well-Known Member

  4. romismatist

    romismatist Well-Known Member

    Awesome provenance and great sleuthing :)
     
    Carl Wilmont and Silphium Addict like this.
  5. GinoLR

    GinoLR Well-Known Member

    This coin would make a nice Valentine present
     
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