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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;zumbly, post: 2991504, member: 57495&quot;]I expect I wasn&#039;t the only collector with an interest in coins of Roman Egypt who went slack-jawed on viewing what was offered from the Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection at the Triton XXI auction last month.&nbsp; The Collection featured in its own separate catalog, honestly one of the most beautiful I&#039;ve had the pleasure of flipping through, and for weeks before the auction, I dreamed of and drooled after many of the gorgeous and rare (and ultra rare!) Alexandrian coins that I had about zero chance of winning.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>While it was fun fantasizing about owning an A-Pi drachm showing Orpheus charming a menagerie of animals, or Herakles dragging Kerberos out of the underworld, I ultimately drew up a short and more realistic list of lots with comparatively modest estimates and on auction day stood fast with my maximum bids.&nbsp; I was pretty thrilled when I actually managed to walk away with one win that day, a Marcus Aurelius tetradrachm with a handsome portrait of the then 28-year old Caesar.&nbsp; Apart from its Staffieri provenance, it&#039;s also an ex Dattari coin (116 of the 273 coins came from the Dattari Collection).&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>It&#039;s taken awhile for it to arrive, but it finally did so today, and I&#039;m glad to say that it does not in the least bit disappoint <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />.&nbsp; Please feel free to share any Marcus Aurelius coins of Alexandria, or your Staffieri or Dattari Collection coins.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]738142[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>MARCUS AURELIUS, as Caesar</b></p><p>Billon Tetradrachm. 12.86g, 24.5mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 13 of Antoninus Pius (AD 149/150).&nbsp; Dattari (Savio) 3185 (<i>this coin</i>); Emmett 1868.13 (R4); Staffieri, <i>Alexandria In Nummis</i> 169 (<i>this coin</i>); RPC Online temp #14367 (4 examples).&nbsp; O: M AVPHΛIC • KAICAP, bareheaded and draped bust right. R: Zeus (‘Jupiter Capitolinus’) enthroned left, holding phiale in his extended right hand and scepter with his left; at his feet, eagle standing left, head right, wings closed; L IΓ (date) across upper field.</p><p>Catalog notes: &quot;Very rare, nice metal, and of fine style, probably the finest known for the type.&quot;</p><p><i>Ex Giovanni Maria Staffieri Collection; Ex Dr. Piero Beretta Collection; Ex Giovanni Dattari Collection</i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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