Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History, Stamps & Coins

IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / FELICITAS AVG, Felicitas standing to left, holding long caduceus and cornucopia. RIC V.2 58 (Lugdunum); RSC 39a. 3.10gr, 21mm, 7h.

Good Very Fine.

Ex UK private collection. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian.

IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / VICTORIA AVG, Victory walking to left, holding wreath and palm, treading on captive seated to left. RIC V.2 89 (Lugdunum); RSC 377a (Lugdunum). 2.31gr, 23mm, 12h.

Near Very Fine.

Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.

IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust to right / PROVIDENTIA AVG, Providentia standing to left, holding globe and sceptre. RIC V.2 80 (Lugdunum) and 323 (Colonia Agrippinensis); RSC 295a. 2.74gr, 21mm, 7h.

Near Very Fine.

London, UK, art market, 1980s. Private collection, London, UK.

IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / P M TR P COS II P P, emperor in military attire standing to left, holding globe and spear. RIC V.2 54 (Lugdunum); RSC 243a. 3.29gr, 22mm, 6h.

Near Very Fine.

Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.

IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / P M TR P COS II P P, emperor in military attire standing to left, holding globe and spear. RIC V.2 54 (Lugdunum); RSC 243a. 4.10gr, 22mm, 6h.

Near Very Fine.

Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.

IMP C CLAVDIVS AVG, radiate head to left / VIRTVS AVG, Minerva standing to right, holding spear and shield. RIC V 225; RIC V online 1061. 3.00gr, 21mm, 1h.

Near Very Fine.

Acquired on the European coin market. Property of a Kent, UK, gentleman.

IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust to right / RESTITVT ORBIS, Oriens standing to right, crowning Aurelian standing to left, extending hand and holding sceptre, T between; XXI(?) in exergue. Cf. RIC V online 3192. 3.47gr, 23mm, 12h.

Near Very Fine.

Acquired on the European coin market. Property of a Kent, UK, gentleman.

IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust to right / ORIENS AVG, Sol walking to left, right hand raised, left holding globe, treading down one of two captives; B in left field, XXI in exergue. RIC V.1 364. 4.15gr, 22mm, 12h.

Very Fine.

Acquired on the European coin market. Property of a Kent, UK, gentleman.

SEVERINA AVG, diademed and draped bust to right, set on crescent / PROVIDEN DEOR, Fides standing to right and holding two standards, facing Sol standing to left, raising hand and holding globe; UXXT in exergue. RIC V.1 9; MER-RIC 1553 (temporary). 3.76gr, 22mm, 11h.

Extremely Fine. Sharply-struck with nice toning.

Private collection, France. Private European collection.

Radiate bust to right / Female figure standing facing, head to left, holding palm branch with right and cornucopia with left hand. For prototype, cf. RIC V.1 80 (Hilaritas). 1.60gr, 15mm, 12h.

Near Very Fine.

Acquired on the European coin market. Property of a Kent, UK, gentleman.

VABALATHVS V C R IM D R, draped and cuirassed bust of Vabalathus, diademed and laureate, to right, seen from rear / IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian to right; Δ to right. RIC 381 corr.; cf. RIC V Online 3106.37; Bland, Coinage 7; CBN 1246-7. 3.77gr, 20mm, 7h.

Good Very Fine.

Property of a North London, UK, gentleman.

IMP PROB-VS P F AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust to left, Medusa head and aegis on cuirass, holding spear over far shoulder / VBIQVE PAX, Victory, holding olive branch in right hand and reins in left, driving fast biga to right. RIC V.2 139; Estiot, L’atelier de Rome au début du règne de Probus pl. 12, 67.3 (D15/R28); Biaggi -; Calicó 4209; Hunterian -; Jameson -; Mazzini -. 6.69gr, 21mm, 6h.

Good Extremely Fine. Well-centred and wonderfully lustrous. Very rare; only very few specimens are known.

Ex Leu Numismatik AG, Auction 13, 27 May 2023, lot 348. Acquired on the UK coin market. From the private coin collection of a West London, UK, gentleman.

From Leu Numismatik note: VBIQVE PAX, 'peace everywhere'! - this is what the reverse of this beautiful aureus boldly proclaims. Yet while Roman authorities, like most governments, had a tendency of exaggerating successes and sugar-coating defeats, the message delivered to the public with this very rare emission was not entirely off the mark. Up to this date, Probus and his army had constantly been in the field, fighting off barbarian incursions into the empire, local unrests, and internal revolts alike. However, with the rebellions in Britain, Gaul, Germany, and Syria crushed and the frontiers secured for now, the emperor had every right to be proud of his achievements, and he consequently celebrated a well-deserved triumph in Rome in late 281. It is on this occasion that our coin was issued, and probably handed out to the troops or important officials, forming a beautiful testimony to the highly sophisticated Roman political iconography of the period. Unfortunately for the emperor, however, it was reportedly the very peace he had achieved that would, in a strange twist of fate, lead to his downfall the next year, when he was assassinated by a gang of bored and frustrated legionaries.