181, Lot: 319. Estimate $100. Sold for $538. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

EGYPT, Alexandria. Octavian. Circa 30-28 BC. Æ 80 Drachms (25mm, 16.15 g, 12h). Bare head right / Eagle standing left, cornucopia in left field; P (denomination) in right. RPC 5001; Köln 1; Dattari 2; Milne -; Emmett 1. Fine, brown patina, rough surfaces.

From the Patrick Villemur Collection.

The first coinage of the new province of Egypt was a direct copy of the bronze coinage of Cleopatra, the last Ptolemaic ruler, with the portrait of Augustus replacing the Queen’s. Egypt, wealthy and a vital source of grain for the empire, was never to be allowed as a potential leaping-off point for a rival emperor. The new province was held under tight control by the emperor. Its governor was to be an equestrian prefect answerable to Augustus, with a legion under his direct command. The Senate would have no say in the administration of the province, and senators were forbidden to travel there without the emperor’s permission.