Extremely Rare Last Issue Drachm for Antoninus Pius

CNG 88, Lot: 1099. Estimate $500. Sold for $650. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (32mm, 27.84 g, 12h). Dated RY 24 (29 August AD 160- March AD 161). laureate and draped bust left / Draped busts of Serapis, wearing modius, and Isis, wearing crown, vis-à-vis; between figure of Harpokrates standing facing, holding hand to mouth; all set on eagle standing facing, head and tail left, with wings displayed; L below right wing of eagle; K A (date) across upper field. Cf. Köln 1854 (for obv.; same die); cf. Dattari (Savio) 8720; BMC 1107 var. (bust type); K&G -; cf. Emmett 1658. Near VF, green patina, earthen highlights. Extremely rare last issue for Antoninus Pius from Alexandria.

Rather than producing photographic plates for publication (a costly procedure) the illustrations of Dattari’s collection were produced by rubbing paper laid over the coin with a pencil. As many of Dattari’s coins were poorly preserved, the details are difficult to determine in the rubbings. Such is the case of Dattari 8720. It is the only example of this reverse type in his collection, with a bust type corresponding to that of our coin. The bust type is extremely rare and, apart from our coin, so far the Köln specimen is the only other known example. There are, however, enough tantalizing similarities to the Dattari coin to suggest that our coin may be the third example of this obverse die. The RY date of Dattari 8720 is unclear and it is not the same reverse die as our coin. Given that the obverse die seems to have been used only with reverses dated RY 24, it is a good possibility that Dattari 8720 is also RY 24, something that could be confirmed by comparing it with the coin in the British Museum.