Sulla’s Dream

Triton XVI, Lot: 831. Estimate $10000. Sold for $32500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Moneyer issues of Imperatorial Rome. L. Aemilius Buca. January 44 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.91 g, 6h). Rome mint. Diademed head of Venus right, wearing earring and necklace, hair collected into a knot, falling in two locks down her neck; L • BVCA downwards behind / Sulla’s dream: in the foreground on left, Sulla reclining right against a rock, his left arm supporting his head; on right is seen Luna Lucifera, wearing crescent on head, descending left from a mountain, her veil floating above her head and holding lighted torch in right hand; Victory with spread wings standing facing in background, holding palm frond in raised right hand. Crawford 480/1; Alföldi Type I, 28-37 (A6/R6); CRI 164; Sydenham 1064; Kestner 3684; BMCRR Rome 4160-1; Aemilia 12. EF, lightly toned, die break on neck. Extremely rare. Struck on a large flan.

From the Goldman Roman Imperatorial Collection. Ex Varesi 51 (23 April 2008), lot 98; Numismatica Ars Classica 29 (11 May 2005), lot 400.