385, Lot: 460. Estimate $500. Sold for $750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

M. Aemilius Lepidus. 58 BC. AR Denarius (17mm, 3.72 g, 1h). Rome mint. Head of Alexandria right, wearing mural crown; [ALEXANDREA] below / M. Lepidus standing left, crowning the young Ptolemy V, who stands facing, holding staff; T•VTOR•REG to left; [S•C•]PONF•[MAX] to right; M•LEPIDV[S] in exergue. Crawford 419/2; Sydenham 831; Aemilia 23; cf. RBW 1511 for type, but this variety with TVTOR REG to the left not in RBW. VF, toned, scratch on the reverse, struck slightly off center on the reverse. Rare.

From the Andrew McCabe Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 47 (16 September 1998), lot 1269.

This is a rare type and would under usual circumstances be a long-term keeper in my collection as it is an attractive coin, but I was fortunate to recently add to my collection the actual coin illustrated by Cohen and Babelon in their 19th century catalogues (Cohen 1857 pl. 1 Aemilia 7 = Babelon 1885 p. 128 Aemilia 24 – note NOT this coin). In the quest for provenances, nothing beats finding a match from an early 19th century line drawing![A. McCabe]