Beautifully Patinated Anonymous Semis

411, Lot: 352. Estimate $150. Sold for $300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Anonymous. 157-156 BC. Æ Semis (22mm, 11.44 g, 1h). Rome(?) mint. Laureate head of Saturn right; S (mark of value) to left / Prow of galley right; S (mark of value) to right, ROMA below. Cf. Crawford 198B/2; cf. Sydenham 143a; Type as RBW –. VF, lovely dark green patina.

From the Andrew McCabe Collection. Ex Spink Numismatic Circular XCV.5 (June 1987), lot 3656 (£90) (lot also includes two tickets from Nilus Coins and Forvm Ancient Coins).

This fine style semis undoubtedly relates to the Crawford 198 series, with its typical bulbous prow stem and with the value mark before the prow. It lacks, however, the characteristic peaked deck structure, and is on a somewhat fatter and smaller flan than one would expect for the issue. It may be a variant of Cr. 198B/2 or may be an excellently made imitative issue that closely parallels coins of around 150 BC. In either case, it is a very beautiful coin. [Andrew McCabe]