Sale: CNG 69, Lot: 1375. Estimate $400.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 8 June 2005.  Sold For $340. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

AUGUSTUS. 27 BC-14 AD. Æ As (11.29 gm, 12h). Rome mint. Struck 11-12 AD. Bare head left / Legend around large S. C. RIC I 471; BMCRE 275; Cohen 226. VF, mahogany brown patina, light cleaning scratches, minor porosity on reverse. ($400)

INTRO

George His, a petroleum geologist, Royal Numismatic Society fellow, and member of the American Numismatic Society, first encountered Roman coins in 1973 while travelling in Rome, where he came upon a coin shop on the Via Sistina. Over time he developed a specialized interest in the silver and bronze coinage of Gordian III. The result was a world-class collection that was eventually featured in the recent Triton V and Classical Numismatic Group 60 sales (both in 2002). A few of the greatest rarities, including a number of unrecorded specimens, were also donated to the British Museum and American Numismatic Society. In addition to his interest in Gordian III, which still endures, Mr. His assembled a small, but select, collection of Roman Imperial bronze coins, with a special emphasis on well-produced, round flans. This collection, offered below, contains a diverse selection of Imperial issues from the first through fourth centuries. Of particular appeal are the third century issues, whose circular flans are exceptional compared to the irregular and diamond-shaped flans usually enountered. With the sale of this collection, Mr. His’s current interest has turned to the Roman Provincial coinage of Pisidian Antioch, using Krzyzanowska’s corpus as a guide.