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Servius Sulpicius. 51 BC. AR Denarius (19.5mm, 3.82 g, 6h). Rome mint. Head of Apollo right, wearing laurel wreath; SER downward to left, S(VL)P upward to right / Ornate naval trophy, consisting of a central vexillum atop prow of galley set on base, and decorated with rudder, palm frond, anchor, apluster and prow; to left, draped figure standing facing, head right; to right, naked Macedonian captive standing facing. Crawford 438/1; Sydenham 931; Sulpicia 1; RBW 1553. Old collection tone, scrapes on obverse. Good VF. Very rare.
Ex Marti Hervera (19 March 1998), lot 115; I. Vecchi 4 (5 December 1996), lot 14.
The moneyer, and the reverse of this rare type, remain somewhat enigmatic. He was clearly a member of the prestigious Sulpicia gens, perhaps the son of Servius Sulpicius Rufus, consul in 51 BC. The reverse seems to show the auction of captive slaves following a Roman naval victory. Which event the reverse commemorates, however, is uncertain. Pompey’s defeat of the pirates has been suggested as the key event, but this occurred in 67-66 BC, well before the issue was struck. Additionally, that victory involved none of the Sulpicii. Crawford suggests that it refers to the victory of C. Sulpicius Paterculus (possibly a direct ancestor of the moneyer), who prevailed in 258 BC over the Carthaginian admiral Hannibal Gisco in the First Punic War. Another alternative is that the reverse refers to the victory achieved by P. Sulpicius Galba Maximus over Macedon’s navy in 209/8 during the Second Punic War.
The final winners of all Triton XXVI lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 10-11 January 2023.
Triton XXVI – Session Two – Lot 335-673 will be held Tuesday afternoon, 10 January 2023 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
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