IONIA, Smyrna. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ (36mm, 24.36 g, 6h). Tiberius Claudius Kretarios, strategos. Struck circa AD 212-215. Good VF.

Keystone 17 – The W. Toliver Besson Collection
Lot: 100. Estimated: $ 750

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 1 700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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IONIA, Smyrna. Caracalla. AD 198-217. Æ (36mm, 24.36 g, 6h). Tiberius Claudius Kretarios, strategos. Struck circa AD 212-215. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front / Galley under sail to right. Klose LIX, Serie D, Gruppe b, 16 (V4/R16); RPC V.2 Online 1483; SNG Von Aulock 2221 (same dies). Dark brown patina with touches of green and red, smoothing. Good VF. Rare.

From the W. Toliver Besson Collection, purchased from Ralph DeMarco, 12 January 2017.

Caracalla visited Smyrna during his grand tour of Anatolia in AD 214-215. The city had received the prestigious title “Neokoros” for building a temple to the cult of the reigning emperor. Smyrna now had three such temples, the first two having been dedicated to the cults of Tiberius and Hadrian. The galley depicted on this very rare issue surely refers to the mode of travel by which Caracalla and his entourage arrived at the port city.

Closing Date and Time: 22 July 2026 at 10:33:00 ET.



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