IONIA, Metropolis. Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. Æ (35mm, 27.70 g, 6h). Kales- Thallos, strategos.

Electronic Auction 507
Lot: 221. Estimated: $ 750

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 1 100. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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IONIA, Metropolis. Septimius Severus. AD 193-211. Æ (35mm, 27.70 g, 6h). Kales- Thallos, strategos. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Statue of Ares facing left within tetrastyle temple, with spear and shield set on ground. Kraft pl. 76, 16d (same obv. die); SNG Copenhagen –; SNG München –; SNG von Aulock –; SNG Tübingen –; BMC –. Brown patina, light smoothing in fields. VF. Extremely rare – only two other specimens recorded (Paris and Winterthur), both in much lower condition.

From the Ray Neff Collection. Ex Cornelius C. Vermuele Collection (Classical Numismatic Group Auction 53, 15 March 2000), lot 1086.

Although known with Ares facing right, the type with Ares facing left along with a reverse legend mentioning the strategos is indeed rare, with the example in Kraft being the only other one known. Kraft cites a coin in the Waddington collection (6332---as Metropolis in Phrygia), which has a similar reverse reading of ЄΠI CTP KAΛ ӨAΛΛOY (misread as KΛA), though the type features Septimius Severus standing between his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. The other example cited by Kraft is the coin in the Copenhagen collection (910), which features the aforementioned statue of Ares facing right, with the legend TΩN ЄN IΩNIA. Although rare as a reverse type, this obverse die was also used to strike coins for Smyrna, Hypaepa and Magnesia (see Kraft pp. 176-7 and pl. 76)

Closing Date and Time: 5 January 2022 at 11:13:20 ET.

All winning bids are subject to an 18% buyer’s fee.