The Pompeians. Sextus Pompey. 42-38 BC. Æ As (32.5mm, 26.66 g, 12h). Uncertain Sicilian mint. Near EF.

CNG Feature Auction 123
Lot: 481. Estimated: $ 750

Roman Republican, Bronze, Coin-in-Hand Video

Sold For $ 4 375. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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The Pompeians. Sextus Pompey. 42-38 BC. Æ As (32.5mm, 26.66 g, 12h). Uncertain Sicilian mint. Laureate Janiform head of Pompey the Great / Prow of galley right. Crawford 479/1; Martini, Sextus Emission III, Group 1, Series A; CRI 336; Sydenham 1044a; RBW 1676. Glossy brown patina, light roughness at upper periphery, scratch on obverse. Near EF. In fine style, exceptional.

From the D.K. Collection.

The roller-coaster career of Sextus Pompey, youngest son Pompey The Great, spanned the dying years of the Roman Republic and its rebirth as an Empire. Born around 67 BC in Rome, Sextus came of age during Pompey’s ascendancy as the leading general of Rome and the most powerful man in the Republic. After Pompey’s defeat by Julius Caesar at Pharsalus in 48 BC, Sextus joined his father’s flotilla sailing for the supposed safe haven of Egypt. He thus witnessed firsthand his father’s treacherous murder by minions of King Ptolemy XIII. Caesar’s assassination on March 15, 44 BC brought a brief revival of Senatorial control during which Sextus, improbably, found himself appointed commander of the Roman fleet. He wasted no time in seizing Sicily and spent the next months building an impregnable power base on the island even as Rome fell under the sway of Caesar’s political heirs, Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus. While the Triumvirs hunted down Caesar’s assassins, Sextus enjoyed a rollicking life as a pirate king, using his fleet to raid far and wide. Octavian in particular hated the charismatic Sextus and repeatedly sent fleets and armies against Sicily to dislodge him, only to meet humiliating defeat each time. Finally, at the battle of Naulochus in 36 BC, Sextus met his match in Octavian’s brilliant commander, Marcus Agrippa. Defeated and stripped of his fleet, he fled to the East and tried to make a separate peace with Mark Antony. Although tempted, Antony was not yet ready to break with Octavian and had Sextus put to death.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 123 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 23-24 May 2023. This lot is in Session Two, which will begin 23 May 2023 at 2 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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