An exceptional 'quinarius' with an intriguing reverse
Lot 823
UNCERTAIN GERMANIC TRIBES, Pseudo-Imperial coinage. Mid 3rd-early 4th centuries. 'Quinarius' (Gold, 14 mm, 3.22 g, 7 h). IVIIΓIΛIII I IICIVIIΛ Bare imperial head to left. Rev. IΘIIICIΘII / IΠI Bear, upright, standing left, presenting basket (?) to male figure seated right, leaning his right hand on ground and extending his left toward the bear. A highly unusual and most interesting coin, with a wonderful and unparalleled reverse. About extremely fine.


From the Aurum Barbarorum Collection.


This is unquestionably the most exciting coin in the Aurum Barbarorum Collection. What it represents is unclear: the reverse, which shows a bear presenting an uncertain object (a basket?) to a sitting male figure, is without parallels in ancient coinage and thus in all likelihood a genuinely German motive. Does it portray a local tale, in which a bear comes to the rescue of a human, or is it the artist's rendering of the epiphany of a German god in the form of a bear, much like Zeus used to appear in the guise of various animals in Greek mythology? We shall, unfortunately, never know, but it certainly is an astonishing and wonderful coin and of the greatest historical interest.
Estimate:
2500 CHF
Starting price:
2000 CHF
Hammer price:
19000 CHF
Bid increment:
Closed
Minimum bid:
Closed
Number of bids:
Time left:
Closing time: 25-May-19, 05:00:00 CEST
All winning bids are subject to a {0} buyer's fee.

Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your online experience. By using our website, you accept our data privacy policy and the use of cookies.
Cart
Disconnected

Connection lost

You have lost your connection. Because we present current bids in real-time, your browser may display outdated or incorrect bidding information.

Please check your network connection and try again. We recommend refreshing the website to display the accurate bidding information again.