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HERITAGE AUCTIONS: WORLD AND ANCIENT COIN SIGNATURE SESSIONHeritage Auctions held lot viewing their World and Ancient Coin Signature Session at the CSNS show. Select items from the Curators' Picks are discussed below. -Garrett 
German States: Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Karl I "Mining" Taler 1752-IBH MS61 PCGS These Brunswick Mining Talers have seen increased popularity in recent years and for good reason. Departing from more regulated Taler designs, these reverse designs have an undeniably whimsical presentation, appearing like a scene from an illuminated manuscript. The example here is "illuminated" to some degree, with polychromatic tone peppering the fields, an attribute not all that common for the type.
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India: Mysore. Tipu Sultan 2 Rupees AH 1200 Year 4 (1785/1786) AU58 NGC. It is such a pleasure to handle this larger format Double Rupee type, the extra real estate on the flan really lending itself to the calligraphic expression of the motifs. The David Fore pedigree speaks for itself, being one of the most impressive cabinets of British coins to be offered at public auction. Appearances follow suit, as blazing luster and acute precision resound.
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Italy: Papal States. John IX (898-900) Denaro ND (898) AU55 NGC Curious type from a tumultuous papal cycle, when five different popes held the position between the death of Pope Formosus in 896 and the death of Pope John IV in 900. The reverse here references Emperor Lambert of Spoleto, presumably dating this Denaro before his passing in 898. This is the only example certified at NGC and certainly one of the most attractive examples to reach public auction. Historical intrigue aside, the lengthened obverse portrait is somewhat amusing and will be enjoyed amongst collectors of European hammered coinage.
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Judaea: JUDAEA. Yehud Era. Ptolemaic Period (302-260 BC). AR quarter-gerah or quarter-obol (7mm, 0.17 gm). NGC Choice XF 2/5 - 4/5. Yehud Era coins fascinate me. They are tricky to date for several reasons and, as a result, have been the subject of much research and debate. This example has an eagle reminiscent of Ptolemaic coinage, so I am comfortable placing it in the Ptolemaic period. The frequent uniface is, according to Hendin, a product of the size of and the way they were struck – not an intentional choice. We have another example in this session which does have the obverse that goes with this reverse. Yehud coins remind me that there is beauty in mystery.
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Migration Period: POST-ROMAN ITALY. The Lombards. Ca. AD 582-602. AV tremissis (18mm, 1.47 gm, 11h). NGC MS 5/5 - 5/5. This Lombard Kingdom issue is such a charmer. The artistry in ancient coins shows me that nothing is new; just as Celtic coins resemble cubist art, this Lombard coin reminds me of Charlie Brown. I love that the presumably illiterate die engravers tried their best in copying a Byzantine coin which may or may not have been intact – or perhaps they knew what they were doing and made creative choices to deviate from the type they were copying. Their ingenuity and style always bring a smile to my face.
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Greek: LESBOS. Mytilene. Ca. 454-427 BC. EL sixth-stater or hecte (10mm, 2.54 gm, 12h). NGC Choice XF 4/5 - 4/5 These overlapping female heads took my breath away when I first saw them. If I saw this motif out of context, I would think that it was from some art deco piece. The way that the eye acts as the eye for both women and the features of the two heads perfectly mirror each other, even on a mere 10mm flan, is a testament to the high quality of artisanship that was expected of die engravers in much of Ancient Greece. While the electrum issues of Lesbos are a personal favorite of mine, I'm sure that this issue would be a quality addition to any collection. Interesting coins, including some I haven't seen before. Lots of auctions going on this week. I like these auction previews - they're an opportunity to see and learn about a wide range of numismatic objects. -Editor
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Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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