Sale: CNG 72, Lot: 1282. Estimate $3000.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 14 June 2006.  Sold For $3300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Anonymous. Circa 217-215 BC. AR Libella (1.01 g, 5h). Rome mint. Janiform head of the Dioscuri / Horse galloping right. Crawford 28/5; Sydenham, Additions, p. v; RSC 25a. VF, off-center strike, porous, scratch on obverse, slightly wavy flan. Extremely rare, one of approximately eight known.

This exceptionally rare piece has been incorrectly called a litra, a Greek term for a Sicilian denomination, which would not have been used for Roman coinage. The more plausible, and likely, Roman name for this unit is the libella, a term describing a 1/10 As denomination noted by Varro: Nummi denarii decuma libella, quod libram pondo as valebat et erat ex argento parva (Varro, Ling. V.36). The first known of these coins, cited by Crawford, Sydenham, and RSC, is in a museum collection (Milan, S 1520), and it remained unique until another appeared at auction in 1984 (Schweizerische Kreditanstalt 2 [27-28 April 1984], lot 375). Four others were apparently from a recent find, all exhibiting similar characteristics and appearing at auction over the last six years: The New York Sale II (Baldwin's, M&M Numismatics, Italo Vecchi, 2 December 1999), lot 177; The Tiber Collection (Aureo, 19 December 2000), lot 3; Ars Antiqua 2 (4 October 2001), lot 149; and Numismatica Ars Classica 27 (12 May 2004), lot 206. The sixth specimen resides in a private collection. The condition of the present piece is similar to those offered recently, and is thus likely from the same source.