SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Laodicea ad Mare. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. Æ (21mm, 6.59 g, 9h). Dated CY 24 (25/4 BC). Coin: Fine, c/m: VF.

Electronic Auction 605
Lot: 527. Estimated: $ 100

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 425. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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SELEUCIS and PIERIA, Laodicea ad Mare. Augustus. 27 BC-AD 14. Æ (21mm, 6.59 g, 9h). Dated CY 24 (25/4 BC). Turreted, veiled, and draped bust of Tyche right; c/m: {P VAR} monogram in inuse punch / Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia; [ΔK] (date) in left field; [AP] in exergue. RPC I 4388; BMC 15. For c/m: Howgego 658i. Red-brown earthen patina. Coin: Fine, c/m: VF.

Up until his final battle, Publius Quinctilius Varus was one of the most celebrated of Augustus’ generals. He had been consul in 13 BC (along with the future emperor Tiberius), governor of Syria from 7-4 BC, where he had sent two legions into Judaea to quell local unrest after the territory was converted to a Roman province, and subsequently governor of Germania.

By AD 9, Augustus had decided to straighten (and thereby shorten) Rome’s borders by conquering the vast region of Germania beyond the Rhine. He assigned Varus to develop the region without war, but the mixed Gauls and Germans living there were not prepared to accept Romanization. The Cherusci, along with other allies, ambushed Varus in the Teutoburg Forest of northwest Germany, and there annihilated the XVII, XVIII and XIX Roman legions in a pitched battle that lasted for three days. Varus, sensing doom, committed suicide, and when Augustus heard of the disaster, he tore his clothes and screamed, “Varus, give me back my legions.” No further attempts were made to subdue the Germans beyond the Rhine until the reign of Domitian, and Varus was blamed for the collapse of imperial policy in Germany.

Closing Date and Time: 4 March 2026 at 12:55:20 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.