EGYPT, Alexandria. Domitian. AD 81-96. Æ Hemidrachm (28mm, 12.65 g, 12h). Dated RY 11 (AD 91/2). EF.

CNG Feature Auction 132
Lot: 663. Estimated: $ 1 500

Roman Provincial, Bronze, Coin-in-Hand Video

Sold For $ 3 750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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EGYPT, Alexandria. Domitian. AD 81-96. Æ Hemidrachm (28mm, 12.65 g, 12h). Dated RY 11 (AD 91/2). Bust left wearing wreath of grain, aegis at point of bust / Nilus reclining left on crocodile, holding reed and cornucopia; L IA (date) above. Köln –; Dattari (Savio) 521 var. (bust right); K&G 24.140 var. (same); RPC II 2611A (this coin); Emmett 271.11 (R5). Brown patina, minor edge flaw, light scratches, holed twice. EF. Unique variety with bust to left.

From the Gasvoda Collection. Ex Naville Numismatics 84 (8 October 2023), lot 247.

This hemidrachm has been pierced twice, likely serving as a funerary piece on a Romano-Egyptian mummy. Coins and other amulets were woven into the fabric of the mummies to serve as talismans against the spirits that would try to harm them on their way to the afterlife, the coin would pay the toll to Charon, the Greco-Roman tradition of paying the ferryman, which had been absorbed into Egyptian customs. Mummification was still practiced by the Egyptians through the third century AD until Christianity became the dominant religion of the empire.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 132 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 18-19 May 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 132 – Session Three – Lot 588-888 will be held Tuesday morning, 19 May 2026 beginning at 9:00 AM 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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