Contorniates. Late 4th-5th centuries AD. Æ Contorniate (38mm, 26.02 g, 12h). In the name of Nero. VF.

Keystone 17 – The W. Toliver Besson Collection
Lot: 288. Estimated: $ 2 500

Roman Contorniates, Bronze

Sold For $ 5 500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Contorniates. Late 4th-5th centuries AD. Æ Contorniate (38mm, 26.02 g, 12h). In the name of Nero. NERD (sic) CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG GER P M TR P IMP P P, laureate head right / Achilles advancing right, holding spear and shield, catching the wounded Amazonian queen Penthesilea as she falls from her horse. Alföldi, Kontorniat 196 (dies 59/77). Green patina with earthen deposits. VF. An extremely rare die combination with only one known to Alföldi, and only this example in CoinArchives.

From the W. Toliver Besson Collection, purchased from Vilmar, April 2017. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 92 (24 May 2016), lot 2538.

The story of the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, daughter of Mars and Otrera, first queen of the Amazons, is part of the epic mythology of the Trojan War. After the death of Hector, Penthesilea took the field and killed many Greeks, but ultimately fell to the famous Achilles. Several different versions of the story are recorded by ancient writers and one wonders which was in the minds of the fourth-century AD Romans who held this contorniate.

Closing Date and Time: 22 July 2026 at 11:35:40 ET.



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