Contorniates. Late 4th-5th centuries AD. Æ Sestertius re-engraved and inlaid with gold and silver (24mm, 17.80 g). Engraved on an original bronze sestertius of Nero. Mostly as made.

Keystone 17 – The W. Toliver Besson Collection
Lot: 293. Estimated: $ 1 000

Roman Contorniates, Bronze

Sold For $ 5 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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Contorniates. Late 4th-5th centuries AD. Æ Sestertius re-engraved and inlaid with gold and silver (24mm, 17.80 g). Engraved on an original bronze sestertius of Nero. Laureate head of Nero left / The reverse scraped flat and engraved with a charioteer holding wreath and palm frond, driving biga slightly right. The charioteer’s head, the wreath, palm frond, and the horses’ tack inlaid in gold, his body, the chariot, and the horses inlaid in silver. Alföldi, Kontorniat 677 and pl. 225, 7 (this example). For host coin: cf. BN 292 (same obv. die). Brown surfaces, some inlay missing on charioteer’s body. Mostly as made. A unique, individually made object of great artistic interest.

From the W. Toliver Besson Collection, purchased from Frank Kovacs, August 2016. Ex Gemini V (6 January 2009), lot 867.

Alföldi incorrectly notes that this piece was in the Historisches Museum Basel. The museum has no record of it in their archives.

Closing Date and Time: 22 July 2026 at 11:37:20 ET.



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