ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasus. Q. Braetius Sura. Proquaestor, 88-87 BC. AR Tetradrachm (32mm, 15.75 g, 11h). EF.

CNG Feature Auction 133
Lot: 444. Estimated: $ 1 000

Roman Provincial, Coin-in-Hand Video, Silver

Sold For $ 1 700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasus. Q. Braetius Sura. Proquaestor, 88-87 BC. AR Tetradrachm (32mm, 15.75 g, 11h). Wreathed head of young Dionysos right / Herakles standing left, holding club, lion’s skin on arm; S(VR) to inner left. Callataÿ, More, p. 62, 1 var. (unlisted dies); Prokopov, Silberprägung, Group XVI, 1196 var. (V DD1var.1/R– [unlisted rev. die; obv. die unlisted for issue]); Daehn Type 42M-2; HGC 6, 360 var. (Q above SVR). Lightly toned, minor marks, graffito on obverse; overstruck on uncertain type, traces of wreath visible. EF. Extremely rare, especially without Q on revesre.

Ex Nomos 23 (30 November 2021), lot 57.

Q. Braetius Sura was the first Roman commander to find success in the First Mithradatic War. In 88 BC, while serving as a legate to Gaius Sentius Saturninus, the Roman propraetor of Macedon. Sura was given command of a detachment of Saturninus’s legionnaires, and tasked to stop the advance of the Mithradatic general Archelaos, who had invaded mainland Greece and occupied Athens. After a successful naval engagement, Sura captured the isle of Skiathos, which had been used as a supply point by Archelaos. He then positioned his forces in Boeotia, where his small detachment successfully fought against Archelaos for three days, preventing the Mithradatic general’s army from advancing further before the arrival of Lucius Cornelius Sulla and his large Roman army in early 87 BC. As Sulla’s advanced force arrived under his lieutenant, L. Licinius Lucullus, Sura was ordered to return to Macedon.

Callataÿ notes that only one obverse die was used in this series, this coin is from another die, known to Prokovov.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 133 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 15-16 September 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 133 – Session Two – Lot 309-594 will be held Tuesday morning, 15 September 2026 beginning at 2:00 PM 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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