CNG's Triton XX Realizes Over $11 Million on the Hammer

Classical Numismatic Group of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and London, England held their annual Triton auction in conjunction with the 45 th Annual New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC)on January 10-11, 2017. The pre-sale estimate total for Triton XX was $8,575,200 million, and the total of actual prices realized was $11,292,580 on the hammer (buyer's fees not included, which wereeither 19 or 21%, depending on the method of bidding) with 97.8% of all lots sold.

Triton XX featured 1696 lots of ancient Greek, Celtic, Oriental Greek, Central Asian, Roman Provincial, Roman Republican, and Roman Imperial coinage. Additionally, there were featured selectionsof Byzantine, Early Medieval, Islamic, World, and British Coinage, as well as World Medals and a nice selection of large lots.

Just a few of the individual highlights from Triton XX are:

Lot 483 - EGYPT, Alexandria. Julia Mamaea. Augusta, AD 222-235. Æ Drachm (34mm, 28.84 g, 12h). Dated RY 10 of Severus Alexander (AD 230/1). IOY MAMAIA CЄB MHT CЄB K CTPA, drapedbust right, wearing stephane / Nilus, raising his right hand and cradling a cornucopia with his left, standing left in a biga of hippopotami; the hippopotamus in the background is raising its head,looking back at Nilus; palm frond in the exergue. Apparently unpublished. Near EF, tan-brown patina with touches of red, pierced in antiquity. Extremely rare.

Estimated at $3500; Realized $9500 on the hammer.

Lot 519 - A. Manlius A.f. 80 BC. AV Aureus (20mm, 10.75 g, 8h). Uncertain Eastern mint. Draped bust of Roma right, wearing crested helmet ornamented with two plumes, and earrings; A • MANdownward to left, LI • A • F • Q upward to right / Sulla, laureate and wearing sagum, left on horseback, raising right hand in acclamation; L • SVLL • FE in exergue, LI • DIC • upward to right.Crawford 381/1a (same rev. die); Sydenham 762 = BMCRR East 16; Calicó 20 (this coin illustrated); Biaggi 13 = Bahrfeldt 12/4 = A. Blanchet, Les monnaies romaines (Paris: 1896), p. 121, 9 = Babelon II9 (this coin); Kestner -; RBW -. Near EF, warm reddish toning. Extremely rare, and the only issue naming Sulla as dictator.

Estimated at $200,000; Realized $475,000 on the hammer.

Lot 1219 - GERMANY, Quedlinburg (Abtei). Beatrix II von Winzeburg. 1138-1160. AR Bracteate Pfennig (28.5mm, 0.85 g). Abbey with two towers and two domes, two nuns on second floor; below,confronted busts of Beatrix, holding gospel, and bishop, holding gospel and raising hand in benediction; cross above, pellets around / Incuse of obverse. Theodor Stenzel, Der Baktreatenfund vonFreckleben im Herzogthum Anhalt (Berlin, 1862), 63 = J.J. Leitzmann, "Die älteren Münzen der Abtei Quedlinburg mit Bezugnahme auf deren Beschreibung durch H. Ph. Cappe, Dresdehn 1851," in Zeitschriftdes Harz-Vereins für Geschichte und Alterthumskunde 5 (1872), 30 = H. Dannenberg, "Mittelalterliche Denkmünzen," in ZfN 21 (1898), p. 115 = Mehl 74 (this coin cited and illustrated); Kestner -;Löbbecke -; Bonhoff -. EF, toned. Extremely rare - one of two known and the only example in private hands (the other in Berlin).

Estimated at $5,000; Realized $12,000 on the hammer.

Lot 1400 - TRANSYLVANIA, Principality. Gábor Bethlen. 1613-1629. AV 10 Dukát (44mm, 34.30 g, 12h). Gyulafehérvár (Karslburg / Alba Iulia) mint. Dated 1618 AI. GABRIEL · BETH · D : G · PR IN· TRAN, armored and draped bust right, wearing short fur cap with feather / * PAR · REG · HVNG · DOM · ET · SICVL · COM · 1619 (trefoil stops), three coats-of- arms; above, crown with leoninesupporters; AI below. Resch 25; MBR 1233; KM 117; Friedberg 347. Near EF. Extremely rare.

Estimated at $50,000; Realized $85,000 on the hammer.

Lot 1519 - ANGLO-SAXON, Anglo-Viking (Hiberno-Norse Northumbria). Eric Bloodaxe. Second reign, 952-954. AR Penny (20.5mm, 1.35 g, 10h). Sword type. York mint; Ingelgar, moneyer.·ERIC·/·REX· in two lines; between, sword right and triple- pellets; triple-pellets above and below / + INGELGAR · IOT, cross pattée, pellets in quarters. CTCE Group XI, b-m; SCBI 4 (Copenhagen),649-51 var. (rev. legend); BMS 1278-9 var. (same); North 550; SCBC 1030. Near EF, toned. A few deposits, slight bend in flan. Extremely rare and the most desirable of all Viking coins.

Estimated at $30,000; Realized $130,000 on the hammer. This is a new world record price for an English silver penny.

CNG is currently accepting consignments for its next mail bid auction, CNG 105, scheduled for May 10, 2017.

For further details and any additional information, please contact CNG, Inc. at:

Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.
P.O. Box 479
Lancaster, PA 17608-0479
Telephone: (717) 390-9194
Fax: (717) 390-9978
Email: cng@cngcoins.com

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CNG TRITON XX SALE HIGHLIGHTS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n50a26.html)