By Harlan J. Berk, Ltd….
Harlan J. Berk is pleased to present the 196th Buy or Bid sale. There are 387 ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins; 24 world coins; and 44 antiquities & antique maps. A few highlights from our sale:
- Lot 3: Ionia, Ephesus, Phanes EL trite
Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196 - Coins of Phanes are significant since they are the first Greek coins known with a person’s name on them. History has not told us who Phanes was; he could have been a magistrate or simply a wealthy individual with the means to mint his own coinage. These lovely coins are also among the first ever minted.
- Lot 13: Tauric Chersonesus, Panticapaeum AV stater.
Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196 - An exquisite coin minted under the Spartocid ruler, Paerisades I, who reigned from 349-311 BCE. These lightweight staters were supposedly minted to compete with the gold staters of the Macedonian King, Philip II, the father of Alexander III (the Great). From a 1991 Berk Buy or Bid sale and the Larry Adams Collection, this coin boasts a superb strike and fascinating imagery of a satyr and griffin.
- Lots 19-24: Various Aurei of Roman Emperors.
- We recently acquired a small group of high quality Roman aurei. Among them, two outstanding coins of Domitian (one with the impressive Germania reverse), sharply struck Lucius Verus and a beautifully red-hued coin of Maximianus with a Hercules reverse.
Lot 21: Roman, gold aureus of Domitian. Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196. 
Lot 23: Roman, gold aureus of Lucius Verus. Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196. 
Lot 24: Roman, gold aureus of Maximianus. Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196
- Lot 50: Sicily, Messana, AV tetradrachm.
Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196 - Coins from Messana exhibit various styles of hares from large and clumsy to small and oddly proportioned. Our coin has a sleek hare that is leaping dynamically across the flan. The obverse is nicely struck. This coin has a impressive pedigree dating back to 1907.
- Lots 309-377: A Kansas City Collection formed in the 1980s and ’90s.
Lot 332: Celtic Britain, Calleva Mint quarter stater. Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196. - We recently acquired this lovely small collection of mainly Celtic coinage. Almost every coin comes with a old ticket and the majority were purchased from larger numismatic firms such as ourselves and CNG.
- Lot 419:
Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196 - An amazing Egyptian bronze and gilt wooden Ibis which is over 16” long.
- Lots 412-455:
Lot 422: Apulian Red-Figure Volute Krater, Tenri Painter, ca. 320 BCE. Courtesy Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale 196. - We recently accepted a fantastic collection of ancient Greek vases spanning from Attic to Byzantine with a focus on the vases of the 4th century BCE. A highlight of the collection is lot 422 an Apulian red-figure volute krater by the Tenri Painter. This piece is Ex Sotheby’s, London 13 July 1981, lot 354, Ex Geddes Collection. Published in Trendall Supp. I p. 200, ch.30, no 5. Exhibited: On loan to the Museum of Mediterranean Antiquities, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, November 2005-April 2008. On loan to the University of Melbourne, March 1988-July 2003.
There are plenty of pieces to satisfy your collecting tastes in this sale. However, if you don’t see what you are looking for please just give us a call at our offices at (312) 609-0018 or email at [email protected].
