Gemini XIII

Cornelia Supera

211.

Cornelia Supera, Wife of Aemilian.

Antoninianus, 3.23g (5h). Rome. Obv: COR

SVPERAAVG Draped bust right on crescent, wear-

ing stephane. Rx: IVNONI AVG Juno seated left,

holding flower and child in swaddling clothes. RIC

31 (R4). Cohen 3 (citing BM, 450 Fr.). Wonderful

portrait of this rare empress, wife of Aemilian. Mint

State

$22,000

Ex NAC 78, 26 May 2014, lot 1097

The reverse type might suggest that Aemilian and

Supera had a child, or were hoping to produce one.

IVNONI AVG is apparently Supera’s second reverse

in her husband’s coinage, and is rarer than her first

type, showing VESTA standing and coupled with the

longer obverse legend C CORNEL SVPERA AVG

Dutiful Generosity of Postumus

212.

Postumus.

260-268 AD. Aureus, 6.35g (6h).

Gaul, 263-4 AD. Obv: POSTVMVS - PIVS AVG

Head laureate right. Rx: INDVLG PIA POSTVMI

AVG Postumus, laureate and togate, seated left

on curule chair, holding roll and extending right

hand towards small figure kneeling before him. B.

Schulte, Goldprägung der gallischen Kaiser, 92, pl.

7 (same dies). RIC 276 (R2). Cohen 145 (250 Fr.).

Calicó 3737 (R3). Rare: known to Schulte in eight

specimens, from five obverse and four reverse dies.

Excellent portrait. Perfectly centered. Highly desir-

able and rare. Mint State

$60,000

The reverse commemorates the “dutiful generos-

ity” of Postumus, presumably exercised when he

celebrated his quinquennalia which are one of the

main themes of this issue of gold coins, Schulte’s

Group 6b. Alföldi cited this type as proof that kneel-

ing adoration of the emperor had been introduced

before the Tetrarchy; Schulte (pp. 35-6) thinks that

it is actually a small curved object held by the

emperor that the kneeling figure is adoring. In our

opinion the curved object is merely a clumsy render-

ing of the emperor’s thumb, as also on Schulte, pl.

6, reverse dies 45 and 49, and the kneeling figure

is stretching out his arms to receive a gift from the

emperor, not to worship him

213.

Antoninianus, 3.42g (6h). 267 AD. Obv:

POSTVMVS - AVG Radiate bust left holding club

over right shoulder, lion’s head on left shoulder,

strap across bare chest. Rx: PA - X - AVG Pax

standing left holding branch and transverse scepter.

Rare obverse type depicting Postumus with the club

and lionskin of Hercules. The 12991 antoniniani of

Postumus in the Cunetio hoard included only nine

with this obverse type: seven with our reverse type

PAX AVG, and two with reverse type TR P VIIII

Bow, club, quiver. Cunetio 2446 (7 spec.). RIC 319

(R). Cohen 218 (10 Fr.) EF

$1,200

Ex Peus 417, 2 November 2016, H.-J. Lückger

Collection, lot 620, with provenance “From the

Trier hoard, according to the collector’s notes”

Enlargement