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                              Description
                                56, Lot: 109. MARK ANTONY & OCTAVIA. 39 BC. AR 
                                Cistophoric Tetradrachm (11.67 gm). Ephesus 
                                mint. Estimate $300. Sold For $407 

                                MARK ANTONY & OCTAVIA. 39 BC. AR Cistophoric 
                                Tetradrachm (11.67 gm). Ephesus mint. Laureate 
                                bust of Antony right, lituus below; wreath of 
                                ivy and flowers around, countermarked DY / 
                                Draped bust of Octavia right, above cista, 
                                flanked by twisting snakes. RPC 2201; Sydenham 
                                1197; RSC 2. Howgego -. Toned VF. Countermark 
                                apparently unlisted. ($300)
                                This remarkable issue of triple-denarii from 
                                Asia, the first for about a decade, commemorates 
                                the marriage of the elder Triumvir with his 
                                principal colleague's sister. It celebrates 
                                Antony's divine status as the 'New Dionysus,' an 
                                honor which had been bestowed on him at the time 
                                of his arrival in Ephesus in 41 BC. Although 
                                Octavia is not named on either variety of this 
                                coinage, there can be no doubt over the 
                                identification of the portrait given the firm 
                                chronology of the issue. Here her effigy appears 
                                above the cista mystica, the special basket 
                                which served as a container for the sacred 
                                snakes used in the ceremonies for initiates into 
                                the cult of Dionysus.






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From CNG Online Auction 56, closed January 8, 2003.


Used by permission of CNG, www.cngcoins.com.