The Dr. Paul Peter Urone Collection, The Ried Redlich Collection, a.o.

Welcome to Nomos Auction 30! We always praise the interesting and exciting coins our sales contain (what else would we do since we selected the coins ourselves?), but this time we have very nearly outdone ourselves!! This auction, which contains 536 lots, really does have something for everybody; in addition, in a first for us, it also contains an important single-owner collection (lots 1001-1228) presented as the first section of the catalogue. That section contains coins from the collection of Peter Paul Urone, emeritus professor of physics (!) at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) in the USA. He first began collecting in a relatively low energy way, but his ever-increasing interest in coins acted as an accelerator leading to a quantum jump in his activity. He soon was collecting in ways both applied and theoretical; every particle of his chosen collecting areas excited him. And so, this collection was never meant to be a “complete” or “universal”: some mints intrigued him, while others didn’t. Thus, we find quite a few coins from some mints - like Metapontum, Sybaris, Kroton, Himera or Athens – and nothing from others – like Sikyon or Pergamon. In addition, unlike some numismatists who only collected silver or bronze, he collected both. Most of his silver coins are smaller denominations, drachms and their fractions, but the occasional larger piece appears as well (his Archaic Corinthian stater, lot 1179, is one of the best known). His interest in bronzes was partially because they began to be minted in order to serve as the lowest fractional denominations, which would be impossibly small and difficult to use in silver; thus, they served as replacements for the obols and hemiobols that had been issued before them (seen in his series from Laos in Bruttium, lots 1059-1066). In addition, for his bronzes he concentrated on truly high quality, both in condition and in appearance, with style and patina being his watchword. Perfect examples are lots 1006, a semuncia from Capua; lot 1039, the very rare unit from Thourioi; lot 1073, the spectacular tetras from Akragas; and lot 1099, the wonderful tetras from Naxos. Frankly, every collector looking at these coins will see pieces he or she is going to love having! But, then, what about the other 308 lots in this auction? Ranging from a lovely, toned gold stater of the Vindelici (lot 1229) all the way to a curious and extremely rare little medieval Bulgarian bronze of the mid 14th century (lot 1536), there is something for everyone here. There are Greek coins (lots 1230-1390), Roman Republican, Imperatorial, Imperial and Provincial (lot 1391-1494), including the wonderful Redlich Collection of Roman Republican and Imperial silver, each chosen for its outstanding quality, and, finally, Byzantine and related (1495-1536). Just to mention a very few highlights among the Greek coins: lot 1238, the extremely rare nomos of Metapontum with the head of a young Herakles; lot, 1264, the wonderful Ainos with the engaging, Renaissance-like head of Hermes; lot 1284, the extremely rare and beautiful hemidrachm from Kierion; 1318, the Kyzikene stater with Herakles; and 1377, the fabulous gold tridrachm of the Seleukid king Demetrios I. There are many, many more, both Greek and later; but here are just two pieces that are both historically exciting and extremely rare: 1531 and 1532, the seals of two of the infamous Latin rulers of Constantinople!