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Coins of Rome about Parthia:
Quintus Labienus (42-39 B.C.)

This interesting episode in the long history of Roman-Parthian conflict found a Roman republican allied with the Parthians against Roman imperialists.

PDC 79228The father of Quintus Atius Labienus was Titus Labienus, who had been Julius Caesar's most important general in the Gaul campaign. However, at the beginning of the civil war, Quintus' father broke with Caesar and joined forces with Pompey. Titus Labienus later died at the battle of Munda fighting Caesar's forces.

Quintus Labienus fought to restore the republic under Gaius Cassius Longinus. Cassius, who was among Caesar's assassins, had campaigned successfully against Pacorus I, and declared himself proconsul of Syria during the civil war that followed Caesar's death. However, it cannot be doubted that the Parthians were later actively supporting republican Romans instead of fighting them, for a Parthian contingent had come into  Cassius' possession after he defeated Caecilius Bassus. Upon learning that Antony and Octavian were crossing the Adriatic to end Cassius' threat to Egypt, Cassius sent these Parthians to accompany a group of ambassadors to request additional Parthian support. Among the ambassadors was Quintus Labienus who apparently succeeded in his mission, for Parthians were counted among the defeated republican forces of Cassius and Brutus at the battle of Philippi (in Macedonia) against Octavian and Antony, 42 B.C.

Following his victory at Philippi, Antony went to Tarsus to consolidate his control in the east. From Tarsus, where Antony rendezvoused with Cleopatra in late summer of 41 B.C., Antony moved into Syria. There he appointed L. Decidius Saxa governor, and a Roman force was sent against Palmyra. The Palmyreans fled to Parthian territory where they influenced the Parthians to attack the Romans yet again. Joining the Palmyreans were the pro-Parthian petty rulers who had gained power following Crassus' defeat in 53 B.C. when Roman control was weak, and who now fled before Antony's advance to the protection of Parthia.

But when Antony moved southward to Alexandria, the Parthians again invaded Syria in the spring of 40 B.C., this time allied with Quintus Labienus. Labienus, knowing of the proscriptions following the battle at Philippi, had joined with the Parthians to fight imperial Roman forces. Under the joint command of Pacorus and Labienus, the Parthian army crossed the Euphrates and attacked Apamea. Though the assault failed, Roman garrisons around Syria rallied to Labienus, with whom they had fought under Brutus and Cassius. The combined army then defeated Saxa in a pitched battle where the Parthian cavalry's skill and larger numbers caused many troops of Saxa's quaestor (his brother) to desert to Labienus. Saxa, making a forced retreat at night to Antioch, lost most of his men also. Labienus and the Parthians then took Apamea without resistance. After defeating the Romans at Apamea, Pacorus turned south with a portion of the army and conquered the Levant from the Phoenician coast through Palestine. Labienus turned north to follow Saxa, then caught and killed him in Cilicia after taking Antioch. Labienus then proceeded to take all of Asia Minor, and the Parthian army added the legionary standards of Saxa to those of Crassus already housed in Parthian temples. With Labienus, the Parthians had in two years restored their territory to nearly the limits of the old Achaemenid empire and controlled all of Asia Minor except for a few cities.

In Judaea, Antigonus, a son of Aristobulus II, deposed his uncle John Hyrcanus II with Parthian assistance and proclaimed himself the newest (and last) Maccabean ruler. His victory was not complete, for Herod (also a son of Antipater) escaped to Rome where Antony and Octavian named him king of the Jews.

But the successes of Labienus and the Parthians were not long-lasting. Disagreement between Labienus and Pacorus weakened their combined effect. In 39 B.C., a Roman counterattack killed Labienus and recovered Asia Minor. One year later Pacorus was killed in Syria when he attacked a Roman camp that he had been led to believe was undefended. Herod personally led another Roman army to retake Jerusalem, capturing the holy city from the Parthian-supported Antigonus after a five-month siege.

While allied with the Parthians, Labienus minted both silver and gold coins, but in only one type; they were probably used as a donative to Saxa's legions. Controversy exists on both the meaning of the obverse inscription and the riderless horse on the reverse. Was Labienus calling himself Imperator of the Parthians? Possibly the reverse design is an allusion to the missing, assassinated Julius Caesar, or maybe a tribute to the Parthian cavalry. Vagi [vol. I, p. 71] notes the engraving style of the aureus and denarius points to Antioch as the mint and late 40 B.C. as the date, and that some Antioch tetradrachms and bronzes can be ascribed to Labienus.

As of 1997, Sayles1 reported only four examples of the gold aureus; Harlan Berk2 published a photo of the fourth specimen in 2008. An auction3 in 2010 documented the fifth specimen. And finally, in 2023, a sixth specimen appeared at auction4.

The silver coins are also rare but examples are more plentiful; Hersh recorded only 34 specimens of the denarius, struck from eight obverse and twenty reverse dies5. Since then research has increased the known examples. Below, 67 denarii are illustrated, including 32 of the 34 mentioned by Hirsch.

____________________
Notes:
1. Wayne G. Sayles, Ancient Coin Collecting III: The Roman World -- Politics and Propaganda (1997), p. 182
2. Harlan J. Berk, 100 Greatest Ancient Coins (2008), p. 80
3. Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 54 (24 Mar 2010), lot 279
4. The New York Sale, Auction 57 (10 Jan 2023), lot 145
5. C. A. Hersh, "The Coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), p. 44


Coins in the Name of Quintus Labienus

The coins of Labienus are rare; only six examples of the aureus are known; all are illustrated here. Images of the gold and silver coins on this page are serially indexed (e.g. G3 or S29) for identification in the Index field. Click on coin images to enlarge:

Aureus:

Hersh, "The Coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), records only three specimens of the aureus, struck from two obverse dies (also used for denarius). He records three reverse dies used only for aureus production. In addition to the three listed by Hersh, three additional aureii are illustrated below, two having the obverse and reverse dies of Hersh's Cat. AV 1, and one with Cat. AV3.

PDC 79228 Q. Labienus
AV Aureus 8.04g (PDC 79228)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Obv: bare head of Labienus right with unruly hair and long sideburn; around, inscription = Q · LABIENVS · PARTHICVS · IMP; border of dots
Rev: bridled and saddled horse standing to right on ground line; bow case and quiver attached to saddle
Index: G1.
Photo by Numismatica Ars Classica. An enlarged color photograph of the obverse of this rare gold coin graces the dust jacket of Sayle's Ancient Coin Collecting III, and a black and white enlargement of the reverse is found on page 182
- Alföldi, A. "Die Herrschaft der Reiterei, Gestalt und Geschichte", in Festschrift K. Schefold (1967), p. 18 and plate 9.9
- Babelon Atia 2
- Bahrfeldt 69
- Bank Leu 48 (10 May 1989), lot 299 (this coin)
- Calicó 70 (this coin)
- Cohen 1
- Crawford 524/1
- Dieudonné, A., Revue numismatique (1899), plate III, 1 (same reverse die)
- Ghey, Leins & Crawford (2010), 524.1.1
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AV 3 (this coin)
- Kent-Hirmer 101 incorrectly described as a denarius (this coin)
- Martin Armstrong, Jr., "Monetary History of the World", (this coin)
- Münzen und Medaillen AG Basel 43 (12 Nov 1970), lot 242 (this coin)
- Numismatica Ars Classica 70 (16 May 2013), lot 192 (this coin)
- Numismatic Fine Arts 25 (29 Nov 1990), lot 313 (this coin)
- Sear Imperators 340 (this coin)
- Sear RCV (2000), 1457 (this coin)
- Sotheby’s Athena Fund II sale (26 Oct 1993), lot 91 (this coin)
- Sydenham 1356
- Sayles, Wayne G. Ancient Coin Collecting III (1997), p.172, 182 (this coin)
PDC 6458 Q. Labienus
AV Aureus 8.05g (PDC 6458)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: G2
Current collection: Bibliothèque nationale, Paris, Atia 85, M2767
Photo by Chris Hopkins
- Dieudonné, A. Revue numismatique (1899), plate III, 1 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AV 2 (this coin)
PDC 32636 Q. Labienus
AV Aureus 7.92g 6h (PDC 32636)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: G3
Previous collection: Duke de Blacas
Current collection: British Museum, 1867,0101.604
Photo by British Museum, Dept. of Coins and Medals, © Trustees of the British Museum
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AV 1 (this coin)
- Greuber, Herbert A. (ed.), A Catalogue of Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (1910), BMC II (East), p. 500, 131 (this coin)
PDC 60631 Q. Labienus
AV Aureus 8.09g 20mm (PDC 60631)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: G4
Photo by Karen Block
- Berk, Harlan J., 100 Greatest Ancient Coins (Atlanta: Whitman, 2008), no. 40 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AV 1 (same dies)
PDC 60550 Q. Labienus
AV Aureus 8.15g (PDC 60550)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: G5
Photo by Numismatica Ars Classica
- Numismatica Ars Classica 54 (24 Mar 2010), lot 279 (this coin)
- Bahrfeldt 69 and pl. VII, 23 (same dies)
- Berk, Harlan J., 100 Greatest Ancient Coins (2008), 40 (same dies)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AV 1  (same dies)
PDC 124365 Q. Labienus
AV Aureus 8.05g (PDC 124365)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: G6
Previous collection: Tareq Hani
Photo by Goldberg Coins & Collectibles
- New York Sale 57 (10 Jan 2023), lot 145 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AV 3 (same dies)

Denarius:

Hersh records 34 specimens of the denarius, struck from eight obverse and twenty reverse dies. So far, 67 denarii are illustrated below including 32 of the 34 genuine denarii listed by Hersh plus an additional 35 found in trade. I hope readers with photos of the two missing coins mentioned by Hersh but not listed here will contact me so I can add them to this web page.

PDC 2251 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.75g (PDC 2251)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S01
Obv: bare head of Labienus right with unruly hair and long sideburn; around, inscription = Q · LABIENVS · PARTHICVS · IMP; border of dots
Rev: bridled and saddled horse standing to right on ground line; bow case and quiver attached to saddle
Current collection: Vatican Museum
Photo by Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
- Alföldi, A. "Die Herrschaft der Reiterei, Gestalt und Geschichte", in Festschrift K. Schefold (1967), p. 18 and plate 9.10
- Babelon Atia 3
- BMCRR (East), p.500, 132
- Cohen 2
- Crawford 524/2
- FFC 1
- Ghey, Leins & Crawford (2010), 524.2.2
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 12 (dies E/11) (this coin)
- RBW 1809
- RSC 2
- Sear Imperators 341
- Sear RCV (2000), 1458
- Sydenham 1357
PDC 77016 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.96g 19mm 6h (PDC 77016)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S02
Provenance: KHM old inventory
Current collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, RO 856
Photo by Dr. Klaus Vondrovec (KHM)
- 7000 anos de Arte Persa (2001), Fundacion "La Caixa", fig. 20c (this coin)
- Ghey, Leins & Crawford (2010), 524.2.2
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 4a (dies A/4) (this coin)
PDC 5653 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.20g (PDC 5653)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Struck BC 40
Index: S03
Photo by Classical Numismatic Group
- CNG 55 (13 Sep 2000), lot 1109 (this coin)
- Berk 125 (27 Feb 2002), lot 348 (this coin)
- Gemini 10 (13 Jan 2013), lot 388 (this coin)
- Roma Numismatics Auction 16 (26 Sep 2018), lot 641 (this coin)
PDC 52635 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.29g (PDC 52635)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S04
Photo by Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzenhandlung
- Gorny & Mosch 164 (17 Mar 2008), lot 353 (this coin)
- Münzen & Medaillen GmbH 20 (10 Oct 2006), lot 272 (this coin)
- Stack's (23 Apr 2009), Saint Ludovico and Firth of Clyde Collections, lot 1345 (this coin)
PDC 4880 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.47g (PDC 4880)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S05
Photo by Numismatik Lanz München
- Lanz 88 (23 Nov 1998), lot 819 (this coin)
- Lanz 102 (28 May 2001), lot 439 (this coin)
PDC 58419 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.60g 19mm (PDC 58419)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S06
Photo by Andrew McCabe
- Lanz, eBay (31 Jan 2009), item 270341992530 (this coin)
- CNG E-Auction 432 (14 Nov 2018), lot 278 (this coin)
PDC 16043 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.61g (PDC 16043)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S07
Current collection: Badian Collection, Rutgers University Libraries, BAD1240
Photo by Fritz Rudolf Künker Münzenhandlung
- Künker 77 (30 Sep 2002), lot 326 (this coin)
- CNG 63 (21 May 2003), lot 1200 (this coin)
- CNG Online Coin Shop (Dec 2002), item 182290 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR (obv. die F, unlisted reverse die)
PDC 6460 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.64g (PDC 6460)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S08
Current collection: Bibliothèque nationale, Paris, Ailly 4850
Photo by Chris Hopkins
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 1a  (dies A/1) (this coin)
PDC 32616 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.64g (PDC 32616)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S09
Current collection: Edgar L. Owen
Previous collections: Vierordt; The Hunter Collection; Edgar L. Owen; R. Laughlin
Photo by Bank Leu
- Bank Leu & Münzen und Medaillen AG Basel (3 Dec 1965), lot 966 (this coin)
- Goldberg 72 (3 Feb 2013), lot 4402 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 2b (dies A/2) (this coin)
- A. Hess 221 Lucerne with H. Rosenberg (18 Dec 1933), lot 256 (this coin)
- J. Schulman 139 (5 Mar 1923), Vierordt, lot 508 (this coin)
- Münzen und Medaillen AG Basel 7 (3 Dec 1948), lot 513 (this coin)
- Spink & Galerie des Monnaies (15 Feb 1977), lot 464 (this coin)
- Triton 25 Session 5 Online (25 Jan 2022), lot 5340 (this coin)
PDC 5771 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.66g (PDC 5771)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S10
Photo from Monetary History of the World by Martin Armstrong, Jr.
- Bank Leu 45 (26 May 1988), lot 302 (this coin)
- Superior Stamp & Coin (13 Aug 1995), lot 692 (this coin)
- Vagi, Coinage and History of the Roman Empire (1999), Vol. II, p. 204, no. 126 (this coin)
PDC 1098 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.66g 12.34mm 6h (PDC 1098)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S11
Previous collection: Newell
Current collection: American Numismatic Society, 1944.100.4820
Photo by Chris Hopkins
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 21 (dies G/18) (this coin)
PDC 5322 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.67g (PDC 5322)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S12
Photo by Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.
- Berk 115 (2 Aug 2000), lot 371 (this coin)
- Berk 117 (28 Nov 2000), lot 344 (this coin)
PDC 32634 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.67g (PDC 32634)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S13
Previous collection: Bonazzi
Current collection: Milan, 2242
Photo from G. G. Belloni, Le monete romane dell'età repubblicana, (Milan, 1960)
- G. G. Belloni, Le monete romane dell'età repubblicana, Milan (1960), 2242 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 9a (dies C/9) (this coin)
- Rodolfo Ratto, Bonazzi sale (23 Jan 1924), lot 1346 (this coin)
- Riechmann 20 (18 Sep 1922), lot 385 (this coin)
PDC 60309 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.67g (PDC 60309)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S14
Photo by Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.
- Berk 167 (3 Dec 2009), lot 247 (this coin)
PDC 60097 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.69g (PDC 60097)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S15
Photo by The New York Sale [Group 2]
- New York Sale 23 (6 Jan 2010), lot 115 (this coin)
- Künker 174 (27 Sep 2010), lot 592 (this coin)
- Numismatica Ars Classica 39 (16 May 2007), cf. 91 (these dies)
PDC 32635 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.73g (PDC 32635)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S16
Previous collection: Nicholas
Photo by Bank Leu
- Bank Leu 17, Nicholas (3 May 1977), lot 857 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 1e (dies A/1) (this coin)
Click here to visit another website to view coin Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.73g 18mm 5h (PDC 52324)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S17
Provenance: 1882 Sandes
Previous collection: Sandes
Current collection: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Pergamonmuseum), 18202278
Photo from Interactive Catalogue of the Coin Cabinet, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 2a (dies A/2) (this coin)
PDC 5325 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.76g (PDC 5325)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S18
Current collection: Bibliothèque nationale, Paris, AF 2947
Photo by Chris Hopkins
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 17a (dies F/15) (this coin)
PDC 60286 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.78g 18mm (PDC 60286)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S19
Previous collections: Robert Boyne; Dr. Nott
Current collection: British Museum, 1843,0116.207
Ready electrotype reproductions of this coin:
     Tübingen University, III 63/(G3): (click to view)
     Stellenbosch University: (click to view)
Photo from BMCRR East (1910)
- S. Leigh Sotheby, Robert Boyne Sale (19 Jul 1843), lot 72 (this coin)
- Greuber, Herbert A. (ed.), A Catalogue of Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (1910), BMC II (East), p. 500, 132 (this coin)
- Head, Barclay V. A guide to the principal gold and silver coins of the ancients, pl. 63, 30 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 15a (dies F/13) (this coin)
- J. Warry, Die Kriegskunst der Griechen und Römer, 1981 (this coin)
PDC 43007 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.79g 19mm (PDC 43007)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S20
Provenance: ex Harlan J. Berk
Previous collection: Barry Feirstein
Photo by Numismatica Ars Classica
- Numismatica Ars Classica 39 (16 May 2007), lot 91 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 15
- Numismatica Ars Classica 72 (16 May 2013), lot 555 (this coin)
PDC 52663 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.81g (PDC 52663)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S21
Previous collection: James Fox; Barry Feirstein; RBW; E. J. Haeberlin; De Quelen
Photo by Numismatica Ars Classica
- Numismatica Ars Classica 45 (2 Apr 2008), lot 51 (this coin)
- Cahn 83 with Hess (17 Jul 1933), lot 2900 (this coin)
- CNG 40 (4 Dec 1996), lot 1314 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 3b (dies A/3) (this coin)
- Monetarium (Swiss Credit), list 51 (1989), lot 136a (this coin)
- Numismatica Ars Classica 45 (2 Apr 2008), lot 51 (this coin)
- Numismatica Ars Classica 63 (17 May 2012), lot 559 (this coin)
- Numismatica Ars Classica 78 (26 May 2014), lot 516 (this coin)
- Rollin & Feuardent (7 May 1888), de Quelen, lot 505 (this coin)
PDC 60463 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.86g (PDC 60463)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S22
Provenance/ ex Harlan J. Berk private sale
Photo by Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzenhandlung
- Gorny & Mosch 185 (8 Mar 2010), lot 229 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR (dies B/20)
PDC 60290 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.88g (PDC 60290)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S23
Previous collection: Magnaguti; Evans
Photo by UBS AG Gold & Numismatics
- UBS 78 (9 Sep 2008), lot 1181 (this coin)
- Ars Classica 17 (3 Oct 1934), lot 1117 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 10 (dies D/9)
- Numismatica Ars Classica 97 (12 Dec 2016), lot 56 (this coin)
- P. & P. Santamaria, Rome (14 Oct 1949), lot 2348 (this coin)
PDC 2172 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.88g (PDC 2172)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S24
Photo by Münzen und Medaillen AG
- Alföldi, A. "Die Herrschaft der Reiterei, Gestalt und Geschichte", in Festschrift K. Schefold (1967), p. 18 and plate 9.10 (same rev die)
- Münzen und Medaillen AG Basel 43 (12 Nov 1970), lot 243 (this coin)
- Numismatica Ars Classica, 25 Feb 1992, lot 390 (this coin)
- Sternberg 1 (30 Nov 1973), lot 15 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 11b (dies E/10) (this coin)
Click here to visit another website to view coin Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.77g 18mm 5h (PDC 60630)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S25
Current collection: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 18204987
Photo from Interactive Catalogue of the Coin Cabinet, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
- Friedländer & von Sallet, Das Konigliche Munzkabinet (1877), 935
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 3a (dies A/3) (this coin)
PDC 61250 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.76g 17mm 11h (PDC 61250)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S26
Provenance: ex Stack's
Photo by John Lavender
- Coin Galleries (20 Oct 2010), lot 155 (this coin)
PDC 66379 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.74g (PDC 66379)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S27
Previous collection: S.C. Markoff
Photo by Numismatica Ars Classica
- Numismatica Ars Classica 62 (5 Oct 2011), lot 2009 (this coin)
- Goldberg 80 (3 Jun 2014), lot 3092 (this coin)
PDC 77017 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.29g 18mm 4h (PDC 77017)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S28
Previous collection: Tiepolo
Current collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, RO 857
Photo by Dr. Klaus Vondrovec (KHM)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 8a (dies A/4) (this coin)
PDC 122780 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.78g 18mm 5h (PDC 122780)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S29
Previous collection: Quadras y Ramon; Vogelberg
Photo by Roma Numismatics
- A. Banti. Corpus Nummorum Romanorum, Monetazione Repubblicana (Firenze, 1980-1982) (this coin)
- S. Bourgey and G. Depeyrot, La République romaine: fonds Bourgey (1988), p. 199, 527 (this coin)
- Bourgey Numismatique Auction (4 Nov 1913), Quadras y Ramon Sale, lot 707 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 11a (dies E/10) (this coin)
- CNR 4 (this coin)
- CRI 341 (this coin)
- Roma Numismatics Auction 25 (21 Sep 2022), lot 797 (this coin)
PDC 78273 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.58g 19mm 5h (PDC 78273)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S30
Photo by Classical Numismatic Group
- Triton 16 (7 Jan 2013), lot 928 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 16 (dies F/13)
PDC 79243 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.83g (PDC 79243)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S31
Photo by Numismatica Ars Classica
- Numismatica Ars Classica 73 (18 Nov 2013), lot 258 (this coin)
- Hauck & Aufhäuser (Nov 1985), lot 189 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR (dies G/rev. unknown)
PDC 106660 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.86g (PDC 106660)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S32
Photo by Nomisma spa
- Nomisma Auction 58 (6 Nov 2018), lot 210 (this coin)
- Naville 10 (15 Jun 1925), lot 1744 (this coin)
PDC 109241 Q. Labienus
AV Denarius 3.73g 18mm 5h (PDC 109241)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S33
Provenance: bequeathed by Dr William Hunter (1783)
Previous collection: Dr William Hunter
Current collection: Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, GLAHM:22689
Photo by Hunterian Museum, Glasgow
- Hersh, The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus, SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 6B, 6a (dies B/6) (this coin)
PDC 82706 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.75g (PDC 82706)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S34
Provenance: Purchased from: Claude Scott Steuart
Current collection: British Museum, 1841,0726.1208
Photo by British Museum, Dept. of Coins and Medals, © Trustees of the British Museum
- Ghey, Leins & Crawford (2010), 524.2.2 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 16a (dies F/14) (this coin)
PDC 105881 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.70g 18mm 6h (PDC 105881)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S35
Photo by Leu Numismatik AG
- Leu Numismatik AG 2 (11 May 2018), lot 224 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 11
PDC 83854 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 83854)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S36
Current collection: MAH Geneva, CdN 2001-1860
Photo Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de la Ville de Genève
- Crawford 524/2
PDC 103723 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 103723)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S37
Previous collection: Charles A Hersh; H. P. Hall; Prowe; Nordheim;
Current collection: British Museum, 2002,0102.4827
Photo by Brüder Egger, Vienna
- Brüder Egger Auktion 17 (28 Nov 1904), lot 2172 (this coin)
- Ghey, Leins & Crawford (2010), 524.2.3 (this coin)
- Glendining's 1950 Platt Hall part 1 (19 Jul 1950), lot 657 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 22a (dies G/19) (this coin)
PDC 84089 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.57g 18mm 5h (PDC 84089)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S38
Current collection: Deutsche Bundesbank Numismatic Library, Frankfurt am Main, 68854
Photo by Nomos AG
- Nomos 9 (21 Oct 2014), lot 210 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 15
PDC 85039 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 85039)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S39
Photo from Riccio Collection Catalogo (1855)
- Riccio Collection 1855, plate 8 no 2 (this coin)
PDC 92797 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.33g 18mm 5h (PDC 92797)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S40
Photo by Roma Numismatics
- Roma Numismatics 11 (7 Apr 2016), lot 737 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 15
PDC 99032 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 99032)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S41
Previous collection: Franz Trau
Photo by Adolph Hess, Frankfurt
- Hess 228 with Gilhofer and Ranschburg, Franz Trau Coll. (22 May 1935), lot 39 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 1c (dies A/1) (this coin)
PDC 99210 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 99210)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S42
Photo by Otto Helbing Nachf. (Munich)
- Otto Helbing 37 (9 Apr 1913), lot 969 (this coin)
- Brüder Egger Auktion 39 (15 Jan 1912), lot 612 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 19a (dies F/17) (this coin)
PDC 103715 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.62g (PDC 103715)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S43
Photo by Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.
- Berk 80 (18 Jan 1994), lot 354 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 7
PDC 103717 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.43g (PDC 103717)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S44
Photo by Harlan J. Berk, Ltd.
- Berk 108 (12 May 1999), lot 293 (this coin)
PDC 103718 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 103718)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S45
Photo by Wayte Raymond
- Wayte Raymond 29 (21 Mar 1939), lot 439 (or lot 438?) (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 7a (dies C/7) (this coin)
PDC 111127 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.81g 5h (PDC 111127)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S46
Photo by Aureo & Calicó
- Aureo & Calicó Subasta 339 (14 Nov 2019), lot 1075 (this coin)
- FFC 1 (this coin)
- Superior Stamp & Coin 12 (8 Dec 1995), lot 871 (this coin)
PDC 103721 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.60g (PDC 103721)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S47
Previous collection: Consul Weber
Photo by Jacob Hirsch (Munich)
- Jacob Hirsch 24 (10 May 1909), lot 743 (this coin)
- Glendining (2 Apr 1952), Ryan 1902 (this coin)
- Hess (20 May 1912), lot 406 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 20a (dies G/17) (this coin)
PDC 119933 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 103722)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S48
Previous collection: H. C. Levis; Private Collection (Ticino); Sydenham; Fred Baldwin
Photo by Soler y Llach
- Naville 11 (18 Jun 1925), Levis lot 171 (this coin)
- Glendining (24 Nov 1948), Sydenham 401 (this coin)
- Glendining (20 Nov 1969), Baldwin 10 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 1b (dies A/1) (this coin)
- Soler y Llach Auction 1122 (26 Oct 2021), lot 492 (this coin)
PDC 103793 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.79g 18mm 5h (PDC 103793)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S49
Photo by Heritage Auction Galleries
          Additional photo of coin prior to cleaning
- Heritage WCA 3061 New York (7 Jan 2018), lot 32083 (this coin)
- Oslo Myntgalleri AS Auction 14 (12 May 2018), lot 855 (this coin)
PDC 109576 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.80g 20mm 5h (PDC 109576)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S50
Photo by Classical Numismatic Group
- Classical Numismatic Review Vol. 45, 2 (Winter 2020), item 520919 (this coin)
- Heritage WCA 3075 Chicago (15 Aug 2019), lot 32043 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 21 (dies G/18)
PDC 82188 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.67g (PDC 109499)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S51
Previous collection: Anne Demeester
Photo by 51 Gallery (Bruxelles, Belgique)
- 51 Gallery Auction (9 Dec 2013), lot 162 (this coin)
- Leu 71 (24 Oct 1997), lot 270 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 14 (dies E/13) (this coin)
PDC 109536 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.84g (PDC 109536)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S52
Previous collection: Private Collection G.
Photo by Bank Leu & Hess AG, 1954-1971
- Hess-Leu 1 (14 Apr 1954), lot 220 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 18a (dies F/16) (this coin)
PDC 109537 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.79g (PDC 109537)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S53
Photo by Numismatic Fine Arts
- Numismatic Fine Arts 2 (25 Mar 1976), lot 362 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 6b (dies B/6) (this coin)
PDC 111063 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.55g 18mm (PDC 111063)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S54
Photo by Auctiones GmbH
- Auctiones GmbH eAuction 66 (15 Dec 2019), lot 255 (this coin)
- Maison Palombo 19 (12 Dec 2020), lot 79 (this coin)
- Maison Palombo 21 (28 Jan 2023), lot 74 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 5
PDC 111601 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.76g 18mm (PDC 111601)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S55. The Gotha collection was in a state of flux during WW2 and ended up in the western zone at close of the war. Before the reunification of Germany, officials refused to return artifacts to the eastern zone where Gotha is situated. In 1971, researcher Carl Berkowitz (then Graduate Fellow of the ANS) studied the collection when located in Munich. It subsequently found its way back to Gotha.
Photo by Münzkabinett Gotha
- Münzkabinett Gotha, Inv. 1.2./1811 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 3c (dies A/3) (this coin)
PDC 116585 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.74g 18mm 5h (PDC 116585)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S56
Previous collection: Peter J. Merani
Photo by Classical Numismatic Group
- Berk BBS 153 (13 Mar 2007), lot 249 (this coin)
- Triton 24 (19 Jan 2021), lot 57 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), (obv die E/unknown rev die?)
PDC 116634 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 17mm (PDC 116634)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S57
Previous collection: National Museum of Naples
Photo by International Association of Professional Numismatists
- Catalogo del Museo Nazionale di Napoli, Medagliere, II, Monete Romane (Naples, 1870), not illustrated (this coin)
- Coins Stolen from the National Archaeological Museum, Naples (IAPN 68 supplement, May 1977) (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 13a (dies E/12) (this coin)
PDC 116637 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius (PDC 116637)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S58
Previous collection: Mazzini
Photo from Mazzini, G. Monete Imperiale Romane (1957)
- Mario Ratto Auction, Milan (23 May 1957?), lot ? (this coin)
- Mazzini, G. Monete Imperiale Romane (Milano: Mario Ratto, ed), 1957-58, Labieno (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 1d (dies A/1) (this coin)
PDC 117202 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius fragment 1.56g 16mm 7h (PDC 117202)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S59
Photo by Roma Numismatics
Additional image: study image with outlines
- Roma Numismatics e-Sale 81 (25 Feb 2021), lot 1004 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 15
PDC 117519 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.37g 18mm (PDC 117519)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S60
Photo by Jesús Vico S.A.
- Jesús Vico 50th Anniversary Auction (14 Apr 2021), lot 424 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980)
PDC 120277 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.67g 19mm (PDC 120277)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S61
Photo by Numismatik Naumann
- Numismatik Naumann 111 (5 Dec 2021), lot 711 (this coin)
- Tauler & Fau E-Auction 107 (30 Mar 2022), lot 1110 (this coin)
- Roma Numismatics Auction 25 (21 Sep 2022), lot 929
- Triton 26 (10 Jan 2023), lot 634 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980) (dies F/20)
PDC 120500 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.73g 18mm 5h (PDC 120500)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S62
Previous collection: Strauss
Photo by Classical Numismatics Group
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. 5a (dies B/5) (this coin)
- Triton 25 (11 Jan 2022), lot 764 (this coin)
PDC 122778 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.85g 19mm 5h (PDC 122778)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S63
Note: flan crack obv 12h
Photo by Roma Numismatics
- Roma Numismatics Auction 25 (24 Mar 2022), lot 928 (this coin)
- Roma Numismatics Auction 28 (5 Jul 2023), lot 536 (this coin)
- Heritage WCA 3113 (8 Jan 2024), lot 31047 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), (dies F/?)
PDC 124229 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.63g 18.5mm 5h (PDC 124229)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S64
Photo by Classical Numismatics Group
- Triton 26 (10 Jan 2023), lot 635 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), (dies F/15)
PDC 126108 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 2.77g 17.8mm (PDC 126108)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S65
Photo by Netherlands National Numismatic Collection
- Netherlands National Numismatic Collection, RO-00512 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), (dies G/18 ??)
PDC 127883 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.28g 16.45mm (PDC 127883)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S66
Photo by Astarte S.A.
- Astarte Web Auction 1 (31 Jul 2023), lot 108 (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), (dies G/18)
PDC 127907 Q. Labienus
AR Denarius 3.82g 18. (PDC 127907)
Mint: traveling with Labienus, undated (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Index: S67
Photo by Museo Nazionale Romano (National Roman Museum)
- Renzo Riva. "La monetazione di Quinto Labieno 'Parthicus Imperator'" Ass. Ital. Studi Filatelici Numismatici: Memorie dell'Accademia Italiana di Studi Filatelici e Numismatici. Vol. II, fascicolo 1e 2 (1982). (this coin)
- Hersh, "The coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat. AR 23 (dies H/20) (this coin)
   


Coins Attributed to Quintus Labienus

Tetradrachm:

PDC 29555Quintus Labienus ? (42-39 B.C.)
AE Tetradrachm, 13.51g, 24mm
Mint/ Seleukis & Pieria, Antioch. Seleucid era 272 (c. 41-40 B.C.)
Obv/ Laureate head of Zeus right
Rev/  Zeus seated left, holding Nike and scepter; cap before and cap below throne, , with parts of the Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΥ. The date ΒΟ[Σ] appears in the exergue beneath Zeus, Year 272 of the Seleucid era
Note 1/ This coin was struck while Antioch was occupied by the forces of the Roman expatriate Labienus and the Parthian general Pacorus I (c. 39 B.C.). Because of this, this issue reverts to the Seleukid era dating, rather than using the conventional Caesarean era. This was the last time an issue from Antioch bore the Seleukid dating
Photo/ by Classical Numismatic Group
- CNG E-Auction 115 (25 May 2005), lot 133 (this coin)
- RPC I, 4223
- SNG Copenhagen 81


PDC 32639Quintus Labienus ? (42-39 B.C.)
AE Tetradrachm, 11.69g, 25mm, die axis=2h
Mint/ Antioch. Seleucid era 272 (c. 41-40 B.C.)
Obv/ diademed head of Philip Philadelphos facing right, within a filleted border
Rev/ Zeus seated left, holding Nike and scepter, with parts of the Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΥ; marks include two starred caps of the Dioscuri
Current collection/ Bob Effler
Photo/ by Jencek's Ancient Coins & Antiquities
Note 1/ According to Butcher (page 316), the Dioscuri caps are associated specifically with the issue of 41/40 B.C.
Note 2/ RPC 4225 refers to 4222, an inordinately heavy (15.37 grams) Caesarean year 8 issue, the high weight specific only to that year. Because this  example has the same legend, but is of the lesser weight (11.69 grams), it must be catalogued as RPC 4225
Note 3/ The positions of the starred caps of the Dioscuri are important in dating this coin. Coins with the starred cap to the left of Zeus' throne slightly higher than the cap to the right are specific to the issue of Labienus and Pacorus (BMC 25, per Butcher), and dated to the Seleucid year 272 (41/40 B.C.). This distinction is made only in Butcher, a more detailed study of these bronzes (that was being researched and written at the time RPC I was published) with access to more current research on these coins
Photo/ by permission
- RPC I, 4225

PDC 2426Quintus Labienus ? (42-39 B.C.)
AR Tetradrachm
Mint/ Antioch, Year 10 (c. 40-39 B.C.)
Obv/ diademed head of Philip Philadelphos facing right, within a filleted border
Rev/ Zeus seated left, holding Nike and scepter, with parts of the Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΟΥ. The date I appears in the exergue beneath Zeus, Year 10 of the Era of the Roman Province of Syria
Note 1/ Labienus employed the same coin types as the last legitimate Syrian ruler, Philip I (Philip Philadelphos)
Note 2/ These coins bear the city monogram of Antioch, indicating autonomy given to the city by Julius Caesar after Pharsalus, and Caesarean Era dates on coins minted from Year 3 (47-46 B.C.). The dates allow us to identify coins struck during Labienus' occupation of Antioch, 40-39 B.C.
Photo/ by Praetorian Numismatics eBay Auction Oct 1999
- RPC I, 4133


If you have the sale catalog or know the location of photos for either of the following denarii mentioned by Hersh, please contact Chris Hopkins:


Additional Catalog Information

51 Gallery Auction (9 Dec 2013), lot 162 (denarius, 3.67g). Acquired from Anne Demeester, it sold for 2,800,00 euro.

Alföldi, A. "Die Herrschaft der Reiterei, Gestalt und Geschichte", in Festschrift K. Schefold, 1967, p. 18 and plate 9.9, (aureus), plate 9.10 (denarius).

Auctiones GmbH eAuction 66 (15 Dec 2019), lot 255, estimated at 20.000 CHF

Aureo & Calicó Subasta 339 (14 Nov 2019), lot 1075, sold for 110.000 EUR

Babelon, E. Description historique et chronologique des monnaies de la républic romaine (1885-1886), (Atia) B. 2 (aureus), B. 3 (denarius)

Bahrfeldt, M. von. Die Römische Goldmünzenprägung während der Republik und unter Augustus (1923), (who knew of only 3 examples, one each in the British Museum and Paris, and a third which was offered to the Berlin Museum in 1902), Bahrfeldt 69

Banti, A. Corpus Nummorum Romanorum, Monetazione Repubblicana (Firenze, 1980-1982)

Belloni, G. G. Le monete romane dell'età repubblicana (Milan, 1960), catalogue no. 2242 (3.67)

Bank Leu 17 (3-4 May 1977), Nicholas collection, lot 857, estimated at 30,000 Swiss Franc

Bank Leu 48 (10 May 1989), lot 299 (aureus, 8.04 g, G1) est. DM 8.500

Bank Leu/Münzen und Medaillen auction, Coll. Niggeler (3-4 Dec 1965), lot 966 (denarius, 3.64g)

Bourgey, S. and Depeyrot, G. La République romaine: fonds Bourgey (Paris, 1988), p. 199, 527

Harlan J. Berk, Auction #80 (12 May 1999), lot 293 (denarius, 3.43g)

Harlan J. Berk, Buy or Bid Sale #108 (18 Jan 1994), lot 354 (denarius, 3.62g)

Harlan J. Berk, Buy or Bid Sale #115 (2 Aug 2000), lot 371 and #117 (28 Nov 2000), lot 344 (denarius, 3.67g)

Harlan J. Berk, Buy or Bid Sale #125 (Jan 2002), lot 348 (denarius, 3.20g)

Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale #153 (13 Mar 2007), lot 249 (denarius, 7.34g)

Harlan J. Berk, 100 Greatest Ancient Coins (Atlanta: Whitman, 2008), p. 80, no. 40

Cahn/Hess, E. J. Haeberlin Collection (17 July 1933), lot 2900; estimated at 500 Reichs Mark (catalogue says 0.81 RM = 1 Swiss Franc at the time, so about 600 SFr)

Classical Numismatic Group No. 40  (4 Dec 1996), lot 1314. Estimate $10,000, sold for $8,000. Same coin as Monetarium (Swiss Credit), list 51 (1989), lot 136a; ex E.J. Haeberlin Collection (Cahn/Hess, 17 July 1933), lot 2900; ex De Quelen Collection (Rollin et Feuardent, 7 May 1888), lot 505. 

Classical Numismatic Group No. 55 (Sep 2000), lot 1109 (denarius), estimated $7000

Classical Numismatic Group No. 63, lot 1200, estimated $25,000

Classical Numismatic Group, Online Coin Shop (Dec 2002), lot 182290 (denarius), list price $25,000

Classical Numismatic Review Vol. 45, 2 (Winter 2020), item 520919, list price $150,000

Classical Numismatic Group, Triton sale no. 24 (19 Jan 2021), lot 57; same coin as Harlan J. Berk Buy or Bid Sale #153 (13 Mar 2007), lot 249

Classical Numismatic Group, Triton sale no. 25 (11 Jan 2012, lot 764; same coin as Hersh, C. A. "The Coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), Cat 5a

Classical Numismatic Group, Triton sale no. 26 (10 Jan 2013, lots 634 & 635 (drachms)

Cohen, Henry. Description historique des monnaies frappées sous l'Empire romain communément appelées médailles impériales, 2e edition (Leipzig, 1930), C. 1 (3,000.-), C. 2

Crawford, Michael H. Roman Republican coin hoards (1969), 524/2

Dieudonné, A. "Monnaies Romaines et Byzantines récemment acquise par le cabinet des médailles", Revue numismatique (1899), pp. 178f. and pl. 3, 1

Gorny & Mosch Auktion 164 (17 Mar 2008), lot 353, estimated at € 5,000

Greuber, Herbert A. (ed.) A Catalogue of Coins of the Roman Republic in the British Museum (1910), BMC II (East), p. 500, 131 (aureus), 132 (denarius)

Heritage Auction Galleries. Heritage WCA 3061 New York (7 Jan 2018), lot 32083 (denarius, 3.79g)

Heritage Auction Galleries. Heritage WCA 3075 Chicago (15 Aug 2019), lot 32043 (denarius, 3.80g)

Hersh, C. A. "The Coinage of Quintus Labienus Parthicus", SNR 59 (1980), p. 44-49. Records only 34 specimens of the denarius, struck from eight obverse and twenty reverse dies (includes Berlin examples)

A. Hess 221 Lucerne with H. Rosenberg (18 Dec 1933), lot 256

Jacob Hirsch Auction 24 (10 May 1909), lot 743 (denarius, 3.60g)

Fernández Molina, José; Fernández Carrera, Manuel; Calicó Estivill, Xavier. [FFC] Catálogo monográfico de los denarios de la República Romana (incluyendo Augusto) (2002), p.186, Labieno 1

Fritz Rudolf Künker Münzenhandlung Auction 77 (30 Sep 2002), lot 326, price realized EUR 16,000 plus fees

Fritz Rudolf Künker Münzenhandlung Auction 174 (27 Sep 2010), lot 450 (denarius, 3.68g, S15), est. price EUR 35,000

Lanz Numismatik Sale Catalogue No. 88 (23 Nov 1998) of the Leo Benz collection, lot 819 (denarius, 3.47g), estimated price DM 25,000, sale price DM 20,000 plus fees

Lanz Numismatik Sale Catalogue No. 102 (28 May 2001), lot 439 (same piece as Lanz 88, lot 819), estimated price DM 20,000.

Leu Sale Catalogue No. 45 (26 May 1988), lot 302 (denarius) realized SFr 28,500 (same piece as Superior 13, lot 692)

Leu Sale Catalogue No. 48, lot 299 realized SFr 270,000 plus fees

Leu Sale Catalogue No. 71, lot 270 realized SFr 5,400 plus fees

Maison Palombo 19 (12 Dec 2020), lot 79 (denarius, 3.55g), estimate 12.000 CHF

Monetarium (Swiss Credit), list 51 (1989), lot 136a

Münzen und Medaillen A.G. Public Sale Catalog No. 7, 1948, lot 513 (denarius, 3.64g)

Münzen und Medaillen A.G. Public Sale Catalog No. 43, 12-13 Nov 1970, lots 242 (aureus, 8.05g) and 243 (denarius, 3.88g) with monochrome pictures on plate 16. A color enlargement of the aureus is on plate 1. The estimated prices were SFr 90,000 and SFr 15,000 respectively, and realized SFr 75,000 and 17,000 plus fees. Lot 243 is the same coin as Sternberg 1 (1973), lot 15

Naville / Ars Classica XVII, 3 Oct 1934, lot 1117

The New York Sale 23, 7 Jan 2010, lot 115 (denarius, 3.69g, ) realized $43,125

Numismatica Ars Classica, 25 Feb 1992, lot 390 (denarius, 3.88g, S24)

Numismatica Ars Classica 39, 2007, lot 91 (denarius, 3.79g, S20)

Numismatica Ars Classica 45, 2 Apr 2008, lot 51 (denarius, 3,81g, S21)

Numismatica Ars Classica 54, 24 Mar 2010, lot 279 (aureus, 8.15g, G5)

Numismatica Ars Classica 70, 16 May 2013, lot 192 (aureus G1, 8.05)

Numismatic Fine Arts Catalog Sale XXV, lot 313 (aureus) realized US $150,000 plus fees

Wayte Raymond Auction 29 (21 Mar 1939), lot 438 (not lot 439 as sometimes mentioned)

Rollin et Feuardent, De Quelen Collection  (7 May 1888), lot 505

Roma Numismatics e-Sale 81 (25 Feb 2021), lot 1004

Sayles, Wayne G. Ancient Coin Collecting III: The Roman World -- Politics and Propaganda (1997), pp. 172, 182

Sear, David. The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators (1998), p. 208, Cat 340/341

Sear, David. Roman Coins and their Values (2000 ed.), no. 1457 (aureus), no. 1458 (denarius)

J. Schulman (Amsterdam), Coll. Vierordt, 5 Mar 1923, lot 508 (denarius, 3.64g)

S. Leigh Sotheby, Robert Boyne Sale (19 Jul 1843), lot 72

Soler y Llach Auction 1122 (26 Oct 2021), lot 492 (denarius 3.80g). Sold for €35,500

Sotheby's auction of the Athena Fund II, 26 Oct 1993, lot #91 (aureus). It sold for 176,000 SF including buyer's premium. The coin had been purchased for the Athena fund at 270,000 Swiss francs (£ 126,000) in 1989. It was estimated by Sotheby's at a bargain SFR 100,000-150,000 (£ 47,000- £ 70,000) and sold for SFR 176,000 francs (£ 82,000)

Spink, Geneva & Galerie des Monnaies (15 Feb 1977), lot 464

Sternberg 1 (1973), lot 15. Estimated at Sfr. 20,000, sold Sfr. 35,000. This is the same coin as Münzen und Medaillen AG 43 (1970), 243

Superior No. 13, August 1995, The Jacobs collection, lot 692 which realized $32,000 plus fees (same piece as Leu 45, lot 302). A black and white enlargement is on plate XXII

Sydenham, Edward A. The Coinage of the Roman Republic (1952), S.1536 (aureus), S.1357 (denarius)

The New York Sale 57 (10 Jan 2023), lot 145 (aureus)

Vagi, David L. Coinage and History of the Roman Empire (1999), vol. I, p. 70-71; Vol. II, p. 204, nos. 125 (aureus), 126 (denarius), 127 (provincial AR tetradrachm), 128 (provincial bronzes).


This page last updated 12 Aug 2023

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