Augustus aureus - £480,000

This aureus was made between 27 B.C. and 18 B.C. The early lifetime coin depicts the new portrait of Augustus transformed into an ageless Apollo-like figure on one side and an image of a heifer based on a long-lost masterpiece by a Greek sculptor on its reverse.

22 examples of the heifer-reverse aureus minted during the reign of Augustus are known, of which 15 are in museums. Of the seven in private collections, the one that sold is among the best and most sought after. Brisk bidding at the London auction in 2014 saw the price of the coin soar past its pre-sale estimate of £300k and eventually go for a hammer price of £400k.

In 27 BC Octavian, the great nephew of Julius Caesar, founded the Principate. He took the name of Augustus, meaning ‘stately’ or ‘dignified’, and began to stamp his authority on Rome. The depiction of Augustus is unlike the severe portraits found in late republican Rome. The young Octavian is a figure of calm dignity and power. The reverse celebrates the 28 BC dedication of the temple of Apollo on the Palatine which had as its centrepiece an altar with four statues of heifers by the sculptor Myron of Eleutherae.