Roman Gold set for auction - Allectus - $700k

A metal detectorist found a gold coin in Kent with the image of the Roman Emperor Allectus with two kneeling captives at the feet of the god Apollo on the obverse. In power from 293 to 296 AD, Allectus was one of two Roman emperors who ruled Britannia and northern Gaul as an independent nation between 286 and 296 AD. The British Museum owns the only other known example of an Allectus aureus, and no one has discovered a coin bearing his visage in 50 years.

The coin was estimated to sell for between $90,000 and $127,000. Warring bidders pushed that to $700k.

A bronze antoninianus coin of Allectus is notable for the history it reflects. The coin was offered March 11 where it realized a hammer price of €550 ($618 U.S.) against a pre-sale estimate of €200 ($225 U.S.). Slender and shallow ships were used in Roman rivers until late antiquity and played a significant military role. The ship was easy to navigate and thus sailors could be trained quickly. Each carried 50 men, with 30 of them rowing.