Greek Coin? Lyre reverse.

[Al R]

Greek Coin? Lyre reverse.

Greetings. I’m a newly retired, lifelong Morgan $ enthusiast just joined the Forvm. I purchased a lot of 10 + 2 free Roman LRB’s for <$18.00 against my better judgement. All, save for 2 were ruined by the seller using aggressive chemical cleaning. Got an decent Honorius Bronze, VIRTVS EXERCITI, Antioch in Fine condition with splayed rim. Need Help with what resources I should search to attribute the 2nd not too destroyed coin. It’s a poorly cleaned 11mm Greek (?) coin with Lyre reverse, no visible marking except for possibly a Lambda at 7 o’clock on the reverse. Could use some direction, what attribution resources I should begin searching. Please see photos. I thank you in advance for your input.

Al Roman (yes, that’s truly my last name)

[shanxi]

My guess is Hamaxitos


https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4947857

[Al R]

Shanxi,

Thank you for your prompt reply looks like you nailed it! I’m going to do some research on my acquisition. Thanks again for your help!

Al Roman

[Meepzorp]

Hi AR,

Welcome to the wonderful world of ancient coin collecting!

Please make an appointment soon to be fitted for a strait jacket and to select a padded room at the "funny farm". Just kidding!

I am a moderator of the Greek section of Forum. I corrected the error in your topic title. I "cleaned it up" and made it more concise.

It is a shame that those coin were ruined by harsh cleaning. Some people don't know enough to leave things alone.

You asked about resources for attributing ancient coins in the future. Regarding online resources, as shanxi pointed out, acsearch is an excellent website. Wildwinds is another.

There are also many excellent reference books, depending on what time period and/or geographic area you want to explore.

Meepzorp

[Al R]

Meepzorp,

Thank you for revising my 1st botched attempt at posting a question. I’ll be more careful next time (still learning how to post).

I’ve always admired the beautifully executed designs of Greek coins. Truth be told I was torn between beginning my ancient coin collection with either Roman or Greek coins. Not sure where to turn, as yet.

Waiting for an order of uncleaned Roman coins to arrive. Do you know of any trusted sources for uncleaned Greek coins? I’m retired now with more spare time than I had before and as such, according to my wife, I’m officially a coin geek now that I finally joined the Forvm. 

Happy to be a coin geek!

Thanks again

Al Roman

[Nathan P]

Welcome to the hobby! You can start with uncleaned coins, but for me personally, I think you'll find it more rewarding to buy higher quality coins at auction or fixed price from reputable dealers such as this one. I personally prefer the excitement of an auction and trying to score a great deal. As far as what to collect, that's up to whatever periods in history you find most interesting - I love learning all about the people and places surrounding the coins I purchase. Probably the best thing to do is to go through the catalogs of reputable auction houses to see what's out there and what interests you. You'll start seeing the same types of coins in various conditions over and over again, and you'll get an idea of what you like and how much the coins that interest you tend to cost. Good luck!

[Al R]

Nathan,

Thank you for your input. I’ll get through the uncleaned Roman LRB’s that are coming in the mail just to get it out of my system. Meanwhile I’ll take your advice and begin targeting an era of interest.

Thank you again

Al Roman