Hi All,
I am getting a Ptolemy bronze for my collection which measures 17.1mm in diameter and 2.4 grams in weight.
It is the later "high necked" type eagle but I am not sure if the obverse shows Zeus or Heracles.
I presume that is a Svoronos 1715 but the illustrations in ptolemybronze.com and in Svoronos are not very clear.
As mentioned, I presume that it is an Sv1715 but I HOPE that it is a Svoronos 1496.
The reason for this is that an illustration of Sv1496 in the article mentioned in ptolemybronze.com (Plate 18 #6 of "Bronze Coinage of Ptolemaic Egypt in the Second Century BC" by Lorber and Faucher) is fairly similar to mine.
I have included a photo of my coin and a second photo which shows both my coin and the one mentioned in the above article.
I would appreciate your comments on the matter.
All the best,
Col
Very likely your coin is Sv 1715, as you suspect. Afaik there are two known specimens of Sv 1496 - the one listed in
Svoronos and the one illustrated on
www.ptolemybronze.comAlas, the illustrations of
Svoronos's plate image (Plate 51, #16) are unavailable online unless the
Athens specimen listed by
Svoronos is now online somewhere. The one in the 'online'
Svoronos appears to be missing completely and the one in the
google book of
Svoronos is unfortunately spoiled (shows as a black blob). The picture of Sv 1496 in the Faucher and
Lorber paper might be photographed from the
Svoronos plates but I can't confirm it. The only illustration I can be certain of Sv 1496 is the one mentioned above.
If your coin were more clear we might be able to tell for sure if the
portrait is
Heracles (1496) or
Zeus (1715). It's a
bit thickly patinated but I can make out a large
Ammon horn (iow,
Zeus = 1715, not
Herakles = 1496).
Sv 1715 are also more common (though
Svoronos only lists one, without a
weight) and illustrations are easier to find and they look a lot like your coin. Compare yours with the Sv1715 from
CNG Auction 76, Lot 919 (12 September 2007). That illustration of Sv 1715 is clear front and back.
Svoronos's illustration of 1715 is not
very good.
Yours is also a
bit light
weight to be 1496 (two specimens at 3.7 and 3.74 grams vs. your 2.4).
If you do come upon a specimen of Sv 1496 please report the news. So little is known about Sv 1496 that any information and specimens will be welcome. Keep
hope alive.
PtolemAE