Is this from the Decapolis?

[jslade]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could help me identify this coin. After looking through the Forvm's catalog and seeing some similar turreted busts I suspect that it is from the Decapolis. It is hard to tell from these pics but the figures have very high relief. Can anyone provide me with some more information?

Sorry for the poor scan. I'm not sure how to get rid of the striations and those splotches are barely visable when looking at the actual coin.

Thanks!

[Automan]

Can't make out much of the writing on the rev, but it looks like a Phoenician bronze to me.

Auto

[jslade]

There are only two letters on the reverse, below the cornecopia. The first is an L and I think the second is an R or a K. The thing before the L is a bunch of grapes. The other dots are just the border.

[Howard Cole]

This might be from Gadara, one of the cities in the Decapolis (which means 10 cities).  This could be Lindgren I number 2205. 

It should weigh about 4.25 grams.  Bust of Tyche, turreted and veiled, facing right; palm branch over shoulder.  Reverse:   :Greek_Gamma:A :Greek_Delta:A PE :Greek_Omega:N  :Greek_Lambda:EK Cornucopiae.

[curtislclay]

Howard is right about mint and types, I think, but jslade's spec. is from a different year.
It's Spijkerman 5, LK downward by cornucopia, i.e. Year 20 =45/44 BC.  Mint name is on other side of cornucopia, off flan on jslade's specimen.
Lindgren 2205 is Spijkerman 7, mint name flanking cornucopia on both sides, date LEK = Year 25 = 40/39 BC in l. field.

[jslade]

Thanks for the help guys. This was the first coin that I've tried to attribute since I started buying uncleaned lots and there wasn't much in the way of writing to go on.

I have two more questions though: 1) What is the denomination of this coin, and does the Spijkerman refference give any indication of the rarity?

Thanks,

Jslade

[curtislclay]

        Denominations of Greek imperial bronze coins are a difficult subject, because they are rarely indicated on the coin and there is usually no literary or inscriptional evidence to clarify the question. 
        That is why modern descriptions of such coins usually omit any guess at the denomination and just specify diameter in mm and weight, e.g. "AE 18, 4.25g."  Such is the practice of Spijkerman:  he makes no attempt to identify the denominations of any of the coins of the Decapolis in his catalogue.
        Your coin won't be particularly rare, since the Franciscan collection catalogued by Spijkerman contained three specimens of it.  Since the book is simply a catalogue of a particular collection, no rarity ratings are assigned.