Coins and Antiquities Consignment Shop
  Welcome To Forum Ancient Coins!!! All Items Purchased From Forum Ancient Coins Are Guaranteed Authentic For Eternity!!! Please Call Us If You Have Questions 252-646-1958 or 252-497-2724 Expert Authentication - Accurate Descriptions - Reasonable Prices - Coins From Under $10 To Museum Quality Rarities Welcome To Forum Ancient Coins!!! All Items Purchased From Forum Ancient Coins Are Guaranteed Authentic For Eternity!!! Internet Challenged? We Are Happy To Take Your Order Over The Phone 252-646-1958 Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!!

×Catalog Main Menu
Fine Coins Showcase

Antiquities Showcase
New & Reduced


Show Empty Categories
Shop Search
Shopping Cart
My FORVM
Contact Us
About Forum
Shopping at Forum
Our Guarantee
Payment Options
Shipping Options & Fees
Privacy & Security
Forum Staff
Selling Your Coins
Identifying Your Coin
FAQs
zoom.asp
   View Categories
Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Animals| ▸ |Lion||View Options:  |  |  |   

Lions on Ancient Coins
Roman, Bronze Krater Handle Ornamented with Lions, c. 1st - 3rd Century A.D.

|Metal| |Antiquities|, |Roman,| |Bronze| |Krater| |Handle| |Ornamented| |with| |Lions,| |c.| |1st| |-| |3rd| |Century| |A.D.|
Click here to see the line drawing of Catalogue des bronzes antiques de la Bibliothèque National no. 1446, a nearly identical handle in the Bibliothèque nationale de France published in 1895.
AM23903. Roman bronze krater handle; cf. BnF Bronzes 1446, Superb, about as made with the addition of an an attractive green patina, c. 1st - 3rd Century A.D.; 12 cm (4 7/8") tall, on the upper part, which would have been attached atop the rim of the vessel: a lion's head faces inward, its back arching above, between two lions lying in opposite directions, on the lower part: acanthus and scrolls between two snakes with heads upward, ex Griffin Gallery of Ancient Art (Boca Raton FL); $1600.00 (€1504.00)
 


Aspendos, Pamphylia, c. 465 - 430 B.C.

|Aspendos|, |Aspendos,| |Pamphylia,| |c.| |465| |-| |430| |B.C.||stater|NEW
In 467 B.C. the Athenian statesman and military commander Cimon, and his fleet of 200 ships, destroyed the Persian navy based at the mouth of the river Eurymedon in a surprise attack. In order to crush to Persian land forces, he tricked the Persians by sending his best fighters ashore wearing the garments of the hostages he had seized earlier. When they saw these men, the Persians thought that they were compatriots freed by the enemy and arranged festivities in celebration. Taking advantage of this, Cimon landed and annihilated the Persians. Aspendos then became a member of the Attic-Delos Maritime league.

Roma Numismatics speculated that the undertype of the present coin was the uncertain Cypriot stater of the ram with ankh symbol/laurel branch type. A tantalizing suggestion, but a likelier candidate for the host stater is an issue of neighboring Side with a pomegranate on the obverse and the head of Athena within an incuse square on the reverse. On the warrior side of our Aspendus coin, we see hints of the fruit, including its prominent stem flanked by two leaves. There are also suggestions of Athena’s neck on the reverse.
GS114035. Silver stater, SNG Fitzwilliam 5052 (same rev. die); SNG BnF 2 var. (no tortoise; same rev. die); cf. SNGvA 4484 (EΣ only; rev. tortoise; lion btw triskeles), aVF, oval flan struck with worn dies, clean bright surfaces, overstruck with traces of undertype visible on both sides, weight 10.896 g, maximum diameter 24.6 mm, die axis 180o, Aspendos (Serik, Turkey) mint, c. 465 - 430 B.C.; obverse warrior advancing right, wearing crested helmet, nude, couched spear in right hand, round shield on left arm, tortoise between legs; reverse triskeles of human legs clockwise, EΣT high across field, crouching lion lower left behind triskeles, all within an incuse square; interesting overstrike; ex Roma Numismatics e-sale 112 (7 Sep 2023), lot 408; $350.00 (€329.00)
 


Mytilene, Lesbos, 521 - 478 B.C., Ancient Counterfeit

|Lesbos|, |Mytilene,| |Lesbos,| |521| |-| |478| |B.C.,| |Ancient| |Counterfeit||hekte|
Counterfeiting began almost immediately after the first coinage was introduced. The official Mytilene coin was solid electrum, a mixture of gold and silver. This coin is plated with electrum over a base core, struck by a criminal counterfeiter in ancient times, intended for circulation as the official prototype. The low weight identifies this as is a plated coin.
GA114610. Fouree electrum plated hekte, cf. Bodenstedt 9.1, HGC 6 933 (official Mytilene mint prototype, solid electrum), VF, rough spots, weight 2.086 g, maximum diameter 10.3 mm, die axis 180o, unofficial criminal mint, 521 - 478 B.C.; obverse forepart of winged lion left; reverse incuse head of cock left, rectangular punch to right; $250.00 (€235.00)
 


Nero, 13 October 54 - 9 June 68 A.D., Docimeium, Phrygia

|Other| |Phrygia|, |Nero,| |13| |October| |54| |-| |9| |June| |68| |A.D.,| |Docimeium,| |Phrygia||AE| |18|
Cybele was born a hermaphrodite, but castrated by the gods, she became female. Heeding the Sibylline oracle the senate brought her worship to Rome in 204 B.C. as the first officially sanctioned Eastern cult. After approval, they were dismayed to learn that the priesthood required voluntary self-castration, which was abhorrent to the Romans. Romans were barred from entering the priesthood or even entering the priest's sanctuary. The eunuch priests, recruited from outside Rome, were confined to their sanctuary, leaving only to parade in the streets during festivals in April. Claudius removed the bans on Roman participation, making worship of Cybele and her consort Attis part of the state religion.
RP113887. Brass AE 18, RPC I 3213.3 (same c/m); BMC Phrygia p. 191, 18 (same); Waddington 5954 (same); Hunterian II 2 = SNG Hunt I 2042 (same); c/m: Howgego 224, VF, well-defined countermark, dark patina, open edge crack, weight 3.064 g, maximum diameter 18.1 mm, die axis 0o, Docimeium (Iscehisar, Turkey) mint, c. 55 A.D.(?); obverse NEPΩN KAIΣAP, bare-headed draped bust of young Nero right, countermark: bearded bust left in an oval punch; reverse Cybele standing facing, between two lions, both turned away from her, but looking back in anticipation, ΔOKI/MEΩN divided in two upward lines above lions; $110.00 (€103.40)
 


Lot of 4 Silver Fractions From Phoenicia, c. 425 - 300 B.C.

|Phoenicia|, |Lot| |of| |4| |Silver| |Fractions| |From| |Phoenicia,| |c.| |425| |-| |300| |B.C.||Lot|
 
GA97055. Silver Lot, Phoenician silver fractions, c. 0.6g - 0.8g, c. 9mm, 4 coins, $100.00 (€94.00)
 


Republic of Venice, Doge Marco Cornaro, July 1365 - 13 January 1367

|Venice|, |Republic| |of| |Venice,| |Doge| |Marco| |Cornaro,| |July| |1365| |-| |13| |January| |1367||soldino|NEW
Marco Cornaro (c. 1286 – 13 January 1368), also known as Marco Corner, was the 59th doge of Venice, ruling between 1365 and 1368. Cornaro was instrumental in the discovery and suppression of an attempted coup d'état in 1355 by the then doge Marino Faliero, who intended to declare himself prince of Venice. His brief reign saw the loss of Venetian territory to Genoa and the Ottoman Empire. He was successful in re-establishing Venetian trade with Egypt by convincing Urban V to rescind his prohibition on dealing with infidels. Venice enjoyed economic growth during his rule.
ME113988. Silver soldino, CNI VII 2, Paolucci 2, VF, well centered, areas of weak strike, light scratches and marks, weight 0.503 g, maximum diameter 15.7 mm, die axis 0o, Venice mint, Jul 1365 - 13 Jan 1367; obverse + MARC' COR-NAR' DVX, Doge kneeling left, holding banner; reverse +S MARCVS VENETI, Lion of Venice (San Marcus) rampant left, holding banner, 3 to left; $60.00 (€56.40)
 


Normans, Kingdom of Sicily, William II, 1166 - 1189 A.D.

|Sicily|, |Normans,| |Kingdom| |of| |Sicily,| |William| |II,| |1166| |-| |1189| |A.D.||trifollaro|
In about 1184, King William II of Sicily began minting at Messina a trifollaro with a lion's face (or mask) on the obverse and a fruited date-palm on the reverse. The lion's face appears to be a copy of a Siculo-Punic coin minted at Messina in the fifth century BC - 1500 years earlier. These may still have been in circulation in Messina in 1184. The date-palm may have been a symbol meant for William's Muslim subjects, since the Quran says Mary ate dates at the time of Jesus' birth.
ME113746. Bronze trifollaro, MEC Italy III 425 ff., Travaini 166 ff., Biaggi 1231, Spahr I 117, aVF, green patina, corrosion, encrustation, off center, weight 10.517 g, maximum diameter 24.7 mm, die axis 0o, Messina mint, second copper coinage; obverse facing lion head mask; reverse palm tree with dates; $45.00 (€42.30)
 


Komama, Pisidia, 1st Century B.C.

|Pisidia|, |Komama,| |Pisidia,| |1st| |Century| |B.C.||AE| |16|
 
GB112101. Bronze AE 16, Von Aulock Komama 3, BMC Lycia -, Weber -, VF, dark patina, earthen encrustation, weight 2.304 g, maximum diameter 15.8 mm, die axis 90o, Komama mint, 1st century B.C.; obverse laureate head of Zeus right; reverse lion forepart, KO below; from the Michael Arslan Collection; rare; $12.01 (€11.29)


Lydian Kingdom, Kroisos, c. 561 - 546 B.C.

|Lydian| |Kingdom|, |Lydian| |Kingdom,| |Kroisos,| |c.| |561| |-| |546| |B.C.||siglos| |(half-stater)|
The Lydian King Croesus minted the first silver and gold coins. He was famous for his extraordinary wealth, but after his defeat by Cyrus in 546 B.C. Lydia became a Persian satrapy. The Persian conquerors of Lydia continued to strike the same Croesus' silver half siglos and gold stater types. This coin is an early example issued under Croesus. We can tell it is an early example because the lion and the bull were struck separately, with one punch at a time. Later examples appear to have been struck with single punch only made to look like two separate punches.
GA33281. Silver siglos (half-stater), BMC Lydia p. 7, 45, pl. 1, 18; SNG Cop 456; SNG Kayhan 1024; SNG Ashmolean 762; SNGvA 2877; Rosen 663; SGCV II 3420, gVF, weight 5.375 g, maximum diameter 16.3 mm, probably Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 561 - 546 B.C.; obverse on the left, forepart of a roaring lion right, confronting, on the right, the forepart of a bull left; reverse two incuse square punches, of unequal size, side by side; SOLD


Lydian Kingdom, Uncertain King Before Kroisos, c. 625 - 546 B.C.

|Lydian| |Kingdom|, |Lydian| |Kingdom,| |Uncertain| |King| |Before| |Kroisos,| |c.| |625| |-| |546| |B.C.||Trite| |(1/3| |Stater)|
The knob on the lion's snout is also described as a "wart," and as the radiant Sun.
SH85432. Electrum Trite (1/3 Stater), Weidauer Series XVI 86, SNGvA 2869, SNG Kayhan 1013, Rosen 655, Boston MFA 1763, VF, bumps and marks, earthen deposits, weight 4.709 g, maximum diameter 12.8 mm, Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint, c. 625 - 546 B.C; obverse Head of roaring lion right, with knob rays atop snout; reverse two incuse squares; SOLD




  



CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE FROM THIS CATEGORY - FORVM's PRIOR SALES



Catalog current as of Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Page created in 1.5 seconds.
All coins are guaranteed for eternity