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Author Topic: Help identifying greek coin  (Read 538 times)

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Offline Alan M3

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Help identifying greek coin
« on: January 26, 2023, 04:46:51 pm »
Hi I have this Greek coin that I think has Zeus on it. What is this supposed to be?

Offline Molinari

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2023, 06:49:50 pm »
The pictures are a bit rough—can you get better focus and crop out everything but the coins.  Also, better lighting on reverse to see inscription.

Offline Alan M3

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2023, 07:47:48 pm »
The pictures are a bit rough—can you get better focus and crop out everything but the coins.  Also, better lighting on reverse to see inscription.

I uploaded better pictures but it's still hard to decipher.

Offline Molinari

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2023, 08:08:26 pm »
Obverse looks like Herakles instead of Zeus to me.  Can you make out any of the letters on the reverse?

Offline Molinari

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2023, 08:10:25 pm »
Maybe Sardes?  I see similar ones with a beardless Herakles from there.  Perhaps a start.

Offline Curtis JJ

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2023, 08:42:13 pm »
It does look like Herakles and reminds me of the fabric of those Sardes types (I've got a few). But I think usually they have something besides a legend in the wreath. There were other Lydian cities that struck similar coins. Like this one from Thyateira (this is a Provincial, Alan's coin seems a bit earlier?) [LINK]:



If it is Zeus, it would be similar to one of these Phygrian, Eumeneia types [LINK]:



Personally, I would favor the former.
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Offline Meepzorp

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2023, 01:58:57 am »
Obverse looks like Herakles instead of Zeus to me.

Hi Nick,

I thought the exact same thing when I first looked at it yesterday.

It looks like Herakles or Melqart.

Meepzorp

Offline Meepzorp

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2023, 01:59:57 am »
Hi Alan,

Do you know the size or weight?

Meepzorp

Offline Altamura

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2023, 02:31:41 am »
I also would say it is the Herakles/Apollo type from Sardes:
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=9777859
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=7647679
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5768960

You see on the top of the reverse the head of Apollo and the Σ from the legend ΣΑΡΔΙΑΝΟΝ on the right and the first letter of some magistrate's name on the left.

Regards

Altamura



Offline Mark Fox

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #9 on: January 27, 2023, 02:17:39 pm »
Dear Alan and Board,

Sorry for the slow response.  My Internet connection died last night in the middle of researching your coin... 

In any case, Altamura almost certainly has it right.  The apparent "beard" on Heracles is possibly due to wear and/or a striking or die-related issue.  What I also can add to Altamura's observations is the probable name "ΚΩΚΟΣ," the first two letters of which are also readable on Alan's coin, to the left of Apollo.  I have looked high and low for a picture of this elusive magistrate issue (short of consulting Dane Kurth's GRPC Lydia, which I do not have), but have pictorially come up empty-handed.  That said, a single specimen is described in the following two works:

https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010866735/page/260/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/catalogueofgreek02hunt/page/464/mode/2up

Hope that helps a little more!


Best regards,

Mark Fox
Michigan

Offline Alan M3

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Re: Help identifying greek coin
« Reply #10 on: January 27, 2023, 03:47:44 pm »
Dear Alan and Board,

Sorry for the slow response.  My Internet connection died last night in the middle of researching your coin... 

In any case, Altamura almost certainly has it right.  The apparent "beard" on Heracles is possibly due to wear and/or a striking or die-related issue.  What I also can add to Altamura's observations is the probable name "ΚΩΚΟΣ," the first two letters of which are also readable on Alan's coin, to the left of Apollo.  I have looked high and low for a picture of this elusive magistrate issue (short of consulting Dane Kurth's GRPC Lydia, which I do not have), but have pictorially come up empty-handed.  That said, a single specimen is described in the following two works:

https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010866735/page/260/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/catalogueofgreek02hunt/page/464/mode/2up

Hope that helps a little more!


Best regards,

Mark Fox
Michigan


Hi Mark,

Very neat. Even though it is worn. I am happy to own a rare or at least uncommon coin. [Removed by Admin].



 

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