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Author Topic: My Taras collection  (Read 66741 times)

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Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #125 on: May 30, 2016, 01:41:02 pm »
Quote from: Meepzorp on May 30, 2016, 12:48:37 am
Hi Enodia,

Congratulations on acquiring a very rare and interesting coin!!!

I didn't even know that type existed. I've never seen one for sale.

thank you.  :)
i was not aware of this type either, until it showed up at CNG. it's a shame it is so abused, but i found it too intriguing to pass up. i also like the way it puts a finishing stroke on the Nemean lion myth.

i have been scouring my catalog collection for another like it, but so far to no avail. i am very interested in any other examples anyone might know of, or any more information on this specimen.

~ Peter

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #126 on: July 17, 2016, 12:52:06 am »
here is a new diobol i got last month but have not been able to post due to technical difficulties.
it is another in the Herakles/Nemean lion series, this one featuring the opening scene in this mythological drama. as such it makes a nice counterpoint to the coin posted above, and bookends the battle rather nicely i think...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-129984

it isn't in great shape, but it is a quite scarce variety and it wasn't very expensive.

Joe once listed a different coin from this series in the Forvm shop, and in his comments mentioned that there were so many different interpretations of this battle that one could put together one of those old-fashioned flip books with each variety and thereby animate the entire battle. the idea of that stuck with me, and gave me an idea which i would like to exploit as soon as my computer is fixed (and for 'fixed' please read 'replaced').

so have a look and let me know what you think.   8)

~ Peter

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #127 on: August 03, 2016, 12:36:06 pm »
here's a new coin i've been trying to post for about a week now (still having access issues). it is a scarce little bronze which i've been looking for for a few years and finally found at auction recently...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130399

this coin is interesting as it mimics the silver fractions which ran at Taras for more than a century, and is similarly rich in Dionysian symbolism.

 :)

~ Peter





Offline quadrans

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #128 on: August 03, 2016, 01:29:28 pm »
Nice and interesting specimen... +++

Q.
All the Best :), Joe
My Gallery

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #129 on: August 03, 2016, 08:26:37 pm »
thank you quadrans.   :) 

~ Peter


Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #130 on: August 19, 2016, 02:31:34 pm »
today i'm showing off my latest didrachm from Taras, an early piece struck during the 2nd period of 'Horsemen', immediately after the 'transitional period' of the late 5th century BC.
this coin is interesting in that the dolphin is on the obverse, rather than the reverse as on all of the following didrachms for the next 200 years...

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-130686

here the ephebe is shown dismounting his galloping horse, probably as a part of the equestrian games during the annual festival to Apollo, and as such is a pre-cursor to this later pre-Pyrrhic  coin...

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-82071

enjoy!
~ Peter


Offline Molinari

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #131 on: August 19, 2016, 02:42:02 pm »
Both nice coins, congrats!

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #132 on: August 19, 2016, 03:22:20 pm »
Both nice coins, congrats!


thanks Nick!   :)

Offline quadrans

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #133 on: August 19, 2016, 11:15:26 pm »
Nice examples Peter... +++

 Q.
All the Best :), Joe
My Gallery

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #134 on: August 21, 2016, 02:33:32 pm »
thank you Q! 

~ Peter

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #135 on: October 09, 2016, 03:45:25 pm »
here are a couple more diobols from the Nemean lion series.

the first is another plate coin from the M.P. Vlasto collection which i am delighted to add to my own. the dark gun-barrel blue toning highlighted on the reverse with some reddish hues is really quite appealing, but unfortunately doesn't really translate to the picture... https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-132240

the second addition is a lovely little coin which is so much better in hand than the image reveals. it is well struck and nicely centered, with a very artistically rendered portrait and a cute little owl.
i really love this one...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-132254

enjoy,
~ Peter


Offline Sam

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #136 on: October 12, 2016, 08:05:14 am »
WoW , what  very nice micro-beauties  :) !

Phenomenal and fantastic additions.

Thank you for sharing Peter.
Sam Mansourati

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #137 on: October 14, 2016, 01:40:53 pm »
thank you Sam, you're very kind.

~ Peter


















Offline quadrans

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #138 on: October 15, 2016, 03:21:00 am »
here are a couple more diobols from the Nemean lion series.

the first is another plate coin from the M.P. Vlasto collection which i am delighted to add to my own. the dark gun-barrel blue toning highlighted on the reverse with some reddish hues is really quite appealing, but unfortunately doesn't really translate to the picture... https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-132240

the second addition is a lovely little coin which is so much better in hand than the image reveals. it is well struck and nicely centered, with a very artistically rendered portrait and a cute little owl.
i really love this one...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-132254

enjoy,
~ Peter



I like this both... +++

Regards
Q.
All the Best :), Joe
My Gallery

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #139 on: October 15, 2016, 04:45:14 am »
thank you Q!
the plate coin is really very nice in hand, but seems to be overshadowed by the little owl. perhaps i should have posted them separately?  ;)

Quote from: a gallery comment by Leo
Is this coin issue for memorizing the Alexander Molonsian? I am trying to find a book to read more details on Taras diobol. But it seems there little further information for it, not like the nomos.

i always enjoy discussing the coins of Taras Leo, however it is difficult to know for certain as this series ran for more than a century, and is sometimes hard to disambiguate from the very similar (but slightly earlier) series from Herakleia. it seems certain that both were minted as a federal issue of the Italiote League, but i do think that if it were commemorating Alexander then we might expect to see a more typically Epirote symbol than an owl.

you are right in saying that there is a dearth of information regarding this series, at least in English. i had, at one time, entertained the idea of adding a small monograph of my own to the collective knowledge, but alas, my muse has flown. perhaps someday.
until then i highly recommend doing a Forvm search for posts on the subject from my dear friend and sorely missed former member Taras, whose knowledgeable and erudite comments are an invaluable source of information on our favorite subject. i guarantee you will not be disappointed!

~ Peter


Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #140 on: November 02, 2016, 03:17:03 pm »
two more fractions i bought last month.

this one is a bookend to the diobol i posted just above, with the little owl standing on the lion's back. however this one has Athena facing left, and appears to be unlisted in Vlasto...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-132730

the next one is a tartemorion, and part of a series with the horses head on both sides. this one has the heads facing away in opposite directions and mates nicely with two others in my collection...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-132729

enjoy!
~ Peter


Offline quadrans

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #141 on: November 02, 2016, 03:32:11 pm »
It is nice both..
.. but my Favourite the tartemorion, both side horse... :) +++

Q.
All the Best :), Joe
My Gallery

Offline Sam

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #142 on: November 02, 2016, 04:14:45 pm »
Really  nice , I bet you if you can  find an artist in today 's world , can  fit all this in 11 mm without a help from a machine .
Sam Mansourati

Offline Enodia

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60!
« Reply #143 on: December 14, 2016, 03:29:40 pm »
thank you both.

today i'm showing off my latest coin, and the 60th of my Taras collection!
i've been waiting to add this one for some time, but couldn't find anything interesting that i didn't already have. i guess that's a common problem when a collection begins to grow...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-133432

anyway, i haven't seen this rare type come up for sale before, and i've been looking for many years, so i just knew i had to have it.  8)

the various attributions collide a little bit, with some references calling it a diobol and some a trihemiobol. seemingly a stalemate, but after some research and thought i have decided to go with the former. Vlasto claims it to be a trihemiobol based on the symbols around both sides, but the weight doesn't coincide with that denomination, and i believe the symbols to have more to do with the Dioskouri than a mark of value.
of course i could be wrong, but i like the denomination given in HN Italy better, and so until i see a convincing argument otherwise, diobol it is.
check! (and mate?)

enjoy,
~ Peter


Offline Molinari

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #144 on: December 14, 2016, 06:28:08 pm »
I love it.  I've never seen anything quite like it and it seems so unusual for Taras, no?

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #145 on: December 15, 2016, 01:46:38 am »
I love it.  I've never seen anything quite like it and it seems so unusual for Taras, no?


hi Nick, and thanks for the comment!   :)

yes, a bit different from the norm.
there are actually about 5 or 6 varieties of these horse head types, all scarce, all from about the same era and all a bit different from each other. most have a single horse on each side, facing in various directions. i have four of them now... both heads right, one left and one right, one right and one left, and this one. there is another with jugate horse heads, but that one is even more rare. i've been watching for one of those too, but i think that one might take awhile.

it's the  ) : (  symbols on this one which i find particularly interesting. Vlasto says they are a mark of value, but that is not typical of Tarentine coins in my experience. although the kantharos type obols do have a various numbers of pellets around the central device, they are still all the same denomination.
i really wish Nico was here to chime in.

take care,
~ Peter

Offline Molinari

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #146 on: December 15, 2016, 08:00:33 am »
I love it.  I've never seen anything quite like it and it seems so unusual for Taras, no?


i really wish Nico was here to chime in.


Me too. I keep bugging him to come back so we'll see.

Offline quadrans

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Re: 60!
« Reply #147 on: December 16, 2016, 01:34:51 am »
thank you both.

today i'm showing off my latest coin, and the 60th of my Taras collection!
i've been waiting to add this one for some time, but couldn't find anything interesting that i didn't already have. i guess that's a common problem when a collection begins to grow...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-133432

anyway, i haven't seen this rare type come up for sale before, and i've been looking for many years, so i just knew i had to have it.  8)

the various attributions collide a little bit, with some references calling it a diobol and some a trihemiobol. seemingly a stalemate, but after some research and thought i have decided to go with the former. Vlasto claims it to be a trihemiobol based on the symbols around both sides, but the weight doesn't coincide with that denomination, and i believe the symbols to have more to do with the Dioskouri than a mark of value.
of course i could be wrong, but i like the denomination given in HN Italy better, and so until i see a convincing argument otherwise, diobol it is.
check! (and mate?)

enjoy,
~ Peter



Great coin Peter....

Nice, rare and interesting ..and I like it .. :) +++ ;)

Q.
All the Best :), Joe
My Gallery

Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #148 on: January 07, 2017, 02:51:07 pm »
thanks Q.

I love it.  I've never seen anything quite like it and it seems so unusual for Taras, no?


i really wish Nico was here to chime in.

Me too. I keep bugging him to come back so we'll see.


try poking him with a stick!    ;)

here is my first coin of 2017, yet another Athena/Herakles diobol...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-133866

it was sold as Vlasto 1290v (Athena right), but it is actually Vlasto 1260.
it's a bit worn, but really does look nicer in hand. and while i'm not yet ready to list this coin as 'scarce', i have not found another 1260 anywhere online, so perhaps it is.   :)

~ Peter


Offline Enodia

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Re: My Taras collection
« Reply #149 on: January 28, 2017, 01:20:04 pm »
here's another obscure type from Taras...
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-134389

Vlasto lists this as an "unknown denomination", but at .48g it must certainly be an obol. however his example had the nymph facing left, and may have been unique. this right-facing type is unpublished as far as i can tell, with nothing else like it in any of my resources or on the internet (at least so far, but the search continues). and there are those pesky crescents again, although this time 'sans étoiles'.
the dating of this type is also in doubt, at least to my mind. Vlasto lists it as 520-473 BC, but the style seems to be from later in the 5th century.
all this ambiguity meant that i absolutely had to have it, and now it only remains to try and answer some of these questions. i am considering it to be very rare though.

off to hit the books one more time,
~ Peter


 

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