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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Animals||View Options:  |  |  |   

Animals on Ancient Coins

Browse all our coins and antiquities depicting animals below or use the menu on the left to select specific types of animals.

Roman Republic, Anonymous, c. 280 B.C.

|before| |211| |B.C.|, |Roman| |Republic,| |Anonymous,| |c.| |280| |B.C.||triens|
The triens (plural trientes) was an Ancient Roman bronze coin produced during the Roman Republic valued at one-third of an as. HUGE 50.5 mm and 83.3 gram bronze!
SH110921. Aes grave (cast) triens, Crawford 14/3 var. (pellets below dolphin); Thurlow-Vecchi 3a var. (same); Haeberlin pl. 39, 15 var. (same); HN Italy 270 var. (same); Sydenham 10, VF, dark green patina, earthen deposits, a few flan flaws, weight 83.342 g, maximum diameter 50.5 mm, die axis 270o, Rome mint, heavy series, c. 280 B.C.; obverse fulmen (thunderbolt), four pellets (mark of value) divided across field; reverse dolphin swimming right, four pellets (mark of value) above; ex CNG auction 90 (23 May 2012), lot 1278; ex L.C. Aes Grave Collection; this coin is the only specimen on Coin Archives and the only specimen known to FORVM with the pellets above the dolphin, HUGE 50.5 mm and 83.3 gram bronze!; extremely rare variant; $2000.00 (€1880.00)


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)


Aegina, Saronic Islands, Greece, c. 525 - 475 B.C.

|Aegina|, |Aegina,| |Saronic| |Islands,| |Greece,| |c.| |525| |-| |475| |B.C.||stater|
"Greek Turtles" minted on the island of Aegina were most likely the first coins struck in Europe. They were popular in their own time and accepted for payment far from the island. Because they were the first European coin type and because they are attractive and interesting, the "Greek Turtle" is considered a "must have" by many ancient coin collectors.
GS112504. Silver stater, HGC 6 433 (S); Meadows Aegina Group IIc; Asyut Group VI; SNG Cop 503; SNG Munchen 536; Milbank -, BMC Attica -, F, tight flan, bumps and marks, punch on rev., weight 11.808 g, maximum diameter 19.0 mm, Aigina (Aegina) mint, c. 525 - 475 B.C.; obverse sea-tortoise (Chelone Caouana) or common loggerhead turtle of the Mediterranean, collar at the top and row of six dots down the middle the ridge of the shell; reverse incuse square with skew device; from the P.S. Collection, ex Calgary Coin, ex Alberta Coins, ex Harlan J. Berk, ex Lewis Egnew Collection; scarce; $500.00 (€470.00)


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)


Ephesos, Ionia (or perhaps Bargylia, Caria or Amyntas, King of Galatia), c. 2nd - 1st Century B.C.

|Ephesos|, |Ephesos,| |Ionia| |(or| |perhaps| |Bargylia,| |Caria| |or| |Amyntas,| |King| |of| |Galatia),| |c.| |2nd| |-| |1st| |Century| |B.C.||trihemiobol|
The type is most often attributed to Ephesos, but the style and denomination/weight do not strongly support any link to that city. NGC tags for the type note the origin may be Bargylia, Caria. The style certainly fits Bargylia better than Ephesos. The consignor of this coin, a professional numismatist, believes it was struck under Amyntas, King of Galatia, 37 - 25 B.C. Amyntas also issued Artemis and stag types.
GS98643. Silver trihemiobol, cf. SNG Davis 270, SNG Cop -, SNG Kayhan -, SNGvA -, BMC Galatia -, aVF, toned, light marks and scratches, weight 1.337 g, maximum diameter 12.3 mm, die axis 0o, Ephesos (near Selçuk, Turkey) mint, c. 2nd - 1st Century B.C.; obverse draped bust of Artemis right, quiver at shoulder; reverse forepart of stag right, head turned back left; extremely rare; $310.00 (€291.40)


Trajan Decius, September 249 - June or July 251 A.D.

|Trajan| |Decius|, |Trajan| |Decius,| |September| |249| |-| |June| |or| |July| |251| |A.D.||antoninianus|
Adventus Augustus inscriptions commemorate the emperor's arrival at Rome, either at the commencement of his reign or on his return from a distance.
SL114190. Silver antoninianus, RIC IV 11b, RSC IV 4, Hunter III 6, SRCV III 9366, NGC MS, strike 3/5, surface 4/5 (2420192-001), weight 4.13 g, maximum diameter 22 mm, die axis 45o, Rome mint, 249 - 251 A.D.; obverse IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse ADVENTVS AVG (arrival of the Emperor), Trajan Decius on horseback left, raising right hand in salute, scepter in left hand,; from the Craig Chambers Collection, NGC| Lookup; $300.00 (€282.00)


Anglo-Gallic, Edward III, 25 January 1327 – 21 June 1377

|France|, |Anglo-Gallic,| |Edward| |III,| |25| |January| |1327| |–| |21| |June| |1377||obole| |au| |lion|
The Aquitanian title on both sides seems to suggest this coin was struck c. 1325 - 1326, when Edward III was Duke of Aquitaine but not yet King of England, but Elias dates the type the second half of the 1350's based on style. This type and similar billon Anglo-Gallic coins looked silver when issued, but after some use turned black, hence their nickname, "black money." They were usually hastily and poorly struck, heavily circulated and worn, and seldom hoarded. Surviving examples are now rare and mostly low grade. This type is very rare.
ME112522. Billon obole au lion, Elias 110c (RR), Duplessy Féodales 1109 var. (obv. title ED':REX: ARGLIE), Boudeau 503 var. (same), aVF, broken with fragment lost, clashed obv. die, deposits, corrosion, weight 0.489 g, maximum diameter 14.9 mm, die axis 270o, Bordeaux(?) mint, 4th type, 1350 - 1360; obverse + ED' : DVX : AeITANIE (Edward, Duke of Aquitaine), leopard passant left on straight line, mB' (Moneta Burdegalensis?) below line; reverse +DVX : AeITANIE (Duke of Aquitaine), short cross pattée within inner circle, pellet under crown in second angle; ex Gordon Andreas Singer, very rare with the Aquitanian title on both sides!; $270.00 (€253.80)


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)


Roman Republic, Dictatorship of Julius Caesar, L. Valerius Acisculus, 45 B.C.

|Julius| |Caesar|, |Roman| |Republic,| |Dictatorship| |of| |Julius| |Caesar,| |L.| |Valerius| |Acisculus,| |45| |B.C.||denarius|NEW
The denarii of the moneyer, Lucius Valerius Acisculus have been the subject of much scholarly head scratching, with this fascinating and unusual issue being no exception. David Sear in Roman Silver Coins I: Republic to Augustus (1978) interpreted the reverse in the traditional fashion, with Valeria Luperca (the sister of the early Roman consul Publicola) riding a heifer, a supposed allusion to a legend of the moneyer's family, retold by Plutarch. However, in Sear's The History and Coinage of the Roman Imperators 49 - 27 BC (1998), he had completely revised his description of the coin type in reaction to research conducted by Michael Crawford, "who prefers to see Europa riding on the bull." Sear goes on to say, "In mythology, Zeus fell in love with this Phoenician princess and, turning himself into a bull, enticed her to ride on his back whereupon he swam out to sea and took her to Crete where she bore him several children. Is it too fanciful to see in this type a reference to Queen Cleopatra of Egypt who, at Caesar's invitation in 46 BC, had crossed the sea to join him in Rome where she remained until his assassination?"
RR114360. Silver denarius, Crawford 474/1a, Sydenham 998, BMCRR 4099, Sear Imperators 90, RBW 1656, RSC Valeria 17 (£75), Babelon Valeria 17, gVF, uneven, off-centered strike, two 'I'-shaped marks in front of Apollo (banker's marks?), weight 3.932 g, maximum diameter 19.6 mm, die axis 90o, Rome mint, 45 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Apollo to right, star above, acisculus (double-headed pick) behind with ACISCVLVS in between and below head; reverse Europa seated on bull to right, holding billowing veil, L•VALERIVS in exergue; first specimen of this type handled by FORVM; $200.00 (€188.00)


Caria, Uncertain Mint D (?), c. 480 - 450 B.C.

|Other| |Caria|, |Caria,| |Uncertain| |Mint| |D| |(?),| |c.| |480| |-| |450| |B.C.||hemitartemorion|NEW
The denomination of hemitartemorion for our tiny silver fraction must remain uncertain. Troxell thought the Carian "Uncertain Mint D" series was struck according to the Attic standard, the Persic was supported in SNG Keckman I, and Konuk has favored the Milesian in his work, including SNG Kayhan I and "Coin Legends in Carian," in Ignacio Adiego's The Carian Language (2007). Historia Numorum Online (HNO) also states the coins are on the Milesian standard. If a Milesian stater weighs 14.2 grams, than the theoretical weight of a hemitartemorion would be ~0.15 grams.

Although the faces of both bulls do look a little "man-faced," Prof. Nicholas Molinari, author of ΠOTAMIKON: Sinews of Acheloios, A Comprehensive Catalog of the Bronze Coinage of the Man-Faced Bull, with Essays on Origin and Identity (2016), has expressed doubts on this hypothesis, although he was careful not to say it contained a bunch of bull.

For more information on another, more certain, "Uncertain Mint D" issue, search for GA113198 in the FORVM Shop catalog.
GA113197. Silver hemitartemorion, cf. HNO T2613 (larger denomination, different style), Troxwell Carians -, SNG Keckman I -, SNG Kayhan I -, Konuk Carian -, gF, well-defined bulls, grainy surfaces, rev. off-centered in an incuse circle, weight 0.174 g, maximum diameter 5.3 mm, die axis 180o, uncertain Carian mint, c. 480 - 450 B.C.; obverse forepart of an anthropomorphized(?) bull right with both forelegs; reverse forepart of an anthropomorphized(?) bull left with both forelegs; from the Michael Arslan Collection, possibly an unpublished hemitartemorion issue; extremely rare; $170.00 (€159.80)




  



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