| Last additions - Enodia's Gallery |
Seleukid Kingdom, Reign of Antiochos IV (Epiphanes)175-173/2 BC
AE16 (16mm, 3.55g)
O: Veiled bust of Laodike IV, within dotted border.
R: Elephant's head left, tripod behind; BAΣIΛEΩΣ - ANTIOXOY above and below, [ΘE]K ex.
Antioch mint
Sear 1691v
ex Marc Breitsprecher Numismatics EnodiaMay 29, 2021
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Seleukid Kingdom, Reign of Antiochos IV (Epiphanes)175-173/2 BC
AE16 (16mm, 3.55g)
O: Veiled bust of Laodike IV, within dotted border.
R: Elephant's head left, tripod behind; BAΣIΛEΩΣ - ANTIOXOY above and below, [ΘE]K ex.
Antioch mint
Sear 1691v
ex Marc Breitsprecher NumismaticsEnodiaMay 26, 2021
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Taras, Calabria380-334 BC
AR Diobol (11.5mm, 0.88g)
O: Head of Athena left, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with wing.
R: Herakles kneeling right, wrestling the Nemean lion; club in right hand.
Scarce
Vlasto 1284; HN Italy 911
ex LAC
EnodiaApr 02, 2021
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Taras, Calabria380-334 BC
AR Diobol (13mm, 1.11g)
O: Head of Athena left, wearing unadorned crested Attic helmet.
R: Herakles kneeling right, wrestling the Nemean lion.
Scarce
Vlasto 1344; Cote 259
ex LAC
EnodiaApr 02, 2021
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Athens, Attica454-431 BC
AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 16.95g)
O: Head of Athena with archaic eye right, wearing Attic helmet decorated with palmette and olive leaves.
R: Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and cresent moon above, AΘE to right, all within incuse square.
SNG Cop 31; Kroll 8; Sear 2526
ex Steven Battelle
With her almond eye and Mona Lisa-like grin, along with her companion owl (Athene Noctua), these classic 5th century tetradrachms from Athens are truly THE iconic ancient coin.EnodiaMar 16, 2021
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Taras, Calabria430-425 BC (Period I - Transitional)
AR Didrachm (22mm, 7.78g)
O: Phalanthos riding dolphin right, right hand leaning on dolphin's back, left arm extended; scallop shell below.
R: Naked boy riding horse standing right.
Vlasto 267; Fischer-Bossert 231f; Evans I, Type C; SNG France 1678; cf Cote 103; HGC I, 761; HN Italy 847
Scarce
ex London Ancient Coins
While the 'Equestrian' types are the most common and readily recognizable didrachms from Taras they were far from the first. The dolphin rider was initially depicted on late 6th century broad flan incuse coins, and later paired with the seated oikist, either as the obverse or the reverse, but the horseman did not make his first appearance until the middle of the 5th century BC, and then as the reverse motif. Sir Arthur Evans (The Horsemen of Tarentum, 1889) declared this era 'Period 1' and called it transitional as the dolphin rider would move to the reverse later in the century and the horseman would claim his rightful place on the front. It would remain this way until the mint closed circa 212 BC.
As an aside it is my belief that the young nude jockey throughout the series is actually Taras, son of Poseidon the God of horses.
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Taras, Calabria302-281 BC (Period VI - From Kleonymos to Pyrrhus)
AR Didrachm (20x24mm, 7.23g, 9h)
Nikottas Magistrate.
O: Helmeted warrior dismounting horse galloping left, holding small round shield; [EY above], NIKΩTTAΣ (magistrate) below.
R: Taras riding dolphin right, holding trident over left shoulder and hurling javelin with right hand; ΛY behind, TAPAΣ to right, small hippocamp right below.
Vlasto 699; Evans VI, Type E; SNG ANS 1075; HGC I, 817; HN Italy 968
ex London Ancient Coins
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Taras, Calabria480-430 BC
AR Hemilitron (7mm, 0.38g)
O: Scallop shell with 7 teeth.
R: Head of Satyra (Taras?) left, hair rolled.
Vlasto 1186; SNG France 1642; Cote 58; McGill II, 146; HN Italy 841
ex London Ancient Coins
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Dionysopolis, Moesia3rd-1sr century BC
Æ 22 (22mm, 5.8g)
O: Veiled and turreted bust of Demeter right; Herakleides, magistrate.
R: Tyche seated left, holding phiale.
Draganov, Bronze 29; SNG BM Black Sea 217 var. (magistrate); SNG Stancomb 121-5 var. (same).
Rare
ex Praefectus CoinsEnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Dionysoplis, Moesia3rd-1st centuries BC
Æ 22 (22mm, 5.8g)
O: Veiled and turreted bust of Demeter right; Herakleides, magistrate.
R: Tyche seated left, holding phiale.
Draganov, Bronze 29; SNG BM Black Sea 217 var. (magistrate); SNG Stancomb 121-5 var. (same).
Rare
ex Praefectus Coins
EnodiaFeb 16, 2021
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Apameia, Phrygia3rd Century AD
Pseudo-autonomous
AE15 (15mm, 2.27g)
O: Draped and turreted bust of Tyche right; AΠA-MEIA.
R: Hekate Triformis standing facing, wearing polos and double chiton, and holding 4 torches and 2 patera; CΩTEI-PA.
SNG von Aulock 3475; SNG Cop 195-96; BMC 110-13
ex Gert Boersema
"O Nox, Mother of Mysteries, and all ye golden Astra who with Luna succeed the fires of day, and thou, divine three-formed Hecate, who knowest all my enterprises and dost fortify the arts of magic."
~ Ovid, The Metamorphoses
EnodiaFeb 15, 2021
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Apameia, Phrygia3rd Century AD
Pseudo-autonomous
AE15 (15mm, 2.27g)
O: Draped and turreted bust of Tyche right; AΠA-MEIA.
R: Hekate Triformis standing facing, wearing polos and double chiton, and holding 4 torches and 2 patera; CΩTEI-PA.
SNG von Aulock 3475; SNG Cop 195-96; BMC 110-13
ex Gert Boersema
EnodiaFeb 15, 2021
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| Random files - Enodia's Gallery |
Syracuse, Second Democracy415-405 BC
AE Hemilitron (16mm, 4.59g)
O: Head of Arethusa left, hair in ampyx, wearing necklace and sphendone.
R: Quadripartite incuse, eight-rayed star within incuse at center.
HGC 2, 1481; Sear 1185; CNS II, 16; SNG ANS 398
ex Aegean Numismatics
Arethusa was the Goddess of the local spring at Ortygia, the heart of Syracuse.
A special coin from a very dear friend.Enodia
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Pantikapaion, Thrace304-250 BC
AE 20 (20mm, 5.81g)
O: Head of Pan left, wreathed in ivy.
R: Bow and arrow, ΠAN below.
MacDonald 116.1; SNG Poland II; NM Warsaw 178-79
ex Forvm Auctions (Bartosz Awianowicz)
Enodia
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Macedonian Kingdom, Reign of Perseus 171-170 BC
AR Drachm (15mm, 2.81g)
Uncertain mint in Thessaly
Hermios magistrate.
O: Head of Helios facing 3/4 right, hair loose.
R: Rose with bud on right; I-Ω to either side of stem, EPMIAΣ (magistrate) above.
Price, Larissa p. 241; SNG Keckman 795; Sear 5092
ex Jack H. Beymer
Originating from the Sitichoro, Thessaly hoard of 1968, the long held attribution for this pseudo-Rhodian series was 'Rhodian Peraia' or 'Islands off Karia', etc, and probably used to pay mercenaries. This was the attribution I bought the coin with, and it served for nearly twenty years.
However a 1988 article by Richard Ashton claims these coins were actually issued by Perseus of Macedon during the Third Macedonian War to pay his Cretan mercenaries in a coin which was familiar to them, that is, the classic 'Helios/Rose' coinage of Rhodes. This is the attribution I use today.
Selene Psoma further suggests an even more specific location based on style and weight standard, pinpointing this issue in Thasian Peraia, so it will be interesting to see what further study may reveal.Enodia
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