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Last additions - Jason T
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Wooden Coin CabinetI just acquired this wooden coin cabinet lined with purple velvet from Florence, Italy. The workmanship is superb, rarely seen in today's run-of-the-mill products. It is fitting to have my ancient silver Greek coins stored in these trays. To slab, or not to slab: for me, it is out of the question to slab these miniature works of ancient art. Handling them with respect and care is more than enough.
I also published this photo (along with other photos) in Wikimedia Commons under the name Arkaio Nomisma. Anyone can download and use this photo for study and as illustration in their numismatic articles.
2 commentsJason TMar 31, 2021
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CILICIA. Nagidos AR StaterCirca 380 BC. 18.5mm, 10.58g, 6h. Obverse: wreathed head of Dionysos right. Reverse: head of Aphrodite right, hair bound in sphendone. Cassabone type 7; Lederer 14; SBG BN-; SNG Levante 2. Toned, doubly struck, test cut on obverse, test punch on reverse. Good VF.

Ex CNG e-Auction 480, Lot 263

A far-from-perfect specimen because of the mutilations it suffered from the hands of ancient traders and merchants who wanted to make sure that this coin is made of silver (this coin is solid silver). Counterfeit coins abound even during the early days of coinage. The cuts endured by this particular coin does not detract from the fact that the obverse image of the god of wine Dionysos was carved by a master celator and undoubtedly represented one of the best in numismatic art in the milieu of classical Greek artistic tradition. There still remains a sense of beauty emanating from this mutilated coin, like an ancient sculpture that is missing a head, an arm or a leg. Imperfections sometimes make an object seem to be more intriguing, exciting and beautiful.
1 commentsJason TNov 11, 2020
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Kingdom of Macedon. Demetrios I Poliorketes AR Tetradrachm.Circa 301-295 BC. 17.21g, 28mm, 12h. Obverse: Nike, [blowing trumpet] and holding stylis, standing to left on prow of galley to left. Reverse: Poseidon Pelagaios advancing to left, hurling trident with his upraised right hand, chlamys draped over extended left arm; monogram to left, star to inner right; BASILEOS below, DIMITRIOU to outer right. Ephesos mint. Newell 51; SNG Fitzwilliam 2288; HGC 3.1, 1012d. Near extremely fine.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd. E-Sale 76, Lot 213

This is one of the finest depictions of a full length likeness of Poseidon portrayed on any Hellenistic coin made in antiquity. The pose made by the god of the sea (and of earthquakes and horses) is reminiscent of the bronze sculpture recovered from the sea off Cape Artemision and could probably be the direct inspiration for this type of coin. Poseidon was the personal patron god of the Macedonian king and it is no wonder that Demetrios included him in almost all of his coins.
5 commentsJason TNov 05, 2020
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MYSIA. Parion. AR DrachmCirca 5th Century BC. 3.92g, 14mm. Obverse: facing gorgoneion with protruding tongue. Reverse: disorganized linear pattern within incuse square. SNG France 1351-2. gVF. Refined style and unusually complete for the issue.Jason TJul 23, 2020
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MACEDON. Akanthos. AR TetradrachmCirca 480-470 BC. 17.11g, 29mm. Obverse: lion right attacking bull crouching left; theta above, floral ornament (probably inverted acanthus flower segment) in exergue. Reverse: quadripartite incuse square. Desneaux 59 var.; AMNG III/2, 4; SNG ANS 10. Good Extremely Fine. Very well detailed.

Ex Leu Numismatik AG Web Auction 10 Lot 172
Ex Roma Numismatics e-Sale 72 Lot 232

Akanthos was founded by colonists from Andros around mid-7th century BC. They had active mints and continuously minting coins starting from the late 6th century BC. Their coinage bore strong Persian influence as shown by the lion-over-bull motif and was adopted as the city's badge. The type of coin shown here has stylized and almost abstract design. Before 480 BC and after 470 BC, the designs tend to depict the animals more naturally. It could be during the period of transition from Persian rule to inclusion to the Delian League that these stylized designs were made. Akanthos contributed three talents every year to the League's cause. This very coin might had been a part of that tribute.
Jason TJul 02, 2020
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BRUTTIUM. Kroton. AR StaterCirca 530-500 BC. 7.98 g, 28mm, 12h. Obverse: tripod-lebes, legs terminating in lion's paws, two serpents at base; QPO to left field. Reverse: incuse tripod. Attianese 4; SNG ANS 238-241; HN Italy 2075. Good Very Fine.

Ex Roma Numismatics e-Sale 48 Auction Lot 31
Ex Roma Numismatics e-Sale Auction 72 Lot 42

The tripod seen on most coins of Kroton might allude to the Oracle of Delphi's involvement in the founding of the city of Kroton by the legendary Myskelos of Rhypes in 710 BC. According to one variant of the tradition, after Myskelos had surveyed the area of southern Italy, he was much better pleased with the site of Sybaris as the place of settlement for the colonist as opposed to the place sanctioned by the Oracle. This proved to be prophetic since after exactly 200 years later in 510 BC Kroton defeated and destroyed Sybaris. It could have been this old time envy and grudge rooted from this tradition that Sybaris' fate was sealed.
1 commentsJason TJul 02, 2020
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Gabinetto ProfanoIn this day and age, public lewdness and display are taboo. Fig leaves are too big to cover the parts of the coins in question but small enough to be tucked away in a Secret Cabinet.

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Jason TJun 18, 2020
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The Olympians (not the modern athletes)These are the gods and goddesses found feasting in Mount Olympus. There were supposed to be Twelve of them (not counting Herakles). Guess who were late for dinner?

Present are (from left to right, top to bottom):

Apollo, Ares, Demeter
Athena, Zeus, Aphrodite (with Eros*)
Artemis, Herakles**, Dionysius

*Eros is obviously a gate-crasher!
**Herakles is not part of the 12 Olympians but invited at the banquet after his famous 12 Labors and by virtue that he is a son of Zeus

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1 commentsJason TJun 18, 2020
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Ancient Greek Bestiary: revamped!A choice example of ancient Grecian animals (some are imagined or mythical). Can you identify any of them?

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1 commentsJason TJun 18, 2020
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Greek Coin Collection (2012-2020)Eight years worth of collecting ancient silver Greek coins. It’s a little bit cramped and crowded as compared to the previous group photos, but it does offer a visual overview of 5 centuries (from 6th to 1st century BC) of Greek Art in numismatic form.

For the benefit of the community, I uploaded this picture on Wikimedia Commons for everyone to use, for free, in their pursuit of numismatic study and appreciation.

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I could not post a picture with sharper image because of a certain limit to upload photos with higher pixels.
2 commentsJason TJun 18, 2020
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IONIA. Magnesia ad Meandrum. AR Tetradrachm.Circa 150-140 B.C. Stephanophoric Type. 16.94g, 31.5mm, 11h. Obverse: diademed bust of Artemis right, quiver over shoulder. Reverse: Apollo standing left, tall tripod behind. Ethnic "of the Magnesians" on right field, Herognetos/Zopyrionos (magistrates) on left field, meander pattern below. All enclosed within olive wreath. Lightly toned. EF.

Ex CNG
2 commentsJason TMay 12, 2020
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Island off Attica. AEGINA AR Stater.Circa 456/45-431 B.C. (12.23gm, 21mm). Obverse: land tortoise with segmented shell. Reverse: large incuse square of heavy skew pattern. Milbank pl.2, 12; SNG Copenhagen 516; Dewing 1683; BMC Attica p. 137, 146; HGC 6, 437. Near EF, attractive light cabinet tone. Very desirable example of the type.

Ex Roma Numismatics (featured as a cover for e-Auction 57)
Ex Shanna Schmidt Numismatics
Ex Munzenhandlung Harald Moller, Auction 72, 1 November 2018, lot 20.

Early commerce within the Aegean area include metal ingots used in trade. They had a distinctive plano-convex shape and were colloquially called "turtles" especially in Aegina. With the development of the concept of money, it is natural for the maritime island-state to design their coins with an image of a turtle since they had already been accustomed by the earlier ingots whose shape resembled the animal. Aegina was considered the first state to introduce money to the West that was first invented in either Ionia or Lydia. As maritime power, it rivaled Athens. Early obverse designs always feature a sea turtle. Why the inclusion of a land tortoise (testudo graeca) beginning in the middle of the 5th century B.C. is still unresolved. Few theories had been put forward: the most common was Aegina's defeat from its rival Athens, and the land tortoise symbolized sovereignty of Athens over Aegina.
6 commentsJason TMay 31, 2019
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SELEUKID EMPIRE. Antiochos II Theos AR TetradrachmCirca 261-246 B.C. 16.87gms, 28mm, 11h. Obverse: diademed head of Antiochos I to right. Reverse: weary Herakles seated left on rock, lion skin draped over rock, holding club set on ground, cup to outer left, AP monogram below royal title. Secondary monograms in exergue. Side mint. SC 505.2. Slight smoothing on obverse field. Otherwise, extremely fine. Rare.

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Ex Roma Numismatics
Ex private French collection

This is an example of a rare coin of Antiochos II depicting Herakles on the reverse. Most of Antiochos' coins show a sitting effeminate, smooth-bodied Apollo on an omphalos. This coin is a rare departure from the usual iconography of the reverse side but instead shows an exceptionally elegant and masculine demigod-hero Herakles rendered artistically celebrating strength, self-sacrifice, heroism and ideal male beauty. Truly a sculptural art in miniature.
3 commentsJason TMay 10, 2019
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LUCANIA. Sybaris. AR StaterCirca 550-510 B.C. (28mm, 8.43 g, 12h). Obverse: bull standing left, head reverted; VM in exergue. Reverse: incuse bull standing right, head reverted. S & S Class B, pl. XLVIII, 4-8 Gorini 2; HN Italy 1729. VF, toned.

Ex Volteia Collection
Ex CNG

This coin was minted before the destruction of Sybaris by its neighboring city state Kroton in 510 B.C. We do not know the exact nature why Kroton destroyed this prosperous city. Ancient sources provided us several accounts of Sybaris being a place of hedonism and excess to the point that the very name Sybaris became a byword for opulent luxury, and its destruction was a result of some divine punishment (Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Aelianus, Athenaeus). Modern revisionist view of the possible demise of Sybaris might be the result of its vast natural wealth and successful trade with its neighbors, which gave Kroton the economic reason to subjugate it. The Sybarites established a new city called Thourioi (Thurii/Thurium) with the help of Athenian settlers. However, the Sybarites were again expelled by the Athenians in 445 B.C. and founded another city for the last time called Sybaris on the Traeis.
Sybaris might be the first to mint coins with an incuse reverse and this practice spread to other Greek city states like Kroton, Metapontion, and Poseidonia. The similar weight and technique in producing these incuse-type coins facilitated trade between the cities mentioned. The bull might represent the river god Crathis or Sybaris, or both: each deity could represent either the obverse or reverse of the coin. The ethnic VM (or YM) in exergue are the first two Greek letters of Sybaris spelled retrogradely.
5 commentsJason TMar 11, 2019
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ATTICA, Athens. AR TetradrachmCirca 454-404 B.C. 17.15 grams. Obverse: archaizing head of Athena right. Reverse: owl standing right, olive sprig left upper corner with crescent moon below, ethnic to right field, all within incuse square. Kroll 8. HGC 4, 1597. SNG Copenhagen 31. SNG Munchen 49. Dewing 1591-7. Gulbenkian 519-21. Kraay & Hirmer 362. Choice EF, well centered, high relief (as usual).

Ex CNG

The quintessential "Old Style" or "Classical Style" silver tetradrachm representative coin of Classical Athens called "glaukes" or owls. Silver probably came from the mines of Laurion or from member city states of the Delian League. Countless articles and exhaustive studies had been made regarding the enormous output of these coins during its remarkable existence. One of the early trade coins of the ancient world and undeniably well travelled from the Pillars of Hercules to ancient India, hence its ubiquitous nature. What more could be said of it?
3 commentsJason TDec 30, 2018
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CILICIA, Kelenderis. AR StaterCirca 430-420 B.C. 10.63 grams. Obverse: nude youth (ephebus) dismounting from horse rearing left. Reverse: goat kneeling left, head turned right, ivy branch above. Casabonne Type 2, Celenderis 14 (same dies). SNG BN 48 (same dies, but letter removed on obverse). SNG von Aulock 5624 (same dies). Near EF, lightly toned. Well struck.

Ex CNG

One of the most underrated Ancient Greek coin because of its static iconography and (seemingly) insignificance of the place where it came from (only few ancient sources mentioned the city of Kelenderis located in Cilicia in Asia Minor-aside from few facts we know that it was the easternmost member of the Delian League and founded by the Greeks from Samos in the 8th century B.C. on an earlier Phoenician settlement). One need to take another glance to discover and marvel at the remarkable level of artistry put into the design on these series of coins of Kelenderis that might otherwise get overlooked.
4 commentsJason TDec 30, 2018
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ISLAND OFF THRACE. ThasosCirca 480-463 B.C. AR Stater (21mm, 8.80gm). Le Rider, Thassienes 5; HPM pl. X, 12; HGC 6, 331; SNG Copenhagen 1010-2. Obverse: Ithyphallic satyr advancing right, carrying off protesting nymph. Reverse: quadripartite incuse square. VF, toned.

Ex CNG

The motif of the satyr abducting a maenad appears on several northern Greek coins. In the case of Thasos, an island just off the coast of Thrace in northern Greece, this Dionysiac motif serves to promote the island's famous wine. Satyrs belong to the retinue of Dionysos, the god of wine. They are only interested in drinking wine and having sex, usually with the maenads, the female followers of Dionysos. Satyrs are commonly represented as half-man, half-horse or goat, often with a horse tail and pointy horse ears. On the obverse of this coin, however, the satyr has mostly human traits, except for his goat legs. In addition, his bestial nature is made clear by means of his nudity (which visibly contrasts with the maenad's modest chiton), his obvious sexual arousal, and the fact that he is trying to abduct a maenad against her will, as evidenced by raising her right arm in protest (and about to slap her abductor!). The overtly sexual displays seen on many early Greek coins can be disconcerting to the modern eye, viewing them through the lens of centuries of Christian fulminations against ‘paganism’ and its erotic excesses. These scenes are at their most graphic in northern Greece, for example, on the archaic coins of Lete and the island of Thasos, showing the interplay of nymphs and satyrs. The towns and tribes of this region were only newly introduced to the ‘civilizing’ influences of the south, and were still close to their roots in farming and herding cultures. Their gods were not the Olympian super beings, but the spirits of nature, and the emphasis was on celebrating the fecundity of fields and flocks. Thasos gained its enormous wealth by virtue of its local silver mines as well as mines it controlled on the Thracian mainland opposite the island city-state. According to Herodotos (VI, 46), the city derived 200-300 talents annually from her exploitation of this mineral wealth. Such source of the sought-after white metal attracted foreign interest on the mines. The famous of these was when Athens attacked Thasos, ironically one of its members in the Delian League, in 465 B.C. with a single purpose in taking control of these mines. Additionally, Thasos gained much material wealth as a producer and exporter of high quality wines, which was tightly regulated by the government, and it was perhaps due to this trade in wine that her coinage spread throughout the Aegean making it a widely recognized and accepted coinage in distant lands.

2 commentsJason TAug 02, 2015
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BOEOTIA. Thebes. AR Stater.Circa 425-400 B.C. AR Stater (12.08gm, 20mm, 5h). BCD Boiotia-388; Head Pg. 36-classy, pl. III#8; SNG Cop. 286. Obverse: Boeotian shield with club across lower half. Reverse: Volute amphora with fluted shoulders, Θ-E across fields, all within incuse square. Well struck on a very good metal. Struck in high relief. Scarce variety. Choice aEF.

Ex Pars Coins

The coins of Boeotia prominently feature the Boeotian shield on its obverse. This particular coin we have from the city-state of Thebes was minted between 425-400 B.C. during the Peloponnesian War. Thebes, at that time, alongside the rest of the 10 Boeotian poleis, sided with the Peloponnesian League under the hegemony of Sparta against the Athenian Empire. The Boeotian Confederation instituted a form of federal coinage based on the Aeginetic standard. A particular period of Theban coinage reached its numismatic artistic merit at around the same period that this coin was minted (425-400 B.C). Although the obverse always shows the shield, the reverse features the head of Dionysos, Herakles or a volute amphora. The amphora eventually became more popular after 400 B.C on the reverse of most Boeotian coin. Early staters showing the amphora on the reverse could be identified by a rounder vase and the city ethnic in the field and all are contained within a square incuse. Later coinage features the same amphora on the reverse and generally includes various magistrates name and less of the city’s ethnic and all are within a round incuse. The obverse also has a more distinct rounder shield on later coinage. At this later date in the mid- 4th century B.C. Thebes was the leading power in Greece and almost united all the Greek city states, freed Messene from Sparta and subdued the latter. Ironically, this paved the way for Macedonian conquest of Greece and in the process, destroyed Thebes and sold its population into slavery by Alexander the Great in 335 B.C.

1 commentsJason TMay 07, 2015
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ISLANDS off CARIA. Rhodes AR DidrachmCirca 229-205 BC. AR Didrachm (6.68gm, 20mm, 11h). Tharsytas, magistrate. Ashton 215; SNG Keckman 550; SNG Copenhagen 756. Obverse: Radiate head of Helios facing slightly right. Reverse: Rose with bud to right; ΘAPΣYTAΣ above; to left, eagle standing right on fulmen. Lovely strike on a nice full flan. High relief elegant dies. Choice EF. Toned.

Ex Pars Coins

The facing head of the sun god Helios on later coins of Rhodes represent the famous statue in antiquity known as the Colossus of Rhodes. It was built in the 3rd century B.C. and took 12 years to complete. It stood at almost 100 feet tall and was one of the tallest statues in the world until it was toppled down by an earthquake around 226 B.C. The statue was erected to commemorate the defeat or withdrawal of the diadoch Demetrios Poliorketes after failing to take the besieged city. The reverse shows the iconic rose which served as a pun to the name of the city, in this case, the Greek word “rhodon” for rose. It is interesting to note that some of the facing head designs on the coins have a peculiar orientation. When looking closely to the head on this particular coin, the viewer seems to be looking at the face from below. It is tempting to assume that when this coin was minted, the Colossus was still standing and hadn’t yet been toppled down by the earthquake. This could be the actual likeness of the face of the statue while it was still standing. If the presumption is correct, we could date this coin to around 229-226 B.C.
1 commentsJason TApr 15, 2015
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Cilicia. Nagidos AR StaterCirca 400-385/4 BC. (24mm, 10.76 g, 11h). Casabonne Type 6; Lederer 23; SNG France 25 (same dies); SNG Levante –. Obverse: Aphrodite seated left, holding phiale, left arm around the shoulders of Eros, who stands left behind her, with his arms extended. Reverse: Dionysos standing left, holding grape bunches on vine and thyrsos; Π in exergue. Superb EF, lightly toned, a touch of die wear on obverse.

Ex CNG Inventory 93935 (c. Jan 1990-Jan 1993)
Ex CNG Electronic Auction 347, Lot 252

The prominence of Aphrodite on coins of Nagidos indicates that an important sanctuary must have existed in that ancient colony of Samos. It must be noted that there were two forms of Aphrodite in the ancient Greek pantheon (or at least in literature). The first was Aphrodite Ourania signifying the “heavenly” or “spiritual” as opposed to the more “earthly” aspect of her, better known as Aphrodite Pandemos “for all the people.” On the coins of Nagidos, she is paired with her son Eros, the god of earthly passion. The representation of the two deities together on the coins of Nagidos denotes that, even in ancient times, the Greeks already categorized the earthly, physical and carnal type of love (represented by Eros) to that of the celestial love of body and soul (Aphrodite Ourania). The subordination of Eros in the iconography of the coin, represented as a juvenile winged figure, under the guidance and protection of the goddess, tells us the superiority of the spiritual aspect of love over the physical representations of it.
1 commentsJason TMar 25, 2015
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GREEK, Illyria, Dyrrachion. AR StaterCirca 340-280 BC (21mm, 10.71 g, 4h). Maier 23 var. (lizard on rev.); Meadows, Coin Hoard (forthcoming) 175 (this coin); SNG Copenhagen –; BMC 17 var. (same). Obverse Cow standing right, looking back at suckling calf standing left below; above, wasp right. Reverse Double stellate pattern, divided by line, in double linear square border (single on one side); DYP retrograde, club below; all within linear circle border. Good VF, bright surfaces, some porosity. Well centered. Very rare.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group 93rd Printed Auction, lot 190.

Dyrrhachion was founded as Epidamnos in the ancient region of Illyria in 627 BC by ancient Greek colonists from Corinth and Korkyra. The city's geographical position was highly advantageous, as it was situated around a natural rocky harbor which was surrounded by inland swamps and high cliffs on the seaward side, making the city very difficult to attack from either land or sea. The city, together with Corinth’s conflict with Korkyra was one of the causes in precipitating the Peloponnesian War. Dyrrhachion was noted for being a politically advanced society, prompting Aristotle to praise its political system in controlling trade between the Greek colonists and the locals. The Romans prefer calling the city Dyrrhacium since the last two syllables of the city’s name “–damnos” connotes a different meaning and inauspicious to Roman ears. The designs of the staters of Korkyra as well as its colonies, Apollonia and Dyrrhachion, have been the subject of much numismatic speculation. Eckhel (Doctrina numorum veterum [Vienna, 1792/3], II:155) accepted the view of Laurentius Beger (Observationes Et Conjecturae In Numismata Quaedam Antiqua [Brandenburg, 1691]), who argued that the design represented the garden of Alkinöos, the mythical king of Phaiakia, described in detail by the poet Homer (Od. 7.112-133). Based on the assumption that mythical Phaiakia was the island of ancient Korkyra (mod. Corfu), and knowing that Korkyrans colonized both Apollonia and Dyrrhachion, Beger (and through him, Eckhel) concluded that the central elements were flowers and that the overall design must represent either the layout of the garden, or the doors leading to it. Other numismatists argued that the central elements of the design were more star-like. While Böckh and Müller (in P. Gardner, "Floral patterns on Archaic Greek coins," NC 1881, p. 1) felt this to be the case, they considered the elements to be nothing more than a fortuitous series of random strokes. Friedlander and von Sallet (Das königliche Münzkabinett [Berlin, 1877], coins 72-75) viewed them as symbols of the Dioskouri. Proponents of either interpretation continue to argue their views (see Alfred Maier, "Die Silberprägung von Apollonia und Dyrrhachion," NZ 41 [1908], p. 2 and note 4 [garden]; Traité, Part II, Volume I, column 931 [garden]; Michael E. Marotta, "Dyrrachium: Rome's doorway to Greece," Celator [April 1997], pp. 6-7 [garden]; Gyula Petrányi, “Gardens of Alkinoos: Fact or Fiction?” on the reverse pattern of the silver coins from Corcyra, Apollonia and Dyrrachium," Celator [November 1998], pp. 22-24 [Dioskouroi]). Gardner (op. cit.) was convinced that the reverse design had a religious meaning, but was unconvinced that the symbols were either a garden layout, or stars. Instead, he favored a floral interpretation. He argued that this was indicated not only by their general shape, but in some particular instances by an intentional modification to make them appear more floral. Noting a similarity between the reverse types of Korkyran staters – the model for the staters of Apollonia and Dyrrhachion – and those of other Greek city-states, most notably Miletos and Kyrene, he argued that this was due to a common religious cult between them, since he believed that Greek coin types were primarily religious in origin. Arguing that the most probable deity was Apollo, Gardner concluded that the reference was to Apollo Aristaios or Nomios, a pastoral version of that god who was worshiped (among other places) both at Kyrene and throughout northern Greece and was known to be the protectors of flocks (cf. Pind. Pyth. 9.64-65). Most recently, Nicolet-Pierre revisited the issue of the reverse design in her article on the archaic coinage of Korkyra ("À props du monnayage archaïque de Corcyre," SNR 88 (2009), pp. 2-3), and offered a novel interpretation. Noting a passage of Thucydides (3.70.4) in which that author cited the existence on the island of a sacred precinct (temenos) and dedicated to Zeus and Alkinöos, she suggested that the reverse design might have been inspired by this, and not Homer's garden of Alkinöos. Since Apollonia and Dyrrhachion, as colonies of Korkyra, employed that island's designs in their own coinage, it is necessary to explain why Korkyra used such symbols on its coinage. The archaic staters of Korkyra were the first issues to employ a cow standing right (or left), suckling its calf on the obverse. (BMC 1-8 [for cow right]; BMC 9-16 [for cow left]). A similar obverse design appears on the coinage of Karystos in Euboia and, according to Plutarch (Quaest. Graec.), Korkyra was settled by Euboians, whose coinage symbol was a bovine. Several dedications in the form of a bronze bull are attested for the Korkyrans and the island's patron god was Apollo. The reverse design of the archaic staters consists of a pair of incuse punches, consisting of stars (BMC 1 and pl. XXI, 1). That the symbol was a star is certain, as fractions of this series and subsequent issues with a star on the obverse make plain. One stater (BMC 10 and pl. XXI, 2), puts the star design in a more abstract arrangement, becoming the precursor of the reverse design type employed in later stater issues (BMC 39 and pl. XXI, 9). The striking lines formed by the incuse punches are retained in the later design as lines of the frame. Thus, the staters of Apollonia, Dyrhachion, and Korkyra demonstrate a meticulous progressive recopying of an archaic coin type that continued under its colonies, and not an allusion to a possible Homeric past.


Jason TMar 01, 2015
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GREEK. Ephesos AR Tetradrachm. Hecatomnus Hoard (1977).Circa 405-390 BC (21mm, 14.95 g, 12h). Aristainetos, magistrate. Hecatomnus 53b (O11/R48 – this coin); SNG Kayhan –; Winterthur 2904 (same obverse die). Obverse: bee with curved wings. Reverse: forepart of stag right, head left; palm tree to left (off flan), APIΣTAINETO[Σ] to right. Toned, VF. Struck on a tight flan.

Ex Hecatomnus Hoard (CH V, 17; CH VIII, 96; and CH IX, 387). Ex CNG Electronic Auction 338, lot 85.

The bee, palm tree and the stag are emblems of Ephesos. This city was an important center of worship of the Greek goddess Artemis, and the images on Ephesian coinage represent her. Ephesos also used the bee on its coins since it was a producer of honey, so the bee advertised their most famous product. The bee was also mythologically connected to Ephesos because, according to Philostratos, the colonizing Athenians were led to Ephesos in Ionia by the Muses who took the form of bees. Ephesos occupied the alluvial plain of the lower Cayster, but it owed its chief wealth and renown less to the produce of its soil than to the illustrious sanctuary of the old Anatolian nature-goddess, whom the Ionian Greeks identified with Artemis, the Goddess of Hunt. It is noteworthy that the high-priest of the temple of Artemis was called Ηεσσην, ‘the king bee,’ while the virgin priestesses bore the name of “melissai” or Honey-Bees. The stag was regarded as sacred to her and stag figures were said to have flanked the cult statue of Artemis in her temple at Ephesos. The palm tree alludes to Artemis’ birthplace, the island of Delos, where the goddess Leto gave birth to Artemis and her twin brother Apollo underneath a palm tree. Therefore, the coin might represent the city’s origin as well.

The earlier type tetradrachmae of Ephesos could be identified by the curved pair of wings of the bee on the obverse side of these coins. It is roughly estimated that a total of about less than a hundred of these tetradrachmae exist as compared to the straight wing bee variant of later emissions, which are believed to be seven to eight times more common than the former. These estimates are based on the findings and studies made after the discoveryof the Hecatomnus and Pixodarus hoards in 1977 and 1978, respectively. Prior to their discovery, there were only about 35 of these curved wing tetradrachmae recorded in existence.
1 commentsJason TFeb 16, 2015
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YEAR-END REVIEW OF GREEK COLLECTION (REVERSE)THE LESS OFTEN DISPLAYED SIDE OF MY COINS.
Please click on picture for bigger resolution.

Top row from left to right: MYSIA, PERGAMMON. Eumenes I AR Tetradrachm. Circa 263-241 BC **ILLYRIA, DYRRHACHION. AR Stater. Circa 340-280 BC**IONIA, SMYRNA. AR “Stephanophoric” Tetradrachm. Circa 150-145 BC** PELOPONNESOS, SIKYON. AR Stater. Circa 335-330 BC**ATTICA, ATHENS. “New style” Tetradrachm. Circa 169 BC.

Sixth row: BACTRIA, Antialkidas. AR Drachm. Circa 145-135 BC**CAPPADOCIA. Ariobarzanes I AR Drachm. Circa 96-63 BC**THRACE, ABDERA. AR Tetrobol. Circa 360-350 BC**THRACE, CHERSONESSOS. AR Hemidrachm. Circa 386-338 BC.

Fifth row: IONIA, EPHESOS. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 405-390 BC**CILICIA, TARSOS. Mazaios AR Stater. Circa 361-334 BC **MACEDONIA. Kassander AR Tetradrachm. Circa 317-315 BC**AKARNANIA, LEUKAS. AR Stater. Circa 320-280 BC**PAMPHYLIA, ASPENDOS. AR Stater. Circa 330-300 BC.

Fourth row: SELEUKID SYRIA. Antiochos VI AR Drachm. Circa 144-143 BC**LUCANIA, METAPONTION. AR Stater. Circa 340-330 BC**LUCANIA, VELIA. AR Stater. Circa 280 BC**PARTHIA. Mithradates II AR Drachm. Circa 121-91 BC.

Third row: AEOLIS, MYRINA. AR "Stephanophoric" Tetradrachm. Circa 150 BC**CARIA. Pixodaros AR Didrachm. Circa 341-335 BC**THRACE. Lysimachos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 297-281 BC**CILICIA, TARSOS. Pharnabazos AR Stater. Circa 380-374 BC**THRACE, MARONEIA. AR Tetradrachm. Mid 2nd cent. BC.

Second Row: LUCANIA, METAPONTION. AR Stater. Circa 510-480 BC** THESSALIAN LEAGUE. AR Stater. Circa 196-146 BC**CAMPANIA, NEAPOLIS. AR Nomos. Circa 275-250 BC**LYCIA, PRE-DYNASTIC. AR Stater. Circa 520-460 BC.

Bottom row: SELEUKID SYRIA. Antiochos Euergetes VII AR Tetradrachm. Circa 138-129 BC**MACEDON. Alexander III AR Tetradrachm. Circa 325-315 BC**CILICIA, AIGEAI. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 30 BC**PAIONIA. Patraos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 335-315 BC**PAMPHYLIA, SIDE. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 155-36 BC.
1 commentsJason TNov 13, 2014
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YEAR-END REVIEW OF GREEK COLLECTION (OBVERSE)Click on picture for bigger resolution.

Top row from left to right: MYSIA, PERGAMMON. Eumenes I AR Tetradrachm. Circa 263-241 BC **ILLYRIA, DYRRHACHION. AR Stater. Circa 340-280 BC**IONIA, SMYRNA. AR “Stephanophoric” Tetradrachm. Circa 150-145 BC** PELOPONNESOS, SIKYON. AR Stater. Circa 335-330 BC**ATTICA, ATHENS. “New style” Tetradrachm. Circa 169 BC.

Sixth row: BACTRIA, Antialkidas. AR Drachm. Circa 145-135 BC**CAPPADOCIA. Ariobarzanes I AR Drachm. Circa 96-63 BC**THRACE, ABDERA. AR Tetrobol. Circa 360-350 BC**THRACE, CHERSONESSOS. AR Hemidrachm. Circa 386-338 BC.

Fifth row: IONIA, EPHESOS. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 405-390 BC**CILICIA, TARSOS. Mazaios AR Stater. Circa 361-334 BC **MACEDONIA. Kassander AR Tetradrachm. Circa 317-315 BC**AKARNANIA, LEUKAS. AR Stater. Circa 320-280 BC**PAMPHYLIA, ASPENDOS. AR Stater. Circa 330-300 BC.

Fourth row: SELEUKID SYRIA. Antiochos VI AR Drachm. Circa 144-143 BC**LUCANIA, METAPONTION. AR Stater. Circa 340-330 BC**LUCANIA, VELIA. AR Stater. Circa 280 BC**PARTHIA. Mithradates II AR Drachm. Circa 121-91 BC.

Third row: AEOLIS, MYRINA. AR "Stephanophoric" Tetradrachm. Circa 150 BC**CARIA. Pixodaros AR Didrachm. Circa 341-335 BC**THRACE. Lysimachos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 297-281 BC**CILICIA, TARSOS. Pharnabazos AR Stater. Circa 380-374 BC**THRACE, MARONEIA. AR Tetradrachm. Mid 2nd cent. BC.

Second Row: LUCANIA, METAPONTION. AR Stater. Circa 510-480 BC** THESSALIAN LEAGUE. AR Stater. Circa 196-146 BC**CAMPANIA, NEAPOLIS. AR Nomos. Circa 275-250 BC**LYCIA, PRE-DYNASTIC. AR Stater. Circa 520-460 BC.

Bottom row: SELEUKID SYRIA. Antiochos Euergetes VII AR Tetradrachm. Circa 138-129 BC**MACEDON. Alexander III AR Tetradrachm. Circa 325-315 BC**CILICIA, AIGEAI. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 30 BC**PAIONIA. Patraos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 335-315 BC**PAMPHYLIA, SIDE. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 155-36 BC.
2 commentsJason TNov 13, 2014
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IONIA, Ephesos AR Tetradrachm.Circa 405-390 BC. AR Tetradrachm (21mm, 14.95 g, 12h). Aristainetos, magistrate. Hecatomnus 53b (O11/R48 – this coin); SNG Kayhan –; Winterthur 2904 (same obverse die). Obverse: bee with curved wings. Reverse: forepart of stag right, head left; palm tree to left (off flan), APIΣTAINETO[Σ] to right. Toned, VF. Struck on a tight flan.

Ex Hecatomnus Hoard (CH V, 17; CH VIII, 96; and CH IX, 387)
Ex CNG Electronic Auction 338, lot 85

The bee, palm tree and the stag are emblems of Ephesos. This city was an important center of worship of the Greek goddess Artemis, and the images on Ephesian coinage represent her. Ephesos also used the bee on its coins since it was a producer of honey, so the bee advertised their most famous product. The bee was also mythologically connected to Ephesos because, according to Philostratos, the colonizing Athenians were led to Ephesos in Ionia by the Muses who took the form of bees. Ephesos occupied the alluvial plain of the lower Cayster, but it owed its chief wealth and renown less to the produce of its soil than to the illustrious sanctuary of the old Anatolian nature-goddess, whom the Ionian Greeks identified with Artemis, the Goddess of Hunt. It is noteworthy that the high-priest of the temple of Artemis was called Ηεσσην, ‘the king bee,’ while the virgin priestesses bore the name of “melissai” or Honey-Bees. The stag was regarded as sacred to her and stag figures were said to have flanked the cult statue of Artemis in her temple at Ephesos. The palm tree alludes to Artemis’ birthplace, the island of Delos, where the goddess Leto gave birth to Artemis and her twin brother Apollo underneath a palm tree. Therefore, the coin might represent the city’s origin as well.

The earlier type tetradrachmai of Ephesos could be identified by the curved pair of wings of the bee on the obverse side of these coins. It is roughly estimated that a total of about less than a hundred of these tetradrachmai exist as compared to the straight wing bee variant of later emissions, which are believed to be seven to eight times more common than the former. These estimates are based on the findings and studies made after the discovery of the Hecatomnus and Pixodarus hoards in 1977 and 1978, respectively. Prior to their discovery, there were only about 35 of these curved wing tetradrachmai recorded in existence.
4 commentsJason TNov 06, 2014
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SATRAPS OF CARIA, Pixodaros.Circa 341/0-336/5 BC. AR Didrachm (20mm, 6.94g, 12h). Pixodarus 11-47 (unlisted dies); Konuk, Identities 30; SNG Copenhagen 596-7. Obverse: Head of Apollo/Helios facing slightly right, wearing laurel wreath, drapery around neck. Reverse: Zeus Labraundos standing right. ΠIΞOΔAPO[Y] to right field. Good VF, toned, minor die rust.

Ex-CNG.

The Pixodaros Affair
Pixodaros was a satrap of Caria in south-western Asia Minor, the youngest brother of Maussolos, and a member of the Hecatomnid Dynasty who remained loyal to the Persian King. When Persia was in turmoil after the eunuch Bagoas murdered Artaxerxes III, in the midst of the confusion, Pixodaros decided in 337 B.C. to offer his eldest daughter’s hand in marriage to Phillip II’s son Arridaios as a diplomatic move. The pact was accepted. According to Plutarch, Phillip II’s wife Olympias and a number of Alexander’s friends conspired to convince Alexander that Philip intended to marry Arridaios to Pixodaros’ daughter as a prelude to giving him the Macedonian throne. Alexander felt that his father had left him out and decided to act on his own. He sent his friend, the famous tragic actor Thessalos, to Caria to tell Pixodaros that not only was Arridaios an illegitimate son of the Macedonian king but feeble-minded as well. To make sure that the marriage did not go ahead, Alexander offered to marry Pixodaros’ daughter himself. Pixodaros, of course, could not have asked for a better deal. When Philip found it out he was enraged and went to Alexander’s quarters and scolded his son for wanting to marry the daughter of a man “who was no more than the slave of a barbarian king”. The whole affair concluded with Philip canceling the Macedonian-Carian alliance and ordering Thessalos to be brought back to Macedon in chains, and exiled four of Alexander’s friends Erygius, Harpalos, Nearchos, and Ptolemy. Pixodaros died some time before the landing of Alexander in Asia Minor in 334 BC. He was succeeded by his son-in-law Orontobates, a Persian, who married the princess who was once supposed to have married Arridaios.

2 commentsJason TOct 03, 2014
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Campania. Neapolis AR NomosCirca 275-250 BC. AR Nomos (21mm, 7.21 g, 11h). Sambon–; HN Italy 586; BMC 87; SNG France–; SNG ANS–. Obverse: Diademed head of nymph left, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; to right, Artemis standing right, holding torch in both hands. Reverse: Man-headed bull walking right; above, Nike flying right, placing wreath on bull's head; IΣ below; [N]EOΠOΛITΩN in exergue. Good VF, toned. Scarce symbol for issue.

Ex Gorny & Mosch 125 (13 October 2003), lot 21
Ex Classical Numismatic Review XXXIX No. 2 Summer 2014, lot 979726

The obverse of early Neapolitan coins represent the siren Parthenope who, according to legend, committed suicide after her failed attempt to seduce Odysseus and his shipmates as they passed the Sorrento peninsula. Her body was washed up on the shore of nearby Megaride, a tiny island in the Bay of Naples. The locals interred her in Mount Echia, now the hill of Pizzofalcone. The Sirens were originally the islands found at the mouth of the river Achelöos in Greece which flowed into the Ionian Sea between Akarnania and Aetolia. The man-headed bull on the reverse of the coins was meant to represent Achelöos, the greatest water god of ancient Greece and father of Parthenope. This coin, however, belongs to a later group known as Class VI (Numismatic Circular, vol. 14, 1906). The latest coins with the obverse head always facing left may well be identified as the head of Dia-Hebe. She is associated with Dionysus Hebon and the Neapolitan bull on the reverse was reinterpreted as the bull with which Dionysus Hebon was always depicted.


3 commentsJason TAug 21, 2014
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Ancient Greek Coin Collection From Sixth to First Centuries B.C.Here are the coins I started collecting from 2012 to present. As Aristotle wrote two millennia ago that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, there is no better way to present a collection of Greeks than to put them all together in a single shot. (Please click on picture for bigger resolution and to show greater details on coins).

Top row from left to right: AEOLIS, MYRINA. AR "Stephanophoric" Tetradrachm. Circa 150 BC**ILLYRIA, DYRRHACHION. AR Stater. Circa 340-280 BC**IONIA, SMYRNA. AR “Stephanophoric” Tetradrachm. Circa 150-145 BC** PELOPONNESOS, SIKYON. AR Stater. Circa 335-330 BC**ATTICA, ATHENS. “New style” Tetradrachm. Circa 169 BC.

Fifth row: BACTRIA, Antialkidas. AR Drachm. Circa 145-135 BC**CAPPADOCIA. Ariobarzanes I AR Drachm. Circa 96-63 BC**THRACE, ABDERA. AR Tetrobol. Circa 360-350 BC**THRACE, CHERSONESSOS. AR Hemidrachm. Circa 386-338 BC.

Fourth row: LUCANIA, METAPONTION. AR Stater. Circa 510-480 BC**THESSALIAN LEAGUE. AR Stater. Circa 196-146 BC**MACEDONIA. Kassander AR Tetradrachm. Circa 317-315 BC**AKARNANIA, LEUKAS. AR Stater. Circa 320-280 BC**PAMPHYLIA, ASPENDOS. AR Stater. Circa 330-300 BC.

Third row: SELEUKID SYRIA. Antiochos VI AR Drachm. Circa 144-143 BC**LUCANIA, METAPONTION. AR Stater. Circa 340-330 BC**LUCANIA, VELIA. AR Stater. Circa 280 BC**PARTHIA. Mithradates II AR Drachm. Circa 121-91 BC.

Second row: MYSIA, PERGAMMON. Eumenes I AR Tetradrachm. Circa 263-241 BC**CILICIA, TARSOS. Mazaios AR Stater. Circa 361-334 BC**THRACE. Lysimachos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 297-281 BC**CILICIA, TARSOS. Pharnabazos AR Stater. Circa 380-374 BC**THRACE, MARONEIA. AR Tetradrachm. Mid 2nd cent. BC.

Bottom row: SELEUKID SYRIA. Antiochos Euergetes VII AR Tetradrachm. Circa 138-129 BC**MACEDON. Alexander III AR Tetradrachm. Circa 325-315 BC**CILICIA, AIGEAI. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 30 BC**PAIONIA. Patraos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 335-315 BC**PAMPHYLIA, SIDE. AR Tetradrachm. Circa 155-36 BC.
10 commentsJason TJul 13, 2014
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Lycia, Pre-Dynastic. AR StaterCirca 520-470/60 BC. AR Stater (18mm, 8.98 g, 4h). Uncertain mint and polis. Falghera 18-19 var. (without “kh” on rev.); SNG von Aulock 4049-50 var. (same); Boston MFA 2080 var. (same); SNG Copenhagen 4 var. (same); SNG Copenhagen Supp. 370 var. (same). Obverse: forepart of boar left. Reverse: square incuse with two diagonal crosslines forming four triangles; at bases of two of the triangles, wedge-shaped raised projections; three additional crosslines forming the Lycian letter “kh” in the fourth triangle. VF, slightly granular, scrape on reverse.

Ex CNG e-Auction 330, lot 101.

There is scant information regarding the coinage of ancient Lycia during the pre-dynastic period. Although the majority of the coins in the 5th to 4th centuries B.C. represent individual dynasts, it is clear that there existed some sort of federation between the early cities, more or less under Persian suzerainty which was attested by early Greek writers, especially Strabo. The Lycian pre-dynastic silver coinage falls into the following standard: the weight-standard is Babylonic, but shows considerable irregularity, and a tendency to fall to the Euboïc standard. The animal types—winged lions, gryphons, bulls, etc. remain for the most part unexplained, but the boar is loosely associated with Apollo Lykeios.
1 commentsJason TJul 09, 2014
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Thrace, Abdera AR TetrobolCirca 360-350 BC. AR Tetrobol (15mm, 2.84 g, 3h). Molpagores, magistrate. May, Abdera – (A285/P33 [unlisted die combination]); SNG Copenhagen 331. Obverse Gryphon springing left. Reverse Head of Dionysos right within linear square; MOΛ[ΓA]ΓOPHΣ around. EF, toned.

Ex Classical Numismatic Review XXXIX No. 2 Summer 2014, lot 980958.

Abdera, on the southern coast of Thrace, not far from the mouth of the river Nestus, was originally founded as a colony of Clazomenae in the seventh century B.C. This first venture did not prove a success, but the site was reoccupied by the larger portion of the population from Teos, who preferred to leave their native land rather than submit to the Persian dominion in 544 B.C. Later on, Abdera rose to be a place of considerable importance and wealth. The gryphon as a coin-type at Abdera is clearly copied from that on the coins of the mother-city Teos. It may be borrowed from the cult of the Hyperborean Apollo. The magistrates whose names occur on the coins of this town were probably members of the governing body, commissioned to superintend the coinage of the state, and not mere monetary magistrates.
1 commentsJason TJul 07, 2014
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Pantheon of Greek GodsHere are some of the Greek gods depicted in full length form. As you might expect Athena seems to be a favorite deity as attested by these ancient coins. All are found on the reverse side except the stater coin from Tarsos.

Top Row: Zeus on Alexander III Tetradrachm; Apollo on Myrina Stephanophoric Tetradrachm; Dionysos on Maroneia Tetradrachm; Baal on Tarsos Stater.
Middle Row: Zeus on Bactrian Drachm; Athena Itona on Thessalian League Stater; Nike on Side Tetradrachm; Apollo on Seleukid Drachm; Athena on Cappadocian Drachm.
Bottom Row: Athena on Pergammon Tetradrachm; Athena on Seleukid Tetradrachm; Athena on Lysimachos Tetradrachm; Athena on Aigeaian Tetradrachm.
Jason TJun 26, 2014
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Ionia, Smyrna AR Stephanophoric TetradrachmCirca 155-145 BC. AR Tetradrachm (32mm, 16.33gm, 12h). Stephanophoric type. Zopy(ros?) magistrate. Milne, Silver 4, obv. die G; SNG Copenhagen-; Weber 6617. Obverse: turreted head of Cybele or Tyche right. Reverse: ethnic and monogram within wreath. EF with purple toning. Peripheral roughness.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 326, lot 133.

With the collapse of Seleukid authority in Asia Minor in 189 BC, many communities of northwestern Asia Minor celebrated their liberation from regal authority by issuing series of large and impressive tetradrachmai. All of these coins were struck on the reduced Attic standard, and were struck on broad, thin flans that were influenced by the Athenian New Style coinage. These series also copied a feature on their reverses, a large laurel wreath that formed the border encompassing the entire reverse type. We know from the Delos inventory lists that these coins were referred to as stephanophoroi, attesting to the ubiquity of these series. The types appearing on the coins clearly indicated their civic nature, depicting the city's patron deity on the obverse and various aspects of the city's culture on the reverse. The stephanophoric coinage is regarded among the more artistic of the Hellenistic period. This is no surprise as nearly all of the issuing cities were located in western Asia Minor, an area whose numismatic artistry is well attested in the preceding Classical period. While the stephanophoroi represent a benchmark in coin design, the reason for their introduction is not certain, and there is little consensus among numismatists. On one extreme, C. Boehringer argued that their appearance and consistency represented an “Aegean Münzunion” (Boehringer, Chron., pp. 38-9), while at the other O. Mørkholm argued that the wreaths were not indicative of any political or economic significance, but merely the result of a design that gained popularity throughout the northern Aegean ("Chronology and Meaning of the Wreath Coinages of the early 2nd. Cent. B.C.," QT 9 [1980], pp. 145-54).
4 commentsJason TMay 08, 2014
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Mysia. Kings of Pergamon. Eumenes I AR Tetradrachm.Struck circa 263-255/50 BC (30mm, 17.02g, 2h). Westermark Group III, obv. die V.XXIV; SNG France 1606-9; SNG von Aulock 1355 (same obverse die); SNG Copenhagen 334. Obverse: Head of Philetairos right, wearing laurel wreath bound with a broad ribbon with wide hemmed borders. Reverse: ΦIΛETAIPOY in right field, Athena enthroned left, right hand resting on shield set at her feet, left elbow resting on small sphinx seated right; transverse spear in background, ivy leaf above knee, monogram on throne, bow to right. EF, toned. High relief portrait.

Ex CNG: Classical Numismatic Review XXXIX.1 Spring 2014 lot 929022.

The coinage of Pergamon under Eumenes I crystalized the design of the kingdom’s tetradrachmai for almost 100 years. It features on the obverse a realistic portrait of the eunuch Philetairos, who was initially a treasurer for the diadoch Lysimachos. He entrusted to the eunuch 6000 talents of silver (and gold) for safekeeping in Sardis. However, Philetairos switched allegiance to Seleukos shortly before the Battle of Korupedion in 281 BC, when Seleukos defeated Lysimachos. Seleukos, in turn, was assassinated roughly a year later. The newly created kingdom enjoyed autonomy from the Seleukids and the fortress city of Pergamon was built with Philetairos as its “king”, although he was never publicly crowned as such. Philetairos coined at least three different types of tetradrachmai, which were influenced by his allegiance to different rulers. First, he minted Lysimachos-type coins for his master Lysimachos. After the latter’s defeat and death he next minted coins of the Alexander-type either with the legend Alexandrou or Seleukou. Lastly, in a show of self-assurance and independence, he minted coins with the obverse portrait of Seleukos and the reverse directly copied from the earlier Lysimachos-type coin with Athena seated. However, the similarity ends there: instead of putting a dominating diadoch’s name, he boldly put his name on the coins. After his death, the administration passed on to his adopted nephew Eumenes I. The new ruler was able to liberate his realm from the dominion of the Seleukids when he revolted, at the instigation of Ptolemy II of Egypt, and rather unexpectedly, defeated Antiochos I in Sardis in 261 BC. He greatly expanded his territory and founded several cities. His coinage initiated a type which showed a highly realistic and unflattering portrait of his predecessor Philetairos and showed him as diademed, heavy-set and ostensibly obese whose face dominates the whole space of the obverse of the coin. At this point, there is no need of legitimizing current rulers by reference to Alexander. They could either put their own portraits or the likeness of the founder of a dynasty which they belong. This would eventually become the norm for most coins of third century BC Hellenistic kingdoms. The design on Eumenes’ coins would remain unchanged for the next century and would be adopted by succeeding rulers Attalos I ((241-197 BC) and Eumenes II (197-160 BC). It was estimated that it required 200 obverse dies to mint the coins during those span of time of its existence. As for any long-lived (and much copied) designs of any ancient coin (i.e. coins of Phillip II, Alexander III and Lysimachos), the various Philetairou-type coins could be assigned to a particular ruler according to symbols and monograms and level of artistry.
6 commentsJason TApr 16, 2014
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Kings of Paeonia. Patraos AR Tetradrachm.Circa 335-315 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 12.66 g, 3h). Paeonian Hoard 185 (same dies); SNG ANS 1032. Obverse Laureate head of Apollo right. Reverse Warrior on horse rearing right, spearing enemy who defends with shield and spear; kantharos behind horse’s rear legs. Good VF, toned. Well centered and struck on a broad flan.

Ex Bank Leu
Ex CNG

Much of the kingdom of ancient Paeonia could be roughly located in the modern day Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). The Paeonian tribes were thought to descend from Thracian and Illyrian peoples and settled on the lower Axios River around the end of the Bronze Age. Although much of the early history and ruling classes of Paeonians were obscure, the last seven kings were recorded with certainty. Patraos (or Patreus) was thought to be the son of Lykkeios, also king of the Paeonians. It is also thought that he supported Alexander III in his conquest of the East. Much debate revolved around the reverse of Patraos’ numerous coins. Who represent the horseman and the warrior? A current consensus put forward by Gaebler and Merker was that the reverse represented a very specific event during Alexander’s crossing of the Tigris River and a fight between the cavalry headed by Ariston (supposedly a Paeonian and brother of Patraos) and the Persian commander Satropates, with the ultimate defeat and beheading of the latter. The horseman was identified as Ariston at the moment he struck down Satropates. The costume of the fallen warrior was identified as “Persian”, especially the pair of trousers he is wearing. So it is natural to assume in assigning the identities represented on the reverse as the two historical figures mentioned above. However, an argument put forward by Nicholas Wright in his paper “The Horseman and the Warrior: Paionia and Macedonia in the 4th Century BC” discussed with certainty that the reverse might be a generic representation of Paeonia subduing a foreign enemy. He surveyed the entire corpus of Patraos’ coinage and made detailed analyses of the different iconography of the fallen warrior. A percentage of the reverse showed the warrior holding a Macedonian shield (Persians used wicker shields) and a number of coins showed him wearing long-sleeved chiton, thought to be the traditional attire of the Macedonians and other Balkan tribes, and kausia. Such anachronistic representation and iconography of the coins struck across a short timespan begs us to reconsider and reassess the identity of the warrior. The inherent antipathy of Paeonia towards their southern as well as their Balkan neighbors and the inclusion of the name of Patraos in his coins instead of Alexander reflect the king’s opposition to the supposed overlordship of Macedonia over Paeonia. Such evidence would only lead us to conclude that the reverse shows an allegorical representation of Paeonians defeating a foreign enemy and not to a specific event or a single ethnic group.




Jason TJan 17, 2014
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Pamphylia, Aspendos AR StaterCirca 330/25-300/250 BC. (26mm, 10.58 g, 12h). Tekin Series 5; SNG von Aulock-4573; SNG France-115. Obverse: Two naked wrestlers grappling; monogram between. Reverse: Slinger in throwing stance right; EΣTFEΔIY to left; to right, triskeles over downward facing club; all within dotted circle border. Minor die break on obverse. Good VF, toned, well centered.

Ex CNG

The ancient city Aspendos was an important Greek colony and harbor city on the river Eurymedon located 7 miles off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In the fifth century BCE, the city commenced minting coins based on the Persian standard, which was then common in Persian-ruled Asia Minor. The wrestler-type, began in the fourth century, probably refers to either pankration or pale (wrestling) victory in one of the Panhellenic games. The slinger on the reverse may be a punning reference to the city's name, since sphendone ("sling") sounds similar to Aspendos. The triskeles to the slinger's right might depict the city's badge. The ethnic on the reverse, Estwediu, corresponds to the Greek genitive case Aspendiou ("of the Aspendians"). It is interesting to note that the ethnic is spelled utilizing the then-archaic ancient Greek letter digamma F (pronounced “w”). Other known coinages which used the digamma letter were Elis in the Peloponnesos and Lydian “Walwet” coins. The Aspendians also liked to stress out that their city had been established by the Argives. The club of the Argive hero Herakles on the reverse may refer to the event when Argos bestowed honorary Argive citizenship to all Aspendians in a decree dated around 330-300 B.C. that was set up in Nemea, the site of the Nemean games. (Part of commentary extracted from HFMA Coin Catalogue).


2 commentsJason TJan 06, 2014
mazaios~0.jpg
Baal or Zeus (Interpretatio Graecia) on Cilician Stater of Satrap MazaiosCirca 361-334 B.C. AR Stater (10.88g, 24mm, 5h). cf. SNG Levant-106; SNG Paris-. Obverse Baal of Tarsos enthroned left, head facing, holding club, bunch of grapes, wheat ear, and eagle in right hand, lotus-headed scepter in left hand, B’LTRZ (Baaltarz) in Aramaic behind, M below throne, all within a circle of dots. Reverse lion bringing down bull, attacking with teeth and claws, MZDI (Mazdai) in Aramaic above, unlisted ankh symbol, wheat ear below, all within a circle of dots. Sharply struck on an excellent metal with areas of flat strikes on high points. Choice superb EF/EF. Toned, lustrous.

Ex Ponterio and Associates Sale No. 84, November 1996, lot 141. Ex Stacks Bowers and Ponterio Sale No. 172, November 2012, lot 11680. Ex Pars Coins.

The depiction of Phoenician-Canaanite god Baal on Cilician coinage suggests the preeminence of his cult in Tarsos. He is shown enthroned, most probably on Mount Zaphon. The symbols corn-ear/barley and grapes suggest Baal’s capacity as a god involved in the seasonal cycles of life and death, or a more specific reference to Cilicia’s fertile plains. The iconography of this late coinage is also a syncretic mixture of other cultures, including Greek. The treatment of the god’s body gives us a hint of the extent of influence of Hellenic culture exerted in Eastern Asia Minor long before Alexander’s conquest, and it is said that Baal could be equated with Zeus in the Greek context. After the conquest of Alexander III of the East, Mazaios was appointed governor of Babylon. The new coinage of Alexander was strongly influenced by Mazaios’ pre-Alexandrine coinage (the Zeus Aetophoros commonly found on the reverses of his tetradrachmai is a direct descendant of this). The reverse depicts the City’s Emblem and clearly has an underlying meaning now lost to us. Some say it symbolizes the victory of Day over Night, while others suggest military conquest and subjugation of the enemies by the Persian Empire. Marvin Tameanko has persuasively argued (see Celator, Jan. 1995, pp. 6-11) that the kneeling bull (without the lion) is symbolic of Zeus, as attested on scores of later Greek and Roman coins; and the lion is symbolic of the supreme god Baal of the Cilicians. This concludes the lion-over-bull motif on this coin delivers a message that is blatantly direct and simple, if the argument put forward is to be believed.
5 commentsJason TAug 04, 2013
Maroneia.jpg
Dionysos on Maroneian AR TetradrachmLate 2nd-mid 1st centuries B.C. AR Tetradrachm, 16.18g, 31mm, 12h. Schonert-Geiss-1150 (V51/R158); SNG Copenhagen-; Dewing-1296 (same as obverse die). Obverse wreathed head of young Dionysos right. Reverse Dionysos standing half left, holding grapes and narthex stalks; monogram to inner left & right. Near EF, toned, minor die wear on reverse.

Ex CNG 88 (14 Sept. 2011) lot 52. Ex CNG e-Auction 286 lot 22.

Maroneia, together with Thasos and other Thracian poleis, was famous for its excellent wine in the ancient world. Therefore, it is no wonder that that the god of wine Dionysos is so prominent on their coins.
3 commentsJason TAug 04, 2013
AcarnaniaLeukas.jpg
Athena and Pegasos on AR Stater of LeukasCirca 320-280 B.C. AR Stater (22mm. 8.58g. 6h). BCD Akarnania 269 var. (no monogram). SNG Copenhagen 357 var. (same). Pegasi 134. Obverse Pegasus left, lambda below. Reverse helmeted head of Athena left, monogram below, lambda before stylis. EF, toned.

Ex Sukenik Collection (acquired from Brian Kritt). Ex CNG.

Leukas is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea; and according to ancient sources, a former Corinthian colony. Their coinage reflect their ties with the mother city and almost identical with the coinage of Corinth which could only be distinguished by a small Greek letter to signify where the coins were made, in case of our coin, the letter lambda for Leukas. The coin we have is a beautiful specimen with exquisite details. We could strongly confirm from this coin that the winged Pegasus is a male mythical beast. The reverse is also quite interesting since Athena’s helmet is realistically well proportioned in relation to her head. Other coins of the same type show a smaller helmet which she could impossibly use! The engraver of this coin followed the rules of proportion. Of particular importance is that Leukas is associated with Sappho and the myth of her suicide at Cape Lefkada (Lefkada being the modern name of Leukas). Recently, some scholars suggested that Leukas is the actual place of Homer’s Ithaca. Passages from the Odyssey described Ithaca as an island reachable on foot, which is the case for Leukas since it is not really an island, that it was connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.
3 commentsJason TAug 04, 2013
Kassander.jpg
Zeus on Kassander AR TetradrachmCirca 317-315 B.C. AR Tetradrachm in the name and types of Philip II, 14.31g. Pella Mint. Le Rider-531 (D281/R436), SNG ANS-450 (same dies). Obverse laureate head of Zeus right. Reverse ΦIΛIΠ-ΠOY nude youth, holding palm frond and reins, on horseback right; coiled serpent below, Boeotian shield below foreleg. EF, lightly toned, some die wear on obverse, die break and die shift on reverse. Attractive style.

Ex CNG
1 commentsJason TAug 04, 2013
prnbzw~0.jpg
Aphrodite and Ares on Cilician AR Stater of Satrap PharnabazosCirca 380-374/3 B.C.(21mm, 10.39g, 11h). Struck circa 380-379 B.C. Casabonne series 3; Moysey Issue 3, 3-5 var. (dolphin on obv.); SNG France 246 var. (rev. legend). Obverse Head of nymph facing three-quarters left. Reverse Helmeted head of Ares left, Aramaic PRNBZW to left. Near EF, toned, struck from a slightly worn obverse die.

Ex CNG.

There is still an ongoing debate whether who represent the obverse and reverse of this coin type of Pharnabazos. The obverse obviously was inspired by the renowned Syracusan tetradrachm of Kimon, whose three-quarter facing head of the nymph Arethusa was widely copied throughout the ancient world. A handful of ancient poleis adopted this style to represent their local nymph or goddess on their coins. A perfect example is the numerous coins of Larissa in Thessaly representing the local nymph of the same name. It is possible to assume then that the obverse of our coin might be another female deity other than Arethusa. A current opinion holds that the obverse represents Aphrodite, the goddess of love; and the reverse depicts Ares, the god of war. The two were known in ancient mythology as lovers, and commonly paired together on ancient coins. Of special note on this coin is the reverse: while most coins of this type display static male heads with little originality, the reverse die is probably from a special issue marked by superior style and executed with extreme delicacy. It has been suggested (Leu Auction 81, lot 317) that the head of Ares may be a disguised portrait of Pharnabazos himself.

1 commentsJason TAug 04, 2013
prnbzw.jpg
Cilicia, Tarsos. Satrap Pharnabazos II. AR Stater.Circa 380-374/3 B.C.(21mm, 10.39g, 11h). Struck circa 380-379 B.C. Casabonne series 3; Moysey Issue 3, 3-5 var. (dolphin on obv.); SNG France 246 var. (rev. legend). Obverse Head of nymph facing three-quarters left. Reverse Helmeted head of Ares left, Aramaic PRNBZW to left. Near EF, toned, struck from a slightly worn obverse die.

Ex CNG.

There is still an ongoing debate whether who represent the obverse and reverse of this coin type of Pharnabazos. The obverse obviously was inspired by the renowned Syracusan tetradrachm of Kimon, whose three-quarter facing head of the nymph Arethusa was widely copied throughout the ancient world. A handful of ancient poleis adopted this style to represent their local nymph or goddess on their coins. A perfect example is the numerous coins of Larissa in Thessaly representing the local nymph of the same name. It is possible to assume then that the obverse of our coin might be another female deity other than Arethusa. A current opinion holds that the obverse represents Aphrodite, the goddess of love; and the reverse depicts Ares, the god of war. The two were known in ancient mythology as lovers, and commonly paired together on ancient coins. Of special note on this coin is the reverse: while most coins of this type display static male heads with little originality, the reverse die is probably from a special issue marked by superior style and executed with extreme delicacy. It has been suggested (Leu Auction 81, lot 317) that the head of Ares may be a disguised portrait of Pharnabazos himself.
Jason TJul 31, 2013
Ancient_Greek_Zoo.jpg
Ancient Greek BestiaryClockwise: Lion of Chersonessos, Dyrrhachion Cow, Calf and Wasp; Dove of Sikyon; Pegasos of Leukas (mythical); Lion and Bull of Tarsos; Macedonian Horse and Human.
Center: Owl of Athens.
Of the animals listed above, it is said that the human animal is the most violent and destructive of all.
4 commentsJason TJul 26, 2013
chersonesos.jpg
Thrace, Chersonesos. AR Hemidrachm.Circa 386-338 BC. AR Hemidrachm (2.40g, 13mm, 6h). McClean-4088; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC-18; Weber-2434; Dewing-3104. Obverse Forepart of lion right, head reverted. Reverse Quadripartite incuse square with alternating raised and sunken quarters, pellet over A and grape cluster in opposite sunken quarters. Lovely strike from nice detailed high relief die. Struck on a very nice broad flan. Perfectly centered. Choice EF. Toned. Lovely example for the issue.

Ex Pars Coins.

The Chersonesos Peninsula was originally founded by Thracian tribes and was later colonized by the Greeks around the 7th century BC. After the death of Alexander III, the diadoch Lysimachos founded his capital on the peninsula and named it Lysimacheia for the newly created kingdom of Thrace.
3 commentsJason TMay 23, 2013
cilicia_aegeai_CNG_photo.jpg
Cilicia, Aigeai. AR Tetradrachm.Dated Civic Year 17 (30/29 BC). AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 14.38g, 11h). Arnold-Biucchi, Tresor 84-122 var. (D4/R-[unlisted reverse die]); SNG France-2280 (same obverse die); SNG Levante-; SNG von Aulock-; DCA-355. Obverse Turreted and veiled bust of Tyche right. Reverse Athena Nikephoros standing left; DI and club to left, IZ (date) and delta in exergue, ethnic in right field; all within wreath. Extra fine with a hint of die wear. Well centered. Rare (R1), especially with unrecorded reverse die.

Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd. Auction V, lot 413
Ex CNG

In classical times the modern city of Ayas was called Aigeai and belonged to Greater Cilicia (Cilicia Pedias). The site is strategically located on the Gulf of Issos and was originally founded by Greco-Macedonian colonists and named after the Macedonian capital Aegae. Due to its strategic location in launching attacks against Armenia, Pontos and Parthia, Julius Caesar gave the city a special status of oppidum liberum or a “free city” in autumn of 47 BC, probably early November of that year.

2 commentsJason TMay 23, 2013
Dyrrachion.jpg
Illyria, Dyrrhachion. AR Stater.Circa 340-280 BC. AR Stater (21mm, 10.71 g, 4h). Maier 23 var. (lizard on rev.); A. Meadows, Coin Hoards (forthcoming) 175 (this coin); SNG Copenhagen –; BMC 17 var. (same). Obverse Cow standing right, looking back at suckling calf standing left below; above, wasp right. Reverse Double stellate pattern (or stylized double thunderbolts of Zeus), divided by line, in double linear square border (single on one side); DYR retrograde, club below; all within linear circle border. Good VF, bright surfaces, some porosity. Well centered. Very rare (R2).

Ex CNG 93rd Printed Auction, lot 190.

Dyrrhachion was founded as Epidamnos in the ancient region of Illyria along the Adriatic coast in 627 BC by ancient Greek colonists from Corinth and Korkyra. The city's geographical position was highly advantageous, as it was situated around a natural rocky harbor which was surrounded by inland swamps and high cliffs on the seaward side, making the city very difficult to attack from either land or sea. The city, together with Corinth’s conflict (a "tipping point") with Korkyra was one of the causes of precipitating the Peloponnesian War. Dyrrahchion was noted for being a politically advanced society, prompting Aristotle to praise its political system in controlling trade between the Greek colonists and the locals. The Romans prefer calling the city Dyrrhacium since the last two syllables of the city’s name “–damnos” connotes a different meaning and inauspicious to Roman ears.

1 commentsJason TMay 23, 2013
thessalain_league.jpg
mazaios.jpg
Cilicia, Tarsos. Satrap Mazaios. AR Stater.Circa 361-334 B.C. AR Stater (10.88gm, 24mm, 5h). cf. SNG Levant-106; SNG Paris-. Obverse Baal of Tarsos enthroned left, head facing, holding club, bunch of grapes, wheat ear, and eagle in right hand, lotus-headed scepter in left hand, B’LTRZ (Baaltarz) in Aramaic behind, M below throne, all within a circle of dots. Reverse lion bringing down bull, attacking with teeth and claws, MZDI (Mazdai) in Aramaic above, unlisted ankh symbol, wheat ear below, all within a circle of dots. Sharply struck on an excellent metal with areas of flat strike. Choice superb EF/EF. Toned, lustrous.

Ex Ponterio and Associates Sale No. 84, November 1996, lot 141
Ex Stacks Bowers and Ponterio Sale No. 172, November 2012, lot 11680
Ex Pars Coins

The depiction of Phoenician-Canaanite god Baal on Cilician coinage suggests the preeminence of his cult in Tarsos. He is shown enthroned, most probably on Mount Zaphon. The symbols corn-ear/barley and grapes suggest Baal’s capacity as a god involved in the seasonal cycles of life and death, or a more specific reference to Cilicia’s fertile plains. The iconography of this late coinage is also a syncretic mixture of other cultures, including Greek. The treatment of the god’s body gives us a hint of the extent of influence of Hellenic culture exerted in Eastern Asia Minor even before Alexander’s conquest, and it is said that Baal could be equated with Zeus in the Greek context. After the conquest of Alexander III of the East, Mazaios was appointed governor of Babylon. The new coinage of Alexander was strongly influenced by Mazaios’ pre-Alexandrine coinage (the Zeus Aetophoros commonly found on the reverses of his tetradrachmai is a direct descendant of this). The reverse depicts the City’s Emblem and clearly has an underlying meaning now lost to us. Some say it symbolizes the victory of Day over Night, while others suggest military conquest and subjugation of the enemies by the Persian Empire. Marvin Tameanko has persuasively argued (see Celator, Jan. 1995, pp. 6-11) that the kneeling bull (without the lion) is symbolic of Zeus, as attested on scores of later Greek and Roman coins; and the lion is symbolic of the supreme god Baal of the Cilicians. This concludes the lion-over-bull motif on this coin delivers a message that is both blatantly direct and simple, if the argument put forward is to be believed.
6 commentsJason TMar 09, 2013
Euergetes.jpg
Seleukid Empire. Antiochos VII Euergetes. AR Tetradrachm.Circa 138-129 B.C. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.77g, 1h). Antioch on the Orontes Mint. SC-2061.1a; HGC-9, 1067d. Obverse diademed head of Antiochos right. Reverse Athena Nikephoros standing left, resting hand on shield, and propping spear on her arm; to outer left, mint monogram above O; all within wreath. Fine style portrait. Extra fine, attractively toned.

Ex CNG.

Antiochos Euergetes (“the Benefactor”), nicknamed Sidetes (“from Side”), is said to be the last effective ruler of the Seleukid Empire. Starting 138 B.C., in beginning of his reign, he briefly restored much of the former territories of Babylonia, Mesopotamia and Media that had been lost from the Parthians and killing the aging Parthian King Mithradates I in the process. However, Antiochos was killed when the Parthians under the new king Phraates II ambushed him in Media nine years later. Some said he committed suicide to prevent his capture.

The coins of Antiochos are relatively common. Most in the series follow a very precise but monotonous design. Surprisingly, this type of coin didn’t follow that norm. It could be surmised that fine-style coins of Antiochos were created during its greatest territorial extent mimicking the earlier portrait coins of Alexander the Great, showing renewed confidence and power of the king and empire. The reverse of the coin with Athena Nikephoros alludes to the victory of Antiochos over the Parthians. Undoubtedly, the engraver of the dies who created this coin was an accomplished artist attempting to uphold and maintain the artistic ideals of Hellenistic civilization in its waning days.
3 commentsJason TMar 09, 2013
Mithradates.jpg
Oriental Greek. Kings of Parthia. Mithradates II "the Great" AR Drachma.Circa 121-91 B.C. (3.86g, 19mm, 12h). Sellwood-24.17; Shore-71; BMC Parthia-; MACW-. Rhagae Mint. Struck circa 119-109 B.C. Obverse diademed bust of Mithradates left; neck torque ends in pellet, monogram behind. Reverse BASILEUS MEGALOU ARSAKOU EPIPHANOU Arsakes I seated right on omphalos, holding bow; guide lines in legend. Well struck from high relief dies. Light even porosity. Good style. Choice aEF, toned. Very rare type (R2).

Ex Pars Coins

This rare type drachm of Mithradates meticulously follows the design of the much larger silver tetradrachmai of the ruler. One could be easily misled to think this particular coin to be a tetradrachm if the dimension and weight are not mentioned. This attests to the detail and artistry put into the coin.
1 commentsJason TMar 09, 2013
Ariobarzanes.jpg
Kings of Cappadocia. Ariobarzanes I Philoromaios. AR Drachma.Circa 96-63 B.C. AR Drachm (17mm, 3.92g, 1h). Simmoneta-9a. Obverse diademed head of Ariobarzanes to right. Reverse BASILEUS ARIOBARZANOU PHILOROMAIOU Athena standing left, holding Nike and spear and shield; to left monogram; to right, A; in exergue, gamma. Extremely Fine, beautifully toned.

Ex Nomos AG 6th Price List Sale, lot 44.

Ariobarzanes I (nicknamed Philoromaios or “Lover of Rome” in the literal sense but should be properly translated as “Friend of Rome”) was a client king of Cappadocia during Roman expansion and hegemony in Asia Minor. He was elected by his people with the backing of Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He was removed several times by either Mithradates IV of Pontus or Tigranes II of Armenia but reinstated by the Roman Senate each time. He eventually abdicated and was replaced by his son, Ariobarzanes II.

The detail and artistry is surprisingly elegant on this small coin with a diameter of only 17mm. It is a masterpiece of miniature numismatic portraiture: most of Ariobarzanes’ coins are of inferior quality and finding one with fine portraiture of good style, such as this, is rarely encountered.
3 commentsJason TMar 09, 2013
935293~0.jpg
Greek, Ariobarzanes I Philoromaios. Cappadocian Kingdom. AR Drachm.Circa 96-63 B.C. AR Drachm (17mm, 3.92g, 1h). Simmoneta 9a. Obverse diademed head of Ariobarzanes to right. Reverse BASILEUS ARIOBARZANOU PHILOROMAIOU Athena standing left, holding Nike and spear and shield; to left monogram; to right, A; in exergue, gamma. Extremely Fine, beautifully toned. Ex Nomos AG 6th Price List Sale, lot 44.
Ariobarzanes I, nicknamed Philoromaios or “Lover of Rome” in the literal sense but should be translated as “Friend of Rome,” was a client king of Cappadocia during Roman expansion and hegemony in Asia Minor. He was elected by his people with the backing of Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He was removed several times by either Mithradates IV of Pontus or Tigranes II of Armenia but reinstated by the Roman Senate each time. He eventually abdicated and was replaced by his son, Ariobarzanes II.

The detail and artistry is surprisingly elegant on this small coin with a diameter of only 17mm. It is a masterpiece of miniature numismatic portraiture: most of Ariobarzanes’ coins are of inferior quality and finding one with fine portraiture of good style, such as this, is rarely encountered.

2 commentsJason TFeb 06, 2013
Akarnania_Leukas.jpg
Akarnania, Leukas. AR Stater.Circa 320-280 B.C. (22mm., 8.58g., 6h). BCD Akarnania 269 var. (no monogram). SNG Copenhagen 357 var. (same). Pegasi 134. Obverse Pegasos left, lambda below. Reverse helmeted head of Athena left, monogram below, lambda before stylis. EF, toned.

Ex Sukenik Collection
Ex CNG
5 commentsJason TDec 21, 2012
Lucania,_Metapontion.jpg
Lucania, Metapontum AR NomosStruck circa 340-330 BC. AR Nomos, 7.83g. Johnston Class B2. HN Italy-1575. SNG ANS 432-440. Obverse bearded head of hero Leukippos wearing unadorned Corinthian helmet right; behind lion head right; monogram below chin. Reverse barley ear of seven grains with leaf to left; club above leaf, AMI below; META in right field. VF, toned.

Ex Joseph Melchione collection
Ex Ira and Larry Goldberg Pre-Long Beach Sept. 4-5, 2012 Auction 70th Sale, lot 3021
Ex CNG

The head of the hero Leukippos on this coin is particularly elegant. He was a mythical king of Messene whom the Metapontines claimed as the founder of their city. His appearance on the coins almost certainly serves as an allusion to the help given to Metapontum by Alexander the Molossian, another king from across the sea. The mythological hero Leukippos (his name means owner of a white horse, i.e., a wealthy man) was particularly popular in Metapontum, appearing on the obverse of many of the city's nomoi, or staters, starting c. 350 BC. This helmeted and bearded head also served as a prototype for Rome's early didrachms with a similar head of Mars. (Commentary courtesy Classical Numismatic Group).
1 commentsJason TOct 28, 2012
56899q00_(2).jpg
Side.jpg
Side, Pamphylia AR TetradrachmCirca 155-36 B.C. Silver tetradrachm, SNG Cop 400, SNGvA 4797, Side mint, weight 16.287g, maximum diameter 31.5mm, die axis 0o, obverse head of Athena right in a crested Corinthian helmet; reverse Nike advancing left, extending wreath in right, pomegranate left, KLE-YX (magistrate's name KLEUCHARES?) below; nice centering. EF.

Ex FORVM.

In 190 B.C. a fleet from Rhodes, supported by Rome and Pergamum, defeated the Seleucid fleet under the command of the fugitive Carthaginian general Hannibal. The Seleucid defeat freed Side from the overlord-ship of the Seleucid Empire. The Treaty of Apamea (188 B.C.) left Side in a state of uncertain freedom. It was during this period of autonomy that Side struck these tetradrachms. It would last until 36 B.C. when the city came under the rule of the Roman client King of Galatia, Amyntas.
1 commentsJason TSep 18, 2012
Maroneia,_Thrace~0.jpg
GREEK, Thrace, Maroneia AR TetradrachmLate 2nd-mid 1st centuries B.C. AR Tetradrachm, 16.18g, 31mm, 12h. Schonert-Geiss-1150 (V51/R158); SNG-Copenhagen-; Dewing-1296 (same as obverse die). Obverse wreathed head of young Dionysos right. Reverse Dionysos standing half left, holding grapes and narthex stalks, monogram to inner left & right. DIONYSOU SOTEROS MARONITON. Near EF, minor die wear on reverse. Ex CNG 88(14 Sept. 2011) lot 52. Ex CNG 286 (5 Sept. 2012) lot 22.
Jason TSep 18, 2012
Maroneia,_Thrace.jpg
Thrace, Maroneia AR TetradrachmLate 2nd-mid 1st centuries B.C. AR Tetradrachm, 16.18g, 31mm, 12h. Schonert-Geiss-1150 (V51/R158); SNG-Copenhagen-; Dewing-1296 (same as obverse die). Obverse wreathed head of young Dionysos right. Reverse Dionysos standing half left, holding grapes and narthex stalks, monogram to inner left & right. Near EF, minor die wear on reverse.

Ex CNG 88(14 Sept. 2011) lot 52. Ex CNG e-Auction 286 (5 Sept. 2012) lot 22.
2 commentsJason TSep 18, 2012
Kassander_AR_Stater.jpg
Kingdom of Macedonia AR TetradrachmKassander as Regent. Pella Mint. Circa 317-315 B.C. AR Tetradrachm in the name and types of Philip II, 14.31g. Le Rider-531 (D281/R436), SNG ANS-450 (same dies). Obverse laureate head of Zeus right. Reverse ΦIΛIΠ-ΠOY nude youth, holding palm frond and reins, on horseback right; coiled serpent below, Boeotian shield below foreleg. EF, lightly toned, some die wear on obverse, die break and die shift on reverse. Attractive style.

Ex CNG.
1 commentsJason TSep 18, 2012
25884q00.jpg
Seleukid Kingdom, Antiochus VI Epiphanes Dionysus AR Drachm Circa 144 - 142 or 141 B.C. (Ex FORVM)Seleukid Kingdom, Antiochus VI Epiphanes Dionysus, 144 - 142 or 141 B.C., SH25884. Silver drachm, SNG Cop 294, SNG Spaer 1760 var, Mint State, Antioch mint, weight 4.232g, maximum diameter 17.9mm, die axis 45o, 144 - 143 B.C.; obverse diademed radiate head of Antiochus VI right; reverse BASILEWS ANTIOCOU EPIFANOUS DIONUSOU, Apollo seated left on omphalos, nude, arrow in right, resting left on bow, monogram between legs, QXR (year 169) STA (magistrate) in ex.

Antiochus VI was the son of Alexander Balas and Cleopatra Thea and daughter of Ptolemy VI of Egypt. He was nominated in 145 BC by the general Diodotus Tryphon in opposition to Demetrius II. He did not actually rule and served only as the general's pawn. In 142 BC, Diodotus deposed and succeeded him.

Purchased from FORVM (March 04, 2012).
2 commentsJason TJul 11, 2012
Sikyon_Stater_(obverse).jpg
Peloponnesus. Sikyon AR Stater (obverse)Circa 431-400 B.C. 12.27g. BCD-189, BM-22. Obverse. Chimaera walking left. SE below. Extremely beautiful stater. Ex Berk 179th 2012 Auction, lot 131. Mint State.Jason TJun 29, 2012
Myrina_Tetradrachm_(obverse).jpg
Aeolis. Myrina AR Tetradrachm (obverse)Circa 150 B.C. BMC-15. Obverse. Head of Apollo right. Ex Berk 179th 2012 Auction, lot 135. Obverse struck in high relief. Mint State with minimal hoard deposits.Jason TJun 29, 2012
Myrina_Tetradrachm_(reverse).jpg
Aeolis. Myrina AR Tetradrachm (reverse)Circa 150 B.C. Reverse. Apollo advancing right carrying patera and filleted laurel branch; omphalos and amphora before him; ethnic MYRINAION and monogram behind him. Ex Berk 179th 2012 Auction, lot 135. Mint State with hoard deposits.Jason TJun 29, 2012
Sikyon_Stater_(reverse).jpg
Peloponnesus. Sikyon AR Stater (reverse)Circa 431-400 B.C. Reverse. Flying dove left, N below beak; all within olive wreath. Flan flaw in leaves, otherwise extremely beautiful stater. Ex Berk 179th 2012 Auction, lot 131. Mint State.Jason TJun 29, 2012
Macedonia_AR_Stater_(obverse).jpg
Macedonia. Alexander III AR Tetradrachm (obverse)Circa 325-315 B.C. 17.23g. Pella Mint. Obverse. Bust of Alexander III as Herakles right, wearing lion skin headress. Price-211. Ex Berk. Mint State. Jason TJun 29, 2012
Macedonia_AR_Stater__(reverse).jpg
Macedonia. Alexander III AR Tetradrachm (reverse)Circa 325-315 B.C. Reverse. Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, on throne, ALEXANDROU in right field, monogram in left field. Die shift. Price-211. Ex Berk. Mint State.1 commentsJason TJun 29, 2012
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