Hellenic Holed Coins

---------- Interesting Things About Ancient Coins ----------

Gallery of Holed Coins - Hellenic

My holed ancient coins page gives an overview of different types of holed coins. These are my holed coin galleries:

Hellenic Coins (this page) — Roman Republican and Augustan Coins — First Century Roman Coins — Second Century Roman Coins — Third Century Roman Coins — Fourth Century Roman Coins — Fifth Century Roman Coins — Byzantine or Romaion Coins of Later Centuries — Other Holed Coins of Varying Origins and Times

This page contains coins from both the Classical Greek and the Hellenistic periods.

Click on the image to see more about the coin.
	Bronze AE15 from Istros, 475-350 BCE. 15mm x 17mm, 2.61 grammes.	Probably the oldest holed coin in this selection. It looks simple and almost archaic, with the deep impression of a four-spoked wheel on one side, and the first few letters of the city's name on the other (they are not always as shallowly struck as on this specimen). The hole was struck or bored through from the wheel side, which means that this side was important to its owner and would most likely have been displayed when this coin was worn as a pendant. The sprue on this coin shows that the blank flan was cast before the pattern was struck onto it.
	Silver hemidrachm from Apollonia Pontika, 450-400 BCE. 15mm x 13mm, 2.89 grammes.	This interesting coin is of a type which has seen a flood of fakes in recent years. In fact it's unwise to buy one unless you are an expert or are buying from a trusted expert source. BUT .. a coin in this condition is most unlikely to be a fake. The hole reduces the price ($15.50 for a 2,400-year-old silver artifact!) and the wear and grime seem to be authentic. The gorgon mask on the reverse was regarded as lucky or protective, scaring away evil and enemies, so this was likely worn as a lucky charm or token. There are more gorgons on my "Story of Medusa" page.
	Silver trihemiobol from Eion in Thrace, 5th century BCE. 11mm across, 0.9 grammes.	This is a tiny coin with a design only on one side; on the reverse is a square punch mark. The obverse design shows a goose with neck bent back, and above it, a lizard or salamander. The hole has been carefully bored, from front to back, so as not to interfere with the design. There is some wear around the area of the lizard, so it could have been worn round the neck and fingered by the right hand. Intriguing, and I was able to get this very old and pretty coin relatively cheaply.
	Silver triobol from Korkyra, modern Corfu, c. 4th century BCE. 17mm across, 2.4 grammes.	An old coin with a simple design. The obverse has a volute krater, a large vessel for mixing wine and water ready to drink. These are often wrongly described as amphoras in coin descriptions. (Amphoras are narrow-necked jars designed for storage and transport.) Some versions of the reverse of this coin type include a bunch of grapes, to continue the drinking theme. This one just has a K for Korkyra. This coin has been carelessly cleaned, which has left some gouges in its surface.
	Silver trihemiobol from Thasos in Thrace, 411-350 BCE. 11.9mm, 0.8 grammes.	Another small and light coin, attractive and old. It can be compared with the trihemiobol from Eion above. These aren't by any means the smallest Greek coins available – there are some really tiny fractions – and that's probably a good thing, because these are large enough to have interesting and attractive designs. A lot of these Thasos trihemiobols turn up holed. I do not think the reason for this is known.
	Silver trihemiobol from Thasos in Thrace, 411-350 BCE. 12mm, 0.70 grammes.	Here's a second satyr from Thasos, this time facing to the left and showing just how nude he is. These satyrs have tails waving behind them, and carry a kantharos, which is a wine cup. On the reverse of the coins is a volute krater, a large container for mixing wine with water, ready to drink. Definitely in the Dionysian tradition. I would conjecture that this coin was made earlier than the last one. The stye is finer, and you can clearly see an incuse square on the reverse, which is an older style.
	Silver trihemiobol from Thasos in Thrace, 411-350 BCE. 12mm, 0.71 grammes.	Yes, it's yet another Thasos coin. I included this one partly because of the two holes, different sizes, one made from the obverse and one from the reverse, as though made with different tools and perhaps at different times. I could only guess at the reasons for that. Perhaps the larger hole, being near an edge flaw, looked an insecure place to hang the coin from? But it's also included because I love the patterns and textures that appear on these crystallised coins. On the right is a section of the satyr's buttocks and thigh.
	Silver hemidrachm from Neapolis in Macedonia, 411-348 BCE. 13.5mm, 1.6 grammes.	This one is also crystallised. It's twice as heavy as the Eion or Thasos coins, and is still a little jewel. It has pleasant golden toning, and its pattern of embrittlement enhances the design. It was bored from the side with the gorgoneion, so was probably worn as a protective charm, like the coin from Apollonia Pontika above. It must have been a popular charm, as holed coins of this type are not hard to find.
	Silver hemidrachm from Lamia in Thessaly, 400-334 BCE. 15mm, 2.3 grammes.	The hole in this hemidrachm does not appear to have been placed with any care, so perhaps it was worn just as a nice piece of jewellery rather than with any religious significance. On the other hand, the hole does remove or damage the eye of the god; but I think it would be stretching it to claim that this was significant.
	Silver hemidrachm from Maroneia in Thrace, 385-347 BCE. 16mm, 2.3 grammes.	This coin from Maroneia has a common design for the city; grapes within a square. On the obverse is the forepart of a prancing horse. The hole shows signs of having been worked on from both sides, which in itself gives no suggestion that one or the other was more important. When hung by the hole, the grape design would be upside down, so perhaps the horse was the intended display.
	Silver drachm from Euboia, 357-267 BCE. 15mm, 3.6 grammes.	This coin is from the Euboian League. It shows the nymph Euboia, and the decorated head of a bull, probably ready for sacrifice. If this were suspended by its hole, both sides would be upside down. Perhaps it was intended to be seen by the wearer, or perhaps this was the best position for a hole regardless of the final effect.
	Fourrée hemidrachm of Parion in Mysia, 350-300 BCE. 12 x 13mm, 1.65 grammes.	This gorgoneion comes from Parion. Unlike the last one, it has snakes around Medusa's head, but they are not attached to it. You can see from the bull's hind leg on the reverse that this coin is a fourrée, with a base metal core under a silver shell. It is not unusual to find holes in fourrée coins, and they usually have clear indications of their nature other than the holes, so maybe it was a way to make use of a dud that could no longer be passed as currency.
	Bronze AE16 from Carthage, late 4th century BCE. 16mm, 1.6 grammes.	The reverse of this coin is not very nice, but the obverse is quite fetching. The hole completely misses the head of the fertility goddess Tanit, and you can clearly see her hair plaited or rolled around her brow. A curved leaf from one of the grain stalks woven into this braid stands out nicely. There's another Tanit on my "hairstyles" page.
	Bronze AE12 from Corinth in Sicily, 4th to 3rd century BCE. 12mm, 1.5 grammes.	This little bronze coin is rather nicer to look at, even though the surface is rather irregular. Pegasos is very clear, and the ornate decorations on the trident are still quite visible. Many more Pegasos coins, including another one of these, can be seen here.
	Silver drachm of Chalkis in Euboia, 340-294 BCE. 14mmx17mm, 3.36 grammes.	This coin is not as well executed as the older silver coins shown above, but is an interesting type, showing an eagle grappling a snake with beak and talon, while the snake is wrapping a coil around the eagle's tail.
	Silver double victoriatus of the Thessalian League, 396-346 BCE. 21mmx23mm, 5.88 grammes.	A larger coin which was probably struck in Larissa, the capital city of the Thessalian League. This one has had its hole plugged at some time. Plugs like this are quite possibly modern. Some collectors can't resist having a go with some solder, and they often make a good job of it, though I would prefer to leave the coin as it was, hole and all. In this case, it looks as though the plug was hammered flat, which has caused some damage to both the flan and the edge of the coin.
	Silver tetradrachm of Alexander III "The Great", 290-270 BCE. 30mmx31mm, 16.53 grammes.	A big and chunky silver tetradrachm, made after the death of Alexander the Great, but in the same pattern as the coins made during his life. This was recognised throughout the eastern lands he had conquered as what a good coin looked like. This coin was a civic issue from the town of Miletos.
	Bronze coin of Mesembria in Thrace, 3rd-2nd C. BCE. 20mm, 5.48 grammes.	This coin must have been used as a pendant displaying the female head on the obverse. The way in which it was holed is rather unusual. An area near the edge has been flattened out and made thin, distorting the edge of the coin in the process; and then a hole has been bored through the flattened region. The boring tool has been worked both ways.
	Bronze coin of Ptolemy V of Egypt, 204-180 BCE. 28mmx29mm, 18.75 grammes.	This is a heavy bronze from Hellenistic Egypt, struck in Alexandria where the Ptolemies had their seat of power. The obverse shows an image of the goddess Isis, and it is said to have the features of the first Cleopatra. The hole is quite tidily done and could easily be much younger than the coin; but not necessarily so. The direction of the piercing shows off the image of the queen as Isis.
	Silver drachm of Ariarathes V, 162 BCE. 17mm, 3.92 grammes.	A coin of one of the kings of Cappadocia, looking rather worn, and I don't think the reverse die was very fresh when it was struck. The reverse shows the goddess Athena, holding a miniature Victory in her hand, spear held behind her, and with her left hand resting on a shield which has on it a mask of the gorgon Medusa. This is Athena's Aegis, made for her by Hermes after Perseus defeated the Gorgon with her help. The coin was pierced from the side showing Athena, so perhaps she was more important than the king to the coin's owner.
	Silver drachm of Antiochos VI, 143-142 BCE. 17mm, 3.35 grammes.	This later coin of the Seleucid empire is a bit rough-textured. Maybe it has been over-cleaned. But it is still a nice coin, showing the head of Antichos VI as the sun-god Helios, radiating light like the sun, and complete with kiss-curls.
	Bronze AE22 of Ptolemy X, 116/115-80 BCE. 21x22mm, 7.95 grammes.	A smaller bronze coin of Egypt, with a hole right through the front of the head of Zeus-Ammon, shown here with the typical ram's horns just above his ears. The hole has been worked on from both sides of the coin, but damages the eagles least, so may have been started from there.
	Silver new style tetradrachm of Athens, c.100 BCE. 26x30mm, 16.5 grammes.	This is a silver tetradrachm of Athens, in the "new style" in which Athena was no longer depicted in an archaic way. It's rather worn, especially on the obverse, but there is lots of detail left on the reverse. It has been holed, and a loop affixed with a rivet. The loop and rivet do not respond to a magnet, so are probably silver. The rivet goes from front to back, and its end has been hammered out quite crudely to fix it in place. That process has flattened and spread out the flan around the area of the loop.

The content of this page was last updated on 21 January 2013.