Brennos

The Dekadrachm of The Numismatic Museum in Athens

To continue with the portraits of the 12 Olympians on bronze coins from Magna Graecia and Sicily : Bruttium, Rhegium Bronze circa 351-280, Æ 22mm., 9.42g. Facing lion-mask. Rev. PHΓINON Laureate head of Apollo r. SNG ANS 687. Historia Numorum Italy 2534. It's possibly an Apollo Karneios as known in some coins of Metapontion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carneia

Thrace is with a theta 😉 -> Θρᾴκη Terina BRUTTIUM. Terina. Circa 400-356 BC. Didrachm or Nomos (Silver, 20 mm, 7.38 g). TEPINAION Head of the nymph Terina to right, wearing triple pendant earring and necklace. Rev. Nike seated left on cippus, wearing kiton and himation, holding flapping bird on her outstretched right hand and placing her left on cippus. Holloway-Jenkins 84; Regling 80; HN Italy 2629.

First coin minted by the Western Greeks. Sybaris LUCANIA, Sybaris. Circa 540-530 BC. AR Nomos (28mm, 7.77 g, 12h). Bull standing left, head right; VM above / Incuse of obverse, but reversed and no ethnic. Spagnoli group A1, HNItaly 1729. SNG ANS 825.

not many Rho cities... Rhegion Bruttium, Rhegium Bronze circa 351-280, Æ 22mm., 9.42g. Facing lion-mask. Rev. PHΓINON Laureate head of Apollo r. SNG ANS 687. Historia Numorum Italy 2534.

congratulations it is a very nice coin ! I have already obtained two coins from them in the past. Two nice coins but at a very high price. Now I don't look anymore because most of the coins have very high hidden reserve prices and many of the sales are fake sales. e.g. I know the guy who own the lot 126, the EL-Stater of Cyzicus whith the Scylla. it is supposedly sold for 9500€ (for the third or fourth time) whereas i know the seller wants 20K€ for his coin. not very trustworthy... my advice is: if you bid live against another "internet bidder" , you can keep going, but as soon as you bid against "book order", you should stop. There is a significant risk of facing a hidden reserve price.

Another Zeus Eleutherios and a "Rizzo plate coin" Sicily, Syracuse Æ 26mm. Time of Timoleon and the Third Democracy, circa 339/8-334 BC. ΖΕΥΣ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΟΣ, laureate head of Zeus to left / ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ, free horse prancing to left. CNS 80 st 8/1 (this coin); SNG Spencer-Churchill 62 (this coin); Rizzo pl. LVIII 6 (this coin); HGC 2, 1439. 21.22g,

Cities and rulers that begin with Π are abundant indeed so let's sail to the Cyclades islands : Paros Cyclades, Paros AR Drachm. Circa 520-500 BC. Goat kneeling right, within border of dots / Incuse square. K. Sheedy, The Archaic and Early Classical Coinages of the Cyclades, RNS SP 40, London 2006, 9a; SNG Lockett 2619. 6.00g, 16mm.

Olynthos MACEDON, Chalkidian League. Circa 359 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 14.44 g). Olynthos mint. Head of Apollo left, with short hair, wearing laurel wreath / Kithara; tripod above, X-A-ΛKIΔ-EΩN around; all within incuse square. Robinson & Clement Group M

Nakona Sicily, Nakona, c. 420-4005 BC. Æ Tetras or Trionkion (18mm, 3.23g, 11h). Silenos, holding thyrsos and kantharos, seated on donkey l.; three pellets around. R/ Female head r. CNS I, 1; HGC 2, 956.

Massalia GAUL. Massalia. Circa 500-475 BC. Silver Obol 1.02 g), Milesian standard. Forepart of a lion to right, devouring prey. Rev. Rough incuse square. Auriol Group Ua. LT 336. Maurel 64.

Kyzikos Mysia, Kyzikos Tetradrachm circa 390-340, AR 15.35 g. ΣΩTEIPA Head of Kore Soteira facing l., wearing sphendone covered by a veil, with two grain-ears above her forehead, single pendant earring. Rev. KY – ZI Lion's head l., with open jaws and tongue protruding; beneath, tunny l. and oinochoe vase behind. von Fritze 23 and pl. V, 32. SNG Copenhagen 53. SNG von Aulock 7339. SNG France 400. MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa 550-450 BC. EL Stater (16.04 g). Head of lion left; to right, tunny upward / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 39; Boston MFA 1414 = Warren 1537; SNG BN 178. Ex Grand-Duc Alexandre Michaïlovitch Collection Naville IV 1922 lot 712

thanks to @Deinomenid , i'm glad to see back this coin that has generated so many epic discussions on forums ! The seller was french and never replied to messages including of course requests for an in hand examination... Here is one from the same dies (de Luynes collection)

Not a portrait either, but a proud Athena Alkidemos (defender of the people) on this Ptolemy I Soter tetradrachm in the name of Alexander. For portrait, Syracuse, once again, gave wonderful specimens. eg this bronze of Agathocles

yes, I don't understand the irrational price increase on these kroton staters in recent sales. The same goes for Agathocles tetradrachms over the last three years...

Nice coin ! Just In case anyone would be interested in clearer plates than on the pdf of the Müller's book

The ancient greek words are easy to find even for people less familiar wich the language. e.g. Ἀδρανός Sicily, Adranon. Litra circa 345-335, Æ 24.47 g. Head of Apollo l. Rev. Lyre. Calciati III, p 157, 1 SNG Marc Bar 155 (these dies).

Amenanos the river god of Katane Greek Sicily, Katane, Tetradrachm, ca. 470-465 BC. AR (g 16,90; mm 27; h 5). The river god Amenanos as a bearded, man-headed bull swimming to right; above, branch; in ex. fish r., Rv. KAT - ANE, Nike advancing l., holding wreath tied with fillet. Rizzo pl. IX, 4; SNG Ashmolean 1702; Randazzo 54.

What is sure is that your coin is far from being an "obvious fake" in itself as stated. By examining the coin under a microscope it is normally possible to confirm whether the coin is a fake. Maybe you could ask for a confirmation to a professionnal numismatist in NY before asking for a refund.

It's a nice coin for sure. Not so long ago, it was possible to have a decent tetradrachm of the same period at that price... damned inflation !

I had the same problem with CNG for a shipment to France : Coin "lost" in transit between Paris customs and my home. It took almost four months before I was refunded...

i'm also a big fan of heavy sicilian bronze coins ! Syracuse (33g) Adranon (25g) Akragas (21g) Alaisa overstruck on a drachm of syracuse (28g) Lipara (28g) Himera (27g)

https://www.academia.edu/29719834/WALWET_and_KUKALIM_Lydian_coin_legends_dynastic_succession_and_the_chronology_of_Mermnad_kings

A Siver onkia of Syracuse (from the Moretti collection) has first been published by C. Boehringer in his 2006 article "Zwei Fragen zur syrakusanischen Numismatik" O/ femal head right R/ pellet between the letters Σ and Υ 0.085g To my knowledge, mine is the second known exemplar . Very few other onkias are attested for Katane, Naxos and (maybe ?) Himera The silver litra was introduced in 450 BC at Syracuse along with hemilitra and hexas (1 obol + 1 hexas = 1 litra). Boehringer in his article indicates that the onkia was introduced later. I think the onkia maybe contemporary to this Hexas that is dated arround 435 BC by Bérend following Manganaro. I'd be interested to know the chronology of Syracuse small silver fractions proposed by the new book you're talking about. The chronology of the introduction of the bronze coinage in Syracuse is still open to debate...

My tiniest coin : a silver onkia from Syracuse (1/12th of a litra). 0.06g