AncientNumis

Just got my first denarius of Hadrian!

Hadrian (117-138 AD) / AR Denarius / after 134 AD / obv. Bare-headed bust of Hadrian right / rev. AEQVITAS AVG, Aequitas (justice, equality) standing left, holding sceptre and scales

From the London Coin Fair yesterday:

PHOENICIA. Byblos. 'Aynel, circa 350-316/5 BC. 1/16 Shekel (Silver, 0.68g). Two hoplites, holding shields, on galley left, prow ending in lion's head; below, hippocamp left, NO above. Rev. 'YN'L MLK GBL ('Aynel, king of Gebal' in Phoenician) Lion attacking bull to left.

Great example! 

Here’s my Theban stater, which I only bought quite recently: 

Boeotia, Thebes AR Stater. Circa 395-338 BC. Boiotian shield / Amphora, ivy leaf hanging from left handle; above, club right; TI-MI across field; all within incuse concave circle. Hepworth 88, BCD Boeotia 477. 11.84g. From a collection completed in 2006

This just arrived, with some neat provenance 🎉 

ex Sotheby's Brand Sale, part 7, 1984, part-Lot 384
from the collection of Virgil Brand (1861/62-1926)
ex Weber 6883 (volume III)
from the collection of Sir Hermann Weber (1823-1918)
ex Rollin et Feuardent, 22 March 1886, Lot 741 (Billoin collection)
from the collection of Charles Billoin (1818-94)

Lydia.  AE24, 6.51g, of Philadelphia, modern-day Alaşehir in Turkey, semi-autonomous issue, circa 198-268 CE, obverse; ΔHMOC, youthful bust of Demos (the People) right, wearing tania, reverse; ΦΛ ΦIΛAΔELΦЄΩN, lion walking right, NЄΩKOP / Ω, in two lines, in exergue, N EF

Just bought this for my birthday - been wanting one for a while because they're just so iconic, and was a fan of the dark-ish toning...

@Deinomenid Thanks very much for taking the time to write such a detailed reply, and it's honour to be corrected by someone so experienced/knowledgable. My numismatic research is very basic at the moment, but I'm looking forward to maybe purchasing the "White Gold" you mentioned to learn more - it's certainly a topic that fascinates me (as a relative beginner), and I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about it from you. I'm especially curious about your last point, sounds like a very interesting theory. And lovely coins too, of course: your lion/calf is especially stunning in my opinion - when I show family/friends the off-centre reverse of my similar type they can never guess what it depicts exactly 😂. Again, thanks!!

A recent write-up from from my blog (https://ancientnumis.substack.com/) that I thought might prove interesting as a brief introductory guide to the series of hektai issued at Phokaia/Mytilene (and an opportunity to discuss some awesome coin types, of course!)...

Let’s look at an extraordinary series of miniature masterpieces, in gold, featuring an impressive array of designs… that isn’t prohibitively expensive! 

Firstly, however, it’s important to understand the development of electrum coins…

Early Coinage

The very first coins ever minted, produced in Lydia in the 7th century BC, were made of electrum (an alloy composed primarily of gold and silver). There were, however, issues with this:

• The coins had differing metal compositions, so those that had less gold (and were therefore worth less inherently) were treated as having the same monetary value as others with a higher gold to silver ratio
• Because Electrum was so valuable, coins for daily transactions had to be inconveniently tiny: the smallest denomination weighed ~0.08g, with a diameter of ~3mm
• Electrum as a metal was relatively abundant in the region - a reason for its initially success - but scarce elsewhere, preventing coinage from spreading further geographically

As a result, a bimetallic system (gold & silver) was soon introduced by the famed King Croesus of Lydia. In some city-states, however, electrum coinage continued to be issued up to Alexander the Great: namely Kyzikos (in Mysia), Mytilene (on the island of Lesbos) and Phokaia (in Ionia). We are interested in the output of these last two mints.

Hektai

The term ‘hekte’ (ἕκτη) literally means sixth in Ancient Greek, and is used by numismatists to refer to electrum sixth stater denomination. These would weigh ~2.5g, and, despite their small size, represent a relatively large sum of money; one hekte might have been equivalent to roughly a week’s work. While Kyzikos chiefly used the larger full stater, with a wide array of fractional coins, at Mytilene and Phokaia electrum coins were issued nearly always as hektai (used locally). It is this series that we will investigate further.

A Tale of Two Cities

An extant treaty between Mytilene and Phokaia reveals the extent of their cooperation in issuing these hektai. It would seem that that “the minting of electrum hektai was undertaken in alternate years by these two cities” and that “the designs were changed for each issue”. Furthermore, harsh retribution was set for those who attempted to debase the this coinage, the integrity of which relied on maintaining the metal composition.

“Whoever makes up the gold will be liable to punishment by both cities. […] If caught mixing the gold to dilution willfully, the punishment will be death with fury.”

While at Phokaia the appearance of a quadripartite incuse square on the reverse demonstrated an affinity for the archaic, issues from Mytilene featured changing designs on both sides. The specimens below should serve to demonstrate the development of hektai at Mytilene.

Early Example

LESBOS. Mytilene. Circa 478-455 BC. Hekte (9mm, 2.54 g, 6h). Head of lion right / Incuse head of calf right. Bodenstedt Em. 24; HGC 6, 950. VF. Struck on a slightly short flan.

Initially, electrum hektai from Mytilene commonly featured animal designs; on this example, we see the heads of lion and calf. In fact, lions were especially popular and might as a motif “hark back to designs present on the earliest coinage”, after all they were issued in the same general area as Lydia (Western Anatolia). The reverse design appears incuse, reminiscent of the techniques associated with gemstone engraving. Indeed, the remarkable level of detail for a flan just 9mm wide is a testament to the skill of the celators’ die-cutting for such issues.

Later Example

LESBOS. Mytilene. Circa 377-326 BC. Hekte (Electrum, 10 mm, 2.49 g, 6 h). Head of Dionysos to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit. Rev. Head of a satyr to right, wearing wreath of grain ears. Bodenstedt 87. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG von Aulock 1719. The reverse struck slightly off center, otherwise, very fine. Bodenstedt Dies d/-

A hundred years on, however, and the intaglio reverse was dropped in favour of relief designs on both obverse and reverse. The subjects portrayed are different, too; now we see the heads of mythological figures, suggestive of an interest in portraiture. Much more classical in style, this hekte would likely have been struck near the end of the series. And yet, despite these artistic developments, this piece has the same metal composition and measurements as the earlier issue; dedication to consistency was clearly highly valued.

Thoughts

While electrum hektai aren't cheap, the series has so much to offer: an endless range of fascinating designs (historical, mythological, etc.), master craftsmanship and artistic merit and the opportunity to handle charming little lumps of ancient gold. In comparison to pure gold Greek coinage, which tends to be exceedingly valuable, electrum Hektai offer nearly as much (arguably even more, in some cases…) for a whole lot less.

Post your favourite electrum fractions, or anything relevant!

Here are some of my favourite tiny coins, both EL Hektai (9mm and 10mm).

All gorgeous examples! Here’s my Mytilene, not as interesting a type but still really like it (only hekte so far but would love to get more in the future if budget allows) 😄 

Lesbos, Mytilene. Circa 377-326 BC. Electrum Hekte (2.49 gm, 10mm). Obv.: head of Dionysos to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit. Rev.: head of a satyr to right, wearing wreath of grain ears. Bodenstedt 87; SNG von Aulock 1719. The reverse struck slightly off center, gVF. ex Leu web auction 26, purchased from Tom Vossen

Here's my latest ancient: a Leukas Stater. Rather worn, sure, but a coin I'm extremely happy with. 😄 

Akarnania, Leukas, 400-330 BC, AR stater
Obv. Pegasos with pointed wing flying to right, Lambda below, Rev. head of Athena to right Corinthian helmet over a leather cap with caduceus behind and Lambda behind head

I've also made a little introductory article about the staters of Leukas, it's aimed for beginners but you can access it here if you'd like! 🙂 

Here's my 🦉! 

Just a typical mass issue, but I couldn't be more happy with it (and it's a coin type I've wanted ever since I started collecting ancients). I ended up going for the best reverse I could get, not too fussed about the lack of much "crest", at least at my budget. Also, thanks very much to @filolif for some great advice in helping me pick an owl!

Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. Circa 454-404 BC. Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet ornamented with three olive leaves above visor and spiral palmette on bowl, round earring with central boss, and pearl necklace / Owl standing to right with head facing, olive sprig and crescent behind, ΑΘΕ before; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; Dewing 1591-8; SNG Copenhagen 31; HGC 4, 1597. 17.14g, 25mm, 4h.

Near Extremely Fine.

Hey everyone!

Here's my top 5 list for 2022. It may be a little bit late, but hopefully that's alright 😄. 

This year has been extremely successful for me, I've managed to get many new acquisitions that I'm extremely happy with. I'd like to share my absolute favourites of 2022 on this list, so I've decided to reduce it to a top 5 rather than 10. 

I've also decided to organise it in a rather odd manner: 

• Group lots (2)
• Top coins (3)

So, let's begin! 

V. 

Lot of 7 Corinthia, Corinth AR Fractions.
Includes types as HGC 4, 1888, 1896, 1897 and 1900.
From the VCV Collection.

In the second half of this year, I decided that I'd like to have the coins of Corinth as my main collecting area. The issue: the staters can get pretty expensive, especially when in very high grade. Therefore, I looked to the fractions. And they were perfect! Fractions of Corinth tend to be much more affordable, and are generally far rarer than the larger staters. So, why not? This lot includes 7 different fractions with a nice variety of types. The 1st and 3rd coins on the top row are the oldest and most rare - They are obols and date to 550-515 BC, making them some of my oldest coins! Perhaps my favourite in this lot, though, is the second coin on the top row - I really love the pegasos on the reverse. Another I find rather interesting is the fourth coin on the first row - it features a trident for Poseidon ('father' of the Pegasos).

IV. 

Lot of 10 Persia, Achaemenid Empire AR Sigloi.
GRPC Lydia S28.
From the inventory of a German dealer.

(I technically bought these as 2 lots of 5 sigloi, but I've put them into one big lot)

Sigloi are awesome, and I've been wanting a nice big lot of these for a while. In my opinion, Sigloi have to be the best coin type to assemble a large collection of. They're chunky (so really great to hold), really affordable (at least at the lower end), and have tons of awesome history! But for me, that's not all. What I love so much about these (and the reason why I purchased this lot) is the massive variety of bankers marks! All the coins in the lot share one bankers mark: a Pi symbol. I guess this suggests they were from the same hoard? But they also have plenty of other cool designs - in fact, one of these pieces even appears to have as many as 8!!! Bankers marks fascinate me so much because they help to make all these sigloi more exciting - they might be of the same type but they are differentiated and made much more interesting by these symbols. Also, I really enjoy holding these pieces in my hand and imagining all they've seen - the bankers marks are a part of each coin's 'ancient life'!

III.

Vibius Varus (42 BC) AR Denarius Obv. Ivy (and grape) wreathed bust of Bacchus right Rev. Panther springing left, toward garlanded altar upon which sit thyrsus and mask VARVS to left, C•VIBIVS in exergue

This is my first Roman Republican denarius. And I regret not getting one sooner, because they are AWESOME! This type is one very much linked to Dionysus - a portrait of Bacchus takes up the obverse, and his hair is wreathed with Ivy and grapes (both plants strongly linked to the god). On the reverse is a rather complicated scene: a panther (sacred to Dionysus and apparently one of his favourite mounts) leaping towards a garlanded alter on which a Bacchic mask and a thyrsus lie. The thyrsus (a staff of fennel covered with ivy and topped with a pine cone!) was carried by the followers of Dionysus, and used at various rituals. Little appears to be known about this 'Vibius Varus' though. If I weren't so focused on Greek coins, I would just collect these Republican denarii instead. There are so many awesome types, and I look forward to maybe getting a few more in the future... This coin does have its flaws, of course, like some very prominent surface issues, but I think it deserves the number 3 spot. 

II.

The Hanlon Collection | Akarnania, Leukas, AR Stater, 350-300BC, Head of Athena with Corinthian helmet left, Stylis behind,. rev Pegasus flying left, /\ below. 8.31g (BMC.97 ; Dewing 1821 ; Pegasi 13) attractive toning, double struck on obverse, fairly worn, VF

My main goal this year was to get a large Corinthian stater. Initially, I wanted one from Corinth but ended up settling for Leukas, mainly because they're considerably cheaper. These are really cool coins, and they were issued across 6 regions, with over 20 mints! There are also a massive variety of symbols on these coins, so they might make for a wonderful collection (sadly my budget isn't quite big enough for that , so I'll stick to fractions for now). In fact, I believe there are hundreds of symbols for Corinth alone, from gods to chimeras. This coin has one little symbol, and it's actually rather boring. It's a stylis, or a a ship's mast cross-arm. But you can't even really see it well on this coin 😞. For me, however, that really doesn't matter - I got this for Athena and the Pegasos, which are both rather nice on this example. This is my first large Greek silver coin, and I'm extremely happy with it - it's just so wonderful to hold and experience a piece like this. 

I.

Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. Circa 454-404 BC. Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet ornamented with three olive leaves above visor and spiral palmette on bowl, round earring with central boss, and pearl necklace / Owl standing to right with head facing, olive sprig and crescent behind, ΑΘΕ before; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; Dewing 1591-8; SNG Copenhagen 31; HGC 4, 1597. 17.14g, 25mm, 4h.

Near Extremely Fine.

And finally... my number 1 coin of 2022. This is an Athenian Tetradrachm, and, being the most famous of all ancient coins, really needs no introduction. I've been looking for one of these for a while, since I started collecting. For me, the reverse was by far the most important. I had to sacrifice some obverse quality to achieve that, like extremely little 'crest' - but I'm not too bothered by that. This is easily my favourite coin in my collection now, and it will likely continue to be for a while! 

And, that's it!

May the coin gods bless you all in 2023!!!  😄 🎉

Awesome acquisitions Pertinax, I’ve really enjoyed reading through your list.
 

I particularly love your Tissaphernes Chalkos for its historical significance, and the idea that it features the first ‘true’ human portrait on a coin - what a lovely portrait too! 
 

I hope that you continue to acquire such wonderful pieces in 2023, and I really look forward to seeing what you get 😄

Here's mine, and it's actually one I got really recently! 

Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. Circa 454-404 BC. Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet ornamented with three olive leaves above visor and spiral palmette on bowl, round earring with central boss, and pearl necklace / Owl standing to right with head facing, olive sprig and crescent behind, ΑΘΕ before; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; Dewing 1591-8; SNG Copenhagen 31; HGC 4, 1597. 17.14g, 25mm, 4h.

Near Extremely Fine.

I went for one with the nicest reverse I could afford. Of course, with my budget, I had to sacrifice some obverse quality to achieve this, but I'm ok with that. 

I'm super happy with it, and I've wanted one for a really long time. 😄

I like to use Abafil trays for my nicer ancients because I really love the quality, and stackable Lightghouse trays for the rest. I'm considering getting some simple paper envelopes for the really cheap ones as I get more coins, but for now this combination of trays works well (I currently have a relatively small ancient coin collection) 🙂 

Hi everyone! 

Quite recently, I bought this Leukas stater at auction.

The Hanlon Collection | Akarnania, Leukas, AR Stater, 350-300BC, Head of Athena with Corinthian helmet left, Stylis behind,. rev Pegasus flying left, /\ below. 8.31g (BMC.97 ; Dewing 1821 ; Pegasi 13) attractive toning, double struck on obverse, fairly worn, VF

It's my most expensive coin so far, and easily my favourite. As I'm working on collecting the coins of Corinth (mainly the fractions), getting an iconic stater was essential (although this one is not technically from Corinth). Sure, it has some issues (like the double striking on the obverse and off centre reverse), but I love it. 

One curious thing was that the old tag said that it weighed 8.31 grams, but when I weighed it, it was 8.41g. I'm not sure why this is, perhaps the other person simply made a mistake? Have any of you ever experienced this? I could understand putting the point in the wrong place, but it seems a bit weird to replace a 4 with a 3. 

Anyway, here's the video: 

Some of you might already know quite a lot of this, but I hope you enjoy it! 

Post any coins of the Corinthian type, or - if that's not possible - any coins featuring the Pegasos/Pegasus!

Missed the first couple of letters, so I’ll start with one coin for each of those.

A: Athena (Akarnania, Leukas Stater - this is my most recent acquisition, perhaps I might do a little write-up about it soon! 🙂 

B: Bacchus (Vibius Varus Denarius) - my only RR Denarius but I still love it a lot! 

C : Commodus (Sestertius) plus a bonus pic of the coin at the colosseum! I got this one from the super generous Lordmarcovan in a giveaway a while ago 😄

Alright, those are some coins for now! I’ll try to post some more as this continues, it seems like a really fun thread idea 🙂 

Yep, pretty sure that it's that. In fact, I have one too 🙂

Here's mine: 

Hi everyone, 
I haven't been very active on this forum for a while, sorry. 
The 28th of July was my birthday, and I saw that there was a Roma auction on that day, so I participated in the hopes of getting some nice ancients for myself 🙂! Although I didn't win all the lots I bid on, I did manage to get a few coins. These are pretty budget pieces, but I love them, and they could be the beginning of a sub-collection composed of Corinthian fractions for me. As for how I managed to get these so quickly, I was able to pick them up from the Auction house. 

Lot of 7 Corinthia, Corinth AR Fractions. Includes types as HGC 4, 1888, 1896, 1897 and 1900. (95 Pounds Hammer)
This was my main purchase. A lot of 7 different fractions, with a variety of types. 2 of these date to roughly 550-500 BC, making them some of my oldest ancient coins. I love the trident type, but my favourite might have to be the 2nd coin in the top row, the pegasus is really nice on it, especially on the reverse.

Corinthia, Corinth AR Hemidrachm. Circa 345-307 BC. Forepart of Pegasos flying to left, key symbol below / Head of Aphrodite to right. BCD Corinth 180 = HGC 4, 1876. 1.27g, 13mm, 9h. Near Very Fine. Rare. (40 Pounds from Roma shop)
After the auction, I decided to get one more coin. This was bought from the Unsolds section, as it wasn't bid on during the auction. It's a simple hemidrachm, featuring the forepart of pegasus flying, as well as Aphrodite. 

And here they are in hand (my hand is pretty small, so they'll probably seem a bit bigger than you might expect):

Post your pegasi Coins!

 

1 hour ago, AncientOne said:

Looks to Augustus from Parion or Philippi.  

Parion, Mysia or Philippi, Macedonia. Augustus AE17 (Semis). AVG, head right / Two colonists ploughing right with two oxen. BMC 86-88.

Thank you so much! Really appreciate it 🙂 . Is this quite an uncommon type then?

Yay! 🎉
This is such an amazing forum, and I'm so glad it exists. So many awesome members, such a wonderful space to discuss numismatics. Thank you, Restitutor - you've done a fantastic job 😄

Here's a new ancient coin I just got today! It only cost 5 euros, so I'm happy with it. I haven't, however, managed to fully identify it. It appears to be Augustus on the obverse, and bull(s?) on the reverse? I decided to post this here as I don't think it deserves a full identification thread, but if anyone has any ideas I'd be super grateful!

I don't know the diameter, but the weight is 4.17g (So quite small)

On 6/12/2022 at 3:06 PM, Alegandron said:

Mysia Kyzikos AR Hemiobol 480-450 BCE 0.4g Boar-Lion retrograde K Sear 3850

 

Chersonesos
AR Hemi-Drachm - TriObol
Lion
X-dot amphora
Seaby-Sear Vol I 1606

 

ASIA MINOR Uncertain mint AR Tetartemorion Lion - Incuse 5mm 0.13g

Nice coins! Love that Chersonesos - think I may get one of those next as they’re iconic and well known coins, plus it’s an interesting lion pose 🙂. Love the amphora symbol on yours 😄 

Here are some Greek lion coins I bought at the London coin fair! 

They include:

Miletus AE 

(Sure, it's not a great coin but it was really cheap and will go nicely with my Miletus 1/12 stater! Like the obverse too, super cool to see a mini stag 😄)

Lesbos Triobol

(Think I got a good deal on this one, looks much better in hand than in pics of course as it's a small coin. The facing lion's head in an incuse square is something I like too)

Lycia 1/3 Stater

(Been wanting one of these for a while! They're great coins, and while my piece doesn't have the best lion, I picked one with a mini portrait in the top left field of Reverse - so I really find that level of detail wonderful)

Share your Greek lions 🙂

Think this has a mini Helios! 

Next: Lycia 1/3 stater