My love of CeltIberian coins started with this one coin.

[bcuda]

 

 

AE semis Asido (Medina Sidonia) Spain 1st century BC
Obverse, facing head of Melkart / Hercules
Reverse, Two Tuna fish with punic legend

Asido Lying within the ancient Roman province of Turdetania some 30km inland from the Southern Spanish coast, this site lay upon a hill c35km to the east of Gades (modern Cadiz), and 15km to the west of the Besilus river. Modern Medina-Sidonia. 

This particular coin is very special to me in many ways, with a little more history than some of my others.

I was stationed at the Naval Base Rota Spain in 1987 about 35 years ago. I would go metal detecting with a Friend of mine named Ferrel almost every Sunday.

One day we decided to look for some new places and drove around for hours looking, Ferrel knew how to look for possible sites and taught me a lot.
We tried a lot of spots but found nothing. At our last spot for the day I found this coin in a farm field close to modern day Medina Sidonia.

One of my Spanish Friends Juan Antonio (a Roman coin collector and Seller) had always expressed an interest in this coin, and before I left Spain in 1991 I traded it to Him.
I thought about my Friend Juan Antonio for years afterwards wondering what had happened to my Friend. Then in 2013 I happened upon an E-bay seller with Roman coins from Spain, He was in a town close by to my Friend so I sent Him a message through E-bay asking Him (in my bad Spanish writing ability) if He might possibly know my Friend.
I waited anxiously and within a day or so the seller responded and said He knew Juan Antonio.
I made contact with Juan Antonio and friended Him on Facebook and even called Him on the phone. In one of our conversations I asked about the coin I traded to Him, He told me He still had it and that many coin collectors had tried to buy it from Him or trade for it but always kept it because of the friendship we had.
Not long after, I sent Juan Antonio some Spanish coins I had lost interest in. And within a few weeks I received a package from Him. In it was the Asido semis coin. He told me He knew what it meant to me and wanted me to have it back. So about 23 years later I had my coin back in my collection.

I have done a few searches for this particular type of coin and it seems pretty rare.

I have purchased another one pictured below and now have two of them in my collection.

 

 

[Spaniard]

@bcuda....What a lovely story...

That's a rare type so congrats on "two" in your collection sweet looking examples.

Your story iterates why I moved here 23 years ago, with the openness and laid back nature of Spanish people in general....

Here's my first Iberic coin...

Castulo, Spain AE As. 30 mm, 22g. 76-45 BC.
ISCER SACAL, youthful male head right.
CAST SOCED, sphinx right.
Burgos (2008) 709; Ripolles 905; Villaronga 14.

[John Conduitt]

It’s such a great design too. To find it in a field must have been amazing.

[galba68]

41 minutes ago, bcuda said:

 

 

AE semis Asido (Medina Sidonia) Spain 1st century BC
Obverse, facing head of Melkart / Hercules
Reverse, Two Tuna fish with punic legend

Asido Lying within the ancient Roman province of Turdetania some 30km inland from the Southern Spanish coast, this site lay upon a hill c35km to the east of Gades (modern Cadiz), and 15km to the west of the Besilus river. Modern Medina-Sidonia. 

This particular coin is very special to me in many ways, with a little more history than some of my others.

I was stationed at the Naval Base Rota Spain in 1987 about 35 years ago. I would go metal detecting with a Friend of mine named Ferrel almost every Sunday.

One day we decided to look for some new places and drove around for hours looking, Ferrel knew how to look for possible sites and taught me a lot.
We tried a lot of spots but found nothing. At our last spot for the day I found this coin in a farm field close to modern day Medina Sidonia.

One of my Spanish Friends Juan Antonio (a Roman coin collector and Seller) had always expressed an interest in this coin, and before I left Spain in 1991 I traded it to Him.
I thought about my Friend Juan Antonio for years afterwards wondering what had happened to my Friend. Then in 2013 I happened upon an E-bay seller with Roman coins from Spain, He was in a town close by to my Friend so I sent Him a message through E-bay asking Him (in my bad Spanish writing ability) if He might possibly know my Friend.
I waited anxiously and within a day or so the seller responded and said He knew Juan Antonio.
I made contact with Juan Antonio and friended Him on Facebook and even called Him on the phone. In one of our conversations I asked about the coin I traded to Him, He told me He still had it and that many coin collectors had tried to buy it from Him or trade for it but always kept it because of the friendship we had.
Not long after, I sent Juan Antonio some Spanish coins I had lost interest in. And within a few weeks I received a package from Him. In it was the Asido semis coin. He told me He knew what it meant to me and wanted me to have it back. So about 23 years later I had my coin back in my collection.

I have done a few searches for this particular type of coin and it seems pretty rare.

I have purchased another one pictured below and now have two of them in my collection.

 

 

Hi Bcuda, its nice to see you on the forum!

[bcuda]

5 minutes ago, galba68 said:

Hi Bcuda, its nice to see you on the forum!

Galba is good to see you here too !

I hope you are doing well my friend !

[galba68]

43 minutes ago, bcuda said:

Galba is good to see you here too !

I hope you are doing well my friend !

All the time, Bcuda, all the time!

[Edessa]

I am also very fond of Iberian issues. Just something about the art. A similar coin from Gades:

Spain, Ulterior Provinces. Cadiz, 3rd Century BC. AE Half Unit, (18mm, 4.60g, 9h). Obv: Head Melqart facing, draped in lion skin. Rev: Two tuna-fishes to left, Phoenician letter alef to right. Ref: FAB 1336; ACIP 655; CNH 25; SNG BM Spain 162-164; SNG Cop 8.