Helmet Collection

[LONGINUS]

Over the past year I’ve accumulated a number of coins featuring gods and goddesses in classic Athena style helmets. I’d love to see yours.

 

[Roman Collector]

Those coins are gorgeous, @LONGINUS! And a fun subcollection, too.

Athena is also depicted with a triple crested helmet. Here's my favorite with that helmet type.

Troas, Sigeion, c. 335 BC.
Greek Æ 12.2 mm, 2.37 g, 5 h.
Obv: Head of Athena facing slightly right, wearing triple crested helmet and necklace.
Rev: ΣΙΓΕ, owl standing right, head facing; crescent to left.
Refs: BMC 17.86,7-10; SNG von Aulock 7637; SNG Ashmolean 1214–6; SNG Copenhagen 496–8; Sear 4145.

 

 

[jdmKY]

How about an owl in a crested helmet?

L Valerius Asisculus, 45 BC

[kirispupis]

Looks like Athena was pretty fashionable with her helmets. She probably had her own helmet closet.

Cilicia, Tarsos AR Stater.
Balakros, satrap of Cilicia under Alexander III.
Circa 333-323 BC.
Facing bust of Athena, draped, wearing triple-crested helmet and necklace / Baaltars seated to left, holding lotus-tipped sceptre; grain ear and grape bunch to left, B above ivy leaf to right, T below throne.
SNG Levante Suppl. 21; SNG BnF 368; SNG von Aulock 5964.
10.79g, 26mm, 6h.
Ex Roma

 

Mysia. Pergamon / Trophy

Circa 133-27 BCE 21.76mm 7.50g

Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena right

Reverse: ΑΘΗΝΑΣ - ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΥ, trophy of armor

SNG France 1893

Ex Marc Breitsprecher

 

Kings of Paeonia, Audoleon AR Drachm
Astibos or Damastion mint(?), circa 315-286 BCE
2.97g, 14mm, 1h.
Head of Athena facing slightly to left, wearing triple crested helmet
Horse trotting to right; AYΔΩΛEΩN-TOΣ around, monogram below.
Peykov E4400; AMNG III/2, 7 var. (position of monogram); SNG ANS 1057 corr. (monogram not star on rev.); HGC 3.1, 154
Ex Roma Numismatics December 2017
Ex Italo Vecchi Collection
Ex Roma Numismatics September 2022

 

[ambr0zie]

Pegasus on helmet is also cool.

Or even better, a hippocamp.

 

[Deinomenid]

Griffin on the helmet here.

Northern Lucania, Velia, Nomos, 300-280, head of Athena facing left, wearing crested helmet ornamented with griffin, rev. lion standing right, tearing at ram’s head, grasshopper above.

 

[Ryro]

Silly helmets, I've a few...

Edited November 13, 2022 by Ryro

[Curtisimo]

Nice helmets everyone!

[Spaniard]

Here's a few more...

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Here's a couple...

 

Claudius...Licinius....Numerianus

[Qcumbor]

Beautiful helmets, and nice theme for a sub-collection

 

Q

[Octavius]

 Some helmets of the RR...

[Ryro]

Such a fun thread, and my kids are driving me nuts. My wife says they're either fighting, or when they're playing and having fun it's prefighting. So, I'll double dip on this sweet thread. As helmets are a main collecting area of mine is my duty!

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Ryro

[Qcumbor]

 

Q

[kirispupis]

Here are two newer helmet coins I acquired.

Mesembria, Thrace
AE 6.0g 18mm
Ox: Thracian helmet with cheek guard rt
Rx: Shield seen from back with handle and supports; city name top around
Ex Bargain Bin Ancients

 

Kings of Cappadocia. Ariaramnes (280-230 BCE)
Ae 6.99g 21.70mm
Obv: Head right, wearing bashlyk.
Rev: Horseman galloping right, hurling spear; symbol in left field and beneaath I.
Simonetta 3.
Ex Bucephalus Numismatic

[DonnaML]

Wonderful coins, @LONGINUS and everyone else!

Here are a few Athena-style helmets by definition, since they're on Athena herself!

 

I have so many Mars coins on which he's wearing different sorts of helmets, that it's difficult to choose a few. Here's one from Severus Alexander, showing Mars Ultor wearing a crested helmet:

 

 

Here's a rather chubby Mars wearing a crested and plumed helmet on a denarius of Q. Thermus:

Another Mars wearing a crested helmet, on a denarius of L. [Lucius] Julius L.f. Caesar -- Mark Antony's maternal grandfather and either the second cousin or the second cousin once removed of Julius Caesar -- with a biga of cupids on the reverse:

Here's Roma wearing a rather unusual crested helmet (with a feather instead of a wing) on a denarius of P. Nerva with a voting scene on the reverse:

And here's a denarius of C. Caecilius Metellus Caprarius, with an elephant biga on the reverse, depicting Roma on the obverse wearing another unusual crested helmet, namely a winged Phrygian helmet with the crest in the form of the head and beak of an eagle (i.e, the characteristics of a griffin):

[Sulla80]

@LONGINUS as nice set and presented beautifully (as always).  Here are a few provincial coins with crested helmets: two Athenae and a Mars.

 

P.S. the own in crested helmet is quite awesome, @jdmKY

Edited November 14, 2022 by Sulla80

[Edessa]

Roman Egypt, Alexandria. Julia Mamaea, Augusta, AD 222-235. Billon Tetradrachm (23.4mm, 10.70g, 12h). Dated RY 8 of Severus Alexander (AD 228/229). Obv: IOV ΛIA MAMEA CЄB MHT CЄB CTPA; Draped bust right, wearing stephane. Rev: Helmeted bust of Athena Parthenos right, wearing aegis; L-H (date) in right field. Ref: Köln – ; Dattari (Savio) –; K&G –; Curtis 1122 (this coin) = Emmett 3195.8 (R5). Very Fine, dark brown surfaces with touches of red, die flaw on aegis. Extremely rare if not possibly unique. From the New Orleans Collection, purchased from Nilus Coins (November 1998). Ex James W. Curtis Collection, no. 1122. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 109, Lot 504. CNG note: Alexandrian coinage for Julia Mamaea from Severus Alexander’s regnal year 8 is extremely rare, with only three tetradrachm types reported by Emmett (Athena bust right, Nike flying left, and Tyche standing left; all R5). Severus’ year 8 coinage is also extremely rare with only seven types reported by Emmett. Obviously, the Alexandrian mint was barely active during this particular regnal year.

[kapphnwn]

Pharnabazos Ar double siglos Tarsos 380-379 BC Obv Baaltars seated left holding scepter. Rv  Head of Ares left wearing crested Attic helmet.  SNG France 251 10,53 grms 24 mm Photo by W. Hansen

Pharnabazos was a very energetic satrap who was active in Greek politics during the Peloponnesian War. At that time he sided with Sparta but later supported Athens during the Corinthian Wars. He was later involved with the recovery of Egypt a campaign that caused this coin to be struck. 

[Hughie Dwyer]

Here is one of my only coins with the crested helmet.

Denarius of Septimius Severus 

Reverse is of Mars.

[shanxi]

Mesembria
Thrace
Diobol 450/350 BC
Obv.: Crested Corinthian helmet facing
Rev.: M-E-T-A in the four quarters of a wheel surrounded by border of radiating lines
Ag, 1.15g, 11.07mm
Ref.: SNG.Cop:652f, SNG Black Sea 268, Sear 1673

[ambr0zie]

Here is a Mesembria similar to the one posted by @shanxi but in bronze ( @kirispupis also posted a type I haven't seen before)

Thrace. Mesembria circa 420-320 BC.
Bronze Æ
13 mm, 2,16 g
Crested Corinthian helmet facing / META between four spokes of wheel. SNG BM 272-274; SNG Stancomb 225; Serdica CCCH IX, 14-18; Karayotov II, 47-54; SNG Cop. 653.

When a helmet is so cool, it deserves to be a major design element.

Sometimes a helmet and a small cloak are the only accessories required.

Marcus Aurelius AD 161-180
AR Denarius
175-176
Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM, head of Marcus Aurelius, laureate, right
Rev: TR P XXX IMP VIII COS III, Mars, helmeted, naked except for cloak flying behind, advancing right, holding transverse spear in right hand and trophy, sloped over left shoulder, in left hand. Ref: RIC 349

There are some helmets that are so cool that you just hold them and stare at them.
Gentlemen, please! the helmet is the main point of interest!

Titus AD 79-81. Rome
Denarius AR
17 mm, 2,53 g
AD 79
RIC II, Part 1 (second edition) Titus 34; Old RIC II Titus 9; RSC 268
Obv: IMP TITVS CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M, head of Titus, laureate, right / Rev: TR P VIIII IMP XIIII COS VII P P, Venus standing right, resting on column, holding helmet and spear

 

The original inspiration for punk hairstyle

Constantine I the Great AD 306-337. Treveri
19 mm, 2,12 g
BI argenteus, AD 310-313. IMP CONSTANTI-NVS AVG, cuirassed bust of Constantine left, wearing helmet with high crest, spear in right hand over shoulder, mappa in left / VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, two Victories standing facing each other, holding shield inscribed VOT PR on altar; PTR in exergue. RIC VI -- (cf. RIC VII 208a); RSC 643.

Republican winged helmets deserve to be mentioned

Anonymous. 115-114 BC. AR Denarius. 19. 7 mm,3.79 g. ROMA, head of Roma, right, wearing winged Corinthian helmet with curl on left shoulder. Border of dots; X (mark of value) behind / Roma, wearing Corinthian helmet, seated right on pile of shields, holding spear in left hand; at feet, helmet; before, she-wolf, right, suckling twins Romulus and Remus; on either side, birds flying. Border of dots. Crawford 287/1; Sydenham 530; RSC 176; RBW 1117.

 

Another RR with a cool helmet

Ti. Veturius 137 BC. Rome Denarius AR 20 mm, 3,76 g

[TI·V͡E͡T], helmeted and draped bust of Mars right, behind X (mark of value) / ROMA, Oath-taking scene: youth kneeling left, head right, between two soldiers, each of whom holds a spear and sword that touches a pig held by the youth. Crawford 234/1; RBW 969; RSC Veturia 1.

Edited November 15, 2022 by ambr0zie

[Limes]

Lovely set @LONGINUS! And a lot of nice coins posted in this thread, I enjoy looking at them. 

In accordance with this thread, here's two Athena style helmets on the reverse. 

This topic made me wonder though, is the lion head, a helmet, or a 'hat', or a hairdress? 

[rhj959]

From the Rauceby Hoard

[Justin Lee]

A couple small Carthaginian coins...

 

And an imitative barbarous coin...