Lucky at Leu with my two (Gallienus lion and unique pegasus)

[EtTu]

I had two coins on my wishlist from the Leu auction and I was lucky enough to win them both. Despite the Herculean lion being a much more rare coin, I prioritized the Pegasus as it's a potentially unique coin, luckily the pegasus was first and I was able to win them both. 

The Pegasus caught my attention because you can see it has reins. Upon closer inspection, you can clearly see a bridle and what appears to be a chamfron, or facial plate armor. I've not seen any other examples of a Gallienus pegasus with tack and armor, but I'm still searching for other known examples. With all the reforms Gallienus made to the military, especially amping up the usage of heavy cavalry, it makes sense that this would be represented on a coin, but less so on a pegasus. Either way, I'm ecstatic to have won it. 

I am also very happy that I was able to upgrade my Herculean lion to this beautiful example. 

My original, which I may be releasing for sale to give other collectors an opportunity to have one, although I'm not sure how many serious Gallienus Zoo collectors are out there. I feel like many beginners collect a few of his common issues and then move on. 

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by EtTu

[Victor_Clark]

14 minutes ago, EtTu said:

The Pegasus caught my attention because you can see it has reins.

 

It's not Pegasus, but one of the four winged horse that draws the chariot of Sol

[EtTu]

2 hours ago, Victor_Clark said:

 

It's not Pegasus, but one of the four winged horse that draws the chariot of Sol

I actually knew that, but it's a bad habit of mine to call it Pegasus. It is most commonly referred to as pegasus, and searching 'gallienus pegasus' will yield much more results than 'winged horse'. Also, Sol's horses were only sometimes winged, and depicted much more often sans wings. But a single winged horse is usually, albeit not always, Pegasus. So ease, commonality, and familiarity are all reasons I say Pegasus even though it is not correct.