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Ryro's Top 10 Macedonian Shield Coins, 2022, Almost All Bronze edition: Calm down, you're welcome and STAY AWAY FROM MSCs!!!


Ryro

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Ahhhh, the old Macedonian shield. Such and incredible statement that a seemingly defensive weapon of war, as the shield, could strike such fear into those that recognized the coin as the unrelenting, crushing and destroying force that few that saw these images on real life shield's bosses lived to talk about later. 

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(NOT the shield, but rather the metalic inlay, as any wood had eroded a couple millenia before, of Philip II, found in his tomb in Vergina). 

No 1-10 for you this year. Just 10 incredibly dope, rare, beautiful and unknown to you coins. You're welcome. 

What a watershed year for mine, the greatest collection of Macedonian shields on ancient coinage in thy world... *by a singular, incredibly handsome, collector that appreciates them more than swampy Museum basements. 

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Most importantly, THE original. THE first coin featuring a shield out of Macedon. And, nope, this isn't your pretty Hellenistic shield that you told mama you'd marry. Archaic with a capital APE!

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THRACO-MACEDONIAN REGION, Uncertain. 5th century BC. AR Tetartemorion (6mm, 0.25 g). Primate crouching left / Pellet or shield within incuse square with slightly rounded corners. Tzamalis 67. Toned, patches of find patina, some granularity. VF. Rare.

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From the Jim Gilman Collection, purchased from John Jencek, 7 August 2009. Purchased from CNG May 11, 2022

"This enigmatic series showing a monkey squatting either right or left with a round shield on the reverse, is the only Greek coinage of the classical period to depict such an animal. Monkeys are known to have been kept as house pets in antiquity, but its significance in this context is unknown.Monkeys are known to have appeared in Greek art, very possibly taken from living models (like the Blue Monkeys - Cercopithecus Mitis - which appear in frescoes from Akrotiri on Thera). While the temperature range found in the Thraco-Macedonian region in ancient times probably precludes the existence of a population of native monkeys, they may well have arrived as either pets or ritual animals, thence to be used as a coin type."

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(You lucky dogs)

I could write a book, and may, on the immense amount of differing images below the helmet on the Zeus's thunderbolt bossed MSCs, but will also/instead still spoil y'all with a few:

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Alexander III ‘The Great’ Æ 325-310 BC. Macedonian shield, thunderbolt on boss / Macedonian helmet, star below, B-A across fields. Price 408; SNG Copenhagen 1119-21. 4.21g, 17.5mm, 6h. Rare.

3540311_1669383638.l-removebg-preview.png.ca2e76fc8cbc519413a0824f01e0d78e.pngAlexander III 'the Great'(336-323 BC). Obv. Macedonian shield with thunderbolt on boss. Rev. Macedonian helmet between B and A. Thorny wreath below. Only known example. 

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(336-323 BC). AE 16,5 mm. Uncertain mint, circa 325-310 BC. Obv. Macedonian shield with thunderbolt on boss. Rev. Macedonian helmet between B and A. Below, serpent. AE. 4.40 g. 16.50 mm. About VF/VF.

3240233_1662447301.l-removebg-preview.png.b3d35683e0d8b7b252ac90855bebfff5.pngAnonymous, after 311 BC. Æ (19mm, 3.8 g). Macedonian shield, in centre head of Herakles in lionskin. R/ Macedonian helmet; monogram to l., kerykeion to r. Unique design, possibly due to double strike or die break Purchased from N&N London Sept 2022

Another rare and favorite type

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Macedon, Herakleia Sintike. First century BC. AE 14mm (3.43 gm). Strumoni-, magistrate. Obv.: [HPA]KΛEΩTΩN around Macedonian shield. Rev.: club; ΕΠΙ ΣΤΡ - ΥΜΟΝΙ flanking. AMNG 1; SNG Copenhagen 182; Paunov Type B. Scarce. VF.

Ex Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung 291 lot 3268. Purchased from Tom Vossen Dec 2022

Next up, another early macédonien shield on coins:

 

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Alexander III 'the Great', 336-323. Ae (bronze, 4.41 g, 16 mm). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin. Rev: AΛEΞANΔPOY Club, bow-case and shield. Nearly very fine. 

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Nero

Bronze. AD 54-68. 6,11 g. 23 mm

Obv.: NEPΩN KAIΣAP. Bare head left.

Rev.: MAKEΔONΩN ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ. Macedonian shield. VF, RPC 1614; SNG Copenhagen 1335; BMC 146.

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Kassander

(316-297 BC). Ae 18 mm. 3.53 gm. Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right. Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΚΑΣΣΑΝΔΡΟΥ. Club and bow in bowcase. SNG Kopenhagen 1159; Moushmov 7271. Rare. Struck over Philip III Arrhidaios, 323-317 BC. uncertain mint in western Asia Minor, circa 323-310. Macedonian shield; on boss, head of Herakles facing slightly to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. Macedonian helmet; to lower left, monogram; to lower right, kerykeion. Price 2803.

On this example you can clearly see the literal stamping out of the Argead line by Kassander. The under type is a Macedonian shield type minted by Alexander’s handicapped older half-brother (different mothers) Philip III Arhidaios after Alexander’s death, but before Olympias (Alexander’s mother) had Arhidaios murdered only to be murdered by Kassander herself. As well, Kassander would go on to completely extinguish the Argead line by then having both of Alexander’s sons, Alexander IV & Herakles murdered. You can see the shield and even signs of Herakles on the shield boss on the obv. With the helmet, kerykeion (caduceus) right and the monogram left on the reverse. This series are mainly overstruck on coins of Philip III, (see Obolos 7, 82) and originate from the east Asia Minor area. One might be tempted to associate the minting of this series with the Kassander's exhibition to Asia Minor and the battle of Ipsus in 301 BC.

VERY historically important coin. Purchased From PDA (Poznanski Dom Aukcyjny) March 2022

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Macedon. Koinon of Macedon. Pseudo-autonomous issue AD 1-100.

Bronze Æ, 18 mm, 3,95 g, very fine. Unlisted anywhere. Only this 1 in RPC

Obv: Nike advancing with wreath, MAKEDON+?

Rev: Small Macedonian Shield surrounded by wreath. MAKEDON+?

very fine. Purchased from Savoca Oct 2022

 

 

And a bonus Herm! If you've never met a Herm they've got something to show you...

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Philip V.

221-179 BC. Æ (12mm, 2.10 g, 7h). Pella or Amphipolis mint. Struck circa 211-201 BC. Macedonian shield, boss decorated with head of the hero Perseus right, wearing Phyrgian cap, Countermark of Herm to right/ Macedonian helmet facing. Mamroth, Bronzemünzen 9; Touratsoglou, Macedonia 7; HGC 3, 1087. Rare and maybe singular example with C/M. Purchased March 2022 from Savoca Auctions

 

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Edited by Ryro
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  • 2 weeks later...

Very nice, I have one, no clue what variation it is tho. I only got it to add to my Alexander variation an coinage. It's als not the greatest example in the shield side.  I also really like that kassander.

Here's mine; maybe Price 398?

Weight: 5.4 gr

Diameter: 16 mm

Die Axis: 45°

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Edited by AETHER
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Thanks. And Awesome Trident under your helmet! 

The thunderbolt boss is such a fun type to collect due to the different iconography under the helmet. And here we have Zeus's thunderbolt on the obverse and Poseidon's Trident on the reverse! Very cool type to have. 

Here's mine:

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And a few others of the thunderbolt type, from Herakles club to dolphins and more thunderbolts:

 

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