Critters on coins hiding in plain sight! A mouse in the house!

Ryro · February 10

Happy to say I took home this rarity from Agora a couple day's back.

If you're not seeing it, look under the helmet:

Time of Alexander III - Philip III. Ca. 325-310 B.C. AE unit (16.4 mm, 4.91 g). Uncertain Macedonian mint. Macedonian shield with boss decorated with thunderbolt / B-A, crested Macedonian helmet; mouse right below. Price -; SNG Alpha Bank -; cf. Leu 17, lot 347. Near VF, earthen green patina. Very rare, unpublished. "

But that little mouse skittering across the reverse of my coin is far from the only critter that wasn't the main design on a coin that the ancients snuck in. Signifying what? Who cares?? They're freaking adorable!

Here's more fun on MSCs:

A recent dolphin/narwhal(😉) purchase:

A very rare owl:

A Sicilian grasshopper! Where's yours?

Here's my lizard:

Owls are always fun:

Here's an RR rat scurrying down a sewage hole:

Elephant head:

Aaaaaand my favorite critter on coins... the Macedonian shield:

Got critters? Let's see them!

Edited February 10 by Ryro

AncientOne · February 10

Bees fit together nicely with Dionysus.

Lydia, Sardis. Pseudo-autonomous. Time of Trajan (98-117).

Obv: СΑΡΔΙΑΝΩΝ. Draped bust of Dionysus right, wearing ivy wreath.
Rev: СΤΡ ΛΟ ΙΟ ΛΙΒΩΝΙΑΝΟΥ. Filleted thyrsus; bee to right.
Ae. 2.3g 15.4mm
Libonianus, strategos.

kirispupis · February 10

That's a lot of critters!

I did find this little lion, probably there to keep the bull honest.

Euboia, Histiaia
Circa 338-304 BCE
Æ 2.24g, 14mm, 3h
Head of the nymph Histiaia to right, wreathed with grapes, wearing pendant earrings and necklace
Forepart of bull walking to right, above, lion’s head to right, IΣ-TI below.
BMC 13; BCD Euboia 485; HGC 4, 1535.
Ex J. Greiff Collection
Ex Roma

Here's a tiny double-bodied horse. Not too often you run across one, though I imagine they were rather impractical since they couldn't go anywhere.

Lysimachos
287/281 BCE
Perinthos 17.08g
Kopf des vergöttlichten Alexander / Athena mit Nike-Statuette auf Cippus und Schild, Beiz. Monogramm und 2 gegenläufige Pferdeprotomen.
Thompson in Festschr. Robinson (1968), -, vgl. 256 HGC 1750q; Thompson, Armenak-Hoard (=ANS MN 31, 198 - Müller, Lysimachus - Arnold-Biucchi in Festschr. Price (1998) Unpublished variant(?)
Ex Dr Busso Peus Nachf

El Cazador · February 11

6 hours ago, kirispupis said:

That's a lot of critters!

I did find this little lion, probably there to keep the bull honest.

Euboia, Histiaia
Circa 338-304 BCE
Æ 2.24g, 14mm, 3h
Head of the nymph Histiaia to right, wreathed with grapes, wearing pendant earrings and necklace
Forepart of bull walking to right, above, lion’s head to right, IΣ-TI below.
BMC 13; BCD Euboia 485; HGC 4, 1535.
Ex J. Greiff Collection
Ex Roma

Here's a tiny double-bodied horse. Not too often you run across one, though I imagine they were rather impractical since they couldn't go anywhere.

Lysimachos
287/281 BCE
Perinthos 17.08g
Kopf des vergöttlichten Alexander / Athena mit Nike-Statuette auf Cippus und Schild, Beiz. Monogramm und 2 gegenläufige Pferdeprotomen.
Thompson in Festschr. Robinson (1968), -, vgl. 256 HGC 1750q; Thompson, Armenak-Hoard (=ANS MN 31, 198 - Müller, Lysimachus - Arnold-Biucchi in Festschr. Price (1998) Unpublished variant(?)
Ex Dr Busso Peus Nachf

This Lysimachos is awesome- probably my favorite of all

your coins! - well done

Furryfrog02 · February 11

No cool critter coins 😞
But we DID have a mouse in our new house. The first time it got cold, I saw this little punk run across the kitchen floor and under the fridge. Got some live traps, slapped some peanut butter in there, and he was caught within 30 minutes. He stayed there overnight and the next morning I yeeted him into the woods about 5 houses away and we haven't had any issues with mice since.

My daughter wanted to keep it...I'd rather have a coin with a mouse though.

DonnaML · February 11

Great idea for a thread, @Ryro! Here are a few little creatures of my own, all but the last two from the Roman Republic:

Puppy:

Hunter and lion:

Elephant head:

Another elephant head:

Grasshopper:

Stork:

Two little snakes:

Finally, two small owls:

Tarentum:

Trajan, Koinon of Lycia:

Edited February 11 by DonnaML

airhead1983 · February 11

How about some critters of the cold blooded variety?

Some inspirations for our critter coins:

Man, I miss Herbert! ❤️

Erin

ewomack · February 11

Does a bull count as a "critter?"

Julian II (360 - 363) AE1 (BI Maiorina); Thessalonika Mint; Obv: DN FL CL IVLIANUS PF AUG; Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVB; Bull standing right, two stars above;*TESΓ in exergue; Ref: RIC 226