Ryro Posted March 22, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 22, 2023 The artistry, patina, extreme rarity, and yes even the wear, all come together to make a really fun new, to me, coin. But the main reason is the amazing silphion tree on its reverse! This tree fixed everything for the ancients! It was used for everything from a cure for baldness to a perfume, from a spice to a spicy aphrodisiac... and everything in between. Nero famously ate the last stalk. Some think there is a relative of it still around. But without a surviving example we'll never know for sure. Here she is: CYRENAICA. CYRENE. Bronze, 4th century B.C. Chr. Obv: head of Carneios with ram's horn r., name of official (ΑΝΔΡ?) Rev. silphion tree. SNG Cop. 1216 cf. Thick flan. Nice 14.83g, 22mm, 11h. Rare Ex. Collection Münzgalerie Viktor Hruby, Vienna. Purchased from Fitz March 2023 Ad to all that fun that the coin came from the collection of deceased (1894-1978) Austrian composer Viktor Hruby. The guy even has coins in the British Museum! Please post you coins of the silphion tree, Ex Viktor Hruby, Cyrene, Kyrene, thoughts, laughs and everything in between! 27 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisimo Posted March 22, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 22, 2023 (edited) Nice new addition Ryan… plus excellent provenance. Here is my silphium example. Cyrenaica Cyrene AR didrachm, struck ca. 308-277 BC Magas as Ptolemaic governor Dia.: 20 mm Wt.: 7.62 g Obv.: Bare head of Apollo-Carneius right, with horn Rev.: K-Y / P-A, silphium plant, cornucopia in inner right field Ref.: SNG Copenhagen 1234; BMC 228 Edited March 22, 2023 by Curtisimo 24 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryro Posted March 22, 2023 · Supporter Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 7 minutes ago, Curtisimo said: Nice new addition Ryan… plus excellent provenance. Here is my silphium example. Cyrenaica Cyrene AR didrachm, struck ca. 308-277 BC Magas as Ptolemaic governor Dia.: 20 mm Wt.: 7.62 g Obv.: Bare head of Apollo-Carneius right, with horn Rev.: K-Y / P-A, silphium plant, cornucopia in inner right field Ref.: SNG Copenhagen 1234; BMC 228 Thanks old friend! Showstopper of an example you've got right there! It's great to read from you. Any new acquisitions you haven't had a chance to share lately?? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtisimo Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 2 minutes ago, Ryro said: Thanks old friend! Showstopper of an example you've got right there! It's great to read from you. Any new acquisitions you haven't had a chance to share lately?? Thanks brother. Yes I have many coins I’ve not had a chance to share yet. It’s been a good but busy year so far. We recently moved and I still have my camera boxed up despite deciding many times recently to dig it out and catch up on coining. Since you asked here is one of the few I’ve managed to snap a photo of before the move but haven’t shared yet. 🙂 17 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor robinjojo Posted March 23, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted March 23, 2023 33 minutes ago, Ryro said: The artistry, patina, extreme rarity, and yes even the wear, all come together to make a really fun new, to me, coin. But the main reason is the amazing silphion tree on its reverse! This tree fixed everything for the ancients! It was used for everything from a cure for baldness to a perfume, from a spice to a spicy aphrodisiac... and everything in between. Nero famously ate the last stalk. Some think there is a relative of it still around. But without a surviving example we'll never know for sure. Here she is: CYRENAICA. CYRENE. Bronze, 4th century B.C. Chr. Obv: head of Carneios with ram's horn r., name of official (ΑΝΔΡ?) Rev. silphion tree. SNG Cop. 1216 cf. Thick flan. Nice 14.83g, 22mm, 11h. Rare Ex. Collection Münzgalerie Viktor Hruby, Vienna. Purchased from Fitz March 2023 Ad to all that fun that the coin came from the collection of deceased (1894-1978) Austrian composer Viktor Hruby. The guy even has coins in the British Museum! Please post you coins of the silphion tree, Ex Viktor Hruby, Cyrene, Kyrene, thoughts, laughs and everything in between! That's a cool coin, with a very interesting pedigree! After looking at Kyrene didrachms offered mostly through CNG, I bit the bullet and got one. The bidding for these coins is usually quite healthy. Kyrenaica, Kyrene, temp Magas, didrachm, 294-275 BC. 7.57 grams While on the subject of silphion, here's an imitative owl with a counterstamp of the silphion heart shaped fruit. Imitation of Athens tetradrachm, 4th to 3rd century BC, silphium fruit counterstamp obverse. 16.3 grams 20 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Collector Posted March 23, 2023 · Patron Share Posted March 23, 2023 What a great coin, @Ryro! Alas, I have no silphium coins whatsoever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor kirispupis Posted March 23, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted March 23, 2023 Very nice! Seems like a lot of these coins have shown up at auctions lately. There's no better time to pick one up. Of course, I hurried up and bought mine before the prices went down. 🙂 Kyrene, Magas Ptolemaic governor, c. 300-282/75 BC AR Didrachm 20mm, 7.30g, 12h Head of Karneios r. R/ Silphion plant; ZE monogram to upper l., crab to upper r., KY-PA across lower field. BMC 256; cf. SNG Copenhagen 1243 17 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanxi Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 Cyrenaica - Cyrene Æ 22, ca. 250BC Obv.: Diademed head of Zeus Ammon right Rev.: Κ-Ο/Ι-Ν/Ο-Ν Silphium plant Monogram Æ, 9.15g, 21.9mm Ref.: SNG Cop 1278 var. 13 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) 14 hours ago, kirispupis said: Seems like a lot of these coins have shown up at auctions lately. There's a big hoard apparently being dispersed. I noticed CNG were selling fairly decent didrachms by the bucketload a couple of auctions ago,. I think there were 100's in just one lot. A heck of a lot of them at any rate. Edited March 23, 2023 by Deinomenid Correction of coin type 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 KYRENAICA, Barke. Circa 480-435 BC. AR Drachm . Silphion plant / Head of Zeus-Ammon right in dotted circle within incuse square. 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 i found this picture of a January 2023 auction. This was one Kyrene lot from CNG! 7 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcumbor Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 Great coin @Ryro. I love the very stylized portrait enhanced by both wear and sand patina. Beautiful ! Nothing close to a SiliphumSiliphion on any of my coin, but I have pictures of the actual tree taken in Corsica a few years ago. The french name is Férule Q 9 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 I am confused now. That's a giant fennel. There's a Turkish archaeologist or similar who claims to have found a real silphium but it is disputed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 Claim is here 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulla80 Posted March 23, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Deinomenid said: Claim is here Ferula drudeana and a claim that Silphion is Cachrys ferulacea https://www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2020/07/the-mystery-of-the-disappearance-of-the-most-valuable-medicinal-plant-from-antiquity/ Edited March 23, 2023 by Sulla80 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryro Posted March 24, 2023 · Supporter Author Share Posted March 24, 2023 4 hours ago, Deinomenid said: Claim is here Thank you! I didn't link it, but referenced it in the opening: On 3/22/2023 at 5:37 PM, Ryro said: Some think there is a relative of it still around. But without a surviving example we'll never know for sure. I'm just not sold. And thanks to Nero, we'll never know. Ps, INCREDIBLE archaic silphion! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Di Nomos Posted March 24, 2023 · Member Share Posted March 24, 2023 Nice coins from Kyrenaica everybody. I like these types and finally acquired one last year. It is an archaic hemidrachm from Kyrene. Doesn't have the full silphium plant, rather just the heart shaped fruit on the obverse. And of course Zeus Ammon on the reverse. Only a small coin, but absolutely one of my favourites. 7 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qcumbor Posted March 25, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted March 25, 2023 On 3/23/2023 at 10:28 PM, Deinomenid said: I am confused now. That's a giant fennel. There's a Turkish archaeologist or similar who claims to have found a real silphium but it is disputed. I might be completely wrong on that one though : I'm not a botanist of any sort. In french siliphum is translated to férule, and the pictures I've shown are of what they call férule in Corsica. Q Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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