Soooo…..This Just Happened 😲

[airhead1983]

Hi Everyone,

Happy Tuesday!

So, I’ve put collecting on hold for a while because I’m finally bringing my reptiles to my apartment, which is proving to be quite expensive.  

I’ve been in contact with a guy that owns a reptile rescue in Ottawa concerning upgrades I need.  I told him that my golden gecko is about 22 yrs old and I’ve had him for about 20 years.

It turns out that Achoo is unofficially the oldest gecko known to have ever lived. 😲🥳. I say unofficially because my mom isn’t going to hold onto a 20 yr old receipt for a $20 gecko.

The current record holder was about 14/15. The guy has a database with all the information.

So, in honour of Achoo’s achievement, let’s see your OLDEST coin and/or antiquity because they’re cool too. 😃

Thanks everyone!

Erin

[DonnaML]

Congratulations; that's amazing! Do you have any old photos of him that it's possible to date? That would be one way of officially proving his age.

[DLTcoins]

Here in Florida, we're all reptile keepers! Mediterranean geckos and Cuban anoles just appear in your house, as if by magic. 🦎🦎🦎😆

Edited May 23, 2023 by DLTcoins

[expat]

@airhead1983 Erin, what a great post. Hope the move for your reptiles goes as smooth as possible. Lovely photos as well. Geckos are everywhere here is south Spain and the tourists love them. I cut out plywood and paint them and we sell loads in our shop. Here is 1 I have just cut out

and here is my oldest coin

Troas, Gergis. Circa 4th-3rd Century BC. AE12mm, 1.28 g. Head of Sibyl Herophile right, three-quarters facing / ΓEΡ, Sphinx sitting right. SNG von Aulock 1515; SNG Ashmolean 1147; SNG Cop 338

[Qcumbor]

Wow Erin, congrats !

I can't but post a croc in honour of your reptiles

Q

[ambr0zie]

Congratulations and may your reptile reach 100 years. 

Here are 3 of my oldest coins

Ionia, Phokaia. Circa 521-478 BC. AR Tetartemorion. 7 mm, 0,18 g.
Head of griffin left / Incuse punch.
Cf. SNG Kayhan 514–6 (hemidrachms) and 1428 (diobol).
It is possible that this issue may belong to Abdera or Teos, both of which also issued early silver coins
with griffins on the obverse.

 

Mysia. Kyzikos circa 525-475 BC (other sources - 450 or 480-400 BC)
Tetartemorion AR
8 mm, 0,18 g
Forepart of boar left, tunny to right / Head of roaring lion left, star to upper left, all within incuse square.
Von Fritze II 14; SNG France 375.

 

Islands of Thrace. Thasos circa 500-480 BC. Diobol AR. 13 mm, 1,08 g
Ityphallic satyr on his knee to the right / Quadripartite incuse square.
Le Rider 4, SNG Cop 191-194 (Lete), HGC 6, 333.

 

I do not have any coins with lizards - I should get a few!

[ominus1]

...wow..kool Erin...i'll show my reptile in his old honor....

[Al Kowsky]

Erin, Congrats on reaching this miraculous milestone with with Achoo 😊! It's a known fact that turtles can live well over 100 years in captivity but this is highly unlikely in the wild, so a gecko living over 20 years in captivity isn't as bizarre as it sounds 😉. Your leopard gecko, Dotty, is a truly a beautiful creature 😲.  Pictured below is the last glass paperweight I won at auction & depicts a spotted Agama lizard in a patch of desert flowers. It was made by the glass artist Ken Rosenfeld & measures 3 in. dia. 

[DANTE]

I'm no expert on reptiles, but 22 sounds like quite an achievement. A provenanced old gecko! May he live and prosper.

 

Here's my oldest antiquity in honour of Achoo. A Sumerian stamp seal from the Jemdet Nasser period (ca 3200-2900 BC, so quite old). The drilling technique is typical of the period. I've had it for about a year and I'm still trying to figure out what the animals are. The top one looks a bit like Goofy swimming free-style, other than that I'm lost. I can't make out a gecko, but they look like reptilians! If you have any idea what they are, let me know.☺️

And the note by prof. Lambert that came with it:

 

[airhead1983]

Thanks everyone!

Achoo is actually 130 in human years and he’s still incredibly spry.

I would love to live in a place where seeing geckos crawl up and down the wall is normal.

@DonnaML, unfortunately, the oldest picture I have is from 2015.  I’ve never been much of a picture taker.  😞

I love all the coins!  @DANTE, your seal is fantastic!  The bottom animal could be a sea turtle. 🐢 @Al Kowsky, I love seeing that paper weight every time you post it.

I really appreciate the support!

I’ll show off their set up once they get here. Fingers crossed 🤞 for early July.

Erin

[Ursus]

That's a beautiful gecko! I'm happy for you that it grew so old an apparently still is in good health.

There are a few even older coins, but I think that this coin still counts as really old:

Kings of Lydia, under Croesus, AR ⅙ stater, 565/53–550/39 BC. Obv: confronted foreparts of lion and bull. Rev: two incuse square punches of unequal size. 8–11mm, 1.76g. Ref: Berk 25; SNG Kayhan 1019; Sunrise 13.

 

And here is another cute little reptile:

Macedonia, Eion, AR trihemiobol, ca. 460-400 BC. Obv: Goose standing r., head turned l.; lizard curving l. above; H to lower r. Rev: quadripartite incuse square. 12 mm, 0,71g. Ref: SNG Cop 179.

[Furryfrog02]

Holy Cow! That's an old gecko! Congrats on taking such good care of it! I had a few reptiles growing up but unfortunately they didn't live nearly as long as yours. 

Very Impressive.