Benefactor kirispupis Posted August 28, 2023 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted August 28, 2023 Hello everyone, Not long ago I picked up this bronze attributed to Athens. AFAICT the attribution is correct, but I haven't been able to find mention of it in any references, nor have I been able to ascertain if it was published at all. Athens Attica ca. 270 - 261 BCE Ae 13.5mm, 2.9gms Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right Rev: A - OE; Owl standing right with head facing, poppy in right field Ref: - If the date range is correct, then it would roughly correspond to the time when Athens declared war against Antigonos II until they submitted to him. From some reading, poppies were associated with the dead, or could also mean a resurrection. While this would be extremely speculative (especially since I'm not 100% sure it is a poppy though in hand it does resemble one), perhaps the poppy symbolized Athens rising up from years of Macedonian dominance and resuming its role as the leading Greek city? Most of the ancient coinage with poppies occurred later, including a 1st century issue of Eleusis. Another rare 1st century bronze from Athens featured a tripod and a poppy, so poppies aren't unknown on their coinage, though if the dates are right this would be the first attic coin with a poppy AFAIK. There exist earlier coins from Syracuse and Corinth with poppies. Since I can find no published resources, I'm not 100% sure this is Athens either. I do have a number of other bronzes with both Athena and an owl. In terms of date, it certainly has the look and feel of a 3rd century BCE Greek coin. Would anyone have more info on this coin? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryro Posted August 28, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted August 28, 2023 Cool coin and mystery! It looks a bit like mine, though considerably smaller and your owl is chilling: Attica. Athens. Circa 224/3-198 BC. Av.: Helmeted head of Athena right Rv.: Owl standing right with open wings. Ref.: Kroll 69. Fine, brown patina Weight: 8.15 g I'll let you know if I find anything closer... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted August 28, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted August 28, 2023 I'm slightly off piste here, but I just read Kroll's article on early Athenian bronze coinage where he analysed the bronze finds from a shaft on the agora. That coin looks VERY similar to some of those especially because that looks like a Corinthian helmet she is wearing. If so then there are are few reverse symbols that the poppy could be, if not a poppy. It looks very like the wheat-ear symbol he shows. All the coins are very worn (he ranks 1--6 and these are 5, 6 being awful.) The relevant coins also show the theta at 11 o'clock on the reverse. He suggests a date of the 260's BC. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted August 28, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted August 28, 2023 The plates are indistinct, so this is the best I could do. From Kroll, A Chronology of Early Athenian Bronze Coinage. Jd is not shown on the plate, but this is strikingly similar to me. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor kirispupis Posted August 28, 2023 · Benefactor Author Benefactor Share Posted August 28, 2023 Thanks! Do you happen to know if an online version exists? I found this coin - https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3307593 - which has a similar size+weight, design, and date range. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deinomenid Posted August 28, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted August 28, 2023 I don't know, but think not. It's an ANS publication, Essays in Honor of Margaret Thompson. In case it helps, it is apparently in 197 libraries - https://worldcat.org/title/464510657 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajax Posted August 28, 2023 · Member Share Posted August 28, 2023 Alan Walker is often forgotten for the work in the agora excavations but I think this was his major work and it is online http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/pdf/uploads/oa_ebooks/oa_agora/Agora_XXVI.pdf However, I would rather check other regions for the attribution before jumping to Athens. There are many other possibilities like akarnania, Apulia, cities in Asia minor. You should take into account the context of the auction. If it was 99% coins from Asia minor, the odds are against Athens 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPK Posted August 28, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted August 28, 2023 Nice little coin! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor kirispupis Posted August 28, 2023 · Benefactor Author Benefactor Share Posted August 28, 2023 32 minutes ago, ajax said: Alan Walker is often forgotten for the work in the agora excavations but I think this was his major work and it is online http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/pdf/uploads/oa_ebooks/oa_agora/Agora_XXVI.pdf However, I would rather check other regions for the attribution before jumping to Athens. There are many other possibilities like akarnania, Apulia, cities in Asia minor. You should take into account the context of the auction. If it was 99% coins from Asia minor, the odds are against Athens Thanks! I started with the Athens attribution, based on the seller. According to him, he bought it was part of a collection some 20 years ago and kept it until selling it to me. The coin certainly looks like Walker Period I, 58. I believe this is the same coin as Kroll Jb. Walker seems to concur with a date from 270-261 BCE. In terms of Asia Minor, I don't know of such an exact match there. I do have a number with Corinthian helmets, but they have much different reverses. I do have this one from Myrina on Lemnos but you can see it too, due to the city name and the depiction of an alien instead of an owl. Islands off Thrace, Lemnos, Myrina Circa 386-261 BCE Æ 2.41g, 11mm, 12h Head of Athena to right, wearing Corinthian helmet MYPI, owl standing facing, [bow to right?] SNG Copenhagen 989; CN Type 19860; HGC 6, 299 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romismatist Posted August 29, 2023 · Member Share Posted August 29, 2023 Style seems to suggest that it's not Apulian. Athens and the owl are symbols used for later bronze coinage at Tarentum (as well as earlier silver drachmae), but both the owl and Athena look different than on this coin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Anthos Posted August 29, 2023 · Member Share Posted August 29, 2023 (edited) Pretty sure it's not Magna Graecia. I looks similar to a coin from Soloi but the flan isn't right. ~ Peter Edited August 29, 2023 by Phil Anthos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanxi Posted August 30, 2023 · Supporter Share Posted August 30, 2023 (edited) I think @Deinomenids attribution is the most likely. I couldn't find the "J-d type in Kroll" with the "wheat ear" which is probably your type, but I found the type with the wreath in the field from the same sub category: "J-a in Kroll" . Extremely similar to your coin: https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=158647 BTW, if you know where to look on your coin, you can clearly see the A on top, Θ to left and E to right. EDIT: I found now an example of the "J-d type in Kroll", but it's quite worn. You can see an elongated obejct in the right field like on your coin, but the details are gone: https://agora.ascsa.net/id/agora/coin/n 52344 Edited September 1, 2023 by shanxi 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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