1/16th Shekel - 450-350 B.C. - King killing lion

[Topcat7]

Many of you will feel that this coin is too worn and 'beat-up', for your collections, but I too am at that age when I am 'old' and 'beat-up', a little scarred and fractured around the edges. I have 'lived' and so have the coins that appeal to me. I can relate to them and their stories. That is their appeal to me. This (latest) one of mine is:-

450-350 B.C. 1/16th Shekel Silver (Billon)

Authority: Mazaeus,

State: Achaemenid Empire/Alexander The Great

Mint: Sidon

Region: Syria

Location: Phoenicia

Obv.: Galley

Rev.: King killing lion

Betlyon 27; BMC 36

(Second photo - control. Not a die match) Please post your 1/16 Shekels.

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by Topcat7

[JeandAcre]

Very cool coin, @Topcat7.  And I'm on your page about coins matching those of us of a certain age.

Sorry, I have a small Phoenician fractional shekel, also with a galley, but from too long ago to have pics.  But the obverse of these, especially --emphatically including yours, which I can easily imagine being only better in hand-- evokes reliefs back to the Assyrians.  I like how the Phoenicians kept up that kind of esthetic as late as they did

[Severus Alexander]

My collection is very weak on Phoenician, so I picked up two recently... one is very similar to yours, which I just got in the latest Roma. But their attribution is different, and I think correct:

Phoenicia, Ba`alšillem (Sakton) II AR 1/16 Shekel. Sidon, circa 401-365 BC. Phoenician galley to left; Phoenician B above, waves below / Persian king or hero, holding dagger in right hand, standing to right, fighting lion standing to left on its hind legs; ' (in Phoenician) between; all within incuse square. E&E-S Group IV.1.3.c; HGC 10, 240. 0.65g, 9mm, 2h.

The other was very cheap and has a rather lived-in appearance like yours, but I have hopes it will improve with cleaning (sorry for the poor seller's photo):

Given the appearance of the galley and two circles on the obverse, I think the attribution to 'Abd'astart I is also correct... though I don't know a lot about these!!

[Severus Alexander]

15 minutes ago, JeandAcre said:

evokes reliefs back to the Assyrians.  I like how the Phoenicians kept up that kind of esthetic as late as they did

Yes, this is very cool!!  One reason why I wanted the type.

[shanxi]

This interesting type reminds me of a coin with a very similar reverse, but in this case the king is fighting a griffin instead of a lion. The nominal is usually called Obol, but the weight is similar to a 1/16 shekel.

 

 

 

Kilikia
Uncertain Persian King
AR Obol, 400-350 BC
Obv.: Head of female facing slightly left
Rev: King with bow and quiver, stabbing griffin on hind legs with knife
AR, 0.63g, 10,3mm
Ref.: Göktürk 38

Edited July 13, 2022 by shanxi

[JeandAcre]

33 minutes ago, shanxi said:

This interesting type reminds me of a coin with a very similar reverse, but in this case the king is fighting a griffin instead of a lion. The nominal is usually called Obol, but the weight is similar to a 1/16 shekel.

 

 

 

Kilikia
Uncertain Persian King
AR Obol, 400-350 BC
Obv.: Head of female facing slightly left
Rev: King with bow and quiver, stabbing griffin on hind legs with knife
AR, 0.63g, 10,3mm
Ref.: Göktürk 38

@shanxi, this one is especially cool for (to wallow in the obvious; rarely stopped me before) demonstrating a similar motif, already carried over by Persians and 'translated' into an engraving style which, between the obverse portrait and the generally higher relief, is effectively Hellenic.