Prizes, trophies, competitions

[ambr0zie]

Although I am not exactly a junior (hitting dirty 40 next summer), a few months ago I re-started a very old hobby that I had as a child - table tennis. This sport is underrated and many people might think it's easy. Well, as a beginner, it is very casual. But if you want a little more, things change drastically. 

I used to play a lot as a child, but in the last 20 years I played maximum 15 times. Haven't touched a table tennis bat for 7 years. But our office manager brought a table and organized a tournament, and even if I knew I am out of shape, I joined it out of curiosity (in the end I managed to win it, easily)

But the big challenge (and a great coincidence) was that I informed an old friend about this (we used to play, casually, 10 years ago) and he told me he recently joined a club and I'm welcome to join too. 

I was really unsure, as I was almost convinced all the people would beat me and I will just waste time. But to my surprise, my reflexes and game became again like they where when I was 15 and in a few months I managed to win the league season (a season takes 2 months) and also the league cup (a final tournament between the first 7 players in the league). So a promotion the the superior league!

Plus having fun, enjoying competition, becoming a little more active and losing a lot of weight - as this was really necessary. 

Here is the league cup I won today. 

But in the same time I am going to regional/national tournaments and the results are honorable. I attended 6 tournaments and in all I got at least decent standings - 3 times lost in the round of 16, 2 times in the quarter final stage  and reached a semifinal (this also brought me a trophy)

Prizes in sports contests are not a 21st century invention of course. And they are well represented on ancient coinage. Funny enough, the coins with prizes in my collection were acquired after I started this activity.

Here are two Valerian coins from Anazarbus 

29 mm, 15,83 g.
Cilicia, Anazarbus. Valerian I 253-260 AD. Ӕ. Year ΒΟϹ = 272 (253-4 AD).
ΑΥΤ Κ Π ΛΙΚ ΟΥΑΛΕΡΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Valerian, right, seen from front / ΑΝΑΖΑΡΒΟΥ ΜΗΤΡΟΠ / Γ - Γ / ΕΤ ΒΟϹ / Α Μ Κ Τ; six prize crowns in two rows, palm branch in centre top one.
RPC X №: — (unassigned; ID 60270); Ziegler 834; BMC 43; SNG Levante 1520; SNG France 2162.

23,8 mm, 12,8 g.
Cilicia, Anazarbus. Valerian 253-260. Ӕ. Year 272 (= 253/4).
AVT K OVAΛEPIANOC CE, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right / ANZAPBOC TEOC / A/N - K/Γ, prize-crown on agonistic table with three legs.
Ziegler 812.11; SNG BnF 2144-2146; SNG Levante 1524.

And a Macrinus from Hierapolis-Castalaba, not attributed by the auction house, but it was great fun to investigate and find the correct details 

23,7 mm, 11,62 g.
Cilicia, Hierapolis-Castabala. Macrinus 217-218 AD. Ӕ.
ΑΥΤ Κ Μ ΟΠ ΣΕΥ ΜΑΚΡΙΝΟΣ ΣΕΒ, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / ΙΕΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ ΚΑΣΤΑΒΑΛΕΩΝ ΙΕΡΟΣ, agonistic urn between two palms.
SNG Levante Suppl. 377; Ziegler, Sammlungen 1308; SNG Pfalz 593; SNG Leypold 2383.

An excellent article written by @dougsmit - here

People practicing sports are not an uncommon theme on ancient coins. I only have 2, an Aspendos stater with wrestlers (but I cannot unsee that the reverse looks a lot like a javelin thrower, even if it is a slinger)

21 mm, 10,90 g.
Pamphylia, Aspendos. AR stater. Circa 415/10-400 BC.
Two wrestlers grappling within a dotted border / Slinger discharging sling right, triskeles in right field, ethnic EΣTEE to left, all within incuse square. Countermarked.
Tekin Series B; SNG Aul. 4525; SNG BN 45ff.

... and another coin with wrestlers, but this fight is a lot more prestigious, as the contestants are Heracles vs Dionysus

19 mm, 4,94 g.
Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Laodicea ad Mare. Elagabalus 218-222. Ӕ.
IMP C M AVR ANTONINVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Elagabalus, right, seen from rear / LAVDICEON (sic) Δ Ε, Heracles standing nude, right, and Dionysus standing nude, left, wrestling with each other; behind Heracles, club; behind Dionysus, thyrsus (?).
Lindgren 2101; RPCVI, 8176 (temporary).

I like coins with Mars carrying military trophies, but of course this is a different story (although I must admit that I had the same posture when bringing home the cups)

21 mm, 3,56 g.
Probus 276-282 AD. Æ Antoninianus. Siscia.
IMP C M AVR PROBVS P F AVG, bust of Probus, radiate, cuirassed, left, with spear and shield / VIRTVS PROBI AVG, Mars, helmeted, walking right, holding spear in right hand and trophy in left hand. Mintmark: -/P//XXI.
RIC V Probus 810.

20,4 mm, 3,09 g.
Trajan 98-117 AD. AR denarius. Rome. Struck 116-117.
IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC, laureate, draped bust right / P M TR P COS VI PP SPQR, Mars advancing right, carrying spear and trophy
RIC 337; RSC 270; BMC 536.

20 mm, 3,2 g.
Marcus Aurelius 161-180 AD. AR denarius. Rome. 175-176.
M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARM, head of Marcus Aurelius, laureate, right / TR P XXX IMP VIII COS III, Mars, helmeted, naked except for cloak flying behind, advancing right, holding transverse spear in right hand and trophy, sloped over left shoulder, in left hand.
RIC III Marcus Aurelius 349.

Another different story, not related to prizes/trophies are the coins showing ... cups/vases but with a different meaning (although this is the first thing in my mind when seeing a coin like this) 

Kantharos 

11 mm, 2,38 g.
Boeotia, Thebes. AR hemidrachm. Circa 395-338 BC.
Boeotian shield / Kantharos; above, club right; battle axe to left; Θ-EB across lower field; all within incuse square.
BCD Boiotia 411.

A happy satyr - probably he won something + an amphora on the reverse 

10 mm, 0,73 g.
Islands off Thrace, Thasos. AR trihemiobol. Circa 404-340 BC.
Satyr kneeling left, holding kantharos / ΘAΣIΩN, amphora.
Le Rider, Thasos 27; SNG Copenhagen 1029.

A small vase from a small Aspendos obol 

10 mm, 0,93 g.
Pamphylia, Aspendos. AR obol. Circa 465-430 BC.
Vase with one handle (or astragalos on globe?!); retrograde E-Σ flanking / Triskeles; shield (?); EΣ in one quadrant; all within incuse square.
Cf. SNG BN 14; cf. Waddington 2868; cf. Klein 616; cf. Traité II 1544.

---

Let's see prizes, cups, vases, sports or whatever you find relevant. 

[kirispupis]

Congrats on the win!

One of my worst memories comes from table tennis. I was at a relative's house and they had a ten year old kid over who unexpectedly challenged me to a game of table tennis. I'm no champion, but I typically hold my own so I thought I'd humor the kid - who then wiped the table with me. It wouldn't have been nearly so bad except he gloated and rubbed in every single point.

I later found out that his father had played professionally in Russia and is a table tennis coach...

But on to some coins with prizes...

Macedon, Koinon of Macedon
Time of Gordian III (239-244 CE)
Amphipolis mint
Æ 27,7mm 13,00g
ΑΛΕΞΑΝΡΔΟΥ; diademed head of Alexander the Great, right, with flowing hair; below, serpent.
R/ ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ Β ΝΕΩΚΟΡ; agonistic table seen in perspective from right, holding purse between two agonistic crowns with palm
AMNG 686 RPC VII 2. 194

 

Macedon, Koinon of Macedon
Pseudo-autonomous issue 238-244 CE
Æ 25mm, 13,95g
AΛEΞANΔPOV, diademed head of Alexander III of Macedon right /
KOINON MAKEΔONΩN B NE, table with two prize urns; star below
BMC 133-4; AMG III 696

 

Macedon, Koinon. Pseudo-autonomous issue
Beroia mint
Time of Philip I 244-249 CE
Ae 23mm 9.77g
Obv: ΑΛЄΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ Helmeted head of Alexander III 'the Great' right, griffin on helmet.
Rev: ΚΟΙ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝ Β ΝΕΩ ΕΝ ΒΕΡΟΙΑ Two agonistic crowns, each with one palm branch
Cf. AMNG 869 (Alexander without helmet). Cf. RPC VIII online, unassigned; ID 70374 (same)

 

Macedon, Koinon of Macedon
Pseudo-autonomous issue. Time of Gordian III (238-244)
Æ 24,3mm, 9.9g
Diademed head of Alexander III right, upward-looking, with flowing hair.
R/ KOINON MAKЄΔONΩN B NЄΩKOP / OΛVMΠIA. Two prize crowns, each containing palm branch, OΛVM in field above, ΠIA below
AMNG 799 var. (wreath on obv.); Gemini VI, lot 650.
Apparently struck in commemoration of Gordian's presence in Beroea in 242 for the games and festivities which were modeled after the original Olympic games at Elis.

 

The prize at the Nemean games was a wreath of wild celery, depicted on this coin.

Kleonai, Argolis
ca 320 BCE
Ae Chalkous 11.8mm, 2.0gms
Obv: Head of Herakles right wearing lion-skin headdress
Rev: KL / EW in two lines within wreath
BCD Peloponnesos 1323-4

[-monolith-]

Here is one of my coins with an ancient participation award:

 

[Ryro]

That's my guy! Way to go on the promotion to the Bigs and your league cup!

To celebrate your excellence here are coins featuring competition, sport, and victory!

 

[CPK]

Congratulations @ambr0zie! We used to play a lot of table tennis at work. We never played tournaments but even so the competition was pretty fierce. I'd like to think I was one of the better players. Haven't played much recently though, since someone brought in a spike ball net.

Here's a wreath and palm for you! 😉

MACEDONIA, PHILIPPI
Time of Claudius or Nero
AE (18.65mm, 4.38g, 6h)
Struck AD 41-68
Obverse: VIC AVG, Victory with wreath and palm, facing left on base
Reverse: COHOR PRAE PHIL, three military standards
References: RPC Online, Vol. I, No. 1651
Dark patina with some rough surfaces. Well-centered and sharply struck. The obverse commemorates Octavian and Antony's victory over Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, while the reverse refers to the settlement of retired Praetorian veterans in the provincial colony of Philippi.

 

[shanxi]

A price urn

Philippus I
Macedonia, Thessalonika
AE 25
Obv.: AV KM IOVΛ ΦIΛIΠΠOC, Rad. dr. bust right
Rev.: ΘΕCCAΛΟΝΙΚΕΩΝ ΝΕΩK. ΠΥΘΙΑΛI, Agnoistic table surmounted by five apples, price urn, and amphora
AE, 25 mm, 8,9 g
Ref.: Varbanov 4667var.

 

 

and a modern soap box race badge (not won by me) 😀

 

Edited November 21, 2024 by shanxi

[Qcumbor]

A model of Vienna, Gaul  Circus Maximus, at Vienna, France museum :

Q

[shanxi]

Another sports medal from my "Artemis collection".  This is for the second place in "Clay pigeon shooting". (not won by me, I'm not so old)

Medal by Pierre-Alexandre Morlon
1878-1951
(Morlon created also the french circulating coins)

Obv: UNION FEDERALE DES SOCIETES DE TIR AUX ARMES DE CHASSE, Artemis/Diana Standing right, holding bow, dog behind, signed MORLON
Rev: CHAMPIONAT DE FRANCE
BALL-TRAP “OLYMPIQUE”
1951, 2E Prix,
ILE DE FRANCE
(original design 1931)

 

[JAZ Numismatics]

Cool idea for a thread. I'll add this denarius of Memmius, 56 BC, trophy over captive reverse...