Mysia, Kyzikos (Fourree) - Why, Just Why

[-monolith-]

I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why anyone would find it necessary to make a fourree copy of a tiny Greek fraction coin? But they did; and they did a wonderful engraving job. 

 

 

This coin type, with its strange markings on the boars shoulder, does not exist. The markings look almost like veins or a birds legs and talons. 

[Deinomenid]

Largely on the basis that "they weren't daft so there must have been a reason", lots of theories are around. Various reasons I've jotted down over time include -

i) Economic desperation either for an  individual or a polis - an obol could buy basic necessities. For someone with limited resources, counterfeiting even small denominations could still be worthwhile. For a polis under duress it might be the only option if you had no gold to melt or if you'd  run out of that. You wouldn't just be  issuing high denomination fourrees.

ii)Temporary scarcity of silver.

iii)High circulation = low scrutiny - ie easier to pass off without careful checking.

iv) Low risks and high volume: A counterfeiter might aim to produce a large quantity of fourrée obols rather than larger coins to spread their risk. Some couterfeiters of ancients use this strategy today. I know yours is unique  but there are  plenty of cases of large numbers of fourrees with whole  books dedicated to chopping them up to see how they are made 🤨. Eg "Greek and Roman Plated  Coins", which has  many images of dismemberment! https://www.jstor.org/stable/43607110?seq=2

v)Cost of getting into the business - need fewer resources as making a small fourrée coin - less precious metal plating than counterfeiting a larger coin

vi) For rarer coins (as in rarer today), test pieces or trial strikes.

vii) Trial runs and experiments where they could have been test pieces to experiment with designs or techniques or forgery experiments to test their skill by creating a copy of a small denomination before attempting larger, more valuable coins, or doing one off attempts on cheaper metal - see image below, on lead.

viii) This one is a bit contentious but there's a theory they might have been for religious/ritual use as in not currency at all but offerings without the full expense  of silver. I can't find clear correlation for this though with actual deposits found.

ix) That they were just normal -  once the mindset had moved on from the coin only being worth its metal content you as the polis could  do anything - issue  bronze, fourrees, whatever, as with Imperial Rome.

 

Below,  just for interest, is a test piece on lead sheet which received various alterations and the  final coin from roughly 400BC.

 

 

[panzerman]

Just like in todays world, $100 bills are checked more then $20 Dollar bills. I would think no one would have counterfeited $500/$1000/ $5000/ $10000 Dollar bills back in 1934.

[Ed Snible]

Here is another.  I believe this is a trihemiobol (1.5 obol):

 

1.11g, 10mm

A dealer was offering this at the NYINC in January 2019

If anyone is going to NYINC this year, I expect to be there.  Feel free to say hi.  If you don't see me on the floor, I will be hosting the Oriental Numismatic Society meeting on Saturday for sure.

Edited January 11 by Ed Snible