The nicest ancient I have ever seen!

Pages and pages of cats on coins:

http://www.blackmountaincoins.com/c/BMC/CAT-COINS-CROWS.html

 

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*ancient coins

 

were those coins yours doug?

 

Were, some still are.

 

This is probably my favorite. How can you not love a guy with a glass of wine riding a dophin? And a spiked hair guy with a spear riding a horse? The little bit of color adds interest.

 

Hello





http://www.moneymuseum.com/moneymuseum/library/coins/tour.jsp?id=65923


Amanda

 

Hello

This is not a cat, but it is interesting. I suppose it demonstrates that bee cultivation and the honey trade was as important then as it continues to be in the middle east today.



http://www.moneymuseum.com/moneymuseum/library/coins/coin.jsp?aid=2&ix=9&i=15


Amanda

 

wow - that is a surprise. Where is that from.

Ruben

 

this sounded worse than I ment it. I was fishing for a more detailed story for the brothers.

Ruben

 

I do not know the background, but my guess would be the bee was the symbol of that town. Ancient Greek coins frequently featured the animal/plant that was their symbol of their town as the major motif. Athens with the owl, Tarentum with the dolphin, Corinth with the Pegasus, etc.

 

I actually have an extra "line" version of this coin, as well as an extra "pitchfork reverse" version as well. Just seeing if you are still hanging on to that cross Sogdian coin Doug.

Btw, in case anyone is curious, this is a sogdian coin, usually described as a snow leopard obverse. Most were cast, though, which is why the detail is a little less than desired. While all Sogdian coins are scarce, if you are able to obtain one this one is a decent bet to be that example as they are some of the more numerous coins made. Again, "numerous" being a very relative term, being more scarce than most Roman issues, just common amongst rarer coins.

 

If it is cast, it must be hard to determine authenticity.

 

No, not any more than millions of other cast coins, like other Central Asian issues, early Roman bronze, and most Chinese coins. Cast versus struck each have their different ways of authenticating. Of course casting bubbles used to prove a fake struck coin is not useful, but other ways are. Besides, maybe 1 in 50 ancient collectors even have a clue what this coin is, and most forgers forge things with a large potential market.

 

doh! Sorry.

 

Hello

This thread has actually had moderns and ancients.

Amanda

 

Technically this thread was started to show the nicest ancients and some of us showed our favorites. Then someone said that ancients were trash compared to modern coins and started posting examples of what that person considered proof that modern coins are better. When a thread gets hijacked, it should just be put to rest but instead we (myself included) posted back and forth until we can't recall what the thread was in the first place. The question on whether Greek chariots or modern basketballs are finer art is not one we will solve here. I do wish folks would post a new thought on a new thread rather than diverting one started by someone else but I'm sure I've done this several times as well. Certainly ancient coins include some of the worst produced and most crude issues even conceived as well as the ones that the OP and the rest of us that like ancients admire so much. Perhaps we who like ancients would be better off posting how bad they are in the hope no one else will compete with us for our treasures? Collect what you like.

 

Hey - i was challenged before i posted anything.

 

Nobody ever said, "Hey, I wish someone would come in here and interrupt our conversation by posting a whole bunch of modern coins. I'm sure that would convince me they are better."

 

BS - your WRONG. In fact, YOU started it.