Your favorite coins by century.

Yeeehaaa => it's next-century-day!!!!

Hmmm, 4th century BC, eh? ... where to start, where to start?

Well, I think I'll start with the wee lil' guy hiding from Pigasus ...

MYSIA, Kisthene, Orontes, Satrap of Mysia
AR Half Siglos or Tetrobol
Circa 357-352 BC
Diameter: 13 mm
Weight: 2.75 grams
Obverse: Nude hoplite crouching left behind shield, spear at ready
Reverse: Forepart of winged boar right
Reference: Troxell, Orontes 4; SNG France 1164A (Lampsakos); SNG von Aulock
Other: 12h … bright surfaces, porous ... rare

 

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Sigh. I want one.

 

Velia AR didrachm 400-350 BC Athena / lunching lion

There are several lion variations from Velia but this one is best because of the way the reverse fits the round format.


Larissa fourree drachm 400-344 BC

I like the style of this even though traditional scholars won't allow fourrees to have been produced at the mint. I don't consider this one bad work. I have a similar solid coin with just the horse in 'ready to roll' position but that is another story for another day.


Aspendos, AR stater 370-333 BC

You didn't think you would escape this one again, did you? Certainly my favorite of the 4th century we have the wrestlers and slinger but, moreover, the countermark of a bull with Aramaic legend LUY = Ba'al. Of all the countermarked coins I have, this one has the best strike of the countermark doing the least damage to the rest of the design.

The 5th and 4th centuries make up the greatest proportion of my Greek collection and selecting three has meant slighting some coins I like. That will be less a problem as we move into the next centuries when egomaniac rulers placed their faces on most coins and the increase in large silver coins placed more of the better ones out of my price bracket.

 

One of my favorites from this century is a small coin with the obverse slightly off flan, but the reverse is well detailed:

THRACE, ABDERA Tetrobol
OBVERSE: Griffin springing left
REVERSE: Magistrate's name around linear border, within which head of Hermes l., caduceus before; all in incuse square
Struck at Abdera 411-385 BC
2.780g, 15mm
May 279

Ancient/Classical History online

 

Another of my favorites from this century is a Hercules and lion coin from Taras Calbria:

TARAS, CALABRIA AR Diobol
OBVERSE: Head of Athena in crested helmet left decorated with Skylla
REVERSE: Herakles kneeling right, strangling lion
Struck at Taras 380-334 BC
1.2g, 11mm
Vlasto 1316

 

And last, but certainly not least, is this AR Drachm of Alexander III. The toning on this coin is absolutely beautiful although my image may not have captured it well:

ALEXANDER III AR Drachm
OBVERSE: Head of Herakles right in lionskin headdress
REVERSE: ALEXANDROU, Zeus Aetophoros seated left, holding eagle and sceptre. Forepart of Pegasos left in left field, X on W monogram beneath throne
Struck at Abydos 325-323 BC
4.2g, 17mm
Price 1505

 

Holy-Moly => great coins so far, gang!!

 

Zeugitania, Carthage
Obv: Head of Tanit left
Rev: Horse galloping right
Struck c. 306 BC

 

Alexander the Great, Kingdom of Macedonia
Obv: Bust of Alexander (or Herakles) in lion skin
Rev: BA between bow and bowcase above, club below, thunderbolt in ex
Struck posthumously between 323-310 AD

 

They're my only two from this century, so by default they are my favorites (and the oldest coins that I own). They are basically hole-fillers seeing as how I'm not really into collecting from this era.

 

My second coin from the 4th century is another one of my favourites ...

=> I love the toning and I think that the writing on the reverse crossbars is very cool!!

Ionia, Teos AR Drachm
375 B.C. Hagnon, magistrate
Diameter: 16 mm
Weight: 3.4 grams
Obverse: Griffin seated right, raising forepaw
Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square with granulated quarters and thick crossbars; ZHIΩN on horizontal crossbar, AΓ-NΩN on vertical crossbar
Reference: Kinns 11; SNG Copenhagen 1443

 

My third offering is one of my overall-collection favourites ...

=> I think the artist was quite talented and seemed to capture quite a few neat animal-expressions (I still crack a smile when I look at the pissed-off dolphin!!)

CALABRIA, Tarentum, AR Nomos
Circa 315-302 BC
Diameter: 20 mm
Weight: 7.98 grams
Obverse: Warrior, preparing to cast spear, holding two others and shield, on horse rearing right; ΣA below
Reverse: Phalanthos, holding kantharos and trident, astride dolphin left; AP monogram to left; below, small dolphin left
Reference: Fischer-Bossert Group 70, 846 (V336/R657); Vlasto 601 (same obv. die); HN Italy 937; Gulbenkian 35 (same dies); Jameson 156 (same dies)
Other: 11h … toned. Excellent metal, exceptional obverse from fresh dies
From the JMG Collection






=> ummm, does anybody else wanna go to Calabria?!!!

 

I've had occasion to post this coin several times in the last month and here it is again. Sorry for the repetition but it is one of my favorites.



CORINTHIA. Corinth. Ca. 345-307 BC
AR stater, 8.65 gm
Obv: Pegasus flying left, qoppa below
Rev: helmeted head of Athena left wearing necklace; head of Silenus behind
Ref: Ravel 1046. Calciati 408. Scarce variety.

This variety, with the Silenus control mark, is the Corinth stater chosen to represent the series in HJB's book "100 Greatest Ancient Coins".

Here's a great website about Corinth staters, as well as Pegasus-bearing staters issued in Akarnania, Bruttium, Illyricum, Leukas, and Syracuse.
http://www.corinthstaters.com/index.html

From that site, information about Silenus:

 

I'll go...as long as you foot the bill!

 

i have some from the 4th century BC!

carthaginain coins, given to me by a forum member (tanit, horse/palm)...

 

This is my 4th century coin...this is a very small coin, some folks would carry these in their mouth.
Lucania, Thouriol...399 - 350..BC.
Ar Triabol
Ob. Helmeted head of Athena right..
Rev. Bull butting right.
Couple mackerels or fish in the Ex.
10 x 12 mm x .89 g.

 

Super coins, everyone. I've enjoyed learning more about the Greek coinage with which I'm unfamiliar. Here's a bronze of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. This is an example of the rare, left-facing bust of Apollo. I don't think the bidders on this coin were aware of the scarcity of the type, and I got it for right-facing money...



The wiki article on Philip II is extremely well-detailed, if a bit dry...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_II_of_Macedon

 

This NEWP is one of my very favorite coins in the collection. I posted it recently but I'm compelled to post it again for this great Century thread.

SIKYONIA, Sikyon
AR Stater
335-330 BC

23.2 mm, 11.94 grams
Obv: Chimera advancing left, paw raised, wreath above, ΣΕ below.
Rev: Dove flying left, I left, all within olive wreath.
Grade: a gVF nicely toned coin.
Other: Sikyon mint. BCD Peloponnesos 219, Traité III 776, BCD Peloponnesos pg 40, 56. SNG Cop 48 var (N instead of I). Ex CNG auction 312 lot 88 originating from a 1930’s collection.

 

Hello Mr. Stevex6.
Your Calabria coin is fascinating. It's kind of messed-up that I think about your Calabria coin often. IMO it is perfectamundo.

 

Let's not "dwell on the past" shall we gentlemen

And so a major leap to the 20th century brings us