I purchased this a couple of weeks ago for what I consider chump change. It's a pretty little coin with a thick brown patina (almost chocolate color), but the color does not seem to want to be photographed well. PTOLEMY VI AE20 OBVERSE: Head of Zeus Ammon to right REVERSE: Two eagles standing to left with closed wings; insc.: ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ (ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ), cornucopia in right field. Struck at CYPRUS 180-176 BC 6.11g, 20mm Svoronos 1426, SNG Cop 315 From Wikipedia: Ptolemy VI Philometor (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaĩos Philomḗtōr, ca. 186–145 BC) was a king of Egypt from the Ptolemaic period. He reigned from 180 to 145 BC. Ptolemy succeeded in 180 BC at the age of about 6 and ruled jointly with his mother, Cleopatra I, until her death in 176 BC, which is what 'Philometor', his epithet, implies; "he who loves his mother", φίλος (beloved,friend) + μήτηρ (mother). The following year he married his sister, Cleopatra II, as it was customary for Pharaohs, for the Ptolemaic Greek kings had adopted many customs of the Pharaohs. He had at least four children with her: Ptolemy Eupator, Ptolemy Neos, Cleopatra Thea and Cleopatra III, and possibly Berenice.
It's a lovely coin, and I think your pic represents it very well. I know how tough it is to image these jet-black, glossy coin. You always have to say the coin is better in hand.
Yeah, black is a tough color. Not that I know how to photograph coins, nor have the time or inclination to do so, but I tried once on a glossy pure black nero I own. The coin is gorgeous like a black Camaro RS/SS, but the photograph never captured that.
yes, nice indeed! i have a "small ptolemy" on my list. this was my last ptolemy coin, also a ptolemy vi double eagle...this one is 30 mm.
Great coins, Bing and Mat....I wish I could see the 'chocolate' patina in hand.. Now, as Mat has decreed, I'm off to snatch a "Bing Bargain"
I'm not sure what you consider cheap but this 38mm, 40.3 gram chunk of bronze set me back a whopping half a buck at a yard sale because neither one of us knew what it was at the time. this was my first ancient...
You got me beat by a country mile. I've never found anything at a garage sale worth talking about. I paid $20 shipped to the door.
I guess that's a 'Ziggy Zinger', scoring an excellent coin for .50----and a Bing Bargain at $20---it seems I can only get a 'good deal' unless you count a Numerian and Procopius at about VF I 'found' among a batch of uncleaned coins 30 years ago LOL
Well, here's a Ptolemy (or two)...at a combined cost in hand of less than a hundred...so not a 'bargain' but a nice price overall.... and I had to have a 'Philometor' and a 'Philopator'--- .
Wow => awesome coin, Big-bro (congrats) ... oh, and I love seeing coins displayed "in-hand" (or "on-finger" in this case) Ummm, I admit that I paid through the nostrils for my two bigger Ptolemy-examples ... but I bought this humble example from Batman (the King of "in-hand" photos) for $53 US (delivered) ... yup, even a blind-squirrel can find a nut sometimes, eh?
wow, I agree => that's a brutal score!! (congrats) ... man, that kinda makes my $53 buck coin look like I'm a fricken Rockefeller, eh?
In the event that you lovers of Ptolemaic bronzes haven't noticed it yet, CNG's latest e-auction is LOADED with them: http://www.cngcoins.com/Coins.aspx?CONTAINER_TYPE_ID=2&VIEW_TYPE=0
