NYINC Cherrypicks

Some Greek bronze, starting with a coin that was mis-attributed. I recognized this immediately as the bust of Melqart. This is a civic issue of Tyre, and a very nice example. The monogram of the city is a bit faded at the top, but the lettering and club are quite nice. These were dated - this one has the Greek numerals in the left field, or 244. The Phoenician letters in the right field signify "of Tyre," meaning 244 of the local calendar, or 118/119 AD.

 

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We have a very local show, but it does not attract any serious dealers of ancients. However, Baltimore is only an hour away, so that definitely counts as local enough.

Actually, I retract my complaint about the cost of traveling to NY City. After doing the math, it wasn't that bad. My mistake was not in spending too much money, but in spending too little. I should have bought twice as many coins as long as I made the trip. Live and learn.

 

Where is Phalanna? From the Princeton Encyclopedia...

PHALANNA Thessaly, Greece.
The chief city of the Perrhaibians in the region. Phalanna flourished in the 5th and 4th c., replacing Olosson in importance by 400 B.C.; although later outstripped by Gonnos, it was still useful to Perseus as a camp site in 171 B.C. Inscriptions indicate that the city records were kept in the Temple of Athena Polias, although the city decrees were dated by the tenures of the priests of Asklepios. There was also a theater and a Sanctuary of Hades and Persephone. The site, misleadingly described by Strabo as near Tempe, has not been certainly identified, but lay between Orthe and Gonnos in a position to control the roads from the N and the rich fields to the S. Although Karatsoli and Gritzova have been proposed, Phalanna was probably on the flat hill called Kastri 3 km E of modern Tyrnavos; there are building blocks scattered in the area, but no city walls.

This is not a type I was familiar with before the show, but it sure is a lovely coin with a deep green patina. The obverse gets described as "male head right." The reverse is ΦΑΛΑΝΝΑΙΩΝ, Head of nymph Phalanna right, hair in sakkos, struck 400-344 BC...

 

Here's a coin I bought on principle simply because it was there. Sicilian bronze can get pretty ratty, and although nobody would grade this coin higher than F, it is, as they say, very nice for the grade. Respectable detail, attractive patina, and the added interest of the tab from the casting sprue which was not filed off. This is Hiketas (288-278 BC), with bust of Zeus and eagle. There might be an aVF coin here if it were cleaned up some more, but I prefer it just as it is...

 

That eagle looks pretty good

 

Hello John,

All very nice coins, next time I will join you and book a plane. the Tyre coin is briljant.

Keep on going like this.

 

Really like that, great look.

 

Yes, please do! I'd love to meet you!

 

Bought this one at Roma, I could not let it go...you also are attractive to the Levant area..so....normally I only see the small one's, so I thought, buy.
What do you think?


Lot 79: Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. Eastern Imitation. Circa 454-404 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing earring, necklace...

 

John, what is the value of such a coin?

 

I know I'm not JA, but I would say no more than $60 or $70. It is fairly common, and that one is off centered. I think part of the reason the prices are so low is because the fakes have scared most ancient collectors away from these coins.

 

Ok, thanks @!!

 

I think Sallent is right. It's a bit off-center on the obverse, although not badly so. Half of the coins in the hoard I looked through at NYINC were so off-center that only half of the head showed. So really, this example is quite good. It's a little crusty on the reverse, which obscures the legs of the crayfish.

In my opinion, there is no reason to fear forgeries of these coins any more so than one would fear forgeries of any series. Buy from a reputable dealer, vet the coins according to dimensions, style, and fabric, check the forgery databases, and you'll be fine. The coin Cyrrhus posted looks good to me. Also, these were mass-produced. I can't imagine forgers would bother with the common varieties.

 

Thanks JA. I'd hate to brag...ok, not really... but not bad for someone who didn't even have the faintest idea what any ancient coin looked like or what they were worth only 3 months ago, right?

 

Well this coin is offered now for 80 eur...and another for 60 at a vendor...but it is not really my thing.

 

Yes. As with anything, it's important to be market-savvy, and there are plenty of online resources to get an idea of what things are selling for. Acsearch is my go-to place, along with CNG, sold eBay listings, and you can always see what dealers on vcoins are asking, keeping in mind that some of them ask WAY too much.

 

They do. If you can get $60 for something that costs you $1 to make and have a market of people who think they are protected because the item is common, I see great potential for profit. Considering the track history of Black Sea region coins that turned up in huge quantities over the last 25 years, I'll consider any such coin suspect until I learn more about it. Remember you not only have to buy from an honest dealer but from one who has put in the work to keep up with the 'new releases'. Sure you can get a money back guarantee but you have to figure out that the coin is bad so you can ask for one.

 

The Black Sea and New York hoards of forgeries are of a very different style than the coins Cyrrhus and I posted. The series is not a stylistically homogeneous entity, and I presume the forgers of those two famous hoards were copying less-than common varieties, or creating their own. That is not to say that the coins made from the most commonly occurring dies haven't been faked - I've seen a few, but they are poorly cast and unlikely to deceive anyone in the know.

 

After rereading my post, it occurs to me that I sound like a dealer arguing for the veracity of his coin because he wants to sell it. I should add that I would be the first person to pull any coin out of my inventory which was legitimately suspicious.

Perhaps context is paramount here. I wish I had taken a picture of the hoard from which my coin was pulled, and in the future I will remember to do so. First off, none of the coins showed any signs of casting. Secondly, it was obvious that the coins were hastily produced, many with wildly off-center strikes. Thirdly, more than half of the coins had significant circulation wear, and lastly, about a third of them had test cuts along the edge. I doubt anyone would have paid much for the average coin from that hoard - most of them belonged in a ten-buck junk bin.

All of this speaks strongly to the hoard's age. To me it seemed obvious that they were hastily produced in large quantities and used extensively in commerce. We often doubt coins for the company they keep, but the coin I bought was keeping very good company.

I really must take pictures in the future.

 

This is a more representative image of the coin, in hand.