Hi, I have recently bought two tetartemorions (among the smallest silver coins known), but one of them leaves some doubt regarding its identification. However, after reading the standard reference "Troxell & Kagan - Cilicians and Neighbors in Miniature", I think both tetartemorions are belonging to the same class, with only the subclass as difference. I have attached the article for those interested. Note that it respects copyright laws as it was in fact released by its coauthor Mr. Kagan. Here is the first Cilician tetartemorion easily identified as a Troxell & Kagan #2b. Obverse: Running Archer iconography. Reverse: Facing Apollo (or female facing figure). I think Apollo is sometimes represented with braids just as on the coin. Now, the second poses difficulty. I think it is Troxell & Kagan #2a. The dirt and wears make it difficult to identify, especially the facing Apollo. As for the running archer/king, its strike is rather off and only the upper body can be seen. The bow faintly emerges when the lighting is right. Not the same dies as first tetartemorion. So, what do you think, guys?
Picture cropping would be helpful. Right now you have a teensy tiny coin hidden in a sea of background. Yes the pictures are clickable/enlargeable but are massive in file size, which can cause loading time problems for those without the latest greatest internet provider. There are many free photo editing programs online. Try https://pixlr.com/editor/
Hmm...if I recall correctly, you were the one who mentioned the snake skin background looked nice. I think I didn't get it at the time. I'm like this: with 2 months response delay.
As I can't edit posts after a certain time, here are the reuploaded photos. For Windows users, Paint suffices. I repeat some part of the opening post in order to make it easier to put into context. =================================================== The following coins are really small, about 5 mm (or less than 1/4"). Here is the first Cilician tetartemorion easily identified as a Troxell & Kagan #2b. Obverse: Running Archer iconography. Reverse: Facing Apollo (or female facing figure). I think Apollo is sometimes represented with braids just as on the coin. Now, the second poses difficulty. I think it is Troxell & Kagan #2a. The dirt and wears make it difficult to identify, especially the facing Apollo. As for the running archer/king, its strike is rather off and only the upper body can be seen. The bow faintly emerges when the lighting is right. Not the same dies as first tetartemorion.
Very nice example on the first one! Greek fractionals are something I have been considering doing an in depth study on in the future. They are just fascinating, the artistic quality on such a tiny flan!
I for one would love to see someone attach this subject with effort as great as the coins are small. Until recently, it had been easier to find information and photos of dekadrachms as it was sub obol size coins. There has been an increase in demand for them over the last few years which means I am no longer successful when they coe to market in reasonable shape. For those interested, my ealy interest was based on the book Early Greek Coins from the Collection of Jonathan P. Rosen by Nancy Waggoner which has gone up in price in keeping with the rise in interest in the coins. The Rosen collection was unusual in that the collector balanced his purchases to include tiny coins as well as the usual flashy big stuff. The first thing I noted was that my collection included several tiny coins he lacked suggesting the subject was a lot bigger than I had suspected. Another decent group of little ones is SNG Turkey 1, The Kayhan collection but it is only on coins of Turkey so lacks the balanced coverage of Rosen who collected all Greek regions. I have not seen the newly published second part of it but the two volumes together add up to the price of Rosen and the photography was not as good. Those who hang around here regularly are tired of seeing my little ones so I'll just post the link to one of the pages. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/tiny.html
I can't comment on ID, but much better pictures napta! What an awesome little coin, great detail for the size.
Hi, I have sent two messages to your official email: holdinghistorycoins[at]vcoins[dot]com It is about two uncategorized coins of yours. The challenge was fun. I am curious if they make sense for you.
