I am a sucker for "rare" coins. This small (14 mm) bronze coin is similar to two coins in HNI, #689 from the period 275 to 250 BC & #694 from 225 to 210 BC. HNI shows an example of 689, but not of 694. Both are given BMC-7 as a reference. On both coins, a dolphin swims right on the obv & rev and the obverse legend is below the dolphin: ΣAΛAΠI[NΩN]. On my coin the legend [ΣAΛ]AΠINΩN is above a dolphin swimming left (obv?) and the reverse shows a dolphin swimming right with some dots above the dolphin that could be marks for where a legend could be applied. I found several examples on line be searching for SALAPIA. I did not see any left swimming dolphins (must have been few Democratic dolphin then also). I received notice of three coins in the mail Monday and picked them up today, 2/23. The delivery time from Italy was a month and London was 2 weeks. I will show the vendor's photos first and mine second. I am still working on pics that match others in this forum. I will post the two cast coins later. Italy. Northern Apulia, Salapia. AE 14 mm, 275-250 BC. Obv. Dolphin left;above [ΣAΛ]ΑΠΙΝΩΝ. Rev. Dolphin right. HN Italy -. Cf. 689/694. SNG ANS -. Garrucci -. AE. g. 3.40 mm. 14.50 RRR. Good VF. Apparently unpublished. Nice light-green patina. Barclay Head lists a dolphin/dolphin AE 0.6" coin from Salapia Sear, Greek Coins #592 is a dolphin,r/dolphin,r; AE15 with ΣAΛΑΠΙΝΩΝ ΣAΛAΠINΩN = SALAPINON OR Salapia SALAPIA, Apulia, Italy. An ancient city on the Adriatic coast, today largely drained. The city was not colonized by the Greeks in the historic period. It was an important center with its own mint (most of the name, Salapinon is on this coin). The Battle of Cannae is a major battle of the Second Punic War that took place on 2 August 216 BC in Apulia, in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage, under Hannibal, decisively defeated a larger army of the Roman Republic under the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. Eight legions, some 40,000 Roman soldiers and an estimated 2,400 cavalry, formed the nucleus of the Roman army. It is regarded both as one of the greatest tactical feats in military history and as one of the worst defeats in Roman history. Following Cannae, in 214 B.C., Hannibal seized Salapia and set up his winter quarters there, but M. Claudius Marcellus reoccupied it in 210 (Livy 24.20; 26.38). HNI states this town did not issue coins after 210 BC. During the social war, the city was destroyed, and it gradually disappeared because the lagoon was becoming a swamp. According to Vitruvius, the old city was abandoned, made unhealthy because of malaria, and the inhabitants in the 1st B.C. moved about 6.4 km away to a healthier place, where a harbor was developed by joining the Lago di Salpi with the sea. The new Salapia was a Roman municipium and is mentioned by the writers of land survey as a colony. Post your ΣAΛAΠINΩN = SALAPINON OR Salapia coins. I will call this an almost Roman Republican coin because it may have been minted after Rome first conquered the area. Note - CNG said they think HNI-694 is probably an error and the coin is from the earlier period.
Great information and a rather nice coin to go along with it. However, I don't have any from this area to show. Thanks for putting in the effort to help educate us.
Nice coin and write up! Lefty dolphin, lol. When you read about the renegade towns, Res Publica Rome either flattened them, or turned them into a Colony... Nice way for them to ultimately incorporate areas into their Realm...
Cool coins with a very interesting (and informative) narrative. I also lack any of the type, but I also find myself drawn to the scarce, rare or unusual, budget permitting...
There are likely many varieties to be discovered, particularly among small Greek bronzes that just don't get as much attention as other coins. Nice find! I do not have any coins of Salapia to share, but I do have this unpublished coin of Ionia, Teos. When a lyre does occur on the published examples, it is always to the left of the kantharos. In this variety, it is lying at the base of the vessel, behind it. It belongs in the general family of BMC 36, SNG Copenhagen 1450, SNG Kayhan 608 and SNG Keckman II 316. There are six other known examples, AE 13, c. 400-375 BC.
Thanks for educating us about this Greek city. Nice purchase, I especially like its tie in to the 2nd punic war. Sorry, I have no coins of Salapia to share.
