If nothing else, we are getting to see some absolutely gorgeous coins here. Feel free to post anything that you consider fascinating/awesome, preferably non human coins.
MYSIA AR Hemiobol OBVERSE: Forepart of running boar left, tunny fish behind upward REVERSE: Head of roaring lion left within incuse square, star above Struck at Kyzikos, 480-450BC 0.41 g, 9.5 mm Sear 3850
That would be a possibility, and I've seen some turtles with incused designs also. (I think) very, very expensive if memory serves.
I think the best match for TS purposes is an archaic Mytilene hektes field. They are cool electrum and in average with $500+ budget they can be realy fascinating. And there are a lot of types - great field for collecting.
This has multiple critters (and acts of predation) on both sides. I paid $100-and-something for this coin, as I recall, so with a $500 budget, you could theoretically find a nicer one out there. (If you do, and choose not to buy it, gimme a heads-up if you don't mind. I myself would like to find a nicer example of this type.) Sicily, Akragas: silver hemidrachm, ca. 410-406 BC Obverse: eagle right, clutching dead hare in its talons, barley grain behind. Reverse: Crab, with ketos (sea monster) below, swimming left with fish in its jaws. 16 mm, 1.8 g. SNG ANS 1012. Ex-Gitbud-Naumann, Germany, through VCoins store, 5/28/2014.
You could certainly do worse for <$500 with an electrum hekte. They're extremely tiny, of course, but cute little things. I just bought my first one this month, for $391.20. (Kudos to Germania Inferior Numismatics for excellent service.) Ancient Greece (Ionia, Phokaia): electrum hekte, Athena and quadripartite punch, ca. 478-387 BC
The more I think about it, I kinda like that it has a lion and a dove. Dove representing peace and prosperity and the lion representing strength wisdom and fortitude. I think this thread has talked me into hunting one down haha.
Wow! I like that one as much as the Akragas AR I posted! That one is sharp! I love the Akragas "crabby coins" but can't afford one of their tetradrachms. The hemidrachm I posted and @Andres2's Æ are good alternatives. I love the tiny octopus on his. Some fantastic designs sure came out of ancient Sicily. I'd love to spend a month or a year metal detecting there. (Yeah, I know - that's probably extremely illegal there, and I couldn't afford to go anyway. But a fella can dream...)