60 years ago the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space. In memory of this great scientific accomplishment, post any coins with any space themes (ie. Deities whose names now grace the planets or moons, coins with stars, sun, comets, moon, etc) Here is my submission. I just sold this coin, but I still havent shipped it yet, so it counts. And for those of us in America, Sputnik both thrilled us as a great feat of science, and also terrified us due to the military implications. Here is a brief video that captures the mood 60 years ago as the news broke.
Billon centenionalis of Constans Antioch, officina 3; 348-350 CE 4.4 g, 22 mm D N CONSTA-NS P F AVG Pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust left, globe in right hand. FEL TEMP REPA-RATIO Helmeted soldier, spear in left hand, advancing right, head left; with his right hand he leads a small bare-headed figure from a hut beneath a tree. The spear points downwards, between the soldier's legs. Star in upper left field, AN Gamma in ex RIC VIII Antioch 128; LRBC 2615
STAR: I think CARTHAGE was way ahead of their time. This is their version of Sputnik that they launched in 265 BCE. This coin commemorates their momentous launch of Zeugitania 1. It was around 100 years later that the Romans dismantled their space program claiming that it offended the Gods. They later went on to destroy their City. Carthage Zeugitania First Punic War 264-241 BCE Double Shekel 26 mm 13.9 g Wreathed Tanit Horse stndng r star - [Zeugitania 1 in the night sky] above SNG Cop 185 Rare Attribute within [] embellished by me. All other facts are real.
Well, I've got three moderns from Kazakhstan (home of the Baikonur Cosmodrome) that feature space themes: And to keep it Ancients-relevant, some Parthian coins feature a star-and-crescent motif near the king's portrait:
Really? Really, it went into the space? Or, it just flied around the Earth, under the athmosphere? Not to go off-topic, but, lots of false info about those space programmes especially between 1950-1980. The sides probably know lies of each others, but, they are not stepping on toes of each others. Anyway, we'll see some truths "very soon"... NASA has no Moon landing plan now, has Mars landing plan, unknown when. RFSA, Russia Space Agency, has Moon landing plan, in 2029. ESA, European Space Agency, has Moon landing plan, in 2030. CNSA, China Space Agency, has Moon landing plan, in 2036. etc etc.
ARTUQIDS OF MARDIN. HUSÂM AD-DÎN YÛLUQ-ARSLÂN. AH 596 (1199/1200 AD). Copper dirham. Obv: Mars seated with sword behind his head and holding the head of the ghûl ("ghoul") in his left hand. Rev: names of the caliph, the Ayyûbids al-Afdal 'Alî and az-Zâhir Ghâzî, sons of Saladin, and the Artuqid. Spengler/Sayles 36.3; Album, Checklist 1829.4. ex-Dr. Busso Peus Nachfolger, auction 382, April 2005, lot 849 Sayles and Spengler explain they write that it is not the god Mars, but "an astrological representation of the planet Mars." Many examples noted of manuscripts, metalworks and ceramics, have the same figure riding on a ram and they say that the ram is "simply a representation of the planet's day house, Aries." This idea of an astrological representation was first suggested in 1875 by Lane-Poole.
I must say that the reverse (king and the arch, with the legends), seems much more with the control panel of a space ship.
This is pretty spacey - Crawford 309/1 - "Sol in facing quadriga rising from the waves of the sea; star on either side; X and crescent above."
Star, globe, crescent moon and Sol with baseball glove catching something falling from the sky. Constantine I AE Follis. Obv: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right. Rev: SOLI INV-I-CT COMON, Sol standing left, chlamys across left shoulder, holding globe, right hand raised. Mintmark: RS. Is this rev. legend blundered?
I forgot about this one - Urania, the Muse of Astronomy - Cr. 410/8. Star on the obverse, globe and Urania on the reverse. Obviously, Kuenker's pic, but it's been mine for a couple of years.
Seems to be. SOLI INVICTO COMITI is normal. Omiting the O of INVICTO is not a blunder but an abbreviation but the letters after COM are harder to explain any other way.
I apologize for not having photos, but the Cook Islands did a series for several years with actual tiny bits of meteorites in them. I'm sure you could find them online if you are really interested -- they are pretty cool. There have been occasional other issues from other places with meteorite pieces as well.
