I picked this one up a couple weeks ago and it's quickly becoming one of my favourite coins. I've always loved the bronze coins of Sicily and it took me a while to finally add one to my collection. My pictures don't do this coin justice.. it looks much sharper in hand. I managed to get this one for half of the priced of the one I had on my vcoins want list so that's a bonus. Sicily, Syracuse. Agathokles. 317-289 B.C. Æ litra (22 mm, 9.72 g, 9 h). Ca. 306/4-289 B.C. ΣΩΤΕΙΡΑ, head of Artemis right, quiver at shoulder / ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ, winged thunderbolt. SNG ANS 708 Share anything Sicily.
Nice! Don't have one of those but here's a smaller bronze, also an Agathokles with a thunderbolt on the reverse. SICILY, Syracuse AE Trias. 2.57g, 13mm. SICILY, Syracuse, Agathokles, circa AD 317-289 BC. CNS 118. O: Helmeted head of Athena left. R: ΣYPAK-OΣIΩN, winged thunderbolt. The only other one I have in the time of Agathokles is a stater employing Corinthian types. SICILY, Syracuse AR Stater. 8.25g, 21.4mm. SICILY, Syracuse. Time of Agathokles, circa 304-289 BC. Pegasi 14; SNG ANS 560. O: Helmeted head of Athena right, helmet decorated with griffin, palladium behind. R: [ΣYPAKOΣIΩN], pegasos flying left, triskeles above, grain ear below.
I have wanted one of those for a awhile but haven’t found a nice example like yours to make me want to pull the trigger. Here are a couple of bronzes from Heiron II over in Syracuse. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=6368
My only Sicilian but I love it just the same: Philistis, wife of Hieron II AR 5 Litrae; 4.46 gm, 18.1 mm Sicily, Syracuse, 270-230 B.C.E Obv: Diademed and veiled head, l., palm branch behind. Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΑΣ ΦΙΛΙΣΤΙΔΟΣ, Nike driving biga to left, E (=5) in l. field. Refs: SNG ANS-893; SNG III (Lockett)-1017; Forrer 196; Burnett pl. 4, 50.
Better than mine! My Hiketas II 288-279 BC with Zeus and eagle (below) was struck over an Artemis / thunderbolt coin like yours but this one was the next period after Agathokles which we call the Democracy 289-288 BC. You can see the thunderbolt end left of the eagle but the sigma above it shows the undertype was not like yours but the Democracy type that replaced the king's name with the city name ΣYPAK/OΣIΩN split above and below the thunderbolt. Two centuries before these bronze litra, Syracuse issued the same denomination in silver. These are relatively common today as well.
WOW!! Wonderful examples guys!! Here's a modest bronze of Agathokles: Ae-19mm under Agathokles, 317-295 BC., Syracuse mint on Sicily. Av. head of Kore left Rv. bull butting left: black patina, 6,20gr. SNG Munich 1230
AGATHOKLES: Sicily Syracuse 317-289 BC AE 23 Hemilitron Agathokles Kore Bull Dolphin A FEW OF MY AE SYRACUSE: SYRACUSE 2nd Democr 466-405 BCE Æ Tetras 2.7g 15mm c.425 BCE Arethusa dolphins - Octopus 3 pellets SNG ANS 376 Calciati II.21.1 SICILY Syracuse Hieron II 274-216 BC Æ26 15.9g hd Hieron II L - ΙΕΡΟΝΩΣ Horseman galloping r holding spear HGC 2 1547 CNS II 193 Sicily Syracuse Hieron II 275-269 BC AE 15 Persephone Bull RIGHT Rare Sicily Syracuse ca 410 BC AE 19 Athena Wreath Hippocamp Sicily Syracuse Hieron II 275-215 BCE AE20 Poseidon Trident Dolphin Sicily Syracuse Timoleon Third Deocracy 344-317 BCE AE Hemidrachm Zeus Thundrbolt
That is a very fine bronze, Ajax, nice score! Here is my Syracuse bronze for today: SICILY, Syracuse. Hiketas II. 287-278 BC. AE 25, 7.25g; 25 x 20mm. Obverse: Zeus Hellanios Reverse: Eagle on thunderbolt. References: BAR issue 39; CNS 168; SNG ANS 797-802. John
That's a beautiful bronze @Ajax I really love those Syracuse bronzes (I wouldn't mind a silver one either). Sorry for the poor pictures First is the same as yours Syracuse Agathokles 317-289 BC Bust of Artemis right. SOTEIPA in right field AGATHOKLEOS BASILEOS, thunderbolt 8.43 gr, 22 mm Ref : Sear #1200 Syracuse Agathokles 317-289 BC SYPAKOSYWN. Head of Kore left Bull butting left, two dolphins and linked VA in field 6.0 gr, 20 mm Ref : Sear #1195 var Syracuse Hiketas 288-279 BC Head of Zeus hellanios right ΣΙΡΑΚ ΟΣΙΩΝ. Eagle left, wings open, star and A in field 8.95 gr, 23 mm Ref : Sear # 1212 Q
@Cucumbor The detail on your three coins is amazing. In particular first obv, second and third reverses.
Browsing through ongoing auctions, I found several Hieron II - Horseman coins like the one shown above by Alegandron. Some, but not all of them, are called "hemilitron" and they can be found in coinarchives.com under Sicily, Syracuse Hieron II e.g. https://www.coinarchives.com/a/lotv...&Lot=168&Val=65022a006e45c0ed3a74fa1ad7107ff3 sold by Bertolami Fine Arts - ACR Auctions > E-Auction 60 Auction date: 9 July 2018, Lot number: 167 Lot description: Sicily, Syracuse. Hieron II (275-215 BC). Æ Hemilitron (25mm, 14.83g, 1h), c. 230-218/5. Laureate head l. R/ Warrior on horseback rearing r., holding transverse spear. CNS II, 193; SNG ANS 933; HGC 2, 1547. VF I googled hemilitron and found out that it weights about 1/2 litra which is much less then the 14 g so Apparently hemilitron is being used for Sicilian coins of very different weights ?? Anyone of you have an explanation for hemilitron ?