What is your oldest ancient coin?

Probably not my oldest coin, but certainly my oldest coin from Sicily:

 

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Hahaha very subtle SA

 

Some really astounding coins here. In comparison my oldest isn't ancient ancient, just ancient


ATTICA, Athens. Circa 454-404 BC. AR Tetradrachm
Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye
Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig and crescent behind, all within incuse square. ΑΘΕ in the right field
24mm, 17.08 g, 8h
Ref : Kroll # 8; HGC # 4,1597

Q

 

@Curtisimo, Huh? You mean you have an ancient coin in a ... a......plas...... oh! under a... behind some....No! Ah Yes, I see. Good, someone is sending you - looks like a screwdriver!

@Alegandron - That is wonderful!

 

Great idea @LaCointessa! My most ancient coin is from Miletos and dates from the late 6th to early 5th century BC.

Miletos, Ionia. 1/12 AR stater. Late 6th Century B.C.
Obv: Forepart of lion, head turned r.
Rev: Stellate pattern within incuse square.
9-10mm, 1.2g.
BMC 34.

 

Yes! This reminds me of @Sallent's roaring lion with similar reverse. Nice! I like calling it 'Forepart of roaring lion" Roaring must be in the attribution, no? I mean, the animal is roaring up a storm! Thank you for posting this.

 

@TIF - Thank you for checking in and liking the thread. I miss you. I can't wait until you are back here regularly for good stretches of time again. I was thinking about you when I posted the thread and I tried to imagine what type of coin is your most ancient.

TIF, don't worry about posting a photograph of your most ancient coin; just tell us what it is. If we don't know what it looks like or can't find examples of it to post on your behalf, then shame on us!

 

Here is my Ionia Stater from 6th-5th century BC


And here is one of my Olbia Thrace dolphin proto money from a little before that.

 

There is this one too which is tied for my oldest coin. I believe this is the earliest design for this type of coin, and Ive seen dates as early as 525 BCE for this version, which if accurate would make it my oldest.


Ionia, Kolophon
AR Tetartemorion.
Late 6th Century BCE.
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo facing.
Reverse: TE monogram within incuse square.
References: SNG Cop 133; SNG Kayhan 356.
Size: 7mm, 0.25g.

And you want tiny? Its tiny! I once lost it and after turning my entire office upside down looking for it for 2 hours I realized it was right on my desk the whole time.



Not my tiniest though...things get tinier for me with this 6mm beauty.

 

I haven't been able to break the 600BC barrier.


MYSIA, Kyzikos
Circa 600 - 525 BC
AR Obol
0.57g, 9.3mm
Von Fritze II 5; SNG von Aulock 7328.
O: Tunny fish left.
R: Quadripartite incuse square.


CORINTHIA, Corinth
Circa 550 - 500 BC
AR Obol
0.44g, 8.7mm
Weber 3652; cf. BCD Corinth 11 (Pegasos left).
O: Pegasos flying to right; Q below.
R: Quadripartite incuse square with swastika pattern.

 

Many of our older coins come with very approximate dates like "Late 6th Century BC" so it is hard to tell which one is 510 and which is 530. We see many opinions but we have no home for the hard dates enjoyed by modern collectors.

Sybaris was pretty well destroyed in 510 BC ending the early phase of these thin fabric, half dollar size, incuse reverse bulls. We usually see them dated 550-510 BC but I have no idea how to tell early from late. This one is double struck leaving extra lines most would consider a fault.


My Kyzikos tunny is like zumbly's except much smaller (1/4 or tetartemorion). It is my only X6 coin.

 

Forgot about my Tetartemorions... they are pretty "aged" too:


CARIA Mylasa 525-495 BCE AR Tetartemorion 0.28g 6mm Hd roaring lion RIGHT - Bird stndng L pellet incuse sq SNG Keckman 922 SNG Kayhan 944


Ionia Miletos AR Tetartemorion 5.6mm 0.21g Roaring Lion Hd - LEFT - Bird Klein 430 SNG Kay 941


Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm 0.13g 530-500 BCE Rosette - Incuse sq punch 5 pellets SNG von Aulock 1807


Aeolis Elaia AR Tetartemorion 460 BCE Athena L - Olive Wreath 7.8mm 0.16g SNG Cop 166


Uncert West Asia Minor Karia 5th C BC AR tetartermorion 5mm 0.15g Female - Frprt Bull r Kayhan 968 exc rght


Iona Kolophon AR Tetartemorion 530-520 BCE Archaic Apollo Incuse Punch 0.15g 4.5mm- SNG Kayhan 343

 

I love seeing everybody's oldest coins!

Here is mine, an AR obol from Kyzikos, Mysia, from about 450-400 BC:



Here's the bro's, it's a 1/96th electrum stater from 625-600 BC (this thing is tiny, 4.5mm, so I'm not allowed to take a pic of it ):



Erin

 

I always wanted myself a tunny!

 

Really wonderful coins, @dougsmit. I have just today discovered those incuse reverse coins. Yours is simply divine. Thank you for posting it! I'm going to go back and stare at it more.

 

I am not absolutely sure about this; but, it may be that your Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm 0.13g 530-500 BCE Rosette - Incuse sq punch 5 pellets SNG von Aulock 1807 could be my fave tiny coin. I'll have to spend more time looking at yours. Someone else got a little collection of them recently and I can not remember who that was. Was that you @Alegandron? I wish i could look at those coins again.

 

Wow! Those are tiny and very adorable, too.

 

Being a Roman Imperial collector, I have few Greek coins but this is my oldest:


Mysia, Kyzikos (c.480 BC)
AR Trihemiobol, 10 mm, 1.16 g
Obv: Forepart of boar left ; Tunny upward
Rev: Head of roaring lion left, outstretched tongue, all within incuse square
Ref: Von Fritze, Nomisma IX Kyzikos, Group II, 9 / Table V, 10-11.

 

This may be my oldest ancient coin? I have a couple of other candidates as well, but I"ll go with this one.



Ionia, Miletos, Late 6th- early 4th century BC.

1/12th Stater (1.2 gm, 10.5mm). Obv.: Forepart of lion left with head reverted right. Rev.: Starlike floral design in square incuse. SNG Helsinki II 285.

 

Ok... that just made my day! Bravo, hilarious! mine is 30/31 AD-




Thanks,
Jacob