Obviously, Huey Lewis' epic album not withstanding, sports has been one of, if not, the main driving forces propelling humanity forward, love and war aside, since the dawn of time. I've been trying for sooooo long and will continue to hold out hope for one of the true ancient commemorative Olympic coins (no luck yet) but finally landed a beautiful Pamphylia Aspendos stater and received it earlier this week Pamphylia Aspendos 370-330 BCE Stater AR 22mm., 10,17g. Two wrestlers grappling; AΦ between / EΣTFEΔIIVΣ, slinger to right, triskeles in right field. very fine SNG France 83 Not stopping there, for my birthday last year my dad got me a coin celebrating the manly art, boxing! When people ask of my past, I often say, I used to be somebody (an allusion to my time with the science of self defense...pugilism) That hand on the reverse is wrapped and ready to strike! Ionia, Smyrna. Civic issue. 2nd-1st century B.C. AE 15 (15.44 mm, 3.46 g, 1 h). struck ca. 75-50 B.C. Metrodoros, son of Menecoins magistrate. laureate head of Apollo right within dotted border / [ΞΜ]ΥΡΝΑΙΩ[Ν] / [ΜΗΤ]ΡΟΔΩΡ[ΟΣ] , ethnic and magistrate's name vertically downwards to right and left of hand in caestus; palm-branch to right. Cf. BMC 56; Cf. Milne 393; Cf. SNG Cop 1172. VF, smooth tan-green patina. The "caestus" was an early version of the boxing glove. And lastly, keeping in mind that Alexander The Great's father Philip ii of Macedon (the 1st king to unify and rule Europe!) with an open showcasing spot on the reverse of his coins giving the chance to celebrate what may have been the best year of his life 356 BCE, the year his son Alexander iii was born (the greatest conqueror of all time), and the year that he dealt a blow to the whole of Greece with his victory in the 3rd Sacred War, and also a year that his horse had won 1st place for that years Olympiads. Ol' King Phil opted to put a picture of his winning pony on all his coins!? (Yeah, they kinda liked their sports back then) King Philip II of Macedon Obv Apollo / Rev rider horse AE16 356 BC Please post any and all sports related ancients you have! Or anything you deem relevant
That's one great Pamphylia stater Ryro, with nice detail. Ironically I have an Olympia Hemidrachm minted the same time, to be precise 370 BC the time of the 101st Olympic games with all probability the athletes on your coin represented there city. Elis Olympia 370 BC, AR Hemidrachm. Hera mint, Greece. BCD Olympia 111. 2.54gm. And the track and field pavilion at Olympia when I visited 3 years ago, who knows Ryro maybe where your slinger on stater showed his prowess.
Awesome! Thanks Great coin and beautiful picture! Very with envy as I have never left this side of the pond (just Mexico and Canada). If the Olympics started in 776 BCE and your coin is from the 101st games, then it must be from 372 BCE (if mental math even works after midnight my time). And yours is definitely one to add to my bucket list
I like Sports, but... "best album of the 80s"? Hrrmmm... . On the other hand, I'm totally on board with your sports-related coins... I especially like that Smyrna bronze. Gut-punch/belt-pull Aspendos stater similar to the one shown by Doug above. PAMPHYLIA, Aspendos AR Stater. 10.94g, 24.2mm. PAMPHYLIA, Aspendos, circa 420-410 BC. SNG Cop -; SNG von Aulock -; Tekin Series 1; SNG BN 47 var. (direction of triskeles). O: Two wrestlers grappling; the one on the left holding his opponent's leg and belt, the one on the right holding his opponent's neck and belt. R: EΣTFEΔIIVΣ, slinger in throwing stance right; triskeles to right in field; all within dotted square border. One of these days, I want a nice issue from Olympia as well. ELIS, Olympia AR Hemidrachm. 2.28g, 17.6mm. ELIS, Olympia, Hera mint, 111th-114th Olympiad, 336-324 BC. HGC 5 -; Seltman, Temple, p. 104, pl. XII, 25; BCD Olympia 336.8. O: Head of Hera right. R: Eagle standing right, head left; thunderbolt to right, FA to left. Roman Republican boxer running his victory lap. ROMAN REPUBLIC AR Denarius. 3.9g, 17mm. Rome mint, 67 BC. L. Plaetorius L. f. Cestianus, moneyer. Crawford 396/1b; Sydenham 792a; Plaetoria 2. O: Diademed and draped bust of Juno Moneta right; MONETA downwards behind, [SC below chin]. R: Athlete (victorious boxer) running right, holding palm in right hand and wearing ribbons and cestus on left; L PLAETORI downwards behind, L F Q S C upwards before, torch below. I haven't managed to take decent pics of this recent-ish (February ) purchase of an Actian games issue, but here it is with the seller's pics... VALERIAN AE Tetrassarion. 10.81g, 27.4mm. PONTUS, Neocaesarea, CY 192 = AD 255/6. Rec Gen 69 var (date in exergue); SNG von Aulock 114 var (same). O: AV K ΠOY ΛΙΚ ΟYΑΛЄΡΙΑΝΟC, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind. R: MHT NЄOKAICAPIAC, Agonistic urn inscribed AKTIA and containing two palms, ЄT PЧB (date) in rectangular panel beneath.
This Macedonian Koinon of the third century AD has little going for it save the two prize urns with legend broken into three lines: Ο ΛVΜ ΠΙΑ
That's a cool reverse on that Valerian. Haven't seen it before. Sports, huh? Hmm... sports .... sports ... Lion rodeo? Cloud-chariot racing? Sorry- best I could come up with.
PS- Huey Louis' "Sports" is indeed one of the great albums of the 1980s, but I'm more partial to Peter Gabriel's "So", or Paul Simon's "Graceland".
Haha! I figured I'd get called out on a declaration like that. It was more of a attention grabber then a fact. Man O man, those are some beauties. But that "gut puncher" takes the cake!
I do not know what the "best" album was, but I do know my favourite from that time period...Tom Waits, Rain Dogs.
SPORTS: In 356 BCE Philip II won the Horserace at the Olympics and his Son Alexander III was born: Makedon Philip II Tet Pella LIFETIME 353-349 Zeus Horse star spearhd Le Rider 102 Gladiators: RR L Livineius Regulus AR Denarius 42 BCE 3.8g 19mm Regu bust - Gladiators in Arena Cr 494-30 Syd 1112 Sear 489 Gladiatorial scene; in foreground, one man attacks lion with spear; in back ground, second man with shield and sword attacks panther; on left, wounded boar; in exergue, L. REGVLVS RR AR denarius 3.8g 18.0mm T Didius Rome 113-112 BCE Roma star ROMA mono - Two Gladiators whip sword Sear 171 CRaw 294-1
A classic, @Ryro! I have several coins from Olympia. At the Olympics games, all currency had to be changed into local coinage. Smart! That helped fund the games and it simplified transactions. ELIS, Olympia. 87th Olympiad, 432 BCE AR hemidrachm, 16 mm, 2.7 gm Obv: eagle, with wings displayed above, flying left, holding hare by its back and tearing at it with his beak Rev: thunderbolt, with wings above and volutes below, within circular incuse; to right, A. Ref: BCD Olympia -; BCD Peloponnesos -; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC -; Traité -; SNG Delepierre -; Pozzi -; Weber -; McClean -. The obverse type, combined with the form of the thunderbolt, with its broad, splayed wings, and the A on the reverse, is most similar to the stater of BCD 50. ex Frank James Collection ex Classical Numismatic Group Mail Bid Sale 81, 20 May 2009, lot 2216 ex BCD Collection (not in LHS or Leu sales) ex Spink 90, 16 March 1992, lot 761 (part of) ELIS, Olympia. 95th Olympiad, 400 BCE. AR hemidrachm, 16 mm, 2.6 gm Obv: head and neck of eagle right; F below Rev: thunderbolt, volutes above, wings below, F-A across fields Ref: BCD Olympia 85/84 (same dies); SNG Copenhagen 372 ex Frank James Collection ex Classical Numismatic Group 81, May 20, 2009, Lot 2225 ELIS, Olympia. 103rd Olympiad, 368 BCE AR drachm, 21 mm, 5.7 gm Obv: head of Hera right, wearing pendant earring and stephane ornamented with palmettes with H-R-A inscribed between them, [F-A across fields] Rev: eagle with spread wings standing left, head reverted Ref: Pozzi 1846 (same dies); Jameson 1240 = Seltman pl. xii, 8 (same dies); BMC 91 (same dies); BCD Olympia 113 (same dies) ex Frank James Collection ELIS, Olympia. 107th-108th Olympiad, 352-348 BCE AR hemidrachm, 14 mm, 2.4 gm Obv: laureate head of Zeus right Rev: eagle standing right, olive leaf before, F-A across fields Ref: BCD Olympia 143-44; SNG Copenhagen 420; BMC 84; Dewing 1896; McClean 6637; SNG Delepierre 2158 ex Frank James Collection Someday I'd like to get a stater. Here's a recent CoinWeek article about Olympic coinage, featuring some coins of a CoinTalk member although I think he has since sold the coins shown (in favor of a more spectacular coin, of course ). https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/ancient-coins-coinage-ancient-olympics/
Great call with Graceland. I could listen to rhymin Simon all day erry day Who and what kind of coin is that shockingly dazzling and beautiful "cloud-chariot"?
WoWiE! LOVE the gladiatorial scenes. And, not to get lost in the mayham, that is hands down one of the best looking Philip iis that I've seen. Hats off...
that is a very kool addition @Ryro!.. some very beautiful coins here, and wow @TIF , i may have passed up opportunities to purchase some and the seller nor i knew what those coins where!..and i am left with just these Phillip "the original" ll coins depicting his horse that won the Greek version of the Kentucky Derby.....well POOP!...i was too concerned with norminclatchore)?!?) and didn't enlarge... my humble sorrys and imma go scream in de wood for a bit!...
Absolutely not. It was written by Tom Waits and covered by a number of artists including Rod Stewart.
Love me some Tom. Jockey full of bourbon is my fav of his, though that came later. Getting back to coins, the image from YouTube reminds me of one of my favourite sports ...though I was never great at it. Lady catching! Thracian Islands, Thasos (c.500-480 B.C.E.), Silver Drachm, 3.4g 16 MM. Naked ithyphallic satyr in a kneeling- running position right, carrying off in his arms a nymph, who wears robes and raises her right hand in protest. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square (BMC 12; SNG Copenhagen 1016).Broad flan