..But she wasn't..she was in fact Histiaia of Euboea, on the stern of a galley floating on the river Callas(and looks to be holding an umbrella?). I found her irresistible and worthy of a higher bid , even tho i knew nothing about her..now i'm more educated on the subject.. and while this coin may not be one of the original coins stuck before 480 BC(who can say?!?), it's an imitation that warrants having and is a ancient Greek coin regardless and much rich in history(Homer mentions the place in the Iliad), changing hands many times as to show great wear, but still enough detail left to see what it is. now without further ado i present to you Histiaia of Euboea Greece. POST YOU COMMENTS AND COINS PEEPS! Silver Tetrobol Histiaia, Euboea Greece, before 146 BC, 13mm 1.33gms. Obverse: Head of Maenad right with wreath of bunches of grapes, Reverse: Histiaia sitting on right stern of galley, wings on prow with monogram in field.
A very experienced coin, OmNom I didn't understand this part. Can you clarify? I have a Histiaia tetrolbol purchased for the very charming portrait. EUBOIA, Histiaia 340-330 BCE AR tetrobol, 13 mm, 2.3 gm Obv: head of nymph Histiaia right Rev: AIEΩN; nymph seated on stern of galley right; IX (XI?) below Ref: Sear Greek 2496 (I have not checked primary sources; the attribution was based on recent sales in CNG's archives but I may be wrong) Another Euboian coin: EUBOIA, Eretria 357-267 BCE AR drachm, 18 mm, 3.1 gm Obv: head of nymph Eretria left Rev: head of bull facing, fillets from horns, EY above, satyr's head facing in right field Ref: Wallace pl. XI, cf 126. ex Frank James Collection ex BCD Collection
..lovely coins TIF...look in wikipedia under Oreus, that's where i got my info at(amongst others)....
This is a great little type! Lovely specimens everyone. Tetrobols from the mint at Histiaia in Euboea are sometimes counterstamped with gorgoneions. The counterstamping is always applied to the obverse. There are many different styles of gorgoneion. The counterstamp is large relative to the coin. Jean de Foville published an example in 1902 that was found on Crete. I suspect the countermarked issued are related to the Rhodian-style Cretan didrachms of 205-200 BC that depict a facing Medusa, and to the Gortyna gorgoneion/eagle hemidrachms. EUBOIA, Histiaia. 3rd-2nd century BC. AR Tetrobol, 14mm, 1.48g Obv: Head of the nymph Histaia right; c/m: facing head of a gorgoneion. Rev: Nymph seated right on prow. ex-Classical Numismatic Group, e-Auction 148, September 2006, lot 144 (Dave Herman collection of facing heads)
Not sure how on Earth I missed this thread. That is a well traveled coin @ominus1 , definitely saw a lot of ancient hands. This type of coins was minted for nearly 200 years straight, which is why it is so abundant today and so cheap to buy. @TIF '' version is definitely in the early style, which are made incredibly well and show a lot of artistic talent. Mine is of the late style, made around 190 BCE - 146 BCE, as these coins were nearing the end of their long run. By his time the Romans were making inroads into the Greek world and the coiners were desperate to make enough coinage to pay their armies needed to keep the Roman menace at bay. As a result the coinage metal quality, the quality of the strike, and the style of the die, show little care or effort compared to earlier types of this same coinage. The face on mine looks like she has been hit by a mule's kick to her face at least 2 or 3 times. Euboea Histaea Circa 196-146 B.C. Tetrobol AR Tetrobol 17mm. 2.26g. Head of Maenad (the Nymph Histiaea) right, wearing floral wreath, neclace, and earrings Histiaea seated right on prow, ornamented with tripod, holding stylis and sail; trident below. HI[ST]AIEWN SNG Copenhagen 535
Be careful when you buy this type. Barry Murphy identified a large group of fakes, all with similar characteristics. http://bpmurphy.ancients.info/images/misc/histaiacomp.jpg I still see them offered, even in reputable auctions. Fakes make up a substantial portion of all the Histiaea coins offered.
Those fakes have been around since the 1980s. If someone can't identify them by now then they clearly have not done their research. Sad to hear that dealers are still putting some of these coins out for sale.
