Macedonian Shield Coins AKA annymous Macedonian coinage/Does my mania have an end?

I've just been procrastinating on keeping you all up to date on what my Macedonian Shield collection looks like these days and thought I better share. I have added some that are not, but "may", have been inspired by or inspired these coins.
In short, I latched on to these coins as they are what the common man would have used in Greece and far beyond, during the Hellenistic age, when and after Alexander the Great was busy conquering the unknown world, as they did simply commerce.
"Got some spare change?" a drunken grizzled old vet might have asked a young well off passer by. Some of these coins are surely what they would have received from a more than generous individual who was on the good side of the fates


in regards to luck...








I often get asked, "What's all the hubbub about with the Macedonian shield coins?" Well, there it is. Miniatures of what many a man went into battle sporting, and also the last thing that many a man saw before they met their untimely demise...

I know of plenty that I do not have. So please, whether it is a coin that you see I have that you want to share or one that you don't see, please share it or anything that you feel. I LOVE these coins and love to read and talk about them.

 

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I will take up the challenge with a seldom-seen tiny example:

PISIDIA, Selge, AE12 1.77g
Obv: Circular shield of simplified Macedonian type with three crescents
Rev: Σ-Ε; Spearhead within border of dots
Ref: SNG von Aulock #5297, BMC 61-65, SNG Copenhagen 255
Gorny & Mosch, Auction 126, October 2003, lot 1413 (part of).

 

Holy smokes! I was soooooo bummed when I thought I'd let the only coin type that links the Macedonian shield coin type from Caria with the Selge (SELLGAY is the pronunciation per Frank Robinson) shield coin type, that I've ever seen, slip through my fingers.
Not mine... from a few auctions ago (hopefully somebody on here won it):



CARIA. Mylasa. Eupolemos, circa 295-280 BC. (Bronze, 18 mm, 4.18 g, 6 h). Three overlapping Macedonian shields, the outer two with spearheads at their centers. Rev. EYΠO-ΛEMOY Sword in sheath; in field to left, monogram; ΠΟ on round counter marked punched against the stealth of the sword. SNG Copenhagen (Macedonia) 1168-9. SNG Keckman 223-4. Dark green glossy patina. The presence of a countermark in this scarce series is particularly unusual. Good very fine.

But now I've got a NEW white wail!
BeaaaaautIful little beauty that I've never scene before!!! thanks for sharing her Ed

 

In all seriousness though, I love those shield coins @Ryro your collection is fantastic. My favorite, due to my love of the guy, is the shield coin of Seleucus I Nikator. That elephant reverse is great. Antigonos I also minted some lovely ones. Your presentation of the coins is also top notch.

 

LOL, well, not just MEN! She was not an Amazon, but the last thing SHE saw... was a SHIELD!

Tarpeia


RR Titurius Sabinus 89 BCE AR Denarius Tarpeia buried shields S 251 Cr 344-2a

 

Thanks a bunch @TheRed! Coming from you, that means a lot!
Yeah, I may be a little overly "passionate" about these coins.



But, man O man, the rush of acquiring a new one, even a little cheapie, that I don't have or haven't seen before, is pretty AWESOME!!! Few bigger rushes than that Seluecus you mentioned. What a lucky find that was!
Fair is fair, @Alegandron. The little lady calls me out for mispeaking all the time. And we do know of woman warriors.
So here are 2 bad @$$ females (Hera and Athena). And Ahtena is showing her foes (and us) her shield!:

(I lost the identification on her when I switched phones!)

 

@Ryro
Very nice coins amigo!

I feel that meme could be used to describe everyone on the ancients forum to some extent!

 

LOL, beLIEVE me, I get it! I grew up with all males in my family... then had six daughters!

 

It's been great watching your shield collection grow, @Ryro. Plenty of cool stuff there.

I've shared most of the few I have before, but Ed reminds me that I have one of those cute little ones from Selge, too. I've had it for awhile, but here it is, freshly photographed.


PISIDIA, Selge
AE11. 1.41g, 10.7mm. PISIDIA, Selge, circa 2nd-1st century BC. SNG Cop 255. O: Round Macedonian shield with three crescents. R: Σ-E, spear head.

 

You and Ed are killing me with those little beauties. If either of your lone wolves would like to join the puppy pound let me know. They both would fit exquisitely in my collection

 

Very nice subcollection with Macedonian shield and beautiful visual presentation.
I have until now four coins with Macedonian shield:
Nero

Vittelius

Vespasian

Marcus Aurelius

 

KINGS OF MACEDON. District Bottiaia. Time of Philip V and Perseus (187-168 BC). Æ (17 mm, 5.44 gm). Pella mint. Obv: Macedonian shield with whirl on boss. Rev: MAKEΔONΩN. split to right and left. Macedonian helmet left; monogram below, left. AMNG 152. Extremely rare.

 

That's quite a passion, Ryro! Nice composites too .

Here's a pretty large chunk of silver shield. Solder a handle to the back and a squirrel might be able to use it in battle .


KINGS OF MACEDON, Antigonos II Gonatas
277/6-239 BCE, struck after 270 BCE, Amphipolis mint
AR tetradrachm, 31mm, 17.06 g
Obv: head of Pan in center of Macedonian shield, lagobolon over shoulder; shield decorated with stars within crescents
Rev: BASILEWS ANTIGONOU, Athena Alkidemos walking left, brandishing thunderbolt and shield; helmet left, EMP monogram right
Ref: SNGCop 1200v, EMP (maybe); R. Martin, "A Third-Century B.C. Hoard from Thessaly at the ANS," ANSMN 26, 536 (same obv. die).
ex Demetrios Armounta Collection

 

Wonderful type! Love all coinage of Philip v and son, Perseus
What's up with both our examples having that fantastic emerald green patina!?

 

Good golly TIFfie, ever since I set eyes on yours I've set out to acquire a truly special example comparable to yours. It would be a wonderful cornerstone to the collection. But they are slippery at auction (everybody's got to have one) and none of the types offered that were more affordable had the crisp Pan and lagobolon... or they didn't offer an Athena whom's legs go all the way up until they make an @$$ of themselves.
Though an eagle has landed that makes a pretty good cornerstone for my MSC collection. More to come
Ps, now I can't stop thinking of a Macedonian squirrel (If they even have them??) Running into battle welding your coin/shield as protection from the persians, Roman's or other Greeks!

 

Wonderful @Ryro, your shield collection is getting absolutely huge!

How many types you still think you need to get?
And do you have every shield coin of every Macedonian king already?
I am jealous of your Seleukos I tiny shield coin.

These are my shield coins:

Kingdom of Macedon. Pyrrhos. Bronze coin (287–285 B.C. and 274-273 B.C.)
Obverse: Macedonian shield with monogram of Pyrrhos (ΠYP) in central boss.
Reverse: BA - ΣI, with Labrys monogram in middle. Macedonian helmet within oak wreath.
Reference: AMNG 1; Hoover 272 (this coin).
4.13g; 17mm


Boeotia, Tanagra. AR Obol. Early-mid 4th century B.C.
Obverse: Boeotian shield.
Reverse: Τ-Α Forepart of a horse to right; below, grape bunch.
Reference: BCD Boeotia 297. SNG Copenhagen 227.
0.71g; 10mm


Alexander III the Great Bronze Coin. Two chalkoi (quarter obol). Struck posthumously under Philip III Arrhidaios, Miletos mint, 323-319 B.C.
Obverse: Macedonian shield, boss decorated with gorgoneion.
Reverse: Macedonian helmet; B-A to left and right; double axe below left; K monogram below right.
Reference: Price 2064

 

No idea if it's common or rare. I don't care. It's got a cool harpa on the reverse:


Perseus, 179-168 BC
Greek AE 14.8 mm; 2.77 g
Macedonia
Obv: Macedonian shield; wheel-ornament in center.
Rev: ΒΑ-ΠΕ above and below harpa, star below.
Refs: Sear Greek 6809; Historia Numorum, p. 235; SNG Cop 1281; Lindgren II (Europe) 1339; Gaebler 12.5.36.

 

Impressive to see your collection of shields (and helmets too), @Ryro. Here's an RR, which you also show on your last display, celebrating the "crushing" of Macedonian pretenders and "pacification" of the region by the moneyer's father.

M. Caecilius Q.f. Q.n. Metellus, 127 BC, AR Denarius, Rome mint
Obv: Helmeted head of Roma right, ROMA upward behind; mark of value below chin
Rev: M.METELLVS.Q.F. around Macedonian shield with elephant's head in central boss, surrounded by laurel wreath
Ref: Crawford 263/1a; Sydenham 480; Caecilia 29

 

Antigonas ll Gonatas Tetradrachm c 270 / 239 BC Obv: Head of horned Pan left, wearing goat skin, lagobolon over shoulder, within double solid circle on Macedonian shield decorated with 7 stars with 8 rays within double crescents.
Rev: Ins: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΓΟΝΟΥ Athena Alkidemos advancing left, holding shield with Gorgoneion head and hurling thunderbolt. Helmet inner left, Rare MTY monogram inner right
Amphipolis Mint 17.10gm 30.5 mm




This coin is quite concave making it resemble a shield even more. It has 2 flan "waves" possibly caused by a hot flan before being struck.
Pan looks definitely puckish and up to no good.

 

Thanks @Pavlos! It's a labor or greed...I mean LOVE, it's a labor of love.

(it isn't. but cool movie and qoute)

I have more than a few that I still NEED. Ala, Tets (oh and those celtic immitation tets are fantastic as well), more of those ugly little Roman imperial types and, as we all know, the beauty of ancients is that new types seem to pop up all the time!
In regards to the second question, IDK. Attribution for some of these is still debated. But I do believe I have most of the big dogs from Macedon that had Shield coins minted, but I do not believe every King after ATG had them minted.
Uh, Yeah @Roman Collector, those are rare! You can sometimes find them for buy it new prices that are obscene to their condition. I had to wait almost a year for one to come up at an auction that I trust...and when it did there were 2 soooo, I kinda had to pick them both up. Just to be safe



Wonderful example @Sulla80! Much better than mine and with a beautiful toning going on. Yeah, those Metelii. They were such a noble family going so far back into the early days of Rome...but they were enemies of Julius Caesar, so I go back and forth on admiration to frustration with em....
On a side note, thanks to your post, I just noticed that my presentation is missing one of my favorite MSCs! Here is a RR showing those rascally Romans trampling the i-coin-ic shield. Guess this means I need to start a 6th slide theme:


T. Quinctius Flamininus, 126 BCE, AR denarius. Rome, 3.91g, 18mm.
Obv: Helmeted bust of Roma right; flamen's cap behind; XVI ligate below chin
Rev: The Dioscuri riding right, each holding a couched lance, stars above; Macedonian shield between T-Q below; ROMA in exergue.
Crawford 267/1
The key feature of the type – the Macedonian shield on the reverse – is very clear on this example.
Issued by a descendant of the more famous Flamininus, a philhellene who prosecuted the second Macedonian War against Philip V and proclaimed freedom for Greece.
Ex: AMCC 2 consigned by Caesar_Augustus

Golly,
@NewStyleKing what a masterful Portrait of Pan! I've always liked the stories of this satyr