Could use some help with a small Ptolemaic Ae

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Brian Bucklan, Oct 24, 2020.

  1. Brian Bucklan

    Brian Bucklan Well-Known Member

    This coin has been sitting on my desk for around a year and for some reason I just can't seem to find a reference for it. It's probably Ptolemy II but I guess it could be Ptolemy I.

    Here it is;
    Ptolemy I Soter Chalkous Club.jpg
    Obv: Bust of Alexander the Great wearing horn of Ammon(?), or maybe Ptolemy himself
    Rev: Eagle standing left with wings spread; H (regnal year 8?) over club in left field

    I've seen similar larger types but this one is probably an ae chalkous at only 11mm and 2.1gms. Any ideas?
     
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  3. Broucheion

    Broucheion Well-Known Member

    Hi,

    [Edited from a previous wrong attribution:] This is CPE-B326 (Ptolemy II). Nice specimen!

    - Broucheion
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2020
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  4. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    With cordial, if vicarious thanks to @Broucheion for the attribution, that one is Loud Early Ptolemaic. ...Seriously great, just on the eyes.
     
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  5. Broucheion

    Broucheion Well-Known Member

    Thank you gracious Sir,

    This was tricky because my eyes were seeing the club (lower left field) but my brain was fixated on the HP monogram above it. It’s only in CPE - not Svoronos, which references CNG XXIX, lot 364.

    - Broucheion
     
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  6. Broucheion

    Broucheion Well-Known Member

    Hi @Brian Bucklan,

    There are varieties of this series with monogram above a club or above a dolphin. I just checked the CNG coin and see that one has a dolphin versus your having the ‘club’ type. If I had the coin I would consider it an undocumented variety. Extra good coin!

    - Broucheion
     
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  7. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    ...Well, Fine, except, I'll thank you to stop calling me 'Sir'!
    (...unless it's like a greatx3 grandpa, who crossed a state line to join an Illinois infantry regiment, at age 17, c. spring of 1862, where they gave him the nickname, 'Pappy.' He was at Vicksburg. (...Yeah, We Won! Get Over it!) His son was the one who could Hurt you on a fiddle.)
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2020
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  8. Brian Bucklan

    Brian Bucklan Well-Known Member

    @Broucheion : Thanks so much. Just out of curiosity how would you describe the obverse and reverse of this coin ... and is it a chalkous?
     
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  9. Broucheion

    Broucheion Well-Known Member

    Hi,

    CPE says:

    Coin of Tyre, ca 274-271 BCE. COINAGE ON SYSTEM OF PTOLEMY I SERIES 2, BRONZE WEIGHT STANDARD 1

    The club and letter series of precious metal coins (CPE 551-559) is plausibly dated to the time of the First Syria War, see C. Lorber (2012, p. 40). It is distinguished from earlier Tyrian coinage by a different set of associated bronze denominations, including diobols (unknown to Svoronos), hemiobols, and chalkoi. Some of the following bronzes were struck in connection with gold and silver emissions that bore the same controls. The two larger denominations share the club mintmark of the precious metal coinage, but the smallest bronze retains the dolphin mintmark of the inaugural issue (B131), except that the dolphin is now placed vertically instead of horizontally.

    Bronze chalkous (9-12 mm, c. 2 g): Horned head of deified Alexander r., wearing mitra, with short hair PTOLEMAOY on l., BASILEWS on r., eagle with spread wings standing l. on thunderbolt, dotted border.​

    Well, “denominations share the club mintmark of the precious metal coinage, but the smallest bronze retains the dolphin mintmark”, is now demonstrably contradicted.

    -Broucheion
     
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