Another one of my side collections is coins from the Black Sea. I find the area fascinating in its mystique, being on the fringes of "civilization" in ancient times. As such, they frequently had different ways of doing things. Examples of this are Olbia cast dolphin and arrowhead money, Cherson pieces in the late Roman/Byzantine era, Ostrogothic 3rd century imitations from the Taman peninsula, etc. Well, one major hole I had was the huge cast Olbia pieces made mid 5th century. I was able to win one yesterday: SKYTHIA. Olbia. Cast Ae (Circa 437-410 BC). Obv: Facing gorgoneion. Rev: A - P - I - X. Eagle flying right, with wings spread and dolphin right in talons. SNG BM Black Sea 379-84; Anokhin 168; HGC 3.2, 1881. Condition: Very fine. Weight: 94.33 g. Diameter: 67 mm. Besides the view above the eagle carrying a dolphin doesn't seem too unusual until you look at the dimensions. 94.33 grams and 67mm. This is one of the largest coins ever made in antiquity. They come onto the market in spurts. There has been a good run of them lately, but then at times you cannot find one for a few years. I had enough waiting, getting outbid the last 3 times I went for one, but finally got one. Problem I have now is, like some of my Ptolemaic drachms, I do not have any way of storing this in a traditional 2x2 box! Please post any other examples, or other interesting Black Sea related coins.
my largest stamped / hammered coin Carthage 201-175 BCE Æ 15 Shekels 45 mm 7.5 mm thick. 102g Wreathed Tanit Horse Uraeus above. MAA 104 SNG Cop 400
Olbia Thrace Sarmatia - Olbia 5th C BCE AE Cast Dolphin 27mm 1.75g Thrace - Olbius AE Dolphin money Thrace - Olbius AE Dolphin money round ver
That is a "big" acquisition, @medoraman! The diameters and weights of your Olbia coin and @Alegandron's example from Carthage are impressive! Here are a couple of Olbia dolphins to join @Alegandron's pod. The first has theta and Y on the back and the second has an intact pectoral fin and tail. They'll need to keep an eye out for @Mr.MonkeySwag96's and @medoraman's eagles!