When I cataloged this for the auction, I misread the legend, initially interpreting it as M[EM]ΦIC. While the antepenultimate letter does resemble a Φ, further examination revealed that there were too many letters. The legend actually reads A[Θ]PIIC. It is still an extremely rare and unpublished type. EGYPT, Athribis PB Tessera (24mm, 5.17 g, 12h) 2nd-mid 3rd century AD Tyche reclining left on couch (hiera klinê, or lectisternium), holding rudder in outstretched right hand and resting head on raised left set on pillow; A[Θ]PIIC/ [ΠOΛ]OI above Nike standing right, holding palm frond and presenting wreath to Serapis standing left, holding long scepter in left hand and raising right Milne -; Dattari (Savio) -; Köln - Ex Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 274, lot 288 (there as Memphis) The second piece is a rare named type from Arsinoe, the capital of the important Arsinoe nome. I now know of six specimens: one in Cologne, one illegible piece illustrated in the complete Dattari collection, one broken specimen still for sale at Forvm, one sold in Elsen 58, and two in my personal collection. The current piece, also sold in Elsen 58, is by far the finest of the six. EGYPT, Arsinoe (Krokodilopolis) PB Tessera (25mm, 5.65 g, 12 h) 2nd-mid 3rd century AD Head of Pharoah right; papyrus branch before, ΑΡCΙΝΟЄΙΤωΝ Φ ΠΟΛЄωC(retrograde) Sobek (crocodile god) right on a pedestal, solar disk above; all within laurel wreath tied at the bottom Milne -; Dattari (Savio) 6423; Köln 3495 Ex Elsen 58 (12 June 1999), lot 1634
These actually have cool designs on them like a coin. Very nice. Some reason I like the Arsinoe (Krokodilopolis) more. One on forum is pricey :/
Thanks, guys. Matt - believe me, if the Forum one weren't overprice, it'd be in my collection by now. Here's my other Arsinoe specimen:
Wow. Interesting coins. Here's where I show my ignorance. (Easy to do.) If these coins came from Romanized Egypt (dated 2nd-mid third century AD), why is there no image of the emperor? I understand the use of Greek legends and Egyptian images. But why no Roman emperor? Was this area not part of the Roman empire? Thanks, ahead of time, guy
The first thing to understand is that these are tesserae - ancient tokens. They were struck by local magistrates and were not issued under any sort of imperial authority. A decent analogy for tesserae can be found with the British trade tokens of the early late 18th century. Widely accepted and issued by both town governments and entrepeuners, they were nevertheless technically illegal. The second thing to know is that imperial portraits and legends are not *always* used, even for the coinage from Rome itself. ROME. temp. Hadrian-Antoninus Pius. Circa AD 120-161 Æ Quadrans (16mm, 2.94 g, 7h) Rome mint Petasus Winged caduceus; S C flanking Weigel 18; RIC II 32; Cohen 36 Weigel reconsiders the anonymous quadrantes as a cohesive group. The seriesportrays a pantheon of eleven deities: Jupiter, Minerva, Roma, Neptune, Tiber, Mars, Venus, Apollo, Mercury, Bacchus/Liber, and Hercules. Types are primarily a portrait of the god, with an attribute on the reverse and are usually influenced by (but not directly copied from) earlier designs, primarily from the Republic. He updates the series to the reigns of Hadrian and Antoninus.
Another piece from my collection that is likely the finest known: EGYPT, Oxyrhynchus PB Tessera (21mm, 10.52 g, 2h) Draped bust of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helm and aegis Athena flying left on globe, holding wreath and palm frond over shoulder Milne 5291; Dattari (Savio) 11817 (same dies); cf. Köln 3509-17 var. (no letters, no globe)
Oops, all of these were 2nd-3rd centuries AD. I don't include that in my personal cataloging for two reasons: it would get redundant with over a hundred pieces, and I hold out hope for more precise dating. For those who don't know, Oxyrhynchus is an extremely important ancient site in the Fayum. The dry desert environment preserved an incredible number of papyri from the city's dump.
Among the texts discovered at Oxyrhynchus are plays of Menander and fragments of the Gospel of Thomas. According to wikipedia.
