EUBOIA 197-146 BC AR Tetrobol 1.88 grams, 13.5 mm Obv: Head of Nymph Histiaia facing right with hair rolled & wreathed w/ vine Rev: IΣT I AIEΩN Nymph Histiaia seated rt. on stern of galley holding a naval standard Grade: ???
This is coin #2 of my 4 NEWPS. Again, all I needed to do was weigh it, measure it, & it was relatively easy to find in the Sear book. In my newbie opinion, this Tetrobol has decent eye appeal (and the price was OK for me). I’ve known the coin dealer for a bunch of years & it’s always a pleasure doing business with him. He is not a knowledgeable ancient dealer and I am learning about ancients one coin at a time (This is potentially a dangerous combination I think). Here is what this coin has taught me so-far today: EUBOIA is the large island territory just Northeast of Athens Attica. This coin was possibly minted at Histiaia which is located at the far north end of the large Euboia Island. Apparently, Histiaia began minting coinage in the mid-4th Century BC. I understand that there was a lot of shipping commerce in the area and this particular coin design was somewhat prolific. According to the Sear book there are numerous imitations with poor style & rough execution of this silver Tetrobol which may have been produced in Macedon prior to 168 BC. My example appears to be similar to Sear 2496 [& maybe it is one of the imitations mentioned in the Sear book?]. I hope you ancient folks will let me know what you think about this one. FWIW, the coin dealer’s holder had 197-146 BC written on it. I don’t know how this date-range was determined. I’m sure this date data trickled-down from wherever he got the coin.
Doug had told me these are heavily faked. Took a dealer who specializes in these to confirm/convince him mine was real, lol. Histiaia, Euboia 340 - 330 B.C. Silver Tetrobol O: Head of nymph Histiaia right wearing an earring, hair bound in sakkos (sphendone) wreathed with vine R: Nymph seated upon a stern of galley holding a mast with cross-piece (trophy stand), grapes on vine to left; wing on prow; IΣTIAI-EΩN 14mm 2.4g BMC Central Greece p.127, 24-25; Sear 2495 Slightly overstruck. Die break on nose.
Collect. I looked at the Forvm fake reports and could not find a fake match for you coin. This coin is highly faked, but I have every reason to believe you coin is the real Mccoy. VF+ All day. BTW- These are usually given a blanket date of 3 - 2nd century BC.
I have stayed away from these because of the faking problem. I like the looks of them, but I'm afraid I will not be able to tell the real from the fake. I hope your coin is real. It is a nice looking coin.
Revamping an old thread with my example Head of nymph Histiaea right, wreathed with vine / IΣTI-AIEΩN, Nymph Histiaea seated right on stern of galley, holding naval standard 2.29g 14mm Reverse is weakly struck, but the obv makes up for it. Here's to hoping it's authentic
are you sending it away, or merely hoping for a critique? ... oh, and I always think they look sweet (great coin & good luck) ... I like the gold toning (or is that fourree shining through?) => man, this hobby never gets old, eh? (congrats)
I love the style of these coins, but I have stayed away because of the number of fakes identified. Good luck with this one.
Although I recently 'purchased' a fake on bid from Agora, it was acknowledged as such and refunded as credit for further purchase... From what i learned of all that is simply that many are fakes, but those I see posted here do not have the 'red-flag' items that denote a modern replica and so I think you all have the genuine article......but definitely have it checked out just to be sure, if you haven't already... Ripley's does have one of the warning signs---specifically the hair with the rosette/ball-shaped arrangement---but that is only one of the three or four red-flags.
1.88gr seemed light for a tetrobol? I see a lot of those "ripley's fake" types from reputable dealers. Who knows...
I saw one individual describe his as a "triobol" due to the weight being <2.0gr. I think it was just fake and am not sure if an actual Euboia Histiaea Tetrobol exists in antiquity. If genuine, I think it would be worth David's approval; the obverse is strong enough to warrant the expense. After looking at the toning under a magnifying glass, I think it's just that. Which I love. Adds a lot of character.
