I'm not intending to steal any of John Anthony's thunder with this thread but I think it would be interesting to post your favorite coins by century which you do not own, making a "best of history" set. Everyone defines "favorite" differently - most artistic, most historic, most expensive, etc. and I think it would be very interesting to see what the forum's aggregate collection looks like. Personally, I attempted to assemble a century set several years ago but stopped as I wasn't as enthralled with some of the coins. Hopefully the posts here will rekindle this collecting theme! In the interest of simplicity, let's post one century per day, starting with the 600s BC. Because of the diversity and relatively arbitrary dates of coins, let's keep it to three coins per century per user. Enjoy!
The 600s BC should be short and sweet since there are only a few types... One I fully intend to get someday, just because it may be the world's oldest 'true' coin, is a Lydian lion. Here's a nice example from http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=662065 KINGS OF LYDIA Time of Alyattes - Kroisos, c. 610-546. Electrum trite (1/3 stater) n. d. (c. 610/546) Sardes. Obv: Head of a roaring lion to r., sun with rays on forehead. Rev: Two incuse punches. 4.75 g. Ref: Weidauer group XVI, 86-9. SNG von Aulock 2870. SNG Lockett 2976. SNG Kayhan 1013. Very fine.. Ex Coll. James et Sneja Velkov, Auction Jean Vinchon, Paris. 24. November 1994, lot 145. Is anything definite known about the 'wart' above the lion's nose? I read somewhere that it is the sun (melded into the lion's head, for some reason). Could it be an actual anatomic feature of some extinct lion?
I've always liked these, and have been tempted to bid on them at auctions from time to time: Kingdom of Lydia. Croesus. 555/4-541/0 BC. AV Stater (reduced standard), 8.05g. (h). Sardis, c. 530 BC. Obv: Confronted foreparts of lion facing right and bull facing left, each with outstretched foreleg. Rx: Two square punches of different size side by side, both with irregular surfaces.
Or maybe: Uninscribed electrum coin from Lydia, 6th century BCE. Obverse: lion head and sunburst Reverse: plain square imprints, probably used to standardize weight. Edit: I just realized this is the same type listed by IoM. Oh well, it must be a nice coin. And to answer IoM's question, the reference I just looked at says the "wart" is the sun with rays.
IONIA, Uncertain. Circa 600-550 BC. EL Ninety-Sixth Stater (4mm, 0.16 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Figural type. Eye / Incuse square punch. Weidauer –; Traité I 113; SNG Kayhan 691; Boston MFA –; Rosen –; Elektron –; CNG 90, lot 605. Good VF. Exceptionally clear and well struck. Such a strikingly clear eye on such a tiny coin. I got to enjoy it while cataloging, and I know it went to a good home.
Yah, I've always kinda liked this baby ... IONIA, PHOCAEA. Stater, electrum 620-600 BC Diameter: 17 mm Weight: 16.46 grams Obverse: Seal swimming left, devouring octopus clamped in its mouth; in the field above, two, below, one raised square; at the end of the trunk, ø Reverse: Two incuse squares of different sizes, set side by side Other: Of the greatest rarity, probably the second known specimen and of high numismatic interest
I quite like the types posted by TIF and IdesOfMarch01, and both coins (trite/stater) are on my wantlist. I also like the simplicity of the striated staters: Ionia, Uncertain (c.650-600 BC), Electrum Stater, Milesian standard, striated surface of scored lines, rev irregular vertical punchmark between two square punchmarks 14.28g (BMC 1, pl.III, 3 = Traité pl.I, 12). And I also like the geometric trites. I thought I had won this coin from the latest Triton sale but somehow my online bid didn't make it in, unfortunately. There is another example coming up in a couple months which I'll be chasing after: IONIA, Uncertain. Circa 625-600 BC. EL Trite – Third Stater (11mm, 4.61 g). Lydo-Milesian standard. Geometric type. Geometric figure resembling a star, composed of a cross centered upon a polygon of eight sides / Rectangular incuse punch divided horizontally and vertically into four compartments by two perpendicular lines; the upper two compartments divided into thirds by two parallel lines; the lower two compartments divided into halves by a single line, the upper halves contain a pellet, the lower halves are bisected by two small vertical lines.
I suppose we should be moving on to the 5th Century BC, so here is my pick: tetradrachm of Katana (named Aitna), 476-466 BC Obv. hd Silenus, AITNAION Rev. Zeus Aitnaios seated. Eagle before
Keeping with the archaic theme of the above tetradrachm, here's a drachm from Naxos: Naxos. Circa 530 -510 BC. Drachm (Silver, 5.57 g 4), Chalcidian standard, circa 530 BC. Head of Dionysos to left, with long, pointed beard, ivy wreath in his hair and a plain torc-like necklace bordered by dots at the truncation; around, border of dots within two linear circles. Rev. NAC ION ( retrograde ) Bunch of grapes on stalk with two leaves. AMB 382 ( this coin ). Cahn 4 ( this reverse die ). Kraay Hirmer 3 (( this coin ). Extremely rare. Toned and superb, one of the finest known specimens of the earliest coinage of Naxos. Perfectly struck and centered. Extremely fine. From the Spina collection, ex Numismatica Ars Classica 25, 25 June 2003, 85 and from the collection of A. D. Moretti, Numismatica Ars Classica 13, 8 October 1998, 382.
Silver Denarius of Roman Republic 206-195 BCE. Obverse: Helmeted head of Roma facing right. Reverse: Dioscuri riding right; trident below, legend Roma in exergue.
