Will pick this one up at the ANA. The eye appeal and artistic look is what made this attractive. The reverse in particular is remarkable (to me). MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Philip II, 359–336 BC. AR Tetradrachm, 25 mm., 14.51gr., ca. 355-349 BC, Lifetime Issue from the mint of Amphipolis. Obv. Laureate head of Zeus right, within dotted border. Rev. Rider with petasus and cloak to left, raising his hand to salute, M below foreleg of horse. Le Rider 54 (D29/R47); SNG ANS 467. NGC graded AU, Strike 4/5, Surface 5/5, FINE STYLE.
Geesh, that's a very queer flan-shape, eh? ... but wow, that's obviously an amazingly cool example (congrats!!) Yup, that coin is extremely awesome ... both, the obverse and the reverse, are beyond yummy!! Zohar44 => you certainly have fantastic taste in coins -> keep 'em comin'!!
A glorious looking coin of a type that I like a lot. My own example is nowehere near as sharp and also suffers from a flan flaw on the reverse. Philip II, Ar Tetradrachm, Amphipolis mint Obv:– Laureate head of Zeus right Rev:– FILIP-POU, king riding left, wearing kausia and chlamys, raising right hand in salute, erased protome of pegasos below, bow under right foreleg Minted in Amphipolis mint. 355 - 348 BC Reference:– Le Rider 164 (D75/R135) There is a flaw on the reverse running through the body of the rider. ex Münzhandlung Ritter GmbH, August 2006; ex Beast Coins; ex Mark Drazak Collection; ex Forum Ancient Coins.
Okay fine ... I'm gonna slum-it-down a notch and post my Phillip II (hopefully that's okay, because it will amplify how cool your two examples really are, right?!!) ... oh, and by the way ... I absolutely love my big muscle-bound, imitative example!! (thanks for letting me post 'er, Zohar444)
I'm afraid my Philip II's are going to pull the quality of the coins on this thread down, but that's never stopped me before. Kings of Macedon, Philip II (359-336 BC) AE17, 6.7g, 12h Obv.: Head of Apollo left, wearing tainia. Rev.: ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ; youth on horseback right, S below. Kings of Macedon, Philip II (359-336 BC) AE16, 5.7g, 12h Obv.: Head of Apollo right, wearing tainia. Rev.: ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ; youth on horseback left, N below.
My Posthumous issue suffers from a test cut. Philip II, Ar Tetradrachm, Amphipolis mint Obv:– Laureate head of Zeus right Rev:– FILIPPOU, naked youth on horse pacing right on horseback holding palm, stalk of grain under belly, P below foreleg Minted in Amphipolis mint. Reference:– SNG ANS 667 - 680 Test cut on reverse. 14.114g, 24.3mm, 0o
We have to ask why the flan is so irregular. I sure would like to examine the edge but the slab took care of that. The coin dates to the same perio as the Pi style Athenian tets which were struck on flans hammered and folded and hammered again. Many of them are very odd shaped. I wonder if this might have been struck on such a flan or even on an owl flan weight adjusted down. It is a nice coin!
Just a fantastic style coin Zohar. If not for the irregular flan, that would be one of the finest ancient greeks I have ever seen! Maybe its just me, but I am bowled over by the level of artistry portrayed on it.
I am humbled by the degree and depth of knowledge you collectively have and appreciate the validation of the purchase as I solely based it on eye appeal and relative price. You made my day! Doug - I ran across your website and have never seen something so informational. Not only the amount of information but the ease of use. Regarding the above comment regarding flan shape and possible Owl.... now that is in depth. To master the "domain" at such level must be gratifying personally and must be recognized as an asset to this forum. Thank you.
Posthumous issue I have. Clearly not as artistic as lifetime issue. Are lifetime issues generally of finer style compared to posthumous?
I believe that is a pretty safe 'Yes'. The best workers seem to have worked for the current ruler with 'others' getting lesser staff. I'm sure there are exceptions but many posthumous Roman coins have faces that strike me as a bit bland. How many Greeks got both lifetime and posthumous so we can compare?
