Possibly Unpublished AE13 of Teos, Ionia

So I went down a little rabbit hole and came back out with a curious coin. A few weeks ago I bought this little booklet about amphoras, only because it was on sale for $1.50, but it turned out to be a very interesting read, describing a variety of significant archeological finds and reconstructing the ancient Mediterranean wine trade...



So I thought I'd go get myself a nice coin with an amphora on it, seeing as there were many lovely Greek types to choose from. Well, I ended up with a kantharos instead, which is not an amphora of course (amphoras were used for storage and transport), but rather a goblet with a built-in base and loopy handles...


Source

Here's the coin, seller's image...



Ionia, Teos, 3rd to 1st centuries BC.
AE13, 1.55g
Obv.: TH / I - Ω - N; Griffin standing right with raised left (or right?) fore-paw (holding caduceus?), dotted border.
Rev.: Kantharos with grapevines and grapes, three-stringed lyre at base, all within linear square.
Reference: unknown (SNG Cop 1450 var.?)

The only reference I own for coins of Ionia is the BMC Catalog Volume XVI, and none of their listed varieties match up to mine. This is from page 314...



That's nothing noteworthy, as those old BMC catalogs are hardly exhaustive, but the dealer's note to this coin was, "Not in literature consulted." From my cursory research, it may not appear in the more comprehensive catalogs SNG von Aulock or SNG Copenhagen. Coins with kantharos only, in linear square, can be found, ie. CNG Künker 133 Lot 7602...



Or G-N Auction 20 Lot 317...



These are the only two coins of similar type I've been able to locate. They do not have the lyre at base or grapevines. They are both referenced as SNG Cop 1450, which is why I'm tentatively calling mine SNG Cop 1450 var.

Now it's not a particularly big deal to find an unpublished ancient coin, but it's not chopped liver either. So bottoms up! Show me your coins with a kantharos on them.

 

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Congratulations with your nice coin

 

Love your new coin JA


BOEOTIA FEDERAL COINAGE
AR Hemidrachm
OBVERSE: Boeotian shield
REVERSE: Kantheros, club of Herakles above, BO to left, I and crescent to right
Struck at Thespiae mint 336-315 BC
1.9g, 14mm
SNG Copenhagen 176-177

 

I think it's a terrific coin too, JA---- I love Griffiths and Amphoras (or Kantharos') !!

......and I'll give a look to see if I still have anything comparable...I doubt it, but I'll check.

 

Very nice! I'm always fascinated by the intricate patterns of crystallization you sometimes find on ancient silver.

 

Sweet coin JA.

I got one of these a while back with the seated gryphon. Rather pitted, but kinda pretty.

 

It is indeed pretty. I'm assuming that's a magistrate's name on the reverse. Do you know anything about it?

I'm also noticing varieties in the cross-bars of the kantharos handles. Some have none, mine are in the middle of the goblet, yours are at the top.

 

Excellent! That's a great little find, JA. Definitely sounds a case of having to embrace the variation.

I'm doing the same with a kantharos coin as well. I believe it is belongs to a group recently re-attributed to Larisa in Troas, where BMC has the type as from Larissa Phrikonis in Aeolis. I haven't found an exact match yet, and maybe I'm completely off, because those coins describe an amphora on the reverse, and do indeed depict a vessel that looks like an amphora. Mine seems to be a kantharos. The positioning of the (visible) reverse letters are in a different order as well. For now, I'm just going with a BMC var until something better crops up.


TROAS, Larisa
Circa 4th century BC
1.2g, 11.3mm
BMC 134, 4 (Larissa-Phrikonis) var. (order of letters in ethnic, caduceus on left, amphora)
O: Female head left, hair in ampyx and sphendone.
R: Λ/Α-Ρ; kantharos on ground; bunch of grapes above, caduceus to right.

 

I would say yours is a kantharos, judging from the extensive research I've done into amphoras (reading the above-mentioned tract). It seems to me that catalogers have used the terms interchangeably at times, which adds to the confusion.

 

Amphora

 

Taras, AR obol Kantharos between two stars / Kantharos with ivy sprig (so they say anyway). This small silver has exceptionally even patina for a small coin but, for the purposes of this thread, is double the kantheroi for the money. I might mention that many of the larger staters of Taras show the dolphin rider holding a katharos but my example is barely on flan.

 

From the amphora to the kantharos by way of the prochous?


THESSALY, Lamia
Circa 400 - 375 BC
AR Hemidrachm
2.88g, 15mm
BCD Thessaly II 121 (same rev. die)
O: Head of young Dionysos right, wearing ivy wreath.
R: ΛAMΙ ΕΩ Ν, amphora; to right, prochous with handle to right.
Ex BCD Collection (with handwritten tag noting acquisition from "Domokos area" hoard in late 1979)

 

nice lookin' kantharos/amphora coins!

that's a nice green patina on that new greek AE you got there JA, and who doesn't likea griffon!

i don't have a griffon, amphora, or kantharos coin!

list, list, and list.

 

Awesome coin JA, got some good info, details are great and who doesn't like a griffin. the only person i can think of is Martin.

 

Great coins, Bing, Doug, and Zumbly. Thank you!

 

Nice piece JA and all!

 

Thrace, Thasos
Coin: Silver Trihemiobol
- Satyr running with kantharos
- Amphora
Mint: Thasos (411-350 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 0.93g / 11.5mm / -
References:

• SNG Cop 1029

 

I almost bought one of these in my hunt for amphoras, so I didn't end up checking anything off my want list. I keep finding coins I didn't know I wanted. Nice example!

 

+1

 

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