Ancient Coin Animals by Alphabet

More than your generic spirit of the dead, the lemures were beheld with some dread. They were specifically thought to be hungry, malicious spirits that wandered about at night looking to torment good Romans.

 

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Awesome animal-coins so far, gang ...

Ummm, I'm gonna follow our Princess' lead and post a "Lizard" ...

MACEDON Eion, AR Drachm (Trihemiobol?)
500-400 BC
Goose & Lizard (incuse square)



... sweet (I've always loved this cool example)

 

Lions!! ... oh my ...

=> well, I'm just gonna graze-through my collection and post a handful of 'em (yah, I must have at least 20-to-30 lion examples?!!)

... I'm getting lazy

 

.... *roar* ....

 

Thrace, Chersonesos
Coin: good VF Silver Hemidrachm
None - Forepart of lion right, head left
None - Quadripartite incuse square with alternating raised and sunken quarters; pellet and AΓ monogram in one sunken quarter, star in the other.
Mint: Chersonesos (Circa 386-338 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.41g / 13.5mm / -
References:

• McClean 4089–94 var. (symbol)
• SNG Copenhagen 840 var. (letter).

 

Macedonia, Lysimachos
Coin: Bronze
None - Helmeted head of Athena right.
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ - Forepart of Lion leaping over spear head right; monogram and caduceus behind
Mint: Lysimachos (305-281 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.26g / 14mm / -
References:

• SNG Tuebingen 969
• Lindgren I, 907
• Weber 2731 VF #L2465

 

Great additions everyone. Think I don't have any more contributions to this thread

 

My apologizes for the bad picture :


Syracuse Agathokles 317-289 BC Head of Hercules right, SIPAKOSIWN in right field
Lion walking right, bow above
7.75 gr, 23 mm
Ref : Sear #1201

After someone's stretched Lemurs, do you all think Leo I coins or coins minted in Lyon would do the job ?
No ?
Ok, I won't post them then

Q

 

The back half of the alphabet includes some letters which are unlikely to have animals. Let's do another double today: M and N. There may not be any N coins without getting a bit "creative".

M is for Monkey:


MACEDON, Pangeion region
Uncertain mint, 5th century BCE
AR trihemitetartemorion (trihemiobol), 5 mm, 0.26 gm
Obv: monkey squatting left
Rev: round shield or pellet within incuse square
Ref: "Uncertain Thraco-Macedonian Coins, Part II", Nomismatika Khronika (1998), 67
This enigmatic series showing a monkey squatting either right or left with a round shield on the reverse, is the only Greek coinage of the classical period to depict such an animal. Monkeys are known to have been kept as house pets in antiquity, but its significance in this context is unknown.

M is for Meerkat



(image borrowed without permission from @maridvnvm )

Let's see your mules and mice!

 

M is for Murex snail:


PHOENICIA, Tyre. Trebonianus Gallus
CE 251-253
Æ dichalkon, 25 mm, 13.39 gm, 6h
Obv: IMP C C VIBIVS TREBO GALLVS AVG; laureate and draped bust right
Rev: COL TYRO METR[O?]; serpent-entwined baetyl; murex shell to left, palm tree to right
Ref: RPC IX online 1961; Rouvier 2476; Babelon 2296; AUB –; BMC –.

The murex shell represents Phoenicia’s namesake and prized product: purple dye. Manufactured from decomposed sea snails, the resulting purple dye is remarkably colorfast. Items dyed with Tyrian Purple in ancient times still retain their color today. Historical records indicate Phoenician purple dye was worth its weight in silver in some trading locales. Royal purple indeed; you’d have to be wealthy to afford a purple garment.


PHOENICIA, Byblos. Uzibaal. 350-335 BCE
AR dishekel, 26 mm, 13.3 gm
Obv: Three hoplites with shields in war galley left, roaring lion's head on prow, waves below galley; hippocamp left below; murex shell beneath; Z O (N O?) in field
Rev: Phoenician inscription; lion attacking bull left
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 132, BMC 26.95, 4


PHOENICIA, Tyre. Elagabalus
CE 218-222
AE29, 13.4 gm
Obv: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Dido building Carthage; she stands to front before the arched gate of the city, looking left, holding a rule and transverse sceptre; above the gate, a mason at work, [below, a man digging with pick]; murex shell in upper field, palm tree to right
Ref: Rouvier 2375; BMC 409; AUB 245; Price & Trell 748


PHOENICIA, Tyre
Valerian I (CE 253-260)
Æ28.5 mm, 12.2 gm
Obv: IMP CP LIC VALERIANVS AVG; radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev: COL TVRO METRO; the building of Carthage: Dido standing left, holding cubit ruler and scepter, surveying construction; mason above gate, worker with pick-axe digging before gate, murex shell to lower right
Ref: Rouvier 2501; BMC 470; cf Price & Trell 748

 

Wow TIF, great monkey and shell examples ... man, I need to score a monkey coin (but that example of yours is always so pricy!!)

Hey, I had to shuffle my animal-examples and cut both of these mules from page #1 (originally I had them entered as a couple of asses, but JA pointed-out that these examples aren't asses, they are actually mules)

=> so here are my "MULES"

SICILY, Messana. AR Drachm (60 Onkia)
445-439 BC
Diameter: 18 mm
Weight: 3.59 grams
Obverse: Charioteer driving biga of mules right; above, Nike flying right, crowning mules; olive leaf and berry in exergue
Reverse: Hare springing right within wreath, ΜΕΣΣΑ-ΝION




Diva Julia Titi. Æ Sestertius
Struck under Domitian
Rome mint
AD 91
Died AD 91
Diameter: 34 mm
Weight: 24.31 grams
Obverse: Carpentum drawn right by two mules
Reverse: Legend around large S C

 

I did pay "too much" for mine and at the time couldn't find many examples, but since then I have seen a number of them at auctions and they are selling for much less.

 

Another mule from Messana:


480-461BC
Sicily, Messana
AR tetradrachm 16.6gm - 23 mm
Obv: Biga of mules driven r., by bearded charioteer; olive-leaf in ex.
Rx: MESSENION Hare bounding right

 

Hopefully O-day bring out more coins than did M-N-day...

O is for Ostrich


Septimius Severus
Rome, CE 206
AR denarius, 3.41 gm, 20 mm, 12h
Obv: SEVERVS PIVS AVG, laureate head right
Rev: LAETITIA TEMPORVM, the spina of the Circus Maximus decorated as a ship facing left, with the turning posts at its prow and stern, a sail mounted on the central obelisk, and the spina's other monuments visible in between; above the ship, four quadrigas racing left; below, seven animals: an ostrich at left and a bear at right; between them a lion and a lioness chasing a wild ass and a panther attacking a bison
Ref: RIC 274; BMC 343.
ex Colosseo Collection

O is for Octopus


Sicily, Syracuse. Dionysos I
390 BCE
Æ tetras, 14 mm, 1.8 gm
Obv: head of nymph facing slightly left, wearing necklace
Rev: octopus
Ref: CNS 29; SNG ANS 385


Sicily, Syracuse. Second Democracy
c. 425 BCE
Æ tetras, 13 mm, 1.9 gm
Obv: Female head right; XXX before
Rev: Hippocamp right, octopus below
Ref: CNS 30; SNG ANS 1382

 

*ooops* ... I didn't realize that it was "M & N" day yesterday (I only posted my Mule examples)



Oh well, I don't really have any true animal-examples for "N" ... ummm, unless you want to count "Nymph"??

If so, this next sweet coin gives me credit for "N" and "O"

The "Nymph" (Arethusa) and an "Octopus" (similar type to TIF's coin, above)


Syracuse, Sicily AR Litra
466-460 BC
Arethusa & Octopus



Oh, and I might as well toss-in a few other Nymph examples in this same post, eh?

Nymph Arethusa


Nymph Arethusa


Nymph Larissa


Nymph Giggity

 

"O" is also for "OXEN"

Titus, Phoencia, Berytus
79-81AD
Titus & Ox





Caracalla AR Antoninianus
215 AD
Caracalla & Luna with Oxen-Biga

 

Continuing to show my collection's Vitamin A(nimal) deficiency, this is all I gots for "O"...


ROMAN REPUBLIC
A. Postumius A.f. Sp.n. Albinus
AR Serrate Denarius
4.0g, 20.5mm
Rome mint, 81 BC
Crawford 372/1; Sydenham 745; Postumia 7.
O: Draped bust of Diana right; bow and quiver over shoulder, bucranium above.
R: A. POST. A.F. S.N. ALBIN, togate figure standing left on rock before lighted altar; ox standing right about to be sacrificed.

 

Oh, and last, but not least are the "OWLS" in the family ...

 

Oh yeah, Owls . Posted a few days ago for lizards, but here they are again:


SICILY, Kamarina
420-405 BCE
AE tetras, 3.11 gm
Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing winged Phrygian helmet; dotted border
Rev: KAMA (legend from top to bottom), with owl standing left, lizard in talons; three dots in exergue
Ref: Westermark / Jenkins 202, SNG ANS -., Calciati III No. 39.


SICILY, Kamarina
420-405 BCE
AE tetras, 3.34 gm
Obv: Large head of Athena left, wearing crested helmet with wings
Rev: Owl standing left, with lizard in talon; KAMA (retrograde) upward in right field; three dots in exergue
Ref: Westermark / Jenkins 198 (see FIG. Pl. 35 / 198.24), SNG ANS 1230 Calciati III no. 28/4 (dotted-border type)

One of these days I'll get an Athens tetradrachm, but it never seems to be high the priority list because they are so plentiful... and expensive.

@stevex6, I love that creepy double-bodied owl!

 

Love those octopi