Ancients => Dionysos & Dionysos => Grapes in yo Thrace!!

Hello everyone,

I acquired my first ancient coin today and I believe it fits this category. I apologize for photo quality but I am traveling and only have my phone.




NGC Label says it is a Thrace, Isl of Thasos, 2nd - 1st Century BC, AR Tetradrachm, perhaps a Celtic Issue. Graded Ch VF, Strike 4/5, Surface 4/5

I got it as my first ancient as I drink a lot of wine, I like the look, and graded made me feel comfortable I was getting a genuine coin. I am excited about this purchase, it was a bit of an impulse buy, but I am looking forward to exploring ancient coins some more.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Welcome Lesbian Cow ... nice, awesome handle!!

Oh, and fanastic debut OP-Coin (very cool)

 

Welcome LC. Nice coin. Did the label indicate "perhaps Celtic issue" or is that your assumption. I have AE that looks similar, but it was struck at Maroneia, Thrace
MARONEIA, THRACE
AE24
OBVERSE: Wreathed head of Dionysos right
REVERSE: Dionysos standing naked, holding bunch of grapes and two narthex wands, monogram to lower left, Greek legend DIONYSOU SOTIROS MARONITON ("of Dionysos, saviour of the Maroneans")
Struck at Maroneia 148 BC
10.94g, 24mm
Sear 1638

 

Beautiful first coin. Congrats. I would have preferred raw, but there is nothing wrong with slabbed for a first ancient. My first ancient was slabbed to because I didn't feel very comfortable jumping into the unknown world of ancients otherwise.

However, I will say this, NGC does not guarantee the authenticity of their slabbed ancient coins. That one looks genuine to me... but in the future you may want to do some research before you buy an ancient, even a slabbed one.

 

Nice first ancient NC, hope to see more.

Doug Hill

 

Hi Bing,

It says "perhaps a Celtic issue" on the NGC label, I do not know the significance.

Hi Sallent, great to know that NGC does not guarantee authenticity on ancients. I definitely jumped into this coin without doing proper research. Does PCGS guarantee authenticity?

I am not a novice to collecting coins, graded and raw, this is just my first ancient. While I am comfortable I can grade something like a raw Morgan or Walking Lib, and spot counterfeits, I do not have that confidence in ancients which is why I bought in a slab. It is helpful to know the slab is no guarantee. I also bought this coin from what appears to be a reputable dealer.

I have a lot to learn in this area but I am eager to do so. What attracts me to ancients is that looking at the coin makes me want to learn the history of the culture when the coin was circulated. Gives me some educational value, if that makes sense.

Cheers!

 

Hi Bing,

I forgot to mention, the reverse of my coin is different than your photos. Mine shows Heracles with a club in his right hand and a lion skin in his left hand.

I believe this is the one I have:

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sg/sg1759.html

Cheers!

 

I was not intending to say they were alike, only similar in design.

I'm just not aware of these Thracian issues being Celtic, but perhaps someone will correct me.

 

They are usually referred to as "Imitative" issues.

 

Are you saying LC bought herself some barbarian silver? If that's the case, it is a very good imitation of Greek coinage.

 

proportions of the heracles figure looked too sophisticated to be imitative?

 

+1

 

There's a very good article about these...I have it in my notes but I don't have them handy.

There it is:

http://thracecoins.reidgold.com/

 

Thanks Jwt708. So I may have an ancient counterfeit if I understand correctly.

 

I don't think it is an imitative either.

Here's mine:

Thasos, Thrace, BC 168-148
AR, tetradrachm, 16.12g, 31mm; 11h
Obv.: Portrait of Dionysos
Rev.: ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ to left, ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ to right, ΘΑΣΙΩΝ below; Hercules with lion pelt in arm resting on club. M monogram left
Ref.: BMC 73; SNG Cop. 1039; Le Rider, Thasiennes 51

 

I owned (own..they were stolen) two imitatives. As you can see the style varies widely.




ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos. Circa 148-90/80 BC. AR Tetradrachm (36mm, 16.81 g, 12h). Imitative issue. Wreathed head of young Dionysos right / Herakles standing facing, head left, holding club, lion skin draped over left arm; M to inner left. Le Rider, Thasiennes 52; HGC 6, 359. Good VF, a few minor marks. CNG Auction 269 Lot 18
November 30, 2011



EASTERN EUROPE, Imitations of Thasos. Late 2nd-1st centuries BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.08 g, 12h). Wreathed head of young Dionysos right / Herakles standing facing, head left, holding club, lion skin draped over arm. OTA Class III/A; Lanz -; CCCBM I -; KMW -. Good VF, toned.
A tetradrachm from the same obverse die is recorded in I. Lukanc, Les imitations des monnaires d'Alexandre le Grand et de Thasos (Wetteren, 1996), Pl. 122 no. 1375. The reverse is from a similar but different die. The coin is in the museum at Jambol, Bulgaria (info courtesty of djmacdo)) CNG 87, Lot: 726. May 18, 2011

 

Gosh, very nice! I would love to own one like your second (or both or the first...). It's like Picasso on the obverse and Cthulhu on the reverse.

(In case anyone doesn't know who that is...)

 

Exactly. I thought that when I bought it. I hate thinking it is out there somewhere unrecognized and discarded. Makes me a bit ill each time I post them.

 

Sometimes imitative engravers were so good at copy-catting that it's difficult to discern between imitations and official issues. Other times, as in 4to2's coins, the stylistic differences are dramatically obvious. Great coin LC! Well-done!

 

Wonderful coin LC !!! Welcome!!!

I can't recall the last time I didn't learn something from a CT thread---I would not have thought, or even suspected, the OP Tet was a possible 'imitative'.