ILLYRIA, Dyrrhachion AR drachm

This coin may seem familiar to some of you already. Yeah, I bought it! I could sit here and point to JA's link to the website detailing the importance of this coin-type and all, but let's be honest, it was all about the cow and the baby calf. That's what sold it.

I need more ancient animals. I must have more ancient animals. So far I can check off cows, horses, scorpions, camels, ass (donkey), eagles, phoenix, snakes, and dolphins from my list. I wonder what animal will be next?

Edit: forgot my Kyzikos hemiobol, so add a lion, boar, and tunny fish to the list.

 

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Well detailed coin Sallent. I own one, but have intentionally stayed away since these are faked so often.

 

Nice addition!

 

It's a beauty , I know I bid on it . Congrats on winning it .

 

Sorry about that. It's been on my want list for a while. I'm sure JA will manage to source another one soon enough.

 

In fact, I've requested the dealer who owns the hoard for a another viewing at the Spring Baltimore Expo. The hoard contained about 300 coins and I really wanted to search through them all, but didn't have the time. I simply stopped looking after I came across the first truly exceptional one.

 

No problem , you win some and lose some . I love the definition on the cow .

 

*edit*

=> awesome coin!!

... I thought about bidding on it!! (congrats, dawg)

Wow, your animal menagerie is starting to get pretty impressive!!



=> your sweet new OP-gem is far nicer than my humble example ...



"however" ... I do have a pretty cool brockage error example, eh?



Hey Sallent => congrats again on scoring another very cool animal-coin (they rock)

 

Those are some sweet coins. My favorite one is the error coin. I should add that I forgot to mention my Kyzikos hemiobol, so add a lion, boar, and tunny fish to the list.

 

That's a terrific example !!!

My drachm:

 

*edit*

 

Well, words are cheap, so instead of talking about my ancient zoo, why don't I just show off my ancient zoo? After all, it's not that big:

 

You have very refined tastes, if I do say so myself.

 

For an attorney, that is.

 

I keep meaning to get back on track with my original goal of collecting at least one silver coin of the Flavian dynasty and Good Emperors, but every time I go to buy another I get derailed by another animal coin, or a 4rth century bronze, or another theme that I hadn't even considered until I saw a particular coin.

It's like I can't simply pick one single theme and stick to it, because as soon as I think I'm back on track I get derailed by something else.

At the rate I'm going, I'll complete my original theme choice by 2020, after 200 other coins got in the way of it.

 

Remember it is not necessary to declare a major until you complete the core courses. If you buy too many coins that are not what you thought you wanted, you have my address. I still buy any coin that speaks to me. Some whisper; some shout.

 

I have one but since it didn't come from one of you guys it's probably fake.

 

It looks fine to me. The flow lines above the cow are particularly indicative of a strike, at least. Knowing the weight would help. The only fakes of these I've seen come from a group known as "SW Studio," and they are obviously cast, and of a different magistrate - Meniskos.

Whenever I hear people say these coins are often faked, I'd like to see the evidence. I mean, maybe they are, but show them to me. There is a handful of SW Studio fakes at FORVM and one "highly questionable" coin on Forgery Network. Where are all the rest of the numerous counterfeits that make some collectors think they are often faked?

 

Hearsay can be very powerful. You may very well be right, but it doesn't matter much if most people believe a rumor about this coin being highly faked, even if that's not the case.

Same with the Black Sea coins, when you look at how low they sell, you can tell a lot of people are staying away from all these coins due to the perception. Sure, they are not particularly rare, but there are other common ancient coins selling for a quite a bit more...and its not because these Illyria and Black Sea coins are not beautiful or interesting...because they are. However, when I see them discussed, it doesn't take long before the "beware of the fakes" posts start flying left and right and kill the conversation.

 

Congrats, you scored really nicely with this one. Just an all-round excellent example, and plenty of control symbols for your buck.

My drachm is like Steve's, an obverse brockage, but with a different magistrate.

ILLYRIA, Dyrrhachion
Circa 250-200 BC
AR Drachm, obverse brockage
3.45g, 19.3mm
cf. Maier 200
O: Cow standing right, looking back at suckling calf standing left below; ΦΙΛΩΤΑΣ above, snake staff of Asklepios in exergue.
R: Incuse brockage of obverse.

If you go back a little earlier to Illyria's pre-Roman protectorate days, you get the same design in the stater denomination. At 20-21mm, they're just a bit bigger than some the drachms, but about three times as heavy, which makes for having pleasingly chubby silver in hand. Mine was struck with a worn obverse die, but I'm consoled by its two bonus animals - bird on the obverse and lizard on the reverse.

ILLYRIA, Dyrrhachion
Circa 340-280 BC
AR Stater
10.61gm, 20.5mm
Maier -; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC 17
O: Cow standing right, looking back at suckling calf standing right below; bird above.
R: Y - Δ, double stellate pattern divided by line within linear square border; lizard above, club below.