I'm such a sucker for a pretty face

I spotted this lovely coin a couple of days ago and fell in love. It's my first tetradrachm, and, yes, I bought the coin before the book, but I couldn't resist. I know it's a pretty common coin, since there are 18 examples on Wildwinds and currently 3 on Vcoins, but the style of this one seemed exceptional. Seller's pics and attribution from Wildwinds follow:


Thasos, Thrace, AR Tetradrachm. After 148 BC.
Obverse: Head of young Dionysus right, wreathed with ivy
Reverse: HΡAKΛEOYΣ ΣΩTH ΡOΣ ΘAΣIΩN to left, right and beneath Herakles standing facing, naked, head left, holding club and lion skin. MH monogram to left.
Ref: BMC 74; Sear 1759.

Seller's comments: An earliest issue, huge flan & good very fine

This is currently my oldest coin, and my first Greek coin. And, here I thought my first tet would be an owl! Does anybody know why/how the seller has identified it as an earliest issue? Feel free to post anything related.

 

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Forget the book, here's a website:

http://thracecoins.reidgold.com/

This was my first tet:

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

 

Beautiful OP coin for sure. I would like to get one some day. JWT- Yours is a fine example as well.

 

Definitely a nice portrait you got there. And that 35mm flan is sure going to feel nice in hand!

 

Beautiful Tets !! it's impossible to resist the appeal of these types and I'm always interested in adding them to my collection.

This example is not quite as 'huge', nor as beautiful and was struck circa 240 BC.
Thrace, Byzantion----Demeter and Poseidon, 26 mm:

 

Nice example, better then mine.


Thasos, Thrace, (146 - 50 B.C.)
AR Tetradrachm
O: Young head of Dionysos wearing wreath of leaves and grapes and band across forehead.
R: ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΘΑΣΙΩΝ, Hercules naked standing left holding club, lion skin draped over arm; monogram.
33mm
16.1g
SNG Copenhagen 1040; SG-1759; SNG Ashmolean 3689; Le Rider, Thasos

 

Love the Thasos and Thasos(ish) tets!

 

I think the Celtic ones are pretty interesting.

Ancients are awesome.

 

Big Silver can be addicting. Hope you have stamina.

Mine (stolen and still missing...but mine none the less) Imitative style.

My favorite celtic.......also stolen and still in the wind, but still my fave.

 

Nice tetradrachm Paul M (& everyone).

Here is mine:

THRACE, Thasos
AR Tetradrachm
(After 146 BC)
16.72 grams, 31 mm
Obv: Wreathed head of Dionysos right.
Hair is neatly braided, vine-ed &
berried with a few locks of loose
hair cascading down to the shoulder
Rev: Hercules standing left, holding club
& lion's skin with control monogram.
HPAKΛEOYΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ / ΘAΣIΩN.
Grade: gVF to aEF
Other: SNG Cop 1046ff.
May 2014 Pecunem Sale 16, lot # 86.

Of course, the pretty face is that of Dionysos. Here is a statue of Dionysos at the Louvre:

 

Between time and places, official and not, there are so many variations of these I can not claim to sort them out. It is a subject that could use a thorough study buy I'm not certain that there is enough interest in them to justify a book like we have for Alexander coins. I have two and probably should add a really barbarous one but have no feeling for how to tell fakes in that area and little inclination to study them seriously. We need someone who does.

 

THRACE. Thasos. Tetradrachm (Circa 148-90/80 BC).
33mm, 16.6 grams
Head of Dionysos right, wearing ivy wreath.
Herakles standing left, holding club and lion skin. Control: Monogram to inner left.
KΛEOYΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ / ΘAΣIΩN.
SNG Copenhagen 1039; HGC 6, 359.

 

@JBGood You should change your name to JBGreat!

 

Ha!

 

I love the weirdness of the weirder Celtic variations of these. The second coin in JWT's link is wonderful. It kind of makes you think some of those 20th century painters weren't as innovative as they thought.

 

Wow Paul-M => that's a total OP-winner (congrats)

Ummm, I don't have the exact same reverse, but I have the double Dionysos version => obverse & reverse has this wine-drinkin' dude!!

Dionysian of Maroneia, AR Tetradrachm
Dionysos & Dionysos



... yah, it's a wee bit over-cleaned, but still a cool enough example, eh?

=> a very pretty face for a "dude" ... funny how Dionysos was often portrayed as a wee bit female (interesting)



But whether he was portrayed as feminine or masculine => he was always packin' the wine!! (yup, good ol' Baachus)



http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/dionysus/dionysus-pictures.php#dionysus-paintings

Here is baby Dionysos ... awww, how cute ...

 

Nice tetradrachms! I will have to admire, the ones you guys/gals are posting, I have my hands full with worldwide gold/ Imperial AR coinages. Just picked up a new addition today in Swiss auction.

 

Great coins, gang ...

=> big silver Tets are so awesome to hold in-hand (man, I've got to get one of those Thasos Dionysos examples to compliment my sweet Maroneia)

 

42BC => man, I love that Celtic example (very, very cool) ... so sad that it was stolen

 

Thasos, Thrace, (146 - 50 B.C.)
AR Tetradrachm, 33mm, 16.1g
Obv: Young head of Dionysos wearing wreath of leaves and grapes and band across forehead.
Rev: ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΘΑΣΙΩΝ, Hercules naked standing left holding club, lion skin draped over arm; monogram.
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 1040; SG-1759; SNG Ashmolean 3689; Le Rider, Thasos 51Thasos