This rare fraction from the Corinthian colony of Leukas has been on my want list for some time now. So, after seeing a couple of them fly by in the past year, I decided to nab this one from a recent auction for my stable. The thing setting this issue apart from similar ones is that the pegasos on the reverse is shown in perspective, the engraver using a technique called foreshortening to realistically depict it in three dimensions - facing us, turned slightly left, while rearing up on its hind legs. The icing on the cake for me is that the pegasos on the obverse, shown traditionally, in profile, makes for a neat juxtaposition with the innovation on the reverse. All in all, quite a nice bit of art on what is a pretty small canvas! If you have pegasos coins that you're fond of, please feel free to show them. AKARNANIA, Leukas Circa 450-400 BC AR Diobol. 0.81g, 11.9mm. BCD Akarnania 183. O: Pegasos right with curled wing; Λ, below. R: Δ-Ι-O, Pegasos facing slightly left, rearing up on hind legs, wings spread. And for comparison, here's a diobol from Corinth showing both pegasi in profile.
Love your new coin Z. The reverse is fantastic. The detail and artistry on such a small flan raises the question once again of how in the heck did they do it?
As you know, Zumbly, a facing Pegasos is on my shopping list . Yours is really great for the type! Congrats Your prancing Pegasos is also very interesting.
@zumbly NICE Pegasos!!! Neat little (actually BIG) critters. I only have a couple of these critters. I think they are pretty cool, with a great story behind them... Carthage Siculo AE 15 Palm Tree Pegasus Italia Bruttium Lokroi Eizephyrioi 300-268 BCE AE 23 Athena Pegasus Roman Republic AR Quinarius Q Titius 90 BCE PEGASOS Sear 240 (I figgerred folks would hit the Q Titius Denarii pretty hard, so I stepped aside with a Quinarius instead...)
Wow, never seen the OP coin type before. Very nice! I wish they had made a stater or tetradrachm version of it. John
I'm not aware of any other coins with front-facing pegasi, but it being such a common motif, you'd think there would be more.
Wowzer, Z-bro => that's a very cool Pegasus you've scored there (great perspective) Pegasus, eh? ... I'll have to go check Ummm, I've always been very fond of this lil' beauty ... Oooh, and this ol' dawg too ... Hmmm? ... but neither of those babies have any cool perspective like your awesome OP-score (congrats again, my awesome friend)
Thanks for sharing your pegasi, Steve. I like them all, especially the "old dawg" and this Pontos which I'm still on the look out for.
I have a visceral fascination with the smallest of Greek silver fractionals - they can be entire universes in tiny spaces. I love your new addition, Z, bravo!
