ancients => Demeter & Protesilaos ... ummm,who?

I'm a huge fan of these sweet ol' AR crystalized sweeties ....

=> but when I saw an example with a prow, a sword and a dude that I don't have holding a cool shield, I was in!! (big-time)

Yah, I like everything about this baby ... including the price ($160) ... not too shabby, eh?

THESSALY, Thebai, AR Hemidrachm
Early 3rd century BC
Diameter: 15 mm
Weight: 2.52 grams
Obverse: Veiled head of Demeter right, wearing grain wreath
Reverse: ΘHBAIΩИ, Protesilaos right, holding shield and sword, and stepping off prow of galley to left
Reference: BCD Thessaly I 1347 corr. (same dies; retrograde И not mentioned); BCD Thessaly II 758 (same rev. die); HGC 4, 30 (same dies as illustration)
Other: 12h … VF, toned, some granularity

From the BCD Collection

 

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That's really awesome, like a reverse battle scene - the troops are landing!

 

Protesilaos

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protesilaus

 

Well...someone has to be the first off the boat.

 

"Follow me, fellas => what could happen?"

=> another happy ending to this Greek Disney Tale

 

Demeter

http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Demeter/demeter.html



... yah, she seems okay, eh?

 

Great coin, love the reverse.

 

I know you like a bit of a pile on to your threads so I'll try and post something relevant...

How about a soldier advancing?

The Brettii, Bruttium
AE, reduced uncia, 23mm, 8.3g; 3h; BC 211-208
Obv.: Laureate head of Zeus right, thunderbolt behind
Rev.: BPETTIΩN; Warrior advancing right holding spear and shield, at feet, owl flying right

How about something from the Thessalian league?


Thessalian League, 2nd-1st BC
AE, trichalkon, 20mm, 5.3g; 12h
Obv.: Laureate head of Apollo right
Rev.: ΘΕΣΣ / ΛΩΝ; Athena Itonia striding right, hurling spear held in her right hand, shield on her left arm; ΘΡΑ in right field above, owl in left

 

Thanks, Jwt ... nice idea for a thread add-on coin

Yah, please feel free to find something that meshes well enough with my OP coin (or Jwt's coins) ... or whatever (surprise me)

 

Ummm, close enough, or what?

 

I don't mind the crystallization either and that's a nice looking coin. Congrats.

THESSALY, LARISSA
AR Trihemiobol
OBVERSE: Head of the nymph Larissa right, wearing pendant earring
REVERSE: ΛAPI above, ΠΛE in exergue, horse right, about to roll
Struck at Larissa 370-360 BC
1.4g, 12mm
BCD Thessaly II 274; Hoover, Volume 4 under "trihemiobols (c. 1.5g)" on page 146, number 474. R2 = Very Rare...3-24 extant examples


THESSALIAN LEAGUE
AR Drachm
Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right, ΓAYANA (magistrate) behind
Rev: Athena Itonia standing right, with shield and about to hurl spear, ΘEΣΣA - ΛΩN to sides, bunch of grapes on vine right, Π-O / Λ-Y (magistrate) across lower fields
Struck at Thessaly 196-146 BC
4.0g, 16 mm
BMC 36

 

Thanks Bro ...

=> here are a bunch more examples ... yah, I must admit that I didn't know too much about these coin-types, before I fell in love with my OP-example

https://cngcoins.com/Search.aspx?PAGE_NUM=&PAGE=1&TABS_TYPE=2&CONTAINER_TYPE_ID=3&IS_ADVANCED=1&ITEM_DESC=thessaly thebai ar&ITEM_IS_SOLD=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_1=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_3=1&SEARCH_IN_CONTAINER_TYPE_ID_2=1

... now my OCD is screaming for me to score an AE example as well

 

Once the battle ended the victors would have erected a trophy made from the arms and armor of the fallen. It would have been erected at the sight of the bloodiest fighting. Google let me down in trying to find a cool picture, but here's a coin:


Pergamon, Mysia
AE, 9.02g, 20mm, 12h
Obv.: helmeted head of Athena right
Rev.: ΝΙΚΕΦΟΡΟΥ left, ΘΗΝΑΣ right; trophy with horned helmet

 

Nice addition!!

Ummm hey, I have a couple of those trophy coins as well (funny how my threads seem to blow with the wind, eh?) ...

M. Furius L. f. Philus


Trajan

 

Great coin. I don't recall every seeing that reverse type!

 

Thanks Nick ...

Ummm, what do you think => does this example from Syracuse cut the mustard?

Syracuse, Sicily Pyrrhus AE24



... I might be pushin' it, eh?

 

that's an awesome reverse! i didn't know how he was, but how cool!

i don't have any of him, i do have a demeter....



Philadelphia. Pseudo-autonomous issue. Time of Titus, 79-81 CE

O: Demeter, countermark (male head?), R: grain, 19 mm, 7.0 g

 

Very cool patina, chrsmat ... oh, and the c/m is also very cool

=> that baby has fantastic coin-personality!!

 

I'm often surprised at the "coin-crowd's" responses to my coin-purchases ...

Honestly, my double-kanthrose example was merely a last second coin-decision and merely an initial bid that happened to run the gauntlet ... whereas this coin has been on my mind for a couple of weeks (oh, and I was prepared to shell-out twice as much for it!!)

=> however, if "likes" mean anything, then the kanthrose coin is far more popular than this primary target (again, it's merely interesting) ... I'm always just as glad to figure-out that I'm the only one that likes some coins (more me/us, eh?)

 

Another nice CNG Wednesday score! I have the type on my want list and will get one of them someday to pair with my funny little eye coin from Skione.


MACEDONIA, Skione
Circa 480-450 BC
AR Tetrobol
2.28g, 13mm
SNG ANS 708-9 var. (ethnic)
O: Head of the hero, Protesilaos, right.
R: Apotropaic eye within incuse square.
Note: The people of Skione considered the Homeric hero Protesilaos to be their founder.