Now I am very late to the game with one of these andI have seen loads of examples here but this is my first of these types.... Drown my examples with others of the type. Pontos, Amisos, AE20 Obv:– Aegis with facing Gorgon in the centre Rev:- AMI-SOY, Nike advancing right, holding palm over shoulder with both hands. monogram to right Minted in Amisos, Pontos. ca 100 B.C. Reference:– BMC 74? Martin
Wow, Martin! I like yours... it is a very clean looking design. I have a few Gorgons... Pontos Amisos Gorgon Aegis-Nike AE21 Obv-Rev.JPG Pontos Amisos Mithradates VI 109-89 BC AE 28 Athena Perseus Medusa Head Body O-R.jpg And, my favorite: The Etruscan Metus... : Etruria, Populonia 3rd Century BCE Silver 20-Asses 8.1g, ovoid 16.6mm x 20mm Obv: Facing head of Metus, hair bound with a diadem, X:X below Rev blank Sambon 47; HN Italy 152 Comment: Broken die forehead through eye. Metus was the Etrurian name of the similar Greek God Deimos or fear or terror.
Wow! The style is much different from all others I've seen. What a nice score, Martin! I guess your patience was rewarded . Are you sure it is from Amisos? I can't make out much of the city name and sometimes the letters are formed oddly anyway, making it tough to tell. Maybe the last bit of legend to the left of Nike is a smooshed together MI, with the last stroke of the M and the I angle making it look like a V or W? In another thread we listed all cities which issued the type: Amisos, Chabakta, Kabeira, Komana, Laodikia (all in Pontos); Amastris, Sinope (Paphlagonia). We may have missed a few. I have the most common type: PONTOS, Amisos 85-65 BCE, time of Mithradates VI Eupator AE 22 mm, 7 gm Obv: Aegis facing Rev: AMI-ΣOY; Nike advancing right with shouldered palm branch; monograms flanking Ref: SNG BM Black Sea 1177-1191; HGC 7, 242 Ex Dr. P. Vogl collection; ex Münzhandlung Athena (01.02.1988)
Huh ... I just posted most of these in an adjacent thread (timing is everything, eh?) Oh, well ... I have 4 outta 7 official mint examples of this type: Paphlagonia, Amastris => ΑΜΑΣ-ΤΡΕΩΝ Paphlagonia, Sinope => ΣΙΝ-ΩΤΗΣ Pontos, Chabakta => ΧΑΒΑ-ΚΤΩΝ Oh, and everybody's favourite ... Pontos Amisos => ΑΜΙ-ΣΟΥ http://snible.org/coins/aegis2.html
Perhaps the OP is one of the "Sarmatian"/irregular issues mentioned in the page below? It's very nice in any case! http://digitalhn.blogspot.sg/2015/12/imitations-of-bronze-coinage-of-pontos.html?m=1 I think mine is as well. The style is certainly on the crude side.
Good point! That blog is by CT's @Ed Snible. He even mentions the slurring of AMI into a W on some issues, and that fit's Martin's coin.
Nice coins all. Always liked these. Here's another: Pontos Amisos Ox: Wreathed head of Mithradates VI as young Dionysos right Rx: Panther skin and thyrsos on Cista Mystica
one of my first greek coins! when I see a pic of these "pontos" just appears in my brain, I didn't know (or had forgotten) that these were made elsewhere as well.
Bing, The obverse of your second coin is just stunning. Is it a Dionysos with a cista mystica reverse?
Yes, and I'm sorry I didn't put the identification information. Too lazy I guess, but here it is now: AMISOS, PONTOS AE 20 OBVERSE: Head of youthful Dionysos right, wreathed with ivy REVERSE: Thyrsos leaning against cista mystica draped with panther skin; AMISOU below Struck at Amisos 85-65 BC 8.8g, 21mm SNG BM Black Sea 1199-1200; HGC 7, 243
