Another Tiny Greek Coin

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Bing, Feb 21, 2017.

  1. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    I've had this coin fr a few weeks, but just remembered I hadn't posted it here on CT. This is the second Ram coin I purchased in as many months with another on the way. I wonder if there may be a pattern developing.

    CARIA, KASOLABA.jpg
    CARIA, KASOLABA
    AR Hemiobol
    OBV: Head of ram right
    REV: Head of young male right
    Struck at Caria, Kasolaba, circa 420-400 BC
    .5g; 8mm
    Konuk, Kasolaba 10; SNG Keckman 883-902

    The one I purchased the month prior is:
    TROAS KEBREN.jpg
    TROAS KEBREN
    AR Obol
    OBVERSE: Archaic head of Apollo left
    REVERSE: Ram'S head left within an incuse square
    Struck at Troas, Kebren Circa 450 BC
    .56g, 7mm
    Rosen 534; Traité pl. xxxix, 25, SNG Ashmolean 1086
    ex. Aegean Numismaics

    Post your coins showing a ram, goat, sheep, etc.
     
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  3. sakata

    sakata Devil's Advocate

    I will be honest. I know nothing at all about ancient coins. I wish I did because it sounds like a fascinating topic. But I look at that and ask myself how anyone can look at what to me looks like a lump of metal and make such an attribution.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2017
  4. alde

    alde Always Learning

    Great coins. I'm attracted to these tiny coins too. It amazes me that they were able to put so much artistry into such a small package. I wish I still had 20 year old eyes though.
     
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  5. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Not sure I understand your statement.
     
  6. icerain

    icerain Mastir spellyr

    Nice tiny coin Bing. And yes there is a pattern, I predict you will buy another coin. ;) I don't have any goats and sheep coins, but I do have a coin from Troas.

    [​IMG]

    Lol Sakata, all coins are really just a lump of metal.
     
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  7. sakata

    sakata Devil's Advocate

    As I said, I know nothing about ancients. I could recognize Nero on a coin and that is about all. You are talking here about an 8mm coin with no lettering. I can just about see the head of a ram, but a young male? No way. I guess what I am saying is that if I had found this while in Greece is probably would have not occur to me that it was a coin and how on earth can the attribution be so precise?

    I really am interested. Where does one start to identify and ancient coin like this?[/quote]
     
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  8. alde

    alde Always Learning

    I just ordered this one a couple of days ago with boar and tunny fish/lion. Maybe we both caught the same bug Bing. Maybe I'll have a tunny fish sandwich for dinner. I can't help myself. You can tune a guitar but you can't tune a fish. Lol

    Kyzikos (Mysia), AR diobol, Boar / Lion, ca. 450-400 BC

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Obverse: Forepart of boar left, upturned tunny fish behind
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2017
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  9. Ed Snible

    Ed Snible Well-Known Member

    kebren.png
    Kebren (or Mytilene, or Klazomenai) 0.66g 8mm
    Ram / Gorgoneion
    Babelon, Traite #1990 Plate CLV #19 (as Klazomenai)
     
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  10. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    [/QUOTE]
    If I had come across this during my travels in Ancient Greece, I would have recognized it as a coin, but I would have to do the research to identify where it was struck. There are plenty of resources to do such research.
     
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  11. red_spork

    red_spork Triumvir monetalis

    It just takes study and practice looking at coins. Style, fabric, weight, size, etc. all go into it and as you look at more ancients the devices appear more easily as well. One good way to learn is "window shopping" on sites like Vcoins, ACSearch, CNG, etc just to look at many types of coins.
     
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  12. David Atherton

    David Atherton Flavian Fanatic

    Beautiful tiny treasures JW!
     
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  13. John Anthony

    John Anthony Ultracrepidarian

    May I play? Here's an obol of Selge I could not resist. 0.8g, 12mm, 4th century BC...

    selge obol 5.jpg
     
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  14. ancientone

    ancientone Well-Known Member

    Those are NICE @Bing!! Buy more rams!
     
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  15. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    i LOVE a good RAM upgrade!

    [​IMG]
     
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  16. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    You've gained a little weight since you were here last Chris.
     
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  17. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    It is a fact that there are some of the coins that are not fully attributed and some where experts disagree. Relatively few coins wrote out the city name and assignments to locations has been based on a number of different factors. Every so often someone will find a hoard that suggests we review old attributions but these things have been under study for several hundred years so most are probably close. Studying ancient coins is a complex undertaking with millions of opportunities to learn and seek out errors in the standard references. Lets also remember that we don't even know where some of the towns that made coins were located. Not all survived the last 2000 years as well as a few of their coins did.
     
  18. gregarious

    gregarious E Pluribus Unum

    haha! i wuz just thinkin' "rams and megabyte coins" ><hehe~!
     
  19. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    Some neat little coins.
     
  20. TJC

    TJC Well-Known Member

  21. Jwt708

    Jwt708 Well-Known Member

    [/QUOTE]

    You just gotta jump in and start collecting.

    I like that obverse!
     
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