Would someone be so kind as to help me pin down the exact attribution on my Pontos/Amisos owl?

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by lordmarcovan, Apr 29, 2017.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Thanks.

    I'm not so good at the nuts-n'-bolts minutiae of attribution, aside from browsing Wildwinds for similar examples. Sometimes it makes my head hurt.

    AncientGreece-Pontos-Amisos-ARdrachm-017341-coin.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 29, 2017
    lordmarcovan, Apr 29, 2017
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  3. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    With AΦ-ΡO in the fields, I only see two with Hera facing left listed:

    This:


    [​IMG]

    Malloy 1ac Amisos as Peireus, Pontos, AR Persic standard drachm. 18mm, 5.32 g. 400-350 BC. Magistrate Aphro.. Turreted, draped bust of Hera left, wearing necklace and earrings / AΦ-ΡO across fields, Owl with spread wings, standing facing on shield, ΠEIΡA below. Malloy 1ac; McClean 7351; SNG Cop 122; Waddington 23; RecGen 1 (20). Text


    And this:

    [​IMG]

    Rec Gen 27 Amisos, Pontos, Late 5th-4th century BC. AR Persic standard drachm, 18mm, 5.47 g. Aphro-, magistrate. Draped bust of Tyche-Hera left, wearing ornamented stephane / ΠEIΡA beneath owl standing facing on shield, wings spread; AΦ-ΡO across fields. RecGen 27; McClean 7351; SNG Copenhagen 122. Text
     
    lordmarcovan, Apr 29, 2017
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  4. Ajax

    Ajax Well-Known Member

    Ajax, Apr 29, 2017
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  5. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Thanks.

    I see "Persic standard drachm" and "siglos" both used for the denomination?

    The seller called this a drachm.

    I had to look up what a "stephane" is. It is described in the one you linked to, as well as the "Rec Gen 27" example on Wildwinds (the second one pictured in my post above). Apparently that was some sort of wreath worn on the head in female hairstyles? But I don't see anything wreathlike on Hera's head in any of these coins?
     
    lordmarcovan, Apr 29, 2017
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  6. fretboard

    fretboard Defender of Old Coinage!

    Yeah, maybe it's in all the coins above but it looks more like a crown on her head. ;)
     
    fretboard, Apr 29, 2017
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  7. Ajax

    Ajax Well-Known Member

    I'm not sure about the denomination but I think stephane just means crown.
     
    Ajax, Apr 29, 2017
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  8. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan 48-year collector Moderator

    Oh, OK. Thanks. Makes sense, I guess. Wikipedia said something about a wreath.
     
    lordmarcovan, Apr 29, 2017
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  9. Ajax

    Ajax Well-Known Member

    As for the denomination I think (just guessing) that the Persian Siglos was the denomination of the time the coin was minted in the region and 5.~ is a little heavy for a drachm but a bit light for a stater. I'm probably wrong but ehh
     
    Ajax, Apr 29, 2017
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  10. Ajax

    Ajax Well-Known Member

    I'm also assuming Persian standard drachm-siglos are the same?
     
    Ajax, Apr 29, 2017
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  11. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    Dear Lord (read that with whatever inflection you wish :D),

    My first stop for attribution questions is CNG's archives. The search function is much better plus I can see the date of sale. CNG's catalogers are good at staying up on the latest scholarship, so I seek out the most recently sold match if there are minor (or major) differences in attribution over time and when conflicting or confusing attributions are found elsewhere.

    I'd go with whatever CNG calls it. As for the denomination name, so often I think we get too wrapped up in clarifying a name when we don't know what it was called back in the day. That's why giving the metal name, diameter, and weight is a good idea regardless of what name you give it :)
     
    TIF, Apr 29, 2017
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  12. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    Lord => that's a great OP-coin (winna-winna)

    Oh, and it sounds like the gang pointed you towards an answer (yah, the gang here is pretty awesome, eh?)

    Oh, but I couldn't pass-up the opportunity to post lil' Owly ... she gets out so rarely     Pontos Amisos AR Siglos.jpg

    :rolleyes:

    Thanks for your patience
     
    stevex6, Apr 29, 2017
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  13. Pellinore

    Pellinore Well-Known Member

    To be precise, stefanos in Greek means wreath, a wreath used as a prize in gymnastic games, and a wreath worked with gold, therefore a crown, a symbolic wreath. See also the word in Liddell-Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon.
     
    Pellinore, Apr 29, 2017
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