Tasty little Greek treat (Pisidia silver Obol)

I've always loved tiny Greek silver coins. In fact, I have quite a collection of tiny Greek silver coins (sub-10mm). And yet, I can't resist the urge to buy more of these tasty little snacks when the price and the coin are right, and our dear friend @Ken Dorney served this tempting little treat on his vcoins store. My appetite kicked in real bad when I saw it. In fact, I think my heart skipped a beat. From seeing it to purchasing it set an all time record for me...15 seconds. I couldn't click "buy" and enter my payment information fast enough. Didn't want to take any chances that someone would beat me to the prize.

She is a beauty, isn't she? The city, Pisidia, was a Greek colony in Anatolia, and an ally of Persia during the Greek/Persian wars. But we won't hold that against them when they were capable of producing such pretty little silver coins.

Post any tiny Greek silver coins you feel like sharing. Let's show the world the beauty of those tiny silver ancient Greek treasures.


Pisidia, Selge, 350 - 300 BC
Silver Obol, 9mm, .86 grams
Obverse: Facing gorgoneion.
Reverse: Helmeted head of Athena right.
SNGFrance1934

 

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Great coin Sallent!

 

Great little coin, your lucky I look at all the new stuff on Vcoins twice a day if I had of seen that I probably would have beaten you to it....got a really fast upload internet speed

 

Nice little coin!

 

Truely magnificent coins, a real credit to you.

 

@Sallent , that is a gorgeous small Greek AR! Nice job finding that little guy.

I have several small Greek coins: I find Tetartemorions really cool. The fact that they used UNDER 10mm coins in daily small transactions is amazing.


CARIA Mylasa 525-495 BCE AR Tetartemorion 0.28g 6mm Hd roaring lion R - Bird stndng L pellet incuse sq SNG Keckman 922 SNG Kayhan 944
(LION RIGHT w/Bird)

(LION LEFT w/ Bird)

Ionia Miletos AR Tetartemorion 5.6mm 0.21g Roaring Lion Hd - Bird Klein 430 SNG Kay 941


Aeolis Elaia AR Tetartemorion 460 BCE Athena L - Olive Wreath 7.8mm 0.16g SNG Cop 166


Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm 0.13g 530-500 BCE Rosette - Incuse sq punch 5 pellets SNG von Aulock 1807


Uncert West Asia Minor Karia 5th C BC AR tetartermorion 5mm 0.15g Female - Frprt Bull r Kayhan 968 exc rght


Iona Kolophon AR Tetartemorion 530-520 BCE Archaic Apollo Incuse Punch
0.15g 4.5mm - SNG Kayhan 343

HEMIOBOL:

Mysia Kyzikos AR Hemiobol 480-450 BCE 0.4g Boar-Lion Sear 3850

A few of my OBOLs:

Troas Kebren AR Obol Archaic hd Apollo L - Hd Ram in Incuse sq 5th C BCE 7.65mm 0.64g SNG Ash 1086


TROAS Neandria AR Obol 4thC BCE 0.56g 8mm Laur hd Apollo r - NEA N Ram stdng right within incuse sq SNG Cop 446


Makedon Alexander III 336-323 BC AR Obol 7mm 0.51g Babylon Lifetime Herakles lion skin Club bow quiver wreath M Price 3744

 

The ancients must have used people with small fingers and good eyesight to STRIKE these...

 

Nice addition @Sallent . I have two to share, below. The first is a classical Athenian AR Obol of mid to late 5th century BC. The second is an AR Litra of Gela. Greek coins are no longer on my collecting radar, so both of these beauties in the process of deacession. Both are more nicely toned than these poor photos show.

 

Sweet!! I still need to get one of these, I love the design. Maybe @Ed Snible will post his incredible example...

A few of my tetartemoria:


Thraco-Macedonian tribes, c. 500 BCE (reference? can't find an exact match)


Magnesia ad Maeandrum, Themistokles, 465-459 BCE


Lampsakos c. 400 BCE Female head left (Lampsake?) wearing earring / Helmeted head of Athena right.

This is my newest tiny Greek, a huge (by comparison) obol from Cyzicus, c. 525-475 BCE:

 

This pic and stats of my smallest and largest freaks me out:


Carthage AE 15-Shekel 45mm dia 7.5mm thick 102.6g
vs
Ionia AR Tetartemorion 4mm 0.13g

- diameter 11 to 1
- Weight 789 to 1
- the THICKNESS of my 15-Shekel is almost TWICE diameter of the Tetertamorion! Wild.

 

Nice Cyzicus, Severus! I really like it.

If someone posts a new coin they are proud of I do not think it helps the conversation for me to post a mint state example of exactly that same coin that I spent years looking for.

I will post something weird and cheap related to the OP coin tonight. Something interesting but not too show-offy.

 

Tetartemorioi??

 

Very considerate, and you're right of course! But I think there are exceptions, e.g. when the OP is a regular (we're like family, right? ), when there's an invitation to post it, and when the coin is particularly exceptional. I don't think any of us feel bad when Volodya posts his beauties in our threads... we love to see them!

But in case you're not persuaded I just did a search to satisfy my craving. And I look forward to your "something weird."

 

I respectively disagree @Ed Snible. When I post a new coin, I enjoy seeing what others have collected. It gives me some perspective. I don't consider it "showing off". But then again, isn't that what we do when we show our coins?