Here's another magical shape shifting coin that looks different in hand then on my phones screen. When I bought this I thought it looked like Herakles with a tripod reverse... But now that it's in hand I'm thinking Apollo with a harp reverse. Using those and other descriptors I have had no luck on ac search nor Google. This lil fella is 12 MM of Greekness. Any ideas as to who, what and when this is from?
Yes, it is a kithara. Your reverse image is upside down. Try looking at coins from Megaris, among others. Perhaps a CNG or ACsearch using "AE kithara". Might be Apollo on the obverse, might be someone else.
The reverse is upside down. There seems to be something below the lyre... if it's an anchor it's probably Seleukid. Try searching for Antiochos II and lyre.
Can you make out any of the reverse letters? There is a Seleukid possibility for this type too (Antiochos II).
Could be... but there are a few other non Selukids which could fit as well so look through all of those hits as well (ACsearch)
Almost all the antiochus ii that fit the bill are tripod reverses...but there is a single example on there that has a kithara. Is this my coin? Im thinking that is an anchor. But due to my coins "extreme authenticity" it's hard to say.
Baboom! And thanks to TIFs photo magic flipping it right side up, I can see "oxoy" coming down the right side. I think that's it!
Yes, looking at it closer I think you can make out enough letters on your coin's reverse (and the anchor) to clinch the attribution as Antiochus II. Here I rotated the coin to make reading the letters easier: CNG's archive have only three of them. You can see another dozen or so on AC search. Might have to search for alternative names for the kithara, or broaden the terms to just the king's name and AE. In case you need a fuller description of the legends, here's an ACsearch listing: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=4645454 "Seleukid Kingdom. Antiochos II Theos. 261-246 B.C. AE 14 (14.23 mm, 2.62 g, 1 h). Sardes mint. Laureate head of Apollo right / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ, titles vertically downward to right and left of kithara; anchor, flukes right, in exergue; H - ΔI in outer fields, left and right. Houghton 603; SNG Spaer 366"
..i happen to have this Antiochos ll coin meself..i had a hard time positioning the obverse to see Apollo with mine