For the past weeks I got some new coins, I want to show you guys what I got, opinions are appreciated. I also bought a lot of Seleucid coins but I still need to make pictures of them and are not included. A coin I always wanted to have in my collection, and in a good condition in my opinion: Obol from Mysia, Kyzikos, 450 B.C. - 400 B.C. Obverse: Forepart of boar left, retrograde E on body, tunny fish swimming upwards behind. Reverse: Head of roaring lion left, within shallow incuse square. 11mm; 0,86g Some time ago I opened a topic that I want to have a full denomination set, I decided I chose Ephesos and now I obtained a beautiful drachm and a tetartemorion. Drachm from Ionia, Ephesos circa 500-420 BC. Obverse: Bee, EΦ-[EΣI]. Reverse: quadripartite incuse square. 14mm; 3,20g Tetartemorion from Ionia, Ephesos circa 500-420 BC. Obverse: Bee Reverse: Head of Eagle right, EΦ in square 6mm; 0,20g I could not believe my eyes what a piece of art could be on such a tiny coin of 6mm only! It kinds of bothers me the head of the bee is no visible but it is compensated by the beautiful head of the bird on the reverse. I have also been into collecting coins from Amisos, I want to get them all because of the great variety in the designs, thats not often seen in the Hellenistic age! Bronze coin from Amisos, Pontos, 120 B.C. - 63 B.C. Obverse: Helmeted head of Ares right. Reverse:AMI-ΣOY across fields, sword in sheath, star in crescent at upper left, IB at upper right, ΡΠMK monogram at lower left, no monogram at lower right. 20mm; 7,87g A nice bronze coin from Kyme can not be missed in my collection as well! Bronze coin from Kyme, Aeolis, 350-250 B.C. Obverse: KY, horse standing right, front left leg raised. Magistrates name under horse. Reverse: One-handled drinking cup with monogram at left field. 15mm; 3,20mm A cheap Seleucid silver coin I obtained in the lot. Demetrius I Soter Drachm, 161 B.C. - 150 B.C Obverse: Diademed head of Demetrius right, wreathed with ivy; dotted border. Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΔHMHTPIOY ΣΩTHPOΣ, cornucopia; below, two monograms and date ΞP (= year 161 = 152BC) 18mm; 3,97g And for the Byzantine collectors, a nice Anonymous follis Class C. Anonymous Follis Class C Jesus Christ Michael IV, 1034 A.D. – 1041 A.D. Obverse:EMMANOVHL, three-quarter length figure of Christ standing facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, raising right in benediction, Gospels in left, IC-XC. Reverse:Jeweled cross with pellet at each extremity, in the angles IC - XC / NI-KA (May Jesus Christ Conquer). 28mm; 9,24g
I always liked the roaring lion. This is a 1.15g diobol. My 0.74g obol is so oval that it lost the tunny but I considered it amazing in the way the pig and lion stayed on flan.
Nice group, @Pavlos! That little Ephesos tetartemorion is really neat. I enjoy the Pontic issues of Mithradates VI as well. Amisos was the most prolific mint, but many of the designs were used at other mints. Collecting a set of all the types would probably be doable with some effort, but collecting even the most common type by mints would be much harder. One of these days I might get around to trying. AE31. Athena / Perseus and Headless Medusa AE21. Amazon wearing wolfskin / Nike AE18. Perseus / Cornucopia and pilei
Excellent group! I love those tiny bees. Yours still has its head, it's just missing eyes... perfect, it can't see to sting you. I also like the Demetrios I portrait, I've bid on many but never brought one home. Here's my Cyzikos obol:
Thank you guys! Wauw @Severus Alexander That is an even nicer one then mine! Lovely Amisos coins @zumbly I still need to have all those 3. Especially the second one with Amazon wearing wolfskin is quite hard to find.
Love that Obol Severus Alexander! I have been trying to get the Electrum Hekte of same design....but always get outbid I am off to work, my days are much shorter now since it gets dark at 7:00 now. Now I am working 72 hr. weeks, almost feels like I am a government civil servant, so much free time.... John
Great additions @Pavlos ! I really like the pontic coin. Together with your Mithradates IV you are putting together a very nice collection of these Amisos coins.
