My guess is that this one will be easier than the Bactrian/Khushan bronze that I posted a couple of days ago. Very little of the obverse inscription is visible in this photo, but if anyone can tell me which city this is from, I might be able to track down the emperor depicted. The coin is 16mm and weighs 3.8 grams. Thanks for any assistance that you can offer.
No guesses yet. So let me ask a different question. Does the reverse depict a modius? Or an altar? Or something else?
I agree with altar. @gsimonel, I spent a few minutes looking for something like it soon after you posted but I came up empty. I'll keep it on the back burner and if I come across anything close of course I'll post . I suspect the Γ-K flanking the altar is the date of issue rather than an abbreviation for the city so that probably won't help much. I've seen some Bosporos coins with this date but not with these devices or style.
There is a 16mm coin of Hadrian from the Province of Crete with K-K on either side of altar (Sear GI 1135). The letter on the left could be a damaged kappa.
I'm not sure because I don't know if the numbers represented by Greek letters had any consistency across the ancient world in that general time. In Alexandria, Γ is three and K is twenty. The date will of course be based on whatever local calendar was used.
I think you're right! "K K" for Koinon Krete. Here are some from CNG. One from ACsearch: Paring down the search terms to "Crete altar" showed this reverse only with Hadrian. Maybe you could check some of the references books given for these coins to see if other emperors are known with this reverse. I don't think @Okidoki has this one.
This is all very helpful. I agree that the letter on the left could be a damaged K. I'll poke around online this weekend to try to confirm it, but right now Koinon looks pretty solid. Thanks for all your help.
I do not have much for reference on Greek Imperials. Head says Dometian is the first to place KOINON KPHTON or KK on coins. My copy of Lindgren has the Hadrian as number 1776 and a coin with a flaming altar with K-K for A. Pius (Lindgren 1779),
Looks like Oki does have one. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=6160&pos=1 It's getting very hard to find Hadrian coin types which are missing from his collection .
(one coin previous than the one linked) http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=6160&pos=0
I'm pretty confident that it's as everyone called - Hadrian from Koinon in Crete. The only controversy is whether the reverse is an altar or a basket with a poppy flower and two grain ears. I'm going with the basket on my coin because, in hand, the object sticking up from the center of the basket/altar appears to have 4 petals. Thanks again, everyone.
