Ptolemaic Lathe Marks

This just arrived today. When I saw it offered I knew I had to have it. Not the best example due to the wear, but I have never had one with such clear lathe marks on the flan. It also has some marks on the edges, but I was having troubles getting a clear photo. Very cool...

 

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I like that a lot Ken! No lathe marks on mine just the centration dimple:


Ptolemy III - 38mm, 5.8mm thick, and 46.5g (Svoronos 974)

 

koo!

 

I would have bought that too. Very cool and rare. First, they had a very rough planchet with massive marks left on the flan, then they very poorly struck it, leaving most of the marks intact. Very cool, especially for educational purposes.

 

Very nice coin @Ken Dorney I completely understand why you snapped it up. I'll add a hockey puck with the double eagle reverse.

Ptolemy II AE Drachm, Alexandria mint.
64.594g, 40.6mm,
Obv: Horned head of Zeus Ammon right, wearing taenia.
Rev: PTOLEMAIOU BASILEWS, two eagles standing left on thunderbolts, wings closed, heads left, Y/T monogram between legs.
Svoronos 504

 

Great coin @Ken Dorney - and a somewhat unique example of flan preparation. And man, those hockey pucks are BIG!

 

I believe all these would have looked like the OP coin but were struck harder so more of the prep marks were erased. The other coins of this type I have seen that showed good lathe marks were also weak strikes (see below). I do not see wear on the coin but doubt it ever had detail in those blank areas due to the weak strike. This is the kind of coin I would buy but not expect to pay much because most people would consider it defective rather than interesting. I am proud to know someone else who is able to see the beauty of this coin.
http://www.classicalcoins.com/flans5.html

 

Excellent coin, @Ken Dorney ! I never saw one like this, with these lathe marks so pronounced! Here is my cookie, a double eagle too.

Ptolemy II Philadelphos, 285 - 246 B.C.
Bronze drachm, 70.056g, 41.1mm, Sidon mint, 267 - 266 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right; reverse PTOLEMAIOU BASILEWS, two eagles standing left on thunderbolt, P between legs of eagle on left. Svoronos 497

 

Yeah!! Great example, Ken .

 

That's awesome, looks like a LP record!

 

Welp, looks fantastic Ken! But can some one please explain lathe marks?

 

Awesome! Thank you, I had read about them being surfaced in a lathe but never seen such pronounced marks, is the spiral line on the reverse from a chip in the blade as it was moved, or from something else? Also there appear to be pronounced chatter marks on the reverse between 8 to 9 O'clock, very interesting as well. Great piece!

 

http://www.classicalcoins.com/flans1.html
The set of 8 pages explaining the whole process is worth reading in its entirety but some will fast forward to pages 4 or 5 - just don't come back later and ask for the material you skipped. The drawings on this site help make the material clear.

 

Thank you Doug!

 

Very nice example! Here is my only example of a Ptolemaic hockey puck (Ptolemy III):


246-231 BC
Obverse: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right.
Reverse: PTOLEMIOY BASILEWS, Eagle standing left, head right, on thunderbolt; filleted cornucopia over shoulder, E between legs.
Size: 38mm
Weight: ~42g

 

good post..

 

A great addition. I love it!

 

great double eagle Ken!
Is the coin about the same thickness on the struck side, 12, as the unstruck side, 6? I guess, without seeing the coin from its side, the uneven strike due to the angle of the punch during striking.

 

Here is a little more on the coin, but I am not great at taking edge shots. 37mm, 43.99 grams. You can see the casting sprue was only roughly removed.

 

Why does Ptolemaic coins have an indented point strike in the center?