I write to ask for help in attributing the following Tarentine nomos, please. Specifically I’d really appreciate your thoughts in response to two questions a) Does my coin come from the same dies as Vlasto 760? b) Is my coin type catalogued in Fischer-Bossert’s Chronologie? Here is a photo of my coin Obv: naked boy seated on horse prancing r, which he crowns, above Nike flying r, above horse ΣI, below ΛY Rev: TAPAΣ below Taras seated left on dolphin, holding trident in left hand and cup in right. ΛY(?) in right field 21mm, 6.55g Evans catalogued what I think to be this type as Period 7 Type A number 6 (281 – 272 BC) Ratto shows a similar type in Vlasto’s collection as number 760 (280 – 272 BC), but his catalogue seems to be missing Evans’s reference: A dealer has suggested that my coin has the same dies as the Vlasto example, but I don’t think so. Please let me know your thoughts. I’m stumped when I try to find this piece in Fischer-Bossert’s Chronologie. I see similar obverses in Group 62 (330 – 325 BC), but a) F-B only has ΣIM as the magistrate, no listing for ΛY b) F-B has a different reverse listed for the reverse … and I cannot find these magistrates in C-B’s Chronologie. I would have thought that since the type was listed by both Evans and in Vlasto’s collection it would have been known and catalogued by F-B So can someone help me find this coin type in F-B’s Chronologie? Thank you very much.
Your coin seems to have been minted circa 281 -272 B.C. according to Vlasto and Evans. The weight more or less confirms that. This would place your issue after those studied by Fischer Brossert. Your obverse looks very much like Vlasto 760. However I think the reverse is actually from Vlasto 759. The reverse of 760 does not have an LY Monogram while yours seems to have one.
Terence 1. Thank you so much for your comment. 2. Looking at it anew, I think that my coin has the obverse of Vlasto 760 with the reverse of 759. Perhaps it even shares the same reverse die as 759. 3. Interestingly Roma has a nomos attributed to Vlasto 760 on their current sale (e61 lot 112) with slightly different magistrates (ΛY and ΘE, whereas mine has only ΛY). Both Roma’s piece (6.35g) and mine (6.55g) are extraordinarily light for the series. Again thanks, it is very helpful to have another set of eyes to find what I missed! David
There was a weight reduction sometime after 300 B,C. Your coin seem fairly consistent with these laterissues
