Forgotten in a box for six years

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Pellinore, Feb 24, 2020.

  1. Pellinore

    Pellinore Well-Known Member

    From the dawn of my collecting, before my preferences were crystallizing... just found this coin, that I bought from a Viennese Ebay shop exactly six years ago. It looks nice enough to me, with its graceful cow and foal.

    1603 co.jpg

    Illyria, Apollonia, AR Drachm, c. 200-80 BC. Magistrates Asklapiadas and Philistonos. Obv. Cow standing left suckling calf. AΣKΛAΠIAΔAΣ/ A over delta monogram below. Rev. / AΠOΛ ΦIΛIΣTIΩNOΣ around double stellate pattern. 18.5 mm, 3.08 gr.

    I wonder if it is possible to apply a more precise date to this coin.
     
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  3. SeptimusT

    SeptimusT Well-Known Member

  4. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    Nice coin - I really like these.

    There is a wonderful site that provides a full range of information, including dating. I think there is still a lot of competing opinions about these, but when I attribute mine, I generally use this site.

    http://asklapiadas.ancients.info/05cDrCl.html

    While I was typing this, SeptimusT posted - I had not seen that article - thanks Sept.T. Not sure what level of agreement there is between my link and his, but that's what makes it fun.
     
  5. Sulla80

    Sulla80 Well-Known Member

    @Pellinore, I have one that has also been long ignored - a $23 purchase years ago. Thanks, @SeptimusT & @Marsyas Mike for the useful links.
    Illyria Apollonia Drachm.jpg
    Illyria, Apollonia, AR Drachm
    Obv:
    Cow l., with head turned back towards suckling calf; above, moneyer’s name NIKANΔPOΣ (Nikandros); border of dots
    Rev: Curved, double-stellate pattern, vertical single device line, drumstick rays, triple dots, line border; AΠΟΛ (Apollonia) with magistrate’s name AN ΔPIΣ KOY (Andriskou)
    Type: Class A6Lc2a 59-54 BC Drumstick-shape ray
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2020
  6. Marsyas Mike

    Marsyas Mike Well-Known Member

    I have several of these - I think they were faked a lot in antiquity - there are certainly a lot of them of low weight and iffy-looking metal. Production quality control wasn't always top-notch either.

    The idea that they were cranking these out for the Pompey-Caesar Civil Wars is a compelling one - the later ones were roughly denarius size.

    Here is my favorite - it is awful, but I am very fond of it:

    Illyria offcenter drachm (2).JPG

    Illyria - Apollonia Drachm - Class A7ALc2b
    (52 B.C.)
    (Niken and Autoboulos)

    NIKHN above cow standing left suckling calf / APOL AU[TO BOU LOU]
    around double stellate pattern.
    Ceka 88
    (3.08 grams / 20 mm)
     
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  7. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    In addition to the Masters thesis and the Asklapiadas sites posted above, this PDF is very helpful and informative. I consider it the best analysis of the relationship between those persons named in the nominative case on the obverse and in the genitive case on the reverse.

    I have only one example of these:

    Dyrrhachium Zopyros Drachm.jpg
    Illyria, Dyrrhachium.
    AR drachm, 2.95 g, 17.4 mm, 11 h.
    Moneyer Philotas, Mintmaster Zopyros, ca. 80-70 BC.
    Obv: Cow suckling calf, owl in right field before cow; ΦΙΛΩΤΑΣ above, head of Helios facing right, top.
    Rev: Square with double stellate pattern, ΔΥΡ/ΖΩ/ΠΥ/ΡΟΥ around.
    Refs: Ceka 451; Maier 221; SNG Cop 469; SNG Evelpides 1744; SNG Leipzig 715. Cf. BMC 7.70, 70-73.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2020
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