Featured Animal Farm

Omygosh, NO!. It was two weeks of hell... I vividly remember some of the those times.

 

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I don't know man, just reacting to the coin pic. I don't know the circumstances around its issuance. Usually there is a huge hump at the back of the head for Indian elephants.

 

Oh, no disagreement. However, Pyrrhus brought elephants for the first time to Italy to beat on the Romans. The die-cutter up in Etruria probly had NO idea how to sculpt an elephant in the dies. Even if it were African from Hannibal's "excursion", again, I doubt the expertise of the die-cutter. Either case, I feel Etruria was trying to tick-off the Romans. Personally, I was kinda surprised that they stated they were Pyrrhus' Indian elephants, when this coin depicts a Sub-Saharan African whom were part of Hannibal's Army!

 

No ornithologist here. I called mine a bennu bird.

Bruttium, Kroton
Anonymous Civic Coinage
BC 530-520 AR Nomos
24 mm x 7.77 grams
Obv: ϘPO left field, Lion legged Tripod center, Bennu bird standing facing left. Rev: Inverse relief tripod.
Other: Ref: SNG ANS 227

I suspect that the most common animal on an ancient coin is the human animal.

 

Double post

 

raven , boar and bull

Domitian, AE Semis, RIC 710
IMP DOMIT AVG GERM COS XV, laureate, draped bust of Apollo right, laurel branch before head /
SC beneath raven standing right on laurel branch.


Trajan AE Quadrans, Rome. RIC II 702
IMP CAES TRAIAN AVG GERM, diademed bust of Hercules right with lionskin knotted around neck /
Boar walking right, SC in ex.


L. Thorius Balbus, Rome, c. 105 BC. AR Denarius
Head of Juno Lanuvium r., wearing goat skin. R/
Bull charging right

 

You can see this on coins, not-uncommon, but never in nature: The Ultra-Rare SURFING BULL on a Dolphin...


Thrace Byzantion AR Half-Siglos bull-dolphin-incuse 340-320 BCE


And how about PIGS with WINGS??? Not uncommon for coins... but have you ever truly SEEN one?


Ionia Klazomenai 480-400 BC AR Drachm Pentobol 3.5g 13mm Forepart winged boar r gorgoneion incuse sq Cf SNG Copenhagen 12 Rare

 

Ok, on serious note: FROG


Luceria
AES Grave
Anonymous
217-215 BCE
Uncia
7.35g
Frog from above-
Corn Ear pellet retrograde L
Thurlow & Vecchi 285
Ex: Stephen Album Auction

 

Conch shell and an Eel on the reverse of this Sicilian hemilitron:

 

Here are a handful that I have including 4x horse, 3x bull, bee, eagle, 2x lion, and an elephant. Sorry for the mix of photo backgrounds and quality.

c. 400-300 BCE
Greece
Ephesos, Ionia
AE13 | 1.83g
Obv: Turreted female head left
Rev: Bee with E-Φ on either side
BMC 68


359-336 BCE
Macedonia
Philip II
AE17 | 5.63g
Obv: Diademed Apollo right
Rev: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Young horseman right, thunderbolt below
SNG ANS 880



c. 350-300 BCE
Greece
Thessaly, Krannon
AE Dichalkon | 3.92g | 12mm
Obv: Zeus or Poseidon right
Rev: Horseman right


c. 220-210 BCE
Carthage
AE Shekel
Jenkin-Lewis pl. 28 8


c. 200-100 BCE
India
Satavahana Dynasty
BI Karshapana


c. 35 BCE - 5 CE
India
Indo-Scythian
King Azes II
AE Quarter Unit | 2.27g | 16mm
Obv: Bull with monogram above, Greek legend around
Rev: Lion with Kharoshthi script around


270-275 CE
Roman Empire
Clausius II
AE Antoninianus
Obv: Bust right
Rev: CONSECRATIO, eagle right


c. 900-1200 CE
India
Post-Shahi
AE Jital | 3.34g
Obv: Bull left
Rev: Horseman right
Tye 33


c. 1200-1450 CE
Sumatra
Kingdom of Srivijaya, Singapura, or Malacca
Hindu/Buddhist Period
Tin Unit
Obv: Lion (singa) right with front left paw raised
Rev: Sword (kris)


1206-1215 CE
India
Ghurid Dynasty
Tay al-Din Yildiz
Kurraman Mint
AE Jital
Obv: Bull left
Rev: Arabic script
Tye 200​

 

Boars were very popular in Celtic Britain...
Tasciovanus, 5BC-5AD, Van Arsdell 1796-01; SCBC 236