Greek and Roman identification help!

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Nathan F, Aug 1, 2020.

  1. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
    image.jpg image.jpg
    image.jpg image.jpg I have 6 Greek coins and one Claudius coin here. Any help with identification of any or more info on any would much appreciated.
     
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  3. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg Here’s the rest.
     
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  4. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member

    The reverse on your 1st pic is upside down. Sicily-Agathokles -- Artemis/Winged thunderbolt.

    Most of your coins aren't too hard to identify with a little effort on your part. Have you tried?

    Are you familiar with some of the (free) internet resources that may help you in attributing these?
     
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  5. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    I figured out Claudius and I think one is Ptolometic but for the others I’m not sure we’re to start.
     
  6. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member

    Here are some hints to help you along.

    Your 2nd coin features Hercules as the portrait on the obverse/Apollo & wreath on reverse.
     
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  7. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member

    Your 3rd coin(at first glance) appears to be Roman Provincial with a somewhat commonly recognizable portrait of a mid 2nd-Century emperor.
     
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  8. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member

    Your 4th coin obverse portrays a gorgon. Reverse is a winged-figure deity <---What Greek deity is commonly portrayed as winged?
     
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  9. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    Pontus Amisos?
     
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  10. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member

    Your 5th coin has a Greek legend. I see a laureate portrait on the obverse and what appears to be a figure on the reverse with a spear, or perhaps a thunderbolt. The figure also looks to be holding something in its other hand.

    What deities are associated with spears/thunderbolts? The figure looks male to me, so?
     
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  11. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member

    For your 5th coin I went to acsearch.info and plugged 'the name of the deity, laureate, thunderbolt, ae' into the search tab, and after scrolling a little of the ways down, I was able to locate a coin that looked like a match.

    I then went to Coin Archives, CNG(past auctions), VCoins to see if I could find additional examples of the type. Upon seeing that the Greek legends (ΘEOΞIOΣ KΛHTAIOΣ) appeared to match-up with the reverse of your coin, I was fairly confident that I had located the correct attribution.
     
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  12. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    Here’s what I’ve got, any help filling in the two holes or additional info on the others is appreciated.

    1. Sicily Syracuse Agathokeles 317-289 BC
    2. Lydia Sardes 2nd-1st century BC
    3. ??
    4.Amisos Pontos 85-65 BC Mitheridites the Great
    5. Achaea Aigion 37-31 BC Hemiobol
    6. Agrippa Posthumous Issue Prototype Struck by Claudius AS 37-41 AD Rome mint
    7. Ptolemaic (can’t figure out the specific ruler)
     
  13. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member

    This site may help you with #3 -- (From what I can see in your pic, Antoninus Pius may be the portrait on the obverse)

    https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/

    EDIT: Use the advanced search feature. (Plugging in 'ΗΠΡ' on the reverse tab ought to get you there) Your pic of the reverse is upside down btw.


    This site may help you with #7

    http://ptolemybronze.com/ptolemy_series.html
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2020
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  14. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    3.Roman Provincial Antoninus Pius Laodicea ad Mare, Syria
    6.Struck under Caligula
    7.Still having trouble but my guess is Ptolemy IX but difference is too small to tell.
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2020
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  15. gsimonel

    gsimonel Well-Known Member

    Looks like you are making great progress. Greek coins can be quite difficult for a newbie, and I'm impressed with how much you have figured out already. Acsearch.info is a excellent resource.
    Ptolemaic coins can be notoriously difficult to pin down, and it's not unusual for sources to disagree about which emperor the coin should be attributed to. You'll need to know the size and weight. Here's a good source:
    http://ptolemybronze.com/

    http://ptolemybronze.com/ptolemy_series.html
     
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  16. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    Nice job! Laodicea as Mare is known for their large and ornamental city goddess/tyche reverses. AP usually has the largest decorative turrets (yes, actual city walls and towers... on her head!).

    Here's mine from Trajan...
    [​IMG]
    Trajan, Ruled 98-117 AD
    AE25, Struck 116/117 AD
    Syria, Seleucis and Pieria, Laodicea ad Mare

    Obverse: ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΝΕΡ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟС ΑΡΙСΤ ΚΑΙС СΕΒ ΓΕΡ ΔΑΚ ΠΑΡ, laureate head of Trajan right with drapery on left shoulder.
    Reverse: ΙΟΥΛΙΕωΝ ΤωΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΑΟΔΙΚΕωΝ ΓΞΡ, turreted and veiled bust of Tyche right, date M/KO (Caesarean year 163) before.
    References: RPC III 3797-8
    Size: 25mm, 9.8g

    And here is my Agathokles...
    [​IMG]
    Syracuse, Sicily
    Agathokles, Ruled 317-289 BC
    AE Trias, Struck circa 304-289 BC

    Obverse: ΣΩTEIPA, draped bust of Artemis Soteira (‘Artemis the Savior’) right, quiver over shoulder..
    Reverse: AΓAΘOKΛEOΣ / BAΣILEOΣ, winged thunderbolt.
    References: CNS 138; BAR Issue 20; HGC 2, 1537
    Size: 22mm, 9.5g
    Notes: Agathokles seized power in Syracuse in 317 BC. In 310, the tyrant invades North Africa and attacks Carthage, but he is beaten in 307 and must retreat to Sicily. Peace, signed the following year with the hereditary enemy, consecrated the hegemony of Agathokles over all Sicily, taking the title of king in 305 BC. He dies in 289 BC leading to the formation of the Fourth Democracy on Sicily.
     
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  17. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    Here's a coin I have that might be similar to your last one... Again size has lots to do with these Ptolemaic denominations.
    [​IMG]
    Ptolemaic Kings of Egypt
    Ptolemy IX to Ptolemy XII
    AE21 Diobol, Circa 116-51 BC
    Alexandria mint, Series 9

    Obverse: Diademed head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing tainia.
    Reverse: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, Two eagles with their wings closed standing left on thunderbolt; filleted cornucopia to left.
    References: Svoronos 1426 (Joint reign of Ptolemy VI and VIII), SNG Copenhagen 315
    Size: 21mm, 6.93g
     
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  18. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    I think mine is the same as yours.
     
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  19. Nathan F

    Nathan F Well-Known Member

    Does anyone know what it means if my Agrippa Caligula coin is a prototype and not an imitation?
     
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