Featured Ptolemaic hockey puck (or Eskimo Pie)

Wow 98 grams!

 

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This one on ACSearch is listed as 107.47g!
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=7116724

 

My largest coin (in diameter) is 44.5mm but only weights 32g.
1923 Germany Weimar Republic 10,000 Mark Notgeld. I can't even put it in a flip. I have a hard time imagining what something the same diameter but 3x the weight would be like!

 

Antiochus IV led a successful war against Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII, and managed to capture most of the surrounding Egyptian countryside and was very close to capturing Alexandria if a Roman embassy hadn't stoped him. It's possible his "Egytanizing" coins were meant to celebrate his victory or to be used in the newly acquired province.

 

Wow some really heavy pieces of bronze posted here. Unfortunately, I don't own many bronze issues so my heaviest 'Ptolemy' would be this Cleopatra VII 80 drachmae at a mere 16.52 g.



Or this Octodrachm from Ptolemy III at 27.67 g.

 

Great jugate bust on that octodrachm @1934 Wreath Crown !

 

Laying claim to a disputed territory. perhaps, or paying for state goods in a recognized medium.

 

Here's mine. Not so large, of course, and from an outlying district, Cyrene.
AE 21 Ptolemy III Berenike II.

 

The 90.53 grams of this rough octobol (a cuprite patina only a collector of Chinese cash could love) is still a bit short of some of the true heavy weight octobols we have seen, but it does qualify for the official CoinTalk Octobol championship leaderboard™!



Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Ptolemy III. AE Octobol (246-222 BC, Alexandria)

 

Yes, and then the mummy will shout WEBEN! (rise) as he did in the Brendan Fraser movie The Mummy. Summoning the long dead from their slumber.

 

Super fast transit of the coin, which surprises me. May show up today, even...Certainly unexpected these days!

Updated on: Friday 18 September

1. 10:28pm
   Item Received ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS), United States of America

Hide earlier journey
Friday 18 September

1. 04:54am
   Item Leaving the UK LANGLEY HWDC

Friday 18 September

1. 12:00am
   Item Received by Royal Mail LANGLEY HWDC

Thursday 17 September

1. 06:31pm
   Item Despatched to Heathrow Worldwide DC Romford MC

Thursday 17 September

1. 06:16pm
   Item received at Romford MC

 

Since folks have posted coins outside Egypt, I will toss in my Carthage Horse of a coin.

I have posted this before, but it is the largest Hand-Stamped Ancient Coin (not a cast coin), in my collection... and, honestly, a 15-Shekel Coin (roughly 30 Denarii) is an odd denomination. I am not sure if they truly know its denomination, but this one is a "HORSE" of a Coin:

These were minted after Hannibal was defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zama in 202 BCE. Carthage was defeated and owed massive indemnity payments to Rome. Hannibal was asked to lead Carthage and reorganize their finances... This appears to be the largest denomination at 15 Shekels, and is my largest stamped coin...

This guy is a huge BRONZE... 3+ Troy Ounces





Seller write-up:
Carthage.
Circa 201-175 BC.
Æ 15 Shekels
45 mm. dia. 7.5 mm. thick. 102.6 g
Obv: Wreathed head of Tanit left
Rev: Horse standing right; uraeus above.
Ref: MAA 104 ; SNG Copenhagen 400.
Comment: Original green patina.
Note: The largest Carthaginian coin and likely one of the largest coins struck in antiquity.
rare.

This extraordinary large bronze coin was likely issued under the administration of Hannibal, who, following defeat at the battle of Zama, was appointed as chief magistrate of Carthage. Hannibal worked effectively to restore the finances of Carthage. The annual payment of 10,000 talents to Rome as reparations for the war, and the loss of control over the silver mines in Spain made the issuing of a silver coinage impossible. The immense thickness of this coin also precluded any significant relief of the die's impression

 

Interesting that Hannibal would issue such a coin. 102.6 grams!

 

...Yeah, good point. Why did he resort to this remarkable expedient? Where was the silver coming from, and how might the supply have been cut off? My first guess is Iberia, but I don't know what I'm talking about.

 

a light heavyweight category compared to yours
Ptolemy IV AE41 221 to 204 BC
41 mm / 66.8 g

 

Another lightweight:

PTOLEMY IV
AE36
OBVERSE: Diademed head of Zeus Ammon right
REVERSE: PTOLEMIAOU BASILEWS, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, looking back at cornucopiae under right wing
Struck at Egypt 221-205 BC
46.4g, 36mm
SNG Cop 221

 

@ancient coin hunter and @+VGO.DVCKS ... a nut-shell History:

After the First Punic War, Carthage had to pay indemnities to Rome. They ran out of money to pay their Mercenary army, and got tangled in a very severe and bloody war with their own Mercenaries.

The Mercenary/Libyan War (241-237 BCE), was a very cruel war in which Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, finally put down, albeit cruelly. Hamilcar later went on to Spain to gain control of the later vast silver mines from the Iberians, to bring riches to Carthage and to pay off the indemnities to Rome.

Hannibal served with his father during the cruel Mercenary War, and the Barcid Family really began a hatred towards Rome.

When the Barcids started “stirring up more trouble” with Rome in Spain, the excuse for a Second Punic War occurred. Eventually, Scipio wrested control of Spain from the Barcids and Carthage. Rome got the silver mines, and eventually won the 2nd Punic War after 16 years.

Rome exacted even much greater indemnities on Carthage. Carthage had no more silver mines, probably what silver they had were going to Rome in the huge indemnities. Hence, Hannibal issuing huge AE coins, albeit few are left, for large transactions.



Carthage-LIBYAN UPRISING - Mercenaries issue
Mercenary War 241-238 BCE
7.36g AR DiShekel
Melqart / Herakles Head in Lion's Head-
Lion walking; Punic M above; LIBYA below
R SNG Cop 240f
Overstrike

Coins were struck in the name of Libya and "M", which has been taken as either "machanat" - the Camp (of the mercenaries), or perhaps Matho, their leader

 

@Alegandron, Thanks for this! Helped out. A Lot (...especially in a vacuum...).

 

I showed them before, but here's a greeting from my three portly pucks:





Top and left, Ptolemy III; right, Ptolemy IV.
Top: 46 mm, 92.26 gr.
Left: 38 mm, 49.71 gr.
Right: 40 mm, 67.12 gr.