Something small from Berk Bid/Buy 216

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by kazuma78, May 29, 2021.

  1. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    First time I've bought something from Harlan Berk, though I always look at his sales. Its not perfect but the toning is attractive and I thought it would be something fun to mess with until all the sales at the end of June are complete. Thats where I hope to get something really nice. Let me know your thoughts and post your coins of Taras!
    image.jpg

    Calabria, Tarentum; 302-281 BC, Drachm, 3.20g. Vlasto-1077. Obv: Head of Athena l., wearing crested helmet. Rx: Owl standing facing.. gVF
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2021
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  3. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Probably the most well known coin from Taras:

    P1150344 tone.jpg
     
  4. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    This is a drachm 281-272BC showing the owl on a snake. I need a new photo that handles the dark, shiny surfaces better. It spells out TAPANTINΩN above the owl. What is the meaning of the other letters ΣΩ at right and ΛΙ left of the owl's tail? It was sold in 1992 as Vlasto 1087 but I do not have that reference to check.
    g10210bb0606.jpg
    new image --- better? g10210aa0606.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2021
  5. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Doug, I think its stands for 2 Magistrates LI = Likinos, SO for Sogenes
     
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  6. CaptHenway

    CaptHenway Survivor

    I like that cute little owl!
     
  7. Sidney Osborne

    Sidney Osborne Well-Known Member

    More owls needed for the invasions of mice....
     
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  8. Restitutor

    Restitutor Well-Known Member

    Nice pick up! Though I don’t think I’d ‘Tap’ an owl like the reverse seems to suggest you should/can :hilarious:
     
  9. Sidney Osborne

    Sidney Osborne Well-Known Member

    You're right...the one with the snake, though....more like that one...
     
  10. Silphium Addict

    Silphium Addict Well-Known Member

    Doug
    Your coin is not Vlasto 1087 which has ΣΩΛΜ at right on the reverse
    V1087.jpg
    looks more like Vlasto 1084 or 1085 (same reverse dies)
    V1084.jpg
    John
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2021
  11. Silphium Addict

    Silphium Addict Well-Known Member

    Tough to pick a favorite for Taras but here are two (obverse and reverse images reversed):
    jt174.jpg
    Taras AR didrachm 380-345 BC 7.77 gm
    O: helmeted warrior holding shield while riding horse left, Δ below
    R: Taras holding kantharos while riding dolphin left; waves below;
    dolphin left at lower right; Ε lower right; ΤΑΡΑΣ downward at right
    Vlasto 387(this coin); FB 647r(o351/r499)

    jt038.jpg
    Taras AR half shekel 212-209 BC 3.55 gm
    O: warrior throwing spear while riding horse right; ΦΙ to right; +ΙΛΙΑΡΧΟΣ below
    R: Taras throwing trident while riding dolphin right; ΤΑΡΑΣ below
    Vlasto 983 (this coin), from Taranto hoard 1908
     
  12. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    Those are both great but I LOVE the punic half shekel. If you ever part with that one, you let me know!
     
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  13. robinjojo

    robinjojo Well-Known Member

    That's a very nice drachm. I was thinking of snatching it up, until I saw the "sold" notation, which, for some reason is very washed out on my screen.

    Nice catch!
     
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  14. kazuma78

    kazuma78 Supporter! Supporter

    Thanks! I hesitated because the owl isn't quite as crisp as I'd like and its not perfectly centered, but I figured for the price, it was still worth it with the obverse being so nice. The video makes it look better than the pictures in my opinion.
     
  15. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    From what I can see from the screened photos, I agree. Yesterday I was sorting through my attic collection of auction catalogs and came across the Ratto sale of the Cote collection in 1929. (Things like this make me wonder if I really want to dispose of them.) Cote 435 is the same specimen as Vlasto 1087. Cote 436 is the same coin with some variations (quelques variantes - this is my kind of cataloging, not too specific). This coin strikes me as a die match for the reverse of Vlasto 1085 which is my current best guess for mine. The Cote 436 was a very, very nice coin (it realized 100 s.fr ($19.24 in 1929) but the terrible, same size screened photo makes it hard to be certain. That is why I prefer what we have today:
    https://www.kuenker.de/en/archiv/stueck/290419
    It sure would have been nice if all those old catalogs (the ones that will go in the recycle when I die) had been shot on a digital camera - even a lousy one - an saved as electronic files. I wonder if any of those files will still be readable in another century or will all those Cloud files go away without leaving a trace.

    I believe the left magistrate is delta rather than lambda. Where did you get the names as expanded?
     
  16. Silphium Addict

    Silphium Addict Well-Known Member

    Doug
    I agree the Vlasto 1084-1085, Cote 436 reverse is the same as your coin. Can’t find a die match for the obverse in either book, but there are several coins with the same obverse (characteristic die break under nose) and reverse when “Vlasto 1084” is used on ACsearch.

    My copies of Ravel (Vlasto) and Cote are reprints so the plates are not even as good as the originals.

    The first letter on the reverse lower left is a Delta.
    Sometime names are spelled out on the didrachms. An appendix of “signatures” starts on p 233 in Evans “Horsemen of Tarentum” NC 1889:
    https://www.scribd.com/document/774...g-an-essay-on-artists-engravers-and-magistrat
    John
     
  17. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    That's a general problem for me with a lot of the text on the Berk website, including the coin descriptions. Or maybe my eyes are just getting old.
     
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  18. robinjojo

    robinjojo Well-Known Member

    I think the visual problem with the Harlan Berk buy/bid auction pages is due to a combination of only average quality resolution with my screen, no doubt rapidly becoming obsolete, as well as a bad choice of color, a very light goldenrod color for "sold".

    I have similar resolution problems with Google Maps, especially with minor streets.
     
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  19. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Changing the text to "high contrast" (whether it's an option one already has or one uses an app) is helpful in viewing text on a lot of websites -- which tend to use text that's more gray than black -- but it has the downside of negatively affecting coin photos. So there's no perfect solution I know of.
     
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  20. robinjojo

    robinjojo Well-Known Member

    Do you use Photoshop for your images? I find that it has lots of options for resolution and lighting/shadow effects. I'm still on a learning curve using it, as well as taking halfway decent photos.
     
  21. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    No, but I don't have a problem with my own images. It's other people's websites that are often a problem for me: if the text is dark enough for me to read easily, then the coin images are too dark. If the coin images are OK, the text isn't dark enough. As I said, I think it's a sign of age-related vision deterioration in general. Plus I just found out that I have early-stage cataracts in both eyes, especially my left eye. So eventually I'll need surgery, although I'm in no rush!
     
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