A bucket-list coin

...No, nothing dramatic, at least in terms of the price. But, with ongoing thanks to everyone here who's talked up Marc Breitsprecher on VCoins, this was the first of these I've ever had.

Lacking the references he cites, I'll just quote Breitsprecher's listing.

"Title: Persia. Achaemenid Empire. Artaxerxes I to Xerxes II (455-420 BC) AR Siglos
Attribution: Carradice Type IV group A
Date: 455-420 BC
Obverse: Great King right, in a running or kneeling stance, holding bow and dagger, small punch mark in right field
Reverse: Shallow rectangular incuse
Size: 16.02mm
Weight: 5.56 grams
Description: VF."
...I needed the convergence of the familar reverse incuse with the 5th c. chronology (Herodotus, and so forth), along with the obverse detail, including the banker's mark.

Post any coin that you're really glad you finally found. Especially independently of the price range. ...Medieval is optional, but encouraged!

 

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Very desirable and classic coin
Big fan of Mark Breitsprecher
Your countermark is proof of ancient super markets, as clearly it's an inverse Safeway logo


Here's mine. He deserves a better picture than that. And has the Playboy bunny countermark on his reverse (proof of something entirely more sexy was going on back then as well):

 

@Ryro, that's Brilliant. Safeway --Of Course; I was at one on the way home from work this very day! As one of our poets liked to say, --Coincidence?
Regarding Playboy, back in the day, I used to prefer Penthouse, for the relative diversity of the subjects. (Is this legal? Skin color.)

 

Very nice coin! A later version of this is on my short list, but I haven't picked it up yet so I don't have anything shiny to show here...

Also, perhaps the coin was upside down when it was countermarked at Safeway?

 

LOL

 

A bargain bin Siglos at 10 euros.

 

Sweet, @JayAg47.
...I still miss real coin shows, ...and having any money at the effectively random intervals when I got to them. (I'm whining; somebody needs to slap me.)

 

There are four major types of these Persian sigloi. I have three so my 'bucket list' includes Type 1 which I am missing. Type I is a half length figure (no legs) holding a clutch of arrows in hand. Rather few of them are well centered and clearly struck showing the arrows as well as this Triton coin:
https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=272235
More look like this one:
https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=380222

Type II - drawing bow shooting arrow


Type III - spear over shoulder


Type IV - with dagger


Certainly many come with countermarks. The type IV below has several including one cute little owl. These coins were supposed to be oval struck vertically but this one was made horizontally which may have made it suspicious to several people who added their own test marks???


The three types I have also come as gold darics but I have never seen a Type I in gold.

 

ACHAEMENID EMPIRE
AR Siglos
OBVERSE: Persian king or hero in kneeling/running stance right, holding spear and bow
REVERSE: Incuse punch
Struck at Persia, 485-420 BC
5.5g, 16mm
Carradice Type IIIb, Group A/B (pl. XII, 18)

 

I hate you people...now I want one of these...

 

So it looks like mine is a Type IV. I did not know this.

 

Very cool assortment; seeing the range is a real education. ...What can people recommend for (um, online) references?

 

Wonderful coin. A siglos(or perhaps a few) is a bucket list coin for me too, even with my otherwise specialized collecting focus, but I haven't acquired any yet.

 

On your page, @red_spork. Only took me, what, 53 years....

 

Darius II - Artaxerxes II, (420 - 375 B.C.)
Persian Empire, Lydia, Anatolia
AR Siglos
O: Kneeling-running figure of the Great King right, bearded, crowned, dagger in right hand, bow in left hand, waist indicated, pellets on sleeves.
R: Oblong incuse.
Sardes (Sart, Turkey) mint
14mm
5.2g
Carradice Type IV (middle) B, pl. XIV, 43; SNG Kayhan 1033; SGCV II 4683

 

Big congrats @+VGO.DVCKS ! Nice to get Bucket List Items... very cool.


Persia Achaemenid Type III spear over shoulder Darius I to Xerxes II Ca 485-420 BCE AR Siglos Bankers Marks Incuse rev

 

I wanted one of those too and managed to get one cheaply

Auction house attribution:

PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. temp. Darios I to Xerxes II (ca 485-420 BC) AR Siglos, Sardes mint.
Persian king or hero, wearing kidaris and kandys , quiver over shoulder, in kneeling-running stance right, holding spear and bow
Rev: Incuse punch.
Carradice Type IIIb, Group A/B (pl. XII, 17); Meadows, Administration 322; BMC Arabia pl. XXV, 17; Sunrise 25
5,44 g, 17 mm

 

PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire.
Darios I to Xerxes II. Circa 485-420 BCE
AV Daric (14mm, 8.30 g).
Lydo-Milesian standard.
Sardes mint.
Persian king or hero, wearing kidaris and kandys, quiver over shoulder, in kneeling-running stance right, holding spear in right hand, bow in left /
Incuse punch.
Carradice Type IIIb, Group A/B (pl. XIII, 27);
Meadows, Administration 321; BMC Arabia pl. XXIV, 26
Ex: CNG

 

Hi @+VGO.DVCKS ,

One place to start is here https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=siglos

- Broucheion

 

Congrats, @ambr0zie! Love it when that happens! @Alegandron, I like how you waited to bring out the heavy artillery! :<}