Pavlos' Top 10 of 2021

After all the wonderful top threads I think it is time I decided to make a top 10 as well. In regards to coin collecting, it was quite successful this year, especially the first half year. The collecting did slow down a lot in the latter half of the year and will probably continue to do so next year, but it is for the better good (family expansion plans). I sold a part of my collection as well, it were coins I did not really look at since my collection focusses changed over time or that I was planning to upgrade in the future.

#10

Euphemios, imperial protospatharios and courtier of the imperial bedchamber guarded by God, 2nd half of 10th-1st half of 11th century. Lead Seal.
Obverse: ... - T/ЄΛ, Nimbate bust of St. Pantaleon, holding medical instruments in his right hand and medicine box in his left.
Reverse: +ЄVΦHM / R’A’CΠAΘ, Є/ΠI TOV ΘЄ[O/Φ]VΛAK[TOV] / [K]OIT[ⲰN,] in five lines.
Reference: Unpublished in the standard references.
6.21g; 27mm

Let's start the first one not with a coin but with a seal.
First of all, what is a seal and what was it used for in the Byzantine empire? From simple monks to highly placed officials and emperors used lead seals to “lock” official and private correspondence and to validate or authenticate documents.
Each seal was personally made and the individual reflected their image, beliefs and perspective. Many of the seals contain prayers with a wide variety of iconography, most often their name protector (such as an individual called George, would select the image of Saint George on his seal). Because of these seals we learned a lot about the many civil and military careers and their locations in the Byzantine empire.

This individual, called Euphemios, selected the saint Pantaleon as his protector. A saint not often seen and very beautifully made on this seal! This individual must have had enough funds to hire a skilled engraver.
On the reverse we can read that Mr. Euphemios was an "imperial protospatharios and courtier of the imperial bedchamber guarded by God". In other words, as an imperial protospatharios he had a very important function, he was in charge of parts of the Imperial palace and being a courtier of the imperial bedchamber it seems he most likely was in charge of that area.
You might think, he was just taking care of some things in the imperial palace such as the bedchamber, but actually, this was an extreme privilege and a very high rank. Just to imagine how these persons walked around: a protospatharios wore a gold necklet (maniakion) adorned with pearls, a gold-adorned tunic, a golden collar (kloios) and a red doublet with gold facings.

#9

Antiochos III Megas (223 - 187 B.C.) Æ Denomination B (double). Susa mint, struck ca. 220-208 BC.
Obverse: Diademed, draped, and horned bust of Antiochos III three quarters right.
Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ANTIOXOY. Artemis huntress standing left, holding arrow and resting left hand on grounded bow.
Reference: SC 1221.

The following coin is not artistic at all. However what makes this Seleukid coin special, is that this is the face of the great king Antiochos III, from the front! A frontal view of the face of a god(dess) is not necessarily rare, but a frontal view of a king is extremely rare. This issue is also extremely rare, I have never seen another example for sale, also not in the archives.

#8

Lucania, Metapontion. AR Nomos. Circa 470-440 BC.
Obverse: Ear of barley with five grains; head of ram to left, retrograde MET up right field.
Reverse: Incuse ear of barley with six grains.
Reference: HN Italy 1485
8.17g; 19mm

Number 8 is a nice Nomos from Metapontion. What makes these coins special is a design that was made incuse. The minting process of the incuse fabric was very expensive and time consuming. To cut the reverse die directly, the die-cutter would have had to remove the entire surface of the die, with the exception of the ear itself and the rim, and he would have had to cut to a depth equal to the relief of the highest point of the ear. In other words, about three-quarters of the surface to a uniform depth of nearly 4 mm would have to be removed. All of the delicate portions of the relief would have to be left untouched, including the rim as well as the awns. Just realize what kind of artists were making these kind of dies!

#7

Ariarathes VIII – Ariobarzanes I. AR Tetradrachm. Posthumously struck in the name of Antiochos VII Euergetes (Sidetes) (138-129 B.C.). Ariaratheia or Eusebia-Tyana mint, circa 100-90 or later B.C.
Obverse: Diademed head of Antiochos VII to right.
Reverse: BAΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΟΥ Athena standing to left, holding Nike, shield and spear; to outer left, monogram above A; across inner fields, T-A; all within laurel wreath.
Reference: SC 2150.1. HGC 9, 1069.
16.55g; 28mm
Ex. Classical Numismatic Group e-auction 264, 21 September 2011, 190.

Part of the Seleukid subcollection is this posthumous struck coin from Antiochos VIII under Ariarathes VIII or Ariobarzanes I. The portrait is wonderfully struck and one of the best of this type out there.
The posthumous issues started by Ariarathes VI already, and the reason they first got struck is a mystery. There are two theories. The first theory was the payment of Seleukid mercenaries in the army of the Cappadocians, which ofcourse wanted their trusted currency, tetradrachms in the types of the last 'great' Seleukid king Antiochos VII. The second theory is that there is evidence of a brief period of Cappadocian dominance in western Cilicia. It is therefore likely that a large monetary payment prevented a Cappadocian advance into the Seleukid eastern Cilicia. After the largescale import of genuine coins of Antiochos VII, the Cappadocians started to imitate them for generations.

#6

Islands off Thrace, Thasos. AR Stater. Circa 500-480 BC.
Obverse: Ithyphallic satyr advancing to right, carrying nymph.
Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square.
Reference: Le Rider, Thasiennes 2. SNG Copenhagen 1009.
9.90g

The Thasians yielded silver in the form of their extensively struck stater (and it's fractions). The main type mostly features a 'satyr' and the stater a 'satyr carrying a nymph'. This type is probably both a pun on the island and Greek city-state, and a reference to the Dionysiac worship rooted in the region. It is most likely a representation of a thiasos, a Dionysiac dance in progress, a type chosen appropriately for a city named Thasos.
The stater I obtained is a nice example of the Archaic art of the time. The test cut is luckily not done on the scene itself. The pro of this example as well is that the hoof of the satyr is nicely visible.

#5

Lesbos, Mytilene. 3rd-2nd centuries BC. AE Tetrachalkon.
Obverse: Head of Zeus-Ammon to right.
Reverse: M-Y/T-I Terminal figure of Dionysos facing on prow; grapes to left.
Reference: BMC 134. HGC 6, 1048.
7.8g; 18mm
Very rare.

I am very glad having this bronze coin, not only is this issue very rare from Mytilene, it is also one of the best, if not the best example out there. The head of Zeus Ammon has been engraved by a real artist.

On the reverse a mask of Dionysos is mounted on a crude triangular block representing his 'body'. The story goes (by Pausanias) that Methymnaean (city on Lesbos) fishermen dragged up in their nets a xoanon (Archaic wooden cult image) of olive wood which was pronounced by the Delphic oracle to be Dionysos Κεφαλλήν (head). The people of Methymna started to offer sacrifices to it and sent a bronze copy to Delphi. This led to a cult on the island and Dionysos was worshipped as an important deity on the island. The cult figure is standing on a prow because the xoanon has been found by a ship.

#4

ISLANDS OFF CARIA, Rhodos. Rhodes. AR Drachm, circa 88/42 BC-AD 14. Struck under the magistrate Philiskos.
Obverse: Radiate head of Helios facing, turned slightly to the left.

Reverse: Ρ - Ο / ΦΙΛΙΣΚΟΣ Rose seen from above; below, corn ear to right.
Reference: Ashton & Weiss 135. (A35/P133). SNG von Aulock 2837 (same dies).
4,14g; 20mm

This coin is a wonderfully struck late Rhodian drachm. This year it seems a new hoard was discovered since a lot were being put for auction. I toke my chance to obtain a very nice example, that I actually did a low-ball bid on! I got it on my max bid, which was low nonetheless. I had an example of this type already I bought before the hoard (see here), which was published by Ashton (famous author for Rhodian coins), but in terms of condition and artistry it was worse and I sold it after I obtained the above example.

#3

Michael VII Palaeologus (1258-1282). AV Hyperpyron. Constantinople mint, 1282-1294.
Obverse: Bust of the Virgin orans within city walls with six groups of towers.
Reverse: Michael kneeling slightly right, being presented by Archangel Michael to Christ, holding Gospels, standing to right; sigla: Phi - Pi.
Reference: Sear 2242; PCPC Sigla 57; Sommer 77.1.1.
4.04g; 26mm

Number 3 is a very nice hyperpyron from Michael VIII Paleiologos, the restorer of the empire after the sack of Constantinople in 1204! Late Byzantine coinage is another topic that interests me. The bronze coinage is hard to come by and often in horrendous condition, but I guess that is part of the hobby! The gold coinage is in a better condition, but often also double struck, miss struck and/or clipped/split. I think this example has a great strike on the reverse, and a so-so strike on the obverse, which would have been perfect if the face of Mary was not double struck.


#2

ATTICA. Athens. AR Tetradrachm, circa 450 BC. Mid-mass production.
Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye.
Reverse: AΘE. Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent to left; all within incuse square.
Reference: Svoronos pl. XII.
17.17g; 24mm

I think on every wish list of an Ancient Greek coin collector, perhaps even in every Ancient coin collector, the iconic owl is one. I as well wanted one, and I wanted one that I never had to upgrade ever again. I think this example of the mass produced owl will do just fine in my checklist!

#1

Islands off Caria, Kos. EL Forty-eighth Stater, Phokaic standard. Circa 625-600 B.C.
Obverse: Crab.
Reverse: Incuse square.
Reference: Stefanaki Series I, unlisted denomination; HN Online –; cf. HGC 6, 1295 (1/96th stater).
0.34g

The top 1 will be my profile picture, a 1/48th EL stater from Kos island. Collecting coins from the Greek islands is a big part of my collection, and having this piece is great to have, it is extremely rare as well. It is the first coinage of Kos that started in 625 B.C. and was apparently used for special occasions. The intrinsic value of the early electrum, even down to the 1/96th stater, was too high for use in everyday commerce, and early coinage must have been used only for the transfer of large sums of money, such as mercantile transactions, payment of government expenses (mercenaries, tribute and such), and donatives, either for services rendered to individuals or the state, or to religious foundations.
It was not until 125 years after the first EL issues that silver issues started to appear on Kos, indicating that coins were not so abundantly used on the island.

Thanks for reading!

 

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Great 2021 pickups, @Pavlos.

Your profile picture coin (#1) is my favorite. A great crab design in gold/El. #2, 3, 4 and 8 are very nice as well.

 

Incredible year my friend! Don't ask why I LOVE that crab of yours, Kos I just do
That bronze coin of Lesbos and it's reverse make a strong case but it just has so many dazzling coins ahead of it (it aint easy being bronze). And Your Thasos is one where the test cut really does at character to the coin.
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful year

 

I don't know enough about Greek coins to understand exactly what I'm looking at in every case, but your descriptions have been educational and I can plainly see that those are some nice coins. As you said, "Everyone wants an Owl". I am no exception, and you have a nice one there!

 

What a wonderful collection, congratulations to a great year.

 

I like 10 as it is something really unique and important. Indeed this was the seal of a powerful official in close proximity to the emperor himself. You can see the start of these titles in later Roman times in documents such as the Notitia Dignitatum, where titles such as "the worshipful keeper of the sacred bedchamber" were mentioned. This individual was not really in charge of the emperors' bedding but rather a close advisor.

 

It's a pity that we don't see more topics on seals. There are more and more seals on the market, and the area seems to become more popular.
I like the eye appeal of the owl.

 

I was going to go with a tetradrachm from Athens as my favorite of these, until I read your discussion of the seal. It’s fascinating to have an artifact from someone that important in the Byzantine court.

 

I like your top two the best. The coins from the Greek islands have a very unique character to them. And Athena is very attractive on your Athens tetradrachm.

But as I said in someone else's top ten, I love reading them as I learn new things about objects I'm not really aware of. Your seal is one such object, and I love it and have it as my third choice.

Thanks for posting

 

Great diverse additions

 

#8 all the way but the next group are all desirable coins. My favorite source for Greek passed away so I may have no more.

 

Wonderful coins! I like the seal, the owl and the fractional gold stater and the Ariarathes VIII tetradrachm. That last coin has nice style and centering.

 

10, 8, and 1. All fantastic. The rest are great too, but those three really stand out.

 

Lovely coins!....8, 5 and 1 for me....Congrats on an interesting selection!

 

Thanks a lot for your words!

Thank you @Ryro!!! And a nice name pun The bronze had a hard time but definitely managed to get in my top 5! It is so much harder to get nice bronze.

Thank you for your words. I always try to explain why I bought a coin, it could be the artistry, it could be the history, or both. I hope to see an owl in your collection in the future.

Thanks @BenSi!

Thank you for the link and further information. The aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire is so complex, and changed by each dynasty as well (Alexios Komnenos for example changed the whole system again). It is interesting to read about it more.

Indeed I agree. They have become a lot more popular lately and tend to fetch high prices. I do not see that much seals on the forum though.

Thank you Gavin for your words!

Thank you and I can find myself in your answer. Greek coinage ofcourse has unique character and great artistry. The byzantine seal is a different piece of cart, especially that it was part of an individual makes it so interesting.

Thanks!

Thank you Doug! #8 indeed is a lovely piece with the incuse.

Thanks a lot @robinjojo! I hope to add more owls in the future. With my diverse collecting interests it is hard to have a budget for everything.

Thank you Donna! Glad to see that everyone loves the Kos EL fraction like I do.

Thank you @Spaniard!

 

Beatutiful coins, I like 2, 7 and 8.

 

That Kos El-48 Stater is eye-popping; impressive!
Voted for #1, #4 and #7

Congrats for all your 2021 coins

 

All fantastic coins Pavlos, but your owl is absolutely spectacular, I also love your Kos crab, congrats on a great year.

 

I love #7 #4 and #1 the best. Your Michael VIII Hyperpyron is a better quality strike them most that you see on auction sites. Seems the Byzantine mints quality controls went to the dumpster after 1200AD.
John

 

I chose #8, #4, and #1 ... beautiful coins all!