A REALLY old ancient gold coin

There is a line in The Birds by Aristophanes which can be interpreted to mean the character had been carrying a coin in his mouth. But, it is not completely clear. And it always sounded really impractical to me.

 

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Some cultures have done much more impractical stuff.

Take a look at Egypt. They mummified themselves.

 

Fantastic little coin and with these I can really see the benefit of collecting them in slabs, because of their small size and the guaranteed authenticity. I suppose that forging these coins is a piece of cake even for a less accomplished counterfeiter.

 

Yeah for sure. They are TINY.

What’s even crazier is that as tiny as they are they were still a substantial amount of wealth.

Losing one (which probably happened often) would be a painful financial loss.

But probably not financial ruin.

I imagine there was a point where people complained about how easy they are to use so the government decided to make a larger coin of less precious metals such as the ~4 gram silver coins we see all over the ancient world (denarius, drachma, dinar etc.,).

 

Great buy, congrats.
They call that one a sort of fleur-de-lis shaped flower.
I have always read that the incuse was to show authenticity of the metals made.

 

Amazing artifact and very informative post!

I wouldn't even have known it was a coin.
Maybe a nugget found in a stream!

 

I've shown this before, but I have a coin also from an uncertain Ionian mint, but was minted after yours, probably c. 580 BC. It is a trite (third stater) with the forepart of a ram on the obverse and two incuse punches on the reverse.

Owning a coin from the 600's BC is pretty amazing, well done on your purchase.

 

Thanks!

Yeah for sure! The only way I imagine they can identify it as a coin is:

1). The incuse punch.
2). The weight.

 

Nice one! Definitely has more detail than mine. xD

 

This Assignat threatens the counterfeiter with death (bottom left corner) during a time in the French Revolution (issued after 10/31/1793) when heads rolled for a minor offense and the money wasn't worth counterfeiting.

 

Thanks for sharing Neal! It’s fascinating how counterfeiting used to be seen as treason because issuing money was the function of the state.

I wonder if possession of counterfeit money was enough to be charged as a counterfeiter? Afterall someone in possession of counterfeit money could be a victim and not the one making it.

But I imagine it would be difficult to catch a counterfeiter red handed making fake money.

 

Glad you are getting the real oldies. These coins are fascinating/ gotta wonder which City State was first off the mark to start making coinage. Could be this coin I got from Naumann recently.

 

Then, as now, the best way was for somebody to turn them in for the reward. The writing on the lower right side of the Assignat promises to reward the person who denounces the counterfeiter.

 

Beautiful coin panzer!

According to Herodotus (writing in the 5th century BC) in his landmark "The Histories" it was the Lydians.

He says:
"So far as we have any knowledge, they [the Lydians] were the first people to introduce the use of gold and silver coins, and the first who sold goods by retail."

— Herodotus, I.94

Considering coinage was invented only a few centuries prior to Herodotus's own time I imagine people during his time would've been well aware of who created coins first.

300 years is indeed a long time but not so long that everybody would have forgotten who invented something as important as coinage.

 

Good point. Then the officials could plan and organize to catch them. Or at least find the equipment & materials used to counterfeit and link them to the counterfeiter.

Back in those brutal times it was dog eat dog.

 

Seems like a good deal with it being as old, gold and graded.

 

Yeah for sure. It’s tough to find ancient gold coins of ANY kind that are under $500 so I was glad to pick this one up for $300.

That’s including the buyer’s premium too so really the price was $250 and when you consider it’s gold I feel it’s a very reasonable price.

 

Gam3r, I don't collect, own or have any knowledge of any ancients. What I do know is that your coin impressed the heck out of me. I absolutely love your write-up and pix. Thank you for introducing this part of ancients collecting to me.

Still blown away by that piece. Kudos on what I see as a fantastic score buddy!

 

Thanks! Glad you found some interest in my write up .

I feel like a lot of people don’t take into account how hard it was to mine precious metals back in ancient times. Certainly not like today. The slaves working in the mines lived short, brutal, lives and I think as collectors we should remember that all of our precious metals required someone’s blood, sweat and tears.

 

Here is my electrum with two incuse punches on the reverse.
It is of a little later date as compared to yours.

KINGS of LYDIA. temp. Alyattes – Kroisos. 610-546 BC.
EL Trite – Third Stater (14mm, 4.69 g). Sardis mint.
Obv: Head of roaring lion right; sun with multiple rays on forehead
Rev: Two incuse square punches.
Weidauer Group XVI, 86–8; SNG Ashmolean 749–53.
NGC AU 4/5 4/5.