2500 Years Old Silver Drachma Coin - please comment This is a DRACHMA coin from Histria. It was made from silver in the 5th century BC. This is the first model of coin made on Romanian Land, before Romans came. ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170482327043 original coin: (http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moned%C4%83) my coin: Yes, I'm selling it. What you think about it?
I am unclear what is being asked. This type comes in several varieties and denominations. Varieties include which head is upright (the two coins here match) and which way the eagle faces (these two are opposite). The top coin is obviously what is called either a drachm or stater (depending on who you ask - they weigh about 5g and probably were not called either name by the people who issued them) with slight double striking on the reverse. Without a weight, I'm not sure what denomination the bottom one is. The bottom coin has a heavy die break on the obverse and is the only one I have seen this severe. I suspect from the reverse that it was damaged by being struck without a blank in place but was kept in use making coins that showed the die damage. These are beautiful and very popular coins with a lot of discussion relating to the meaning of the two heads. Staters are most popular but a bit more common than the smaller fractions. The smallest I have seen is this .3g example which could be 1/12 of the stater but, again, that is just a guess. If one calls the big one a drachm, then the smallest could be a hemiobol but I really doubt that ancient Istrians used the currency system of the Athenians and it is wrong to force these names on coins from other regions. Fakes exist; both ancient and modern. Ancient fakes can be plated fourrees or very wildly styled barbarous copies that often replace the legends with rows of dashes. Someone could do the science of numismatics a great service by conduction a full study of these interesting coins. I would not be surprised if someone is not already working on this project (perhaps in Romania???).
Thanks for reply. Nobody studied my coin. I will post later the weight so you can help me with it. What should I do with it? Thanks again.
The weight is right for it to be a genuine stater/drachm. The die style strikes me as believable but usually these are more round rather than ovol. I suspect the coin is genuine but it needs to be shown in person to someone who knows the series. noob = noo bee = newby = a person new to the subject
Ok, thanks because I read that a noob' was; Someone who does not know how the world works, what is going on, or anything. They aren't as new as annoying. A newbie is someone new but isn't an idiot. A n00b is the most annoying thing on this earth!
A problem with a forum like this one is we have a wide range of levels of expertise. Some with a second level expertise disparage those who wre where they were a few weeks earlier and consider their beginner questions annoying. Others who have published serious books on the subject field beginner questions with patience. One man's annoying noob is another's opportunity to give back for the help received when he was one.
