Hello friends, here's a handful of ancient coins. Payment by Paypal, check, or MO. Please PM me if you're interested in any of them. Shipping is $4 for any amount of coins within the US, tracked. Peace! JA Prices reduced! ________________________________________ 1. Here is a hemidrachm of Cherronesos, a rare variety with pentagram. This coin is well-centered, with a strongly-detailed lion, and lovely metallic-gray toning. The history of these coins and their varieties are well-covered by Reid Goldberg here, and Barry Murphy here. I found only six of the pentagram varieties online, four on acsearch here, and two at CNG here. Was $135, now...$115 THRACE, Black Sea Area. Cherronesos. AR Hemidrachm, 2g, 14mm; Circa 400-350 BC. Obv.: Forepart of lion right, head reverted. Rev.: Quadripartite incuse; • pentagram, VE monogram. Reference: cf. McClean 4072; BMC Thrace pg. 185, 43. ________________________________________ 2. The island of Rhodes was famous for one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes. This minute bronze circulated a century before its construction. The rhoda is a pink hibiscus native to the island, and most of its ancient coin types feature the flower in one variety or another. This coin has admirable detail and a pleasing patina. Was $25, now...$19 Caria, Rhodes Æ10, 0.9g, 12h; c. 394-304 BC. Obv.: P-O either side of rose, Σ to left. Rev.: Rose. Reference: SNG Cop 248. ________________________________________ 3. A number of ancient cities were named after goats. This coin comes from Aigai in Aiolis, with a handsome bust of Apollo and a detailed goat’s head with curved horns. The letters of the city are also quite sharp, and the surfaces are perfectly clean. Was $65, now... $59 (Go to the wiki article on Aigai, and scroll to the bottom to see fascinating pictures of its excavation, which began in 2002.) Aiolis, Aigai AE10 0.9g, 11h; c. 3rd Century BC Obv.: Laureate head of Apollo right. Rev.: Head and neck of a goat, AIΓAE behind. Reference: SNG von Aulock 1593; SNG Copenhagen 1. ________________________________________ 4. “Cista (or cista mystica), a basket used for housing sacred snakes in connection with the initiation ceremony into the cult of Bacchus (Dionysus). In the Dionysian mysteries a serpent, representing the god, was carried in a box called a cista on a bed of vine leaves. This may be the Cista mentioned by Clement of Alexandria which was exhibited as containing the phallus of Dionysus. The cista mentioned in the mysteries of Isis may also have held a serpent, the missing phallus of Osiris. The fertility festival of the women of Arretophoria included cereal paste images ‘of serpents and forms of men,’ in other words, phallic symbols.” -Numiswiki, read more. This is a dazzling example of the cista mystica types from Pontos, Amisos. The reverse is struck off-center, which is common on these types, but nothing is clipped. In fact, the strike allows for the complete inscription AMIΣOY. The green stuff is all mineral deposit, no problems. Was $69, now... $57 PONTOS, Amisos AE20, 8.2g, 12h; 85-65 BC. Obv.: Head of Dionysos with ivy wreath right. Rev.: AMIΣOY; Cista mystica with panther skin and thyrsus; monogram in left field. Reference: SNG Cop145; SNG Black Sea 1205-7 ________________________________________ 5. SOLD ________________________________________ 6. Fortuna Redux was the goddess of safe returns, introduced to Roman religion in 19 BC, marking the return of Augustus to Rome from Asia Minor. She appears on a number of Roman coins issued throughout the first three centuries, and is the most common depiction of Fortuna. In AD 113, Trajan embarked on his last campaign, against the Parthians, to which the reverse of this coin refers. The history of his Eastern travels is complex, punctuated by significant military successes, but the invocation of Fortuna Redux was to no avail - he fell ill and died of edema before he could return to Rome. This is just one beautiful denarius, one of the nicest coins of Trajan I’ve handled. Was $130, now... $120 Trajan, AD 98-117 AR denarius, 3.3g, 19m, 6h; Rome mint, AD 114-117. Obv.: IMP CAES NER TRAIAN OPTIM AVG GERM DAC; Laureate bust right. Rev.: PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI PP SPQR; Fortuna seated left holding a rudder and cornucopia // FORT RED Reference: RIC II Trajan 315, p. 266 ________________________________________ 7. The ancient city of Zeugma was founded by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great’s generals. It came under Roman rule in 64 BC, and thrived as a commercial center owing to its strategic location along the Silk Road, connecting Antioch with China. This coin is one of the most fascinating provincial types for its use of perspective. The grove of trees in front of the temple, enclosed by a border known as a peribolos, expands outward toward the bottom of the coin, to suggest a three-dimensional scene. Although the surfaces of this example are finely porous, the merits of the coin far outweigh its weathering. The bust is elegant and expressive, and the reverse detail is all present and accounted for: the temple, the god, the garden, and Capricorn below. (The Capricorn was the symbol of Legio IIII Scythica.) This large bronze will NOT disappoint you in hand! Was $79, now... $69 Philip I “The Arab” AD 244-249 AE30, 13.7g, 6h; Zeugma in Commagene. Obv.: ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΑΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟC CΕΒ; Laureate draped bust right, from behind. Rev.: ΖΕΥΓΜ-ΑΤΕΩΝ; Tetrastyle temple with peribolos enclosing the sacred grove of trees, statue of seated Zeus within temple, capricorn left in exergue. Reference: BMC 29 ________________________________________ 8. SOLD ________________________________________ 9. Here’s an exceedingly well-struck antoninianus of Gallienus, SECVRIT PERPET type. Securitas is beautifully engraved and sharp. Minting quality degraded considerably during this period, hence the ragged flan and uneven strike. This is a special coin therefore, as you don’t see reverses like this on the ants of Gallienus every day. Was $40, now... $35 Gallienus, AD 253-268 Æ Antoninianus, 3.4g, 22mm, 11h; Rome mint, 260-268. Obv.: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right. Rev.: SECVRIT PERPET; Securitas standing left, legs crossed, holding scepter and leaning on column; H in right field. Reference: RIC 5(a) 280, p. 155 ________________________________________ 10. SOLD
