Hi gang, I thought I'd share my latest area of interest with you. These coins were minted in the city of Panticapaeum in the late 4th Century B.C. into the early 3rd Century B.C. Here's more on Panticapaeum from the Encyclopedia of the Ukraine... ...and here's some info about the Kingdom of the Bosporus from the same source 4th Century B.C. Bronze AE21 6.915g 21.6mm Obverse bearded head of Pan (or Satyr) to right Reverse P(Pi not P)A, forepart of griffin left, sturgeon left beneath S 1700; SNG Cop 30 - 31, MacDonald 69; Anokhim 111; SNG BM Black Sea 869 - 871 Pantikapaion AE20 (tetrachalk) 300-275 BC 5.92gm 19.7mm Obv: Head of Pan (or Satyr), without beard, wearing ivy wreath, left Rev: Roaring lion's head left; sturgeon left below; P(Pi not P)AN surrounding Anokhin 125; SNG BMC Black Sea 883ff; SNG Stancomb 552ff AE12-13 Tauric Chersonesus, Panticapaeum, 4th cent. BC 1.93g. Obv: Beardless head of Pan (or Satyr) Rt. Rx: Bow in case, inscription P(Pi not P)AN above, TI below SNG BM-474, SNG Cop-50 In 2000 the government of the Ukraine minted this coin to commemorate the founding of Panticapaeum/Kerch 2,600 years earlier. Notice how they included images of the old coins, I thought that was neat. I've been doing a lot of reading on the Bosporan Kingdom & have taken an extreme interest in it's coinage. Just thought I'd share my new passion with you all.
I've always wondered if the city was named for the god Pan or vice versa.The other possibility was that they used Pan as their patron god as a sort of play on words in the same way that Rhodes used the rose and the letters RO as the symbol on their coins.
The city was named for the river Panticapes and as far as I know has nothing to do with Pan, Pan listed in my coin descriptions is a mistake taken from the dealers descriptions (that's what happens when I copy & paste) it's most definately a Satyr on the obverse. Pan has goat horns & a goatish physiognomy while a Satyr has asses ears, a snub nose & often wears the ivy wreath of Dionysos. As far as I know Pan has no real connection with the city. It is thought that they started using a Satyr on their coins as a tribute to King Satyrus I as these coins started being issued during the reign of his son Leucon I. The gold coins from the same era as these bronzes is quite beautiful, but unfortunately sells for between $10,000 & $50,000 a coin. http://imagedb.coinarchives.com/img/cng/065/enlarged/650151.jpg I've been wondering why so many references list these coins under Thrace. The Bosporan Kingdom was well established in its own right & was on the other end of the Black Sea from Thrace. The coins from this kingdom in Roman times are quite interesting too. Unfortunately many of them have been tooled. It's unfortunate that so many coins form this area I see have either been tooled ot been stripped of they're patina by dealers thinking it'll make them more money to have the coin look "new". I just picked up An Introduction to the History and Coinage of the Kingdom of the Bosporus by David MacDonald and published by Classical Numismatic Group. It's quite interesting & has furthered my interest in the coinage of this kingdom.
Brian they are realy great looking coins and thanks also for the short history that was very enlightning :thumb: When you get some more please share them as well De Orc
Really nice high quality coins you have there Brian. I can see that you like `getting into' the subjects that take your interest. It's great to get the history behind the items and that's why (to me at least) coins can be so educational. Your collection really will be worth keeping an eye open for if you carry on in this vein. ;-)
I guess that's why I'm enjoying Ancients so much (not that other coins don't have history too). I'm a huge enthusiast for all types of history so for me it just naturally goes along with collecting. I'm working on getting more, but these guys in nice shape are a bit tough to come by & can get a little pricey sometimes. I do have a few in the works though. It seems may coins from the area have been heavily tooled unfortunately.
Brian, I absolutely love your coins! The first coin shown (Satyr right with beard) is particularly magnificent. I've bought some Imperial Roman coins, but don't have any Greek coins. After seeing yours, I'm wondering what I'm doing. The designs are so artistic! The patina on your coins is great too. Congratulations and definitely show us when you get more!
