A lady and an octopus...(Rated PG-13)

There are a lot of jokes you could make about a lady an an octopus, especially in Japan, but we are in the west and this is a family friendly forum.

I have this thing in the mail from Europe. Hopefully it will get to the US sooner or later and unharmed (fingers crossed) but I still wanted to go ahead and share it anyway.


Sicily, Syracuse, c. 425-415 BC. Æ Onkia (12mm, 1.47g, 6h). Head of Arethusa r. R/ Octopus; pellet below. CNS II, 9; SNG ANS 383; HGC 2, 1434. Dark green patina

POST ANY COINS WITH SEA CREATURES OR COINS FROM SYRACUSE

 

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Damn nice example of the type. These minuscule things are usually pretty beaten up.

 

Arethusa looks sad. That is a nice looking coin and an octopus is a creature I have wanted to add.

I may have a coin to share later.

 

Nice coin. I like the different animal types on ancient coins. I would love to have a Scylla (part man and part octopus made from boat parts a bit like a Transformer), but they are not common and there are plenty of others who want one also.
I have learned Octopus in other languages reading auction descriptions:
Tintenfisch, German
pulpo, Spanish
polpo, Italian
Octopus, Dutch

 

This coin has proved to be very challenging for me to get a decent photo of. Here's the best I did the last time I tried to shoot it. Maybe next time it will come out better.

This coin meets all of your qualifications Sallent - Syracuse and sea creatures!


Syracuse, Sicily; 405-367 BC
AE, litra, 29.2mm, 25.16g; 6h
Obv.: Head of Athena left, wearing Corinthian helmet decorated with an olive wreath - SYPA
Rev.: Octopus between two dolphins

 

Nice pickup!

I have a similar Syracusian coin but with facing portrait and a slightly larger denomination. Despite its modest condition, because of its artistry it is a favorite in my collection


Sicily, Syracuse. Dionyisos I
c. 390 BCE
Æ tetras, 14 mm, 1.8 gm
Obv: head of nymph facing slightly left, wearing necklace
Rev: octopus
Ref: CNS 29; SNG ANS 385

Another tetras, less artistic but with interesting devices:


Sicily, Syracuse. Second Democracy
c. 425 BCE
Æ tetras, 13 mm, 1.9 gm
Obv: Female head right (Arethusa?); XXX before; X behind
Rev: Hippocamp right, octopus below
Ref: CNS 30; SNG ANS 1382; rare

My best and favorite coin is from Syracuse:

SICILY, Syracuse. Agathokles
struck 310-305 BCE
AR tetradrachm, 17.40 g, 24 mm
Obv: head of the nymph Arethusa left, wearing grain wreath, earring and necklace; around, three dolphins; under, monogram (NK?)
Rev: ΣYPAKOΣIΩN, fast chariot charioteer leads to left, holding reins and kentron; above, triskeles; in exergue, monogram
Ref: Ierardi 12 (O2-R8); SNG Copenhagen 573 var., SNG ANS 637
The story of its acquisition is here.

Another Syracusian coin with sea creature:


SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysius I (400-345 BC)
Æ 20 mm, 8.23 gm
Struck c. 390 BCE
Obv: head of Athena left, wearing wreathed Corinthian helmet pushed back on head
Rev: hippocamp left
Ref: Calciati 35. SNG ANS 426

Crab hat and crab reverse:


BRUTTIUM, the Brettii
216-214 BCE
Æ quartuncia, 13.5mm, 2.06 g
Obv: head of Amphitrite (Poseidon's wife) left, wearing crab headdress
Rev: crab; torch above, BPET-TIΩN above and below
Ref: Pfeiler p. 33, 4a; Scheu, Bronze 51; HN Italy 1944; SNG ANS 123–4; SNG Lloyd –; McClean 1579

Another with sea creatures on both sides; anepigraphic:


CALABRIA, Tarentum
325-280 BCE
AR litra, 11 mm, 0.56 gm
Obv: scallop shell
Rev: dolphin right, trident below (I think it might be a bunch of grapes)
Ref: Vlasto 1530 (if grapes rather than trident, Vlasto 1527)
freed from an NGC slab

More hippocamps:


PHOENICIA, Byblos. Uzzibaal
350-335 BC (dates might be off)
AR dishekel, 13.3 gm
Obv: Three hoplites with shields in war galley left, roaring lion's head on prow, waves below galley; hippocamp left below; Z O (N O?) in field
Rev: Phoenician inscription; lion attacking bull left
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 132, BMC 26.95, 4
Needs a reshoot. The toning isn't that brown.


ROMAN REPUBLIC
Moneyer Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus
69 BCE (revised from Crawford's 72 BCE)
AR serrate denarius; 3.99 gm
Obv: draped bust of Amphitrite seen from behind, with head turned r.; behind, sea anemone; horizontal I to right of right shoulder (only partly visible on this coin)
Rev: Neptune in biga of hippocamps right, holding reins and brandishing trident; above, I and below, Q·CREPER·M·F / ROCVS
Ref: Crawford 399/1b; Babelon Crepereia 1. Sydenham 796a. Rare.
from HJB BBS 200, October 2016
ex NAC 78 lot 1828, from the JD Collection of Roman Republican Coins

...

The attribution you recorded for your incoming coin is "Arethusa". I wonder about the degree of certainty of that. What makes that particular portrait Arethusa rather than any ol' nymph or generic female head? The frequency of Arethusa's depiction on other coins of Syracuse? Numismatic tradition? With her hair pulled into a small and high topknot she looks more like Artemis. I thought Arethusa was identified not only by her general style but by her accessories (dolphins, earrings).

 

Gorgeous posts!!!

EXCELLENT!!! That's a super coin!! Congrats @Sallent !!!

 

Great coin @Sallent ... nice strike

OCTOPUS:

Sicily Syracuse AE 12-10mm 1.4g Female Hd - Octopus BMC 249

SICILY: (I have several, but here are a few interesting ones)


Sicily Akragas AE Trias 23mm 8.5g 287-241 BCE Beardless Zeus Hellanios 2 Eagles hare in talons HGC 2 159


Sicily Syracuse ca 410 BC AE 19 Athena Wreath Hippocamp


Sicily Syracuse AE 18 357-344 BC Female Hd Dolphin Scallop


Sicily Syracuse Hieron II 275-215 BCE AE20 Poseidon Trident Dolphin


Sicily Kainon AE Tetras 20mm 6.7g Griffon - Horse Prancing SNG COP 133


Sicily Kalakte AE unit 2nd C BCE Head Athena in Helmet - Owl rev RARE

 

We're the flans of these onkias cast first and then the coin struck, or was the whole process a casting job?

 

My Syracuse octopus AR litra is really a lousy example of the type but the smaller hemilitron

has hair styled much like yours. Does anyone else see humor that Sallent posted a bronze and I came back with silvers?

I believe your coin was struck on a flan cast as a long chain that was cut into individual flans leaving the sprues. This was common in Sicily.

 

Ooops... my dyslexia kicked in. Mea Culpa.

 

My apologies Mr @Sallent , and thanks @dougsmit ; my Dyslexia truly kicked in.

SYRACUSE:

 

Rather than post another 'Hieron', I'll throw in this modest bronze of Agathokles:


Ae-19mm under Agathokles, 317-295 BC., Syracuse mint on Sicily. Av. head of Kore left Rv. bull butting left--- with a black patina, weight is 6,20gr. SNG Munich 1230

 

Nice Octopus coin Sallent.
How about this squid:

 

Oh cool! Don't think I've ever seen a squid before.

 

cheater!

oh man, i don't have any syracuse sea creatures....but that's an awesome octopus!

 

Looks good enough to eat!

 

Thats a great coin!

 

Another great coin to get your bronze collection going Sallent, and TIF I just read for the first time how you acquired that fantastic TET, jee wiz you really worked hard for that coin, well deserved.