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A lady and an octopus...(Rated PG-13)
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<p>[QUOTE="TIF, post: 2675430, member: 56859"]Nice pickup! </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>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 <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.cointalk.com%252Fproxy.php%253Fimage%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%25252Fmedia%25252Fae43f8_b951978245b64425a71013018a99516d.jpg%25252Fv1%25252Ffill%25252Fw_850%25252Ch_436%25252Cal_c%25252Cq_90%25252Fae43f8_b951978245b64425a71013018a99516d.jpg%2526hash%253Db9f62059115bb22f55327542b4b324b3%26hash%3Deb89347ad6258907edcaa9fec7a47ee8&hash=33f169b317dea775f7e7eb81c2117594" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Sicily, Syracuse. Dionyisos I</b></p><p>c. 390 BCE</p><p>Æ tetras, 14 mm, 1.8 gm</p><p>Obv: head of nymph facing slightly left, wearing necklace</p><p>Rev: octopus</p><p>Ref: CNS 29; SNG ANS 385</p><p><br /></p><p>Another tetras, less artistic but with interesting devices:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%252Fmedia%252Fae43f8_61a36d205a14409b827d2aec9e29cfc0.jpg%252Fv1%252Ffill%252Fw_1000%252Ch_510%252Cal_c%252Cq_90%252Fae43f8_61a36d205a14409b827d2aec9e29cfc0.jpg%26hash%3D4e05fb18eb697a4cd90a57ad3fdcf5b7&hash=9b604e820ba1f5fb33f4613a594a4a6a" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Sicily, Syracuse. Second Democracy</b></p><p>c. 425 BCE</p><p>Æ tetras, 13 mm, 1.9 gm</p><p>Obv: Female head right (Arethusa?); XXX before; X behind</p><p>Rev: Hippocamp right, octopus below</p><p>Ref: CNS 30; SNG ANS 1382; rare</p><p><br /></p><p>My best and favorite coin is from Syracuse:</p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.cointalk.com%252Fproxy.php%253Fimage%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%25252Fmedia%25252Fae43f8_7b2de20fa2f9493b92586ff830e4c774.jpg%25252Fv1%25252Ffill%25252Fw_1000%25252Ch_625%25252Cal_c%25252Cq_90%25252Fae43f8_7b2de20fa2f9493b92586ff830e4c774.jpg%2526hash%253D8fcd1894533ec93630413e836bfc6cc5%26hash%3D7dea61ccb90f0498bca9d71f14fb7660&hash=234ee9318968e225ff518172658f3e25" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>SICILY, Syracuse. Agathokles</b></p><p>struck 310-305 BCE</p><p>AR tetradrachm, 17.40 g, 24 mm</p><p>Obv: head of the nymph Arethusa left, wearing grain wreath, earring and necklace; around, three dolphins; under, monogram (NK?)</p><p>Rev: ΣYPAKOΣIΩN, fast chariot charioteer leads to left, holding reins and kentron; above, triskeles; in exergue, monogram</p><p>Ref: Ierardi 12 (O2-R8); SNG Copenhagen 573 var., SNG ANS 637</p><p>The story of its acquisition is <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-adventures-in-bidland-agathokles-tetradrachm.243930/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-adventures-in-bidland-agathokles-tetradrachm.243930/">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another Syracusian coin with sea creature:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/syracuse-dionysiusi-hippocamp-reshootrt-jpg.495475/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysius I (400-345 BC)</b></p><p>Æ 20 mm, 8.23 gm</p><p>Struck c. 390 BCE</p><p>Obv: head of Athena left, wearing wreathed Corinthian helmet pushed back on head</p><p>Rev: hippocamp left</p><p>Ref: Calciati 35. SNG ANS 426</p><p><br /></p><p>Crab hat and crab reverse:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wixstatic.com%2Fmedia%2Fae43f8_ab60fd00616e4a02a0a6a1c59cb8ae34.jpg%2Fv1%2Ffill%2Fw_1000%2Ch_625%2Cal_c%2Cq_90%2Fae43f8_ab60fd00616e4a02a0a6a1c59cb8ae34.jpg&hash=b9031ced763ca5900fddd5e05c96b830" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-bronze-of-the-brettii-poseidons-wife.274722/#post-2347653" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-bronze-of-the-brettii-poseidons-wife.274722/#post-2347653">BRUTTIUM, the Brettii</a></b></p><p>216-214 BCE</p><p>Æ quartuncia, 13.5mm, 2.06 g</p><p>Obv: head of Amphitrite (Poseidon's wife) left, wearing crab headdress</p><p>Rev: crab; torch above, BPET-TIΩN above and below</p><p>Ref: Pfeiler p. 33, 4a; Scheu, Bronze 51; HN Italy 1944; SNG ANS 123–4; SNG Lloyd –; McClean 1579</p><p><br /></p><p>Another with sea creatures on both sides; anepigraphic:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.cointalk.com%252Fproxy.php%253Fimage%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%25252Fmedia%25252Fae43f8_8e06bad0c82747db9f5c5e8530bbdfe7.jpg%25252Fv1%25252Ffill%25252Fw_1000%25252Ch_513%25252Cal_c%25252Cq_90%25252Fae43f8_8e06bad0c82747db9f5c5e8530bbdfe7.jpg%2526hash%253D871070f815c7594ea03303390af2db81%26hash%3D7c94cb538ef19b36d0dacbcb87d602b1&hash=83117b8c1c2da1cdb9adc2782620150c" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>CALABRIA, Tarentum</p><p>325-280 BCE</p><p>AR litra, 11 mm, 0.56 gm</p><p>Obv: <b>scallop</b> shell</p><p>Rev: dolphin right, trident below (I think it might be a bunch of grapes)</p><p>Ref: Vlasto 1530 (if grapes rather than trident, Vlasto 1527)</p><p><i>freed from an NGC slab</i></p><p><br /></p><p>More hippocamps:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/phoeniciabyblosdishekel-1000-jpg.350736/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-a-coin-from-the-purple-people.250752/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-a-coin-from-the-purple-people.250752/">PHOENICIA, Byblos. Uzzibaal</a></b></p><p>350-335 BC (dates might be off)</p><p>AR dishekel, 13.3 gm</p><p>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</p><p>Rev: Phoenician inscription; lion attacking bull left</p><p>Ref: SNG Copenhagen 132, BMC 26.95, 4</p><p><i>Needs a reshoot. The toning isn't that brown.</i></p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/crepereiusdenarius-rt-jpg.551061/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>ROMAN REPUBLIC</b></p><p><b>Moneyer Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus</b></p><p>69 BCE (revised from Crawford's 72 BCE)</p><p>AR serrate denarius; 3.99 gm</p><p>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)</p><p>Rev: Neptune in biga of hippocamps right, holding reins and brandishing trident; above, I and below, Q·CREPER·M·F / ROCVS</p><p>Ref: Crawford 399/1b; Babelon Crepereia 1. Sydenham 796a. Rare.</p><p><i>from HJB BBS 200, October 2016</i></p><p><i>ex NAC 78 lot 1828, from the JD Collection of Roman Republican Coins</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>...</i></p><p><br /></p><p>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).[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="TIF, post: 2675430, member: 56859"]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 :) [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.cointalk.com%252Fproxy.php%253Fimage%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%25252Fmedia%25252Fae43f8_b951978245b64425a71013018a99516d.jpg%25252Fv1%25252Ffill%25252Fw_850%25252Ch_436%25252Cal_c%25252Cq_90%25252Fae43f8_b951978245b64425a71013018a99516d.jpg%2526hash%253Db9f62059115bb22f55327542b4b324b3%26hash%3Deb89347ad6258907edcaa9fec7a47ee8&hash=33f169b317dea775f7e7eb81c2117594[/IMG] [B]Sicily, Syracuse. Dionyisos I[/B] 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: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%252Fmedia%252Fae43f8_61a36d205a14409b827d2aec9e29cfc0.jpg%252Fv1%252Ffill%252Fw_1000%252Ch_510%252Cal_c%252Cq_90%252Fae43f8_61a36d205a14409b827d2aec9e29cfc0.jpg%26hash%3D4e05fb18eb697a4cd90a57ad3fdcf5b7&hash=9b604e820ba1f5fb33f4613a594a4a6a[/IMG] [B]Sicily, Syracuse. Second Democracy[/B] 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: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.cointalk.com%252Fproxy.php%253Fimage%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%25252Fmedia%25252Fae43f8_7b2de20fa2f9493b92586ff830e4c774.jpg%25252Fv1%25252Ffill%25252Fw_1000%25252Ch_625%25252Cal_c%25252Cq_90%25252Fae43f8_7b2de20fa2f9493b92586ff830e4c774.jpg%2526hash%253D8fcd1894533ec93630413e836bfc6cc5%26hash%3D7dea61ccb90f0498bca9d71f14fb7660&hash=234ee9318968e225ff518172658f3e25[/IMG] [B]SICILY, Syracuse. Agathokles[/B] 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 [URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancient-adventures-in-bidland-agathokles-tetradrachm.243930/']here[/URL]. Another Syracusian coin with sea creature: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/syracuse-dionysiusi-hippocamp-reshootrt-jpg.495475/[/IMG] [B]SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysius I (400-345 BC)[/B] 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: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.wixstatic.com%2Fmedia%2Fae43f8_ab60fd00616e4a02a0a6a1c59cb8ae34.jpg%2Fv1%2Ffill%2Fw_1000%2Ch_625%2Cal_c%2Cq_90%2Fae43f8_ab60fd00616e4a02a0a6a1c59cb8ae34.jpg&hash=b9031ced763ca5900fddd5e05c96b830[/IMG] [B][URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/a-bronze-of-the-brettii-poseidons-wife.274722/#post-2347653']BRUTTIUM, the Brettii[/URL][/B] 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: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cointalk.com%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.cointalk.com%252Fproxy.php%253Fimage%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fstatic.wixstatic.com%25252Fmedia%25252Fae43f8_8e06bad0c82747db9f5c5e8530bbdfe7.jpg%25252Fv1%25252Ffill%25252Fw_1000%25252Ch_513%25252Cal_c%25252Cq_90%25252Fae43f8_8e06bad0c82747db9f5c5e8530bbdfe7.jpg%2526hash%253D871070f815c7594ea03303390af2db81%26hash%3D7c94cb538ef19b36d0dacbcb87d602b1&hash=83117b8c1c2da1cdb9adc2782620150c[/IMG] CALABRIA, Tarentum 325-280 BCE AR litra, 11 mm, 0.56 gm Obv: [B]scallop[/B] 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) [I]freed from an NGC slab[/I] More hippocamps: [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/phoeniciabyblosdishekel-1000-jpg.350736/[/IMG] [B][URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-a-coin-from-the-purple-people.250752/']PHOENICIA, Byblos. Uzzibaal[/URL][/B] 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 [I]Needs a reshoot. The toning isn't that brown.[/I] [IMG]https://www.cointalk.com/attachments/crepereiusdenarius-rt-jpg.551061/[/IMG] [B]ROMAN REPUBLIC Moneyer Q. Crepereius M.f. Rocus[/B] 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. [I]from HJB BBS 200, October 2016 ex NAC 78 lot 1828, from the JD Collection of Roman Republican Coins ...[/I] 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).[/QUOTE]
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A lady and an octopus...(Rated PG-13)
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