My two silvers from Baltimore are, as usual, not high grade but what I consider high interest coins. Neither of these made the cut to bump a coin from my Favorites page but both found a home there as supporting players. I have identified a couple coins that will probably have to give up their place soon but there are many more than a hundred coins I like well enough to consider for the position. Rather than telling all about these coins here I will post the photos and ask those who want to play to see what I might have found interesting about these coins. The links to my Favorites page will explain each and also show the coins that these two could not unseat. #2 Aspendos AR stater 420-370 BC http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/f48.html #1 Sybaris AR stater 530-510 BC http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/f56.html That completes my haul of five coins from Baltimore. I have a piece of junk arriving next week and no plans for more coin shopping for the rest of the year. My next known show is in March so that leaves the online opportunities alone. It is too early to start picking my top ten of the year but I suspect this show will be well represented there.
Wow Doug => man, those babies are definitely sweet enough to be carrying their own two threads!! Gawd, I don't know where to start? ... you've picked-off two of my primary coin targets in one easy rifle-shot!! (you're like ancient-sniper-man!!) Honestly though => both of those puppies are keepers!! I love the Olympic coin by itself, but then you've tossed-in the counter-stamp for ummpphh!! (well played) Oh, and the bull-shadow-bull is right up my alley as well!! (yup, I'm officially fricken jealous of both of your sweet scores) ... nice job (love 'em)
Two great coins. The Sybaris would be very welcome in my collection, as would the gut-punch Aspendos. I like how your cut-out of the countermark makes it look like its own little coin.
I really like that too ... sadly, for a geeky engineer with a master's degree, I have very shaky computer skills (*enter*) oh, but wow => you should see me draw and paint !! (yah, I'm a fricken artsy trapped in an engineer's body!!)
If I have to guess as to why you bought these coins I would say it's the countermark in the first and the incuse reverse in the second. I like them both, but that countermark is really, really nice.
Other than the differences you already mention between the two of Aspendos on your page, I notice that there are no controls between the wrestlers on the new coin. Also, you've got a clear inscription ΕΣΤΦΕ∆ΙΙΥΣ on the new coin. As an avid student of alphabets, I notice that Φ has transmuted to the Roman F on these issues, but that's probably not why someone else might find them interesting. If you conjecture that these were stamped as part of a temple tax scheme, it might also be interesting to imagine that a coin with a different counterstamped god was paid to a different temple.
Bing is right. I doubt that I would have bought the Aspendos were it not for the countermark since I already had a coin of the type and the things are not cheap. I like Janus and countermarks. The Sybaris has been a long term want. I would take any of the incuse reverse series and have a couple Croton tripod coins from the later, less spread period. I would like the Poseidonia with the god in the full spread flan or any of the others but the bull is the bull and beats an ear of grain by a mile. Sybaris was completely destroyed by Croton so they did not develop through the thicker stages. That makes the bulls even more desirable in my book. Since there are many Janiform portraits I would like to know who these faces represent.
Sorry. I just got the answer reading your page! http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/f48.html quote "A backup coin of the same original will demonstrate that Aspendos staters often have countermarks. This one has two." closed quote
sybaris sweetness. but aspendos has great counermarks and makes a cool comparison with you first of the type. they have very different styles don't they?
Like everyone else, I really like both for all the same reasons---countermark and incuse. Besides pure speculation, is there any way to actually determine who or what the janiform images represent?? Besides the usual 'past and present' explanation...of course.
