A relic from the ancient theater

This is the first of several new additions that I want to share with you, and one that I acquired for much less than I was prepared to pay. The seller thought this piece showed a boring old head of Janus, but really, the obverse depicts the theater masks - much rarer and more interesting!

IONIA, Ephesos
PB Tessera (12mm, 1.43 g)
Comedy and tragedy masks; AΞI below
The Charites (the Three Graces) standing, the left and right facing, the middle with back to view
Cf. Gülbay & Kireç 140-2/53 (for obv./rev.)
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Note: many will consider this type to be "proof" that the tesserae functioned as theater tickets. This is not necessarily the case, particularly as these types are found mixed with various obverse and reverse designs.

 

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My opinion on tessera, (as ill-educated as they are), has always been they served a large variety of uses, not just one. I would imagine from proof of admittance to game board pieces to small change, tessera did probably all of these things, based upon the piece.

Nice pickup Bill!

 

Cool addition!!

... I don't recall seeing this coin-type before (interesting)

 

Oh snap Bill, I hope you just didn't create competition by getting Steve-O interested in these!

 

Well-done my comrade in lead. One of these days our ship will come in and our collections will be worth bazillions and we'll buy an island in the Caribbean and bikini-clad lovelies will serve us Margaritas on gold platters.

 

I like this piece very much. Glad you were able to get it at a good price.

 

Very cool pickup Bill. Your building one amazing collection.

 

Congratulations, very interesting!

I highly recommend this one. 510 acres, a bargain at $29.5M
http://www.privateislandsonline.com/islands/great-hans-lollik

 

Too small. Don't forget, we're talking tesserae here. Hmm...maybe a chain of islands.

 

There's a smaller one behind it, Little Hans Lollik. Buy it too.

 

Bikini clad? Isn't it a private island? Good luck getting me to wear any clothes, and if a bazillionaire lead tessera tycoon isn't wearing clothes, NO ONE is wearing any clothes!

 

This is the tropics, remember. Are you sure your Minnesota blanched skin can handled the merciless tropical sun?

 

Baron von Noob will buy 6 of them....
....Baron von Noob does not wear "public" clothes on a "private" island.

 

That is really cool!

 

Very cool island ... my far richer, older brother also lives on an island (sadly, his millions of dollars buys himself privacy away from his younger brother, stevex6) ...

=> hmmm? ... but I'm pretty sure that he wears clothes? (there are quite a few mosquitos)

 

Curious do we know if this token was a general admission or was there good seats, cheap seats and nosebleed seats? I would have loved to catch a few of those shows. Is there any indication of value, or venue on the piece or surrounding documents?

I wish we could still have gladiator fights in which we pitch criminals against one another and a series of beasts that would be destroyed anyhow because they stole pic-I-nic baskets.

 

We do have gladiator fights today, now its just called the NFL. Besides fights to the death, please tell me how they are different.

 

No, no, no. I want swords, helmets, maybe someone with a pitchfork., then some lions come out. NFL has nothing on that. Every other Saturday there will be free food and wine and they do mock naval battles.

 

how interesting, whatever it was used for...sure is cool.

yeah...i burn VERY quickly...i'll at least wear a hat.

 

This is exactly why one needs a private island.