A Sicilian love affair: Or how I cheated on Gordian III with tiny dark Greek beauties.

This is normally the time of year where I would go on another Gordian III buying spree...but something odd has happened. I've rekindled my passion for tiny Greek coins, as well as my love of dark silver beauties. This is my 4rth small Greek coin this year, and the third such with heavy dark toning.

Abacaenum was a very important early Sicilian city-state, and it's known for successfully defending their territory against the mighty Carthaginians on several occasions. However, they seem to have stopped being an independent power and were integrated into later Sicilian kingdoms by the third Century BC.
Wild boars seem to have been a very popular symbol for coinage of this city state.


AR litra
Abacaenum (Tripi, Sicily) 430-420 BCE
weight 0.857g, maximum diameter 12.6mm
obverse: laureate bearded male head right; reverse: boar or sow standing right, acorn in the lower right field, ABAK/AINI, starting in exergue, ending retrograde above, linear border; very rare
SNG ANS 897 (same dies); HGC 2 10 corr. (R2, same dies); Weber 1169; SNG Sicily p. 1, 2 var. (ABA/KAIN); SNG Fitz 883 var. (same)


Well, show any relevant coins, especially dark little Greek beauties, or coinage from this city-state.

PS: Sorry for the click-bait title.

 

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If nothing else, let's make this a pig party by sharing your delicious pork coinage.

 

Nice! Fantastic example of the type.

@zumbly did a fun writeup of these coins and the black pigs of Sicily a few years ago. It was a mouth-watering post . https://www.cointalk.com/threads/pig-acorns-yum.262153/

Most of my pigs are the winged variety.


The Pigasus examples shown above are from Klazomenai (the majority of coins in this composite), Kisthene, Mytilene, Samos, and Rhodos (Ialysos).

Here's a more recent acquisition. Steve and I wrestled over when it came up for auction four years ago. He ended up bidding and enjoyed the coin for a while but ultimately it flew home to its rightful owner .

MYSIA, Kisthene
Orontes, satrap of Mysia, c. 357-352 BCE
AR Half Siglos or Tetrobol; 13 mm, 2.75 gm
Obv: Nude hoplite crouching left behind shield, spear at ready
Rev: Forepart of winged boar right
Ref: Troxell, Orontes 4; SNG France 1164A (Lampsakos); SNG von Aulock
Very rare.
ex X6 Collection

A denomination set of Klazomenai winged boars:



Some wingless pork:


Roman Republic, Ti. Veturius
137 BCE, Rome
AR denarius, 3.85 gm
Obv: Helmeted bust of Mars right
Rev: youth kneeling left, holding pig; two soldiers standing holding spear and touching pig with swords. ROMA above.
Ref: Crawford 234/1, Sydenham 527, RSC Veturia 1


ATTICA, Athens. Eleusis mint
Eleusinian festival coinage
340-335 BC
AE16
Obv: Triptolemos, seated left in a winged chariot drawn by two snakes
Rev: Pig standing right on mystic staff, bucranium below
Ref: SNG Cop 415


Celtic potin, Leuci tribe
80-20 BC
AE18, 3.4 gm
Obv: bald warrior head left
Rev: boar standing left, three half-circles below
Ref: BN 9100-9104

 

@zumbly 's thread made me crave pork. Got to go look in the freezer now for some porkshops for tonight.

 

The only pig coin I have is this tiny one from Kyzikos:


Mysia, Kyzikos (c.480 BC).
AR Trihemiobol, 10 mm, 1.16 g.
Obv: Forepart of boar left ; Tunny upward.
Rev: Head of roaring lion left, outstretched tongue, all within incuse square.
Ref: Von Fritze, Nomisma IX Kyzikos, Group II, 9 / Table V, 10-11.

 

That's a very nice looking coin! I hope I will get my first litra soon, I do not have any coin from Magna Graecia yet kind of a shame.

 

Litras are fun little silver coins. I think I should stick to this and build a collection of darkly toned Sicilian litras. Don't you think this would look cool with say another 6 or 7 dark litra beauties to go along with these two?




However, Litra collecting might not be for everybody. Like their tiny bronze counterparts, these little coins are usually pretty dinged up or have other issues. You can see the ding on the boar and the surface corrosion on the obverse of my bird and crab combo, and flat spot on the crab shell. That's just something you are going to have to live with on these coins, unless you care to spend $500+ for a pristine minty sample.

 

I like famous pigs....

 

What a beauty, that little OP litra (Oink!)

 

That is an amazing look litra from Akragas, I really want to catch that crab as well!
Patina's look pretty, and they are so similar, did you buy them from the same seller?
Hmm... I think your next litra should be the octopus one from Sicily second democracy...


(not mine of course, I wish it was )

 

I need one...sure. I do have an onkia though with an octopus. Isn't Sicilian coinage pretty?



As for the source of the two darkly toned litras, it's not that difficult to find darkly toned ones in the marketplace. Unlike their bigger silver counterparts, a lot of people don't clean these coins (probably because they are so tiny people are afraid to even attempt cleaning). Or maybe because they are usually so beat up and dinged that they actually look much better darkly toned.

 

i'm pigless right now, but i think i've got a Sicilian octo coin i just need to clean it...

 

Beautiful new gal my man (even if she is a bit of a pig). I'm a huge sucker for those Greek island girls as well...especially the cheap ones. Here's some of my pigs and my latest Sicilian octopushy...

Arpi, Apulia
3rd Century BCE.
Obv. Laureate head of Zeus
left, to left, ΔAΞOY.
Rev. Boar right, spear
above, APΠIANΩN below.
SNG ANS 635; SNG
München 438

Mysia, Kyzikos
AR Hemiobol (7.99 mm, 0.37
g), c. 525-475 BCE.
Obv. Forepart of boar left;
tunny to right.
Rev. Head of roaring lion
left; star in upper left field.
SNG France 375.
Nicely toned and extremely fine


Lesbos,
Uncertain mint
500-460BCE
Obol BI
8mm, .89 gr
Obv: Facing/confronted boars,
Rev: incuse square

 

Wonderful example! I have a couple of these dark, bewitching little Sicilian beauties. There are the seller's pics... I haven't yet been able to take better ones of my own.

SICILY, Kamarina
AR Litra. 0.66g, 11.2mm. SICILY, Kamarina, circa 461-440/35 BC. SNG Oxford 1689; Westermark & Jenkins 13. O: Nike flying right; to lower right, swan standing right; all within olive wreath. R: KAMARI, Athena standing left, wearing aegis and holding spear in right hand; to right, shield.

SICILY, Panormos (as Ziz)
AR Litra. 0.72g, 10.3mm. SICILY, Panormos (as Ziz), circa 405-380 BC. BMC 24; Jenkins, Punic, p. 75, 13. O: Head of horned youthful river god to left. R: ['sys'] (in Punic), Forepart of a bearded man-headed bull to right.