Ancients => Man, that's Bull!!

That's a great looking man-faced bull, in this case representing Acheloios Savo, Savo being the local river highly venerated by the people of Cales for a very long time.

One of the more important contributions of Potamikon is a re-dating of some types from Cales, including yours. Rutter (and maybe Crawford, too) clumped these together in the 265-240 range but that's very doubtful. We re-date the coinage into three phases, and Phase I, during which your coin was minted, dates 317-280 BC, corresponding to Taliercio's Phase II for Neapolitan coinage.

There are fifteen different varieties with sixteen-ray star above the MFB. I think I see an A, in which case it would be Sambon 957; Santangelo 691-2; MSP I, 80, but a more general attribution would be MSP I, 80-95 var.

 

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Great coins Steve! Sadly I do not have any of these.

 

Great coin, Steve-o! I have several MFBs, but have posted them before. Also, I recently posted a 2-part MFB thread.

 

Congrats on the under-estimate score, Steve. All I have to trot out is this old leper...

 

Anatomically correct too! I hope the wife don't see these hate to loose her over a man bull.

 

It seems like some references call these a man headed bull and more recently maybe? a man faced bull which seems a more accurate description particularly when there are obvious horns present.

Is one term always the correct one or does it depend on the design?

 

Um... Dude... That is a bit scary.

 

I have a Bull, Syracuse, Sicily. Under Agatohkles (317-289 BC) AE 20 6.45 gms Head of Kore, Bull butting left club and m, ie below SNG ANS 580.

 

These Campania and most others are man-faced bulls but there are a few true man-headed bulls out there. Iaitas has a man-headed bull on one of its coins and so does Laos.

Most English writers (incorrectly) say "man-headed bull" but not all. In Italian it is usually always "tauro androcephalo" meaning "man-faced bull" but the Germans seem to use both.

 

That's a pretty decent one. Is it a T or just a dash behind Apollo?

 

Gamma. This is the info you gave me about it the last time :

"It is MSP I, 328 (Gamma behind Apollo/IS below bull, X monogram in ex). Taliercio IIIa.6; Sambon 656; SNG France 986. Taliercio recorded only 13 examples."

I love having a resident MFB expert on board .

 

Oh, that's right! Very happy to be here and see people excited about the man-faced bull!

 

I would be excited too, if only I could get one

 

My only MFB is an overstrike, you have to look sideways.

 

My only MFB is this tiny Gela AR litra.

 

Those are both fantastic coins!

 

Incidentally, the books shipped from Oxford today.

 

Great news!!

 

Wonderful man/headed/faced bull @stevex6 !!!

Great posts everyone!!!

My recent pick-up and my only example of the type----a didrachm from Neapolis:

 

Really looking forward to it! Where do we order?