I have had this a few years, it came with a ticket that said it was a Cleopatra VII with double cornucopia rev. I suspect it is more likely to be Apollo, either way, I have not been able to identify it. There are coins on Wildwinds with a double cornucopia, but they are side by side, not like these at all. Any suggestions? Edit: AE10 1.19g
Looks like mine... @TIF pointed out some conflicting info on this. (This one is mine, and I believe she has one too.) Ægypt Cleopatra VII Æ11 of Cyprus Obv: Her bust r Rev: Cornucopiae Comments: nrly centered, smooth dark green patina with hilighting; tiny rev legnd visible. Last Pharaoh of Ægypt @TIF STATED: "There appears to be controversy about who issued this coin, with Matthew Kreuzer advancing the Cleo VII story in his book The Coinage System of Cleopatra VII, Marc Antony and Augustus in Cyprus. Other numismatists... not so much. On Forvm there are some interesting and highly redacted (moderator deletions) back-and-forths between the author and others. Oliver Hoover wrote a "famously" scathing review of the book and its conclusions although I can't seem to find a working link to that right now. It appears that most numismatists are attributing this to Arsinoe III? Ardatirion might be able to tell us more. I certainly don't know which, if either, is correct." https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-ptolemy-connection.277157/page-3
I found a working link: Review: The Coinage System of Cleopatra VII and Augustus in Cyprus; ANS Magazine, Winter 2005
I seen a FDC silver coin from Cleopatra VII in NFA catalogue / she was nothing like Claudette Colbert/ Eliz. Taylor Actually she looked like Emperor Leopold I wife....Eleonore
I am in agreement with @TIF ... it is just a bummer. I will hold to hope that there is a 20% possibilty this is Cleo-baby!
@TIF @Alegandron I had the same realization when researching my "cleopatra vii" recently. I bought it years ago from Forvm, where the controversy was not well reported (at the time). After reading about it, I have to say I'm torn. The strongest evidence for it IMHO was the argument that its abundance on cyprus would make much more sense under a powerful leader with a strong presence like Cleopatra VII, rather than a minor one like Arsinoe. On the other hand, and by the same token, I found the argument that Cleopatra would not have minted coinage without her name on it pretty compelling. I wonder if we'll ever have good evidence one way or the other...
Compelling, but not conclusive. Some coins do exist of her portrait without an inscription. Take for example: Kings of Galatia, 36-25 BC. Uncertain mint in Galatia, Pisidia, or Lykaonia Obv: Draped bust of Artemis right bearing the portrait of Cleopatra VII, bow and quiver over shoulder. Rx: Stag standing right. This coin clearly bears the name of Amyntas. He was an interesting character who had made great strides towards his own empire. He had allied himself to Marc Antony who subsequently awarded him Galatia. These coins clearly bear the portrait of Cleopatra and it is assumed this was his homage to Antony and the Queen. Didnt do him much in the end. As the end game approached he abandoned his benefactor in favor of Octavian. After his death Galatia was transformed into a province. Anyway, this coin was not minted by her but still bears her portrait. And no, I do not agree with the realignment suggested by Kreuzer.
Thank you everyone, this has been quite educational. After consideration, I think I will record this as Cleopatra VII with a note that it probably isn't
As a dealer, does that make it hard for you to deal in this coin? Imagine it's hard to find these without the Cleopatra VII markup, which would make it hard to sell without the same markup, or do you have sources that agree with you and skip the markup?
..is that the 1930's-40 beauty/movie star?..i have just purchased an 1938 LIFE magazine featuring her..awaiting its arrival..
Easy. I have never handled one of the OP coin types. But if I do get one I would not put anything in the description or price about Cleopatra. And, honestly, I rarely handle such coins which are artificially high in price due to popularity.
This coin has Cleopatra VII counter marked on the face of Zeus. It looks clear but not enough for some viewers. Hope that could help a little bit.
.i've looked at a lot of these(said Cleo Vll types) and all i've ever seen for sale is the reverse double cornucopiae ...if that's any help to anybody
yup, that's her! She is on the cover of the Life magazine Nov. 13 1939 issue, along with a write up and more pics inside..it will be in the 2nd wave of these i bought..
She definately looks like the "Hollywood" version of Cleopatra VII. I had a lawn client with a gorgeous Rottweiler female also named Cleopatra! We will never know what thr real Cleo looked like. Can't go by her image on coins, nor by Hollywood. Great example Catharine the Great, on her coins she is an overwieght, ordinary looking Czarina, Hollywood version...pretty hot looking
..from what i can gather from mentions of Cleo Vll, she wasn't any beauty queen, but i'd bet they would have a far better looking version of me playing me in Hollywood