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<p>[QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 5131346, member: 83845"]I have been able to buy very few coins this year for various reasons that can be summed up in one word; 2020. For the few coins that I have bought I have had to be very frugal and discerning. A didrachm of Cyrene showing the famously extinct silphium plant has been on my want list for a long time. Happily, in my opinion, this is a coin type that does not lose a great deal of interest from being in a highly worn state. I was able to pick this coin up for a fraction of what it would cost in even a moderately higher grade.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1203898[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">Cyrenaica</font></p><p><font size="3">Cyrene AR didrachm, struck ca. 308-277 BC</font></p><p><font size="3">Magas as Ptolemaic governor</font></p><p><font size="3">Dia.: 20 mm</font></p><p><font size="3">Wt.: 7.62 g</font></p><p><font size="3">Obv.: Bare head of Apollo-Carneius right, with horn</font></p><p><font size="3">Rev.: K-Y / P-A, silphium plant, cornucopia in inner right field</font></p><p><font size="3">Ref.: SNG Copenhagen 1234; BMC 228</font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>Obverse: Apollo-Carneius</b></u></span></font></p><p>Cyrene was founded by Dorian colonists from Thera in about 631 BC. The colonists that founded the city venerated an aspect of Apollo that was particular to the Dorian Greeks, namely Apollo-Carneius. The origins of this aspect of Apollo were not well known even in antiquity but it seems likely that it was a mixture of a local pre-historic Peloponnesian god associated with a ram and the Dorian Greek Apollo.</p><p><br /></p><p>In around 300 BC, Magas, the step-son of Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt was sent to govern Cyrene on behalf of the Ptolemys. Magas was also a priest of Apollo-Carneius which perhaps best explains the use of this aspect of Apollo being so prominent on coins of this period.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1203902[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>The Temple of Apollo-Carneius at Cyrene (Wikipedia Commons)</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #404040"><u><b>Reverse: Silphium</b></u></span></font></p><p>The silphium plant has been written about at length here on CoinTalk and other places. I won’t attempt to give a full rehash of the details here accept to say that it was a plant that had many and various uses attributed to it such as an aphrodisiac and as a contraceptive. It was the primary export and centerpiece of the economy of Cyrene in antiquity. It became so popular that it was harvested to extinction by the 1st century AD.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1203901[/ATTACH]</p><p><i><font size="3">Ferula Communis (Giant Fennel) thought to be related to the extinct ancient silphium plant.</font></i></p><p><br /></p><p>For more posts on the Silphium plant please take a look at the following CT write-ups.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>Posted by: [USER=103829]@Jochen1[/USER]</p><p><font size="5"><b><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-silphium-plant.359111/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-silphium-plant.359111/">The Silphium Plant</a></b></font></p><p><br /></p><p>Posed by: [USER=19165]@physics-fan3.14[/USER]</p><p><b><font size="5"><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/silphium-a-recipe.369434/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/silphium-a-recipe.369434/">Silphium: A recipe</a></font></b></p><p><br /></p><p>Posted by: [USER=56859]@TIF[/USER]</p><p><b><font size="5"><a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-kyrenaikas-silphium-plant.245537/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-kyrenaikas-silphium-plant.245537/">[ancients] Kyrenaika's silphium plant</a></font></b></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><font size="6"><span style="color: #404040"><b><u>Some Notes on the Coin</u></b></span></font></p><p>As I said above I think there are some coin types that look better than others in lower grades. I think these coins of Cyrene are a good example. The silphium plant is just as readily distinguishable in outline as it is in pristine examples and most of the detail isn’t on the high points anyway. My example benefits from being well centered on an oblong flan.</p><p><br /></p><p>The obverse would, admittedly, be nicer if more of the hair detail and the rest of the horn were still visible but because these coins were struck in high relief the details of the face and general profile are still very nice. It is therefore still possible to get a sense of the artistic ability of the engraver even from a worn example. My example benefits from the fact that the profile, and therefore the part with the most detail, is centered on the flan. Also, a coin worn down in antiquity is a coin that was used extensively in antiquity which is cool in-and-of itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>Additionally, this coin was previously slabbed. For some collectors this can add value and peace of mind. However, this can also lead to some collectors focusing too much on the grade and not on the coin. I believe I benefitted from this on this example because a lot of bidders seem to have skipped over it without taking into account some of its individual positive aspects.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1203900[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>The NGC tag</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1203899[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3"><i>The carnage of the defeated slab</i></font></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><b>Please post your:</b></span></p><ul> <li><span style="color: #ff0000"><b>Coins from Cyrene</b></span></li> <li><span style="color: #ff0000"><b>Coins showing Silphium</b></span></li> <li><span style="color: #ff0000"><b>Coins you think look nice in lower grades</b></span></li> </ul><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 5131346, member: 83845"]I have been able to buy very few coins this year for various reasons that can be summed up in one word; 2020. For the few coins that I have bought I have had to be very frugal and discerning. A didrachm of Cyrene showing the famously extinct silphium plant has been on my want list for a long time. Happily, in my opinion, this is a coin type that does not lose a great deal of interest from being in a highly worn state. I was able to pick this coin up for a fraction of what it would cost in even a moderately higher grade. [ATTACH=full]1203898[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3]Cyrenaica Cyrene AR didrachm, struck ca. 308-277 BC Magas as Ptolemaic governor Dia.: 20 mm Wt.: 7.62 g Obv.: Bare head of Apollo-Carneius right, with horn Rev.: K-Y / P-A, silphium plant, cornucopia in inner right field Ref.: SNG Copenhagen 1234; BMC 228[/SIZE] [SIZE=6][COLOR=#404040][U][B]Obverse: Apollo-Carneius[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] Cyrene was founded by Dorian colonists from Thera in about 631 BC. The colonists that founded the city venerated an aspect of Apollo that was particular to the Dorian Greeks, namely Apollo-Carneius. The origins of this aspect of Apollo were not well known even in antiquity but it seems likely that it was a mixture of a local pre-historic Peloponnesian god associated with a ram and the Dorian Greek Apollo. In around 300 BC, Magas, the step-son of Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt was sent to govern Cyrene on behalf of the Ptolemys. Magas was also a priest of Apollo-Carneius which perhaps best explains the use of this aspect of Apollo being so prominent on coins of this period. [ATTACH=full]1203902[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3][I]The Temple of Apollo-Carneius at Cyrene (Wikipedia Commons)[/I][/SIZE] [SIZE=6][COLOR=#404040][U][B]Reverse: Silphium[/B][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] The silphium plant has been written about at length here on CoinTalk and other places. I won’t attempt to give a full rehash of the details here accept to say that it was a plant that had many and various uses attributed to it such as an aphrodisiac and as a contraceptive. It was the primary export and centerpiece of the economy of Cyrene in antiquity. It became so popular that it was harvested to extinction by the 1st century AD. [ATTACH=full]1203901[/ATTACH] [I][SIZE=3]Ferula Communis (Giant Fennel) thought to be related to the extinct ancient silphium plant.[/SIZE][/I] For more posts on the Silphium plant please take a look at the following CT write-ups. [INDENT]Posted by: [USER=103829]@Jochen1[/USER] [SIZE=5][B][URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-silphium-plant.359111/']The Silphium Plant[/URL][/B][/SIZE] Posed by: [USER=19165]@physics-fan3.14[/USER] [B][SIZE=5][URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/silphium-a-recipe.369434/']Silphium: A recipe[/URL][/SIZE][/B] Posted by: [USER=56859]@TIF[/USER] [B][SIZE=5][URL='https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-kyrenaikas-silphium-plant.245537/'][ancients] Kyrenaika's silphium plant[/URL][/SIZE][/B][/INDENT] [SIZE=6][COLOR=#404040][B][U]Some Notes on the Coin[/U][/B][/COLOR][/SIZE] As I said above I think there are some coin types that look better than others in lower grades. I think these coins of Cyrene are a good example. The silphium plant is just as readily distinguishable in outline as it is in pristine examples and most of the detail isn’t on the high points anyway. My example benefits from being well centered on an oblong flan. The obverse would, admittedly, be nicer if more of the hair detail and the rest of the horn were still visible but because these coins were struck in high relief the details of the face and general profile are still very nice. It is therefore still possible to get a sense of the artistic ability of the engraver even from a worn example. My example benefits from the fact that the profile, and therefore the part with the most detail, is centered on the flan. Also, a coin worn down in antiquity is a coin that was used extensively in antiquity which is cool in-and-of itself. Additionally, this coin was previously slabbed. For some collectors this can add value and peace of mind. However, this can also lead to some collectors focusing too much on the grade and not on the coin. I believe I benefitted from this on this example because a lot of bidders seem to have skipped over it without taking into account some of its individual positive aspects. [ATTACH=full]1203900[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3][I]The NGC tag[/I][/SIZE] [ATTACH=full]1203899[/ATTACH] [SIZE=3][I]The carnage of the defeated slab[/I][/SIZE] [COLOR=#ff0000][B]Please post your:[/B][/COLOR] [LIST] [*][COLOR=#ff0000][B]Coins from Cyrene[/B][/COLOR] [*][COLOR=#ff0000][B]Coins showing Silphium[/B][/COLOR] [*][COLOR=#ff0000][B]Coins you think look nice in lower grades[/B][/COLOR] [/LIST][/QUOTE]
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