More coins from my buying spree. I'm not too familiar with Nabataean coins but JA got me hooked on looking for these, so whenever I see one in decent shape I pick them up. This one is from @Brian Bucklan 's store. Anonymous Issue 270-72 B.C. / AE18.8 , 4.4g O: Helmeted Head of Athena right R: Nike standing left, holding cornucopia and wreath HGC 10, 671 Not sure if the year I got is right, it seems really far off from some of the other Nabataean coins.
I know so little about Nabatean coins that EVERYONE else is an expert LOL....but I never realized they had those 'Greek' devices???
@icerain : Now I know who you are. It's nice to put a name to your Cointalk avatar. As to the coin: I was told by an old time collector that these were first struck by Aretas III just after the mint was moved to Petra and are imitations of gold types of Alexander. They actually issued variations of these for many years but they must have been used quite a bit as they are typically found in not too great of condition.
Bought several coins from you over the years. Very happy with them. I don't know if there is a technical term. But I would guess environmental damage since the layer underneath is now exposed to the elements.
You can read my pages on these coins here. Click through the rest of the chapter where I differentiate three different styles, catalog a unique drachm of the same type (sold by CNG), and correct a mistake of Meshorer's where he claimed the Nabataean letter heth occurred on some issues.
Curious where that date came from? Yours is a Meshorer 1 attributes to Aretas II. ca. 110-96 BCE. Here is one I sold and is most likely over struck on a Ptolemy.
The overstrikes came before the coins struck on blank flans. Hoover and Barkay suggest a terminus post quem of the mid 3rd-century BC. My page on those is here, and the next page catalogs a currently unique overstrike on a Seleucid bronze. Prior to this find, we had only seen overstrikes on Ptolemaic coins.
Thanks @John Anthony . So the correct attribution should be this? Early Kings Damascus mint: 135/4-110 BC to no later than 32 BC.Obv.: Head of Athena right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet.Rev.: Nike standing left, wreath in right hand, uncertain object in left. Reference: Me 1A, S-K 2
It would be Me 1, S-K 1. Those are the coins cataloged by Meshorer and Schmitt-Korte that include the symbol ˄ under Nike's arm. Me 1A and S-K 2 are without the symbol.
