Featured Birth of a battlefield godess: Athena

Thanks! They are common coins and relatively affordable ones, but I don't recall ever seeing one in our forum.

 

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Nice one, @Only a Poor Old Man ! Nice example of this cool denom.

You gave me an excuse to whip mine out...


Thessaly AR Stater Double Victoriatus 21mm 5.7g 50 BCE Zeus - Athena Itonia spear shield RR Prov. SNG Cop 299var

 

Always on point, RC, with some of my favorite images of the lady of the hour!

(LOVE my owl, but the portrait on this one sure is mannish)

(Sure is a beauty here... though, again, IMO is overshadowed by the reverse)

This one though, interestingly as Nike is her buddy, is both from Samothrace and from the time that the EXTREMELY rare Greek masterpiece The Winged Nike of Samothrace was created!

Samothrace
AE 280-200 BCE Athena's face N. R. In the Corinthian helmet with plume. RV. SA-mo/PUQOK Cybele in the long robe and enthroned with mantle N. L., holding the crown of the wall on his head, in the left Scepter, Patera in the prestretched right. 4.96 G. SNG cop. 998. SNG Tübingen 934. Dark, olive patina

 

A Roman copy of Athena Parthanos in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

 

Great coins @Ryro and I always like your comments that come with them in your post

These are my two favorite Athena coins

Syracuse, Sicily - Pyrrhos AR Oktobol (278–276 B.C.). 'Old collection toning'.
Obverse: Head of Persephone to left, wearing wreath of grain leaves and pendant earrings; poppy seed behind.
Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΠΥΡΡΟΥ; Athena Alkidemos advancing left, brandishing spear with her right hand and holding shield aloft in her left.
5.20g; 20mm


Alexander II Zabinas (128 B.C. - 122 B.C.) AR Drachm.
Obverse: Diademed head of Zabinas right
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΛEΞANΔPOY, Athena standing left, resting hand on shield, spear propped in left elbow, extending right hand beyond legend and holding Nike left, in left field Δ, monogram above.
4.12g; 16mm

 

@Ryro , @Only a Poor Old Man is correct... I got the one I posted here for only $135,ooo USD. You should get a couple, Dude!

OH! Note those are "O"'s, not zeros...

 

Roman Egypt, Alexandria. Julia Mamaea, Augusta, AD 222-235. Billon Tetradrachm (23.4mm, 10.70g, 12th). Dated RY 8 of Severus Alexander (AD 228/229). Obv: Draped bust right, wearing stephane. Rev: Helmeted bust of Athena Parthenos right, wearing aegis; L-H (date) in right field. Ref: Köln – ; Dattari (Savio) –; K&G –; Curtis 1122 (this coin) = Emmett 3195.8 (R5). Very Fine, dark brown surfaces with touches of red, die flaw on aegis. Extremely rare if not possibly unique. From the New Orleans Collection, purchased from Nilus Coins (November 1998). Ex James W. Curtis Collection, no. 1122. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 109, Lot 504. Alexandrian coinage for Julia Mamaea from Severus Alexander’s regnal year 8 is extremely rare, with only three tetradrachm types reported by Emmett (Athena bust right, Nike flying left, and Tyche standing left; all R5). Severus’ year 8 coinage is also extremely rare with only seven types reported by Emmett. Obviously, the Alexandrian mint was barely active during this particular regnal year. Pic by CNG.

 

Hmm, seems like many people here have one. I wonder why they haven't come up in any pile-on threads lately.

Oddly, in the Virgin Islands where ancient coin pendants were common (not as common as shipwreck coin pendants), the most common ancient coins I saw people wearing were these Thessalian staters, perhaps because they are a good size and abundant. Second most common: Corinth staters.

Here's my Thessalian stater:


THESSALY, Thessalian League
48/7 BCE
Magistrates Nikolaos, Ni..., and Gorgias
AR stater, 23 mm, 6.3 gm
Obv: head of Zeus right, wearing oak wreath
Rev: ΘΕΣΣΑ / ΛΩΝ Athena Itonia striding right, hurling spear with her right hand and extending shield in her left; above spear, ΝΙΚΟ -ΛΑΟΣ; below shield, ΝΙ; to left and right, Γ-ΟΡ/ΓΙ-Α/Σ
Ref: CNG 78, 14 May 2008, 485 (same dies). Grose 4928 var.
ex Höher collection

 

Fantastic coin!

 

That's a gorgeous example.

 

Here are two more contributions.

Paeonia, Audoleon, 315-286 BC
Tetradrachm
Helmeted head of Athena facing slightly right / Horse walking right; monogram below to right, symbol below raised foreleg.
SNG ANS 1054 variety
11.98 grams
22 mm, 4 h.


Syracuse, 344-336 BC
AE 29 Litra
Obverse: ΣΥΡΑ, Athena facing left, wearing a wreathed Corinthian helmet.
Reverse: Two dolphins, octopus in center.
Sear 1189; BMC 2. 287
Good patina
28.1 grams
27.5 mm, 3 h.

 

I've been dithering about whether to post my four coins of Athena, because I've posted the first two so many times before, and because I'm not sure that the other two -- a pair of Thessalian coins I haven't posted before -- are quite nice enough to post here compared to the several superb examples posted by other members earlier in this thread. But, I like all of them, so why not?

First, I'll trot out this old warhorse yet again, because it's one of my favorite coins and I never get tired of it:

Corinth AR Stater. Circa 375-345 BC. Obv: Pegasos flying left, Q below / Rev: Helmeted head of Athena left. Control-symbols behind head: Retrograde N and Ares standing left holding shield and spear. Pegasi 376 var. [“N” not retrograde”] [Calciati, R., Pegasi Vol. I (Mortara, 1990)]; Ravel 1056 [Ravel, O.E., Les "Poulains" de Corinthe, I - II (Basel, 1936; London, 1948)]; BCD Corinth 121 [Numismatik Lanz, Münzen von Korinth: Sammlung B, Auction 105 (Munich, 26 Nov. 2001)]; SNG Copenhagen 121 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Copenhagen, The Royal Collection of Coins and Medals, Danish National Museum, Part 15, Corinth (Copenhagen 1944)]. 21mm, 8.46 g., 6h. gVF/VF, Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd. Auction IX, 22 March 2015, Lot 168.



Second, my rather mediocre Athens owl; I'm posting only the obverse this time, because the reverse is substantially less attractive!

Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm, ca. 454-393 BCE (“Mass Classical Owl”). Obv. Head of Athena right [w/possible bankers’ mark on Athena’s face in form of geometric scratches] / Rev. Owl [w/test cut on owl’s face & bankers’ mark on owl’s body), Seaby 2526 var. [Sear, David, Greek Coins & their Values, Vol. I: Europe (Seaby 1978)]; Flament Group II.40 [Obv.]/ II.q [Rev.] [see Flament, Christophe, Le monnayage en argent d'Athènes. De l'époque archaïque à l'époque hellénistique (c. 550-c. 40 av. J.-C) (2009)]. 25 mm., 16.79 g. (Purchased from John Jencek at 2007 NYINC.)



The last two I bought as a pair, at a nice discount from their combined individual prices. They were both originally sold at the 2012 Triton XV auction of the "BCD Collection":

Thessaly, Thessalian League (under Roman Republic from 146 BCE, Province of Macedonia). Late 2nd-mid 1st centuries BCE, AR Stater ( = Double Victoriatus* = 1.5 denarius), Magistrates Sosipatros and Gorgopas. Obv. Laureate head of Zeus right / Rev. Helmeted Athena Itonia advancing right, holding shield with left hand and preparing to hurl spear with right hand; vertical legend ΘΕΣΣΑ-ΛΩN to left and right of Athena; [ΣΩ]ΣIΠ-ATPOΣ above spear; ΓOPΓΩΠΑΣ in exergue. BCD Thessaly II 861.2 [CNG, The BCD Collection of the Coinage of Thessaly, Triton XV Auction, Jan. 3, 2012, Lot 861.2 (this coin)]; HGC 4, 209 [Hoover, Oliver, Handbook of Coins of Northern and Central Greece: . . . Thessaly . . . ., Sixth to First Centuries BC, The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series,Vol. 4 (2014)]; SNG Soutzos 397 [Tsourti, E. and Trifiro, M.D., Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Greece 5: Numismatic Museum, Athens, The A. G. Soutzos Collection (Athens, 2007)]; Klose pp. 339 & 346, 2 (same dies) [Klose, D.O.A, "Zur Chronologie der thessalischen Koinonprägungen im 2. und 1. Jh. v. Chr., Ein weiterer Schatzfund aus Südthessalien," in Peter, Ulrike. ed., Stephanos nomismatikos: Edith Schönert-Geiss zum 65. Geburtstag (Berlin, 1998), at pp. 333-350]. 22 mm., 6.08 g., 2 h.



Thessaly, Thessalian League (under Roman Republic from 146 BCE, Province of Macedonia). Mid-late 1st century BCE, AR Stater ( = Double Victoriatus* = 1.5 denarius), Magistrates Italos and Diokles. Obv. Head of Zeus right, wearing oak wreath, [ITAΛOY] [behind head, off flan] / Rev. Helmeted Athena Itonia advancing right, holding shield with left hand and preparing to hurl spear with right hand; vertical legend ΘΕΣΣΑ-ΛΩN to left and right of Athena; ΔIO-KΛHΣ above spear, N-I across field. BCD Thessaly II 874.4 [CNG, The BCD Collection of the Coinage of Thessaly, Triton XV Auction, Jan. 3, 2012, Lot 874.4 (this coin)]; HGC 4, 210 [Hoover, Oliver, Handbook of Coins of Northern and Central Greece: . . . Thessaly . . . ., Sixth to First Centuries BC, The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series,Vol. 4 (2014)]; McClean II 4797-4798 [Grose, S., Catalogue of the McClean Collection of Greek Coins, Fitzwilliam Museum, Vol. II, The Greek Mainland, the Aegean islands, Crete (Cambridge, 1926)]. 20 mm., 6.09 g., 12 h.



(On this coin, it looks almost as if Athena might have forgotten to put on her gown this morning, but I don't think that was the intention -- it's just wear or a weak strike.)

* [Applicable to both coins] CNG did not use the term “Double Victoriatus” in the Triton XV catalog, and apparently has not used it in general since at least 2006, because of the absence of evidence that that term, rather than simply "stater," was used contemporaneously in Thessaly.

The Triton XV auction catalog can be viewed at https://issuu.com/cngcoins/docs/bcd_triton_xv_virtual_catalog . Here's the cover:

 

I'd LOVE to have one of those beautifully oval eyed Athenas. And, I swear, when I grow up I'll get a Corinthian stater... with a shield (yours is stunning!)
But those Thessalian Leagues are out of a dream
ALEXA, "Add to, Must have list!"

 

@Ryro, there are some nice Thessalian League staters for sale on VCoins, some of them at very reasonable prices.

 

If it isn't Athena it would have to be Zeus...great thread as usual @Ryro! An Athena-fest should have a Bactrian example.
Indo-Greek Kingdoms, Bactria, Menander I Soter, c. 165/55-130 BC, AR Indic drachm, Uncertain mint in the Paropamisadai or Gandhara
Obv: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΣΩTHPOΣ / MENANΔPOY, diademed, heroically nude bust of Menander left, seen from behind, aegis over left shoulder, brandishing javelin with right hand
Rev: Maharajasa tratasara Menamdrasa (Kharosthi), Athena standing left, seen from behind, shield on extended left arm, brandishing thunderbolt with right hand; monogram in right field

 

Great Athena coins in this thread.



ATTICA, Athens
AR Tetradrachm
130 – 29 B.C.

16.77 gms, 31 mm
Obv: Head of Athena facing right with
double-crested Attic helmet
adorned with Pegasos.
Rev: Owl standing right on fallen am-
phora with head facing, elephant
symbol to right, all within olive
wreath. The letter E on amphora
ME in exergue. Upper field
around owl A-OE and ANT-OXOΣ.
Left field continues with
KAPA/IXOΣ/ΣKY/MNO/Σ
[magistrates Antiochos, Karaichos
and Skymnos].
Grade: AU with good centering
and strike confirmed by NGC
opinion. Some porosity at obverse
otherwise as struck with good
tone & luster.
Other: “New Style” Athenian Tetradrachm w/ ref. to Syrian king Antiochus and the invasion of Mithradates. Purchased in an NGC slab from Pegasi Numismatics September 2013. Thompson 397h.

edit to add: Chill-out folks. Athena was freed from that slab six years ago.

 

Athens Ar Tetradrachm `134-133 B.C. Obv. Head of Athena right. Rv Owl standing on overturned amphora. to left anchor Thompson 368f HGC 1602 16.84 grms 30 mm photo by W. Hansen

 

One of the best of those I've seen!

 

I don't think anyone should feel embarrassed about the quality of some of their coins. It is not a competition about who has the fanciest coin. Ancient coins come in all shapes, sizes, and conditions, but all of them are unique treasures of antiquity that somehow have managed to survive all these years. It is quite a miracle actually if you think about it. Having one posted here is always a special moment considering the journey that coin took from being created in a primitive ancient mint to making a cameo appearance in the 21st century's social media. Also, not everyone gets to read every thread, so even if a coin was posted the day before, it still doesn't hurt to post it again if it is relevant to the thread and the conversation. It helps research too! The more examples of Athena in an Athena-related thread, the better!

 

With reference to the NewStyle efalump. Great efalump, looks like it's sizing up the olive leaf for a good chew.
As you dated it it's a little early for Mithradates Eupator and Mattingly via Bohrhinger gave up attributing it to a Seleucid prince and said it's a play on a mint magistrates common Greek name with the Seleucid symbol. Who knows!
Anchor & Star seems to be a Seleucid reference and dated approx 4 years earlier than Efalump, however the Seleucid type name Antioxos only appears as the 3rd magistrate towards the end of the Anchor & Star issue.
As I say who really knows, but the approx dating and sequencing of the coins is good enough.
Nice Newstyles!