COINS BY CITY: An Alphabetical A to Z of Coinage

Macrinus
Coin: Bronze
IMP C M OPE SEV MACRINVS PI - Radiate head right – seen from behind
COL F L PAC DEVLT - Priest veiled, driving two oxen
Mint: Deultum (217-218 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 9.25g / 23mm / -

 

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Wow, coincidentally I got to post these two babies in Doug's thread ...

Illyria, Dyrrhachion => a humble example and a rockin' brockage error

 

Bonus points for that snippet of info on Dyrrhachion. Seen these coins so often, but never knew the city was in present day Albania.

 

Albania... that's the state capital of New York, right?

 

Hmm need to take my own picture of this one.

Ruler: Augustus
State, City: Phrygia, Dionysopoli
Coin: Bronze AE19
ΣΕ� βΑΣΤΟΣ - Bare head of emperor right
� ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΠΟΛΙΤΩΝ Ι� ΔΟΜΕΝΕΥΣ ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΡΙΣ - Dionysos standing left, holding grapes and thyrsos.
Mint: Dionysopolis (20BC ?)
Wt./Size/Axis: 4.30g / 19mm / -
Rarity: Rare
References:

• RPC I 3122
• Von Aulock, Phrygiens II, 92-6

I was told that there are 5 known coins, so meet No 6.

 

I did have a few Constantinople types I couldn't post....but ABSOLUTELY no 'D' examples.... I NEED MORE GREEK and PROVINCIAL COINS!!!

Love the Dardanos Bronze and the Damascus Tet coins.....and the just posted Dionysopoli bronze from Pishpash.

 

Don't confuse me! You actually had me going for a second there...

 

You really do need more coins, and surely you know what needs to be done ....

 

Got no Ds.

 

My catalog is not set up where I can do a search by mint city, but as far as I can tell, I have no coins struck in a city beginning with "D". This should be a short string of coins I do believe.

 

D is for Damascus (and Denver ):


SELEUKID KINGDOM
Antiochos VIII Epiphanes (Grypos)
AR Tetradrachm
121-96 BC

16.68 grams, 29 mm.
Obv: Diademed head facing right
Rev: Zeus Standing Left holding
star & sceptre with crescent over
head; two monograms to outer
left, [IPP] (date) in exergue,
BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ANTIOXOY right
EΠI.ΦANOYZ to left of Zeus,
all within laurel wreath.
Grade: VF+ nicely toned.
Other: Antiochos VIII Epiphaes was a Seleukid King of Syria nicknamed Grypos (hook nose). Grypos was essentially the last of the Seleukid Kings of Syria. This Damaskos mint coin is dated SE 197 (116/5 BC). Similar to Sear 7143; SC 2323.5b; HGC 9, 1197f. From Sphinx Numismatics Oct. 2013.

 

Gorgeous coin, Collect89.....I love the details and the lovely toning!!

 

I have the Sister coin that caused the brockage on Steve's coin,jk .

Illyria, Dyrrhachion,
Obv. Club left, cow with calf, grapes at bottom, wheat right, its all Greek to me letters at top.

 

No skunk for me on D! I found one.


Septimius Severus
AE 25

Damascus
Laureate head right of Sep-Sev
DAMAC-KHNWN MHTROPOL/IWN, turreted bust of Tyche left in temple

 

The Nabataean king Aretas III ruled Damascus for a few years and issued some city coins modeled after their Seleucid predecessors. These coins are all quite rare, one unique. You can read a brief history and analysis on my website here, and on the following page. The dating of the coins is discussed here.

Nabataean Kingdom: Aretas III, 87-62 BC
AE20, 7g, 12h; Damascus Mint, 87-62 BCE
Obv.: Diademed head of Aretas III right
Rev.: Tyche of Damascus, turreted, seated left on rock,
wearing long mantle, holding uncertain object in right hand,
river god swimming below, ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ/ΑΡΕΤΟΥ/ΦΙΑ-ΕΛΛΗΝΟΣ
Reference: Meshorer 6A

 

Another Damascene issue, Antiochus XII. He was defeated by Aretas III and the Nabataeans.

Seleucid Kingdom, Antiochus XII, 87/86-84/83 BC
AE21, 8.27g, 12h; Damascus mint, 87-83 BC.
Obv.: Diademed head of Antiochus XII right.
Rev.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ∆ΙΟΝΥΣΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ ΚΑΛΛΙΝΙΚΟΥ; Tyche standing left, holding palm and cornucopia.
Reference: SNG Spaer 2904.

 

And one step further back gives us the issues of Aretas II. These coins imitated the staters of Alexander III, and exhibit no intrinsic Nabataean characteristics.

Nabataean Kingdom: Aretas II, 120/110 – 96 BC
AE16, 3.3g, 10h; Damascus Mint
Obv.: Head of Athena right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet.
Rev.: Nike standing left, wreath in right hand, uncertain object in left.
References: Meshorer 1A, Schmitt-Korte 2

 

Dionysopolis - Commodus - AE 19 - 2 assaria


This is a junker but a rare city. I bought it for the blue patina and, mostly, the denomination mark B retrograde which does double duty as Herakles' bow. It is also a bit unusual in that both legends start at the upper right and go clockwise around to the upper left.

 

Impressive scholarship and excellently presented!!

 

Interesting history, JA. Was Aretas III the first (only?) Nabataean king to rule from Damascus? How does the Aretas II coin attributed to the Damascus mint work into this?