Curtisimo’s Far Too Late Top 10 of 2022

I posted this list over on Numis Forums recently but I know not everyone frequents both sites. I thought the group here might enjoy this list as well. Hopefully everyone will be okay with me posting a top 10 so long after the typical timeframe.

Please feel free to vote for your favorites and post anything you feel would be relevant.

10 From the Time of Demosthenes
This Athenian Owl was struck during the period where Athens was still an independent democracy and a regionally powerful polis. The date range for this coin lines up very well with the political career of the great orator Demosthenes. Demosthenes is famous for his scathing orations against the Macedonian King Philip II which have come to be known as his “Philippics.” This time period, and the career of Demosthenes, can probably be considered the twilight of the era that made Athens famous throughout history.


ATTICA, Athens
AR Tetradrachm (Pi-style III), Athens mint, struck ca. 353 - 340 BC
Dia.: 25 mm
Wt.: 17.17 g
Obv.: Head of Athena right wearing attic helmet. Pi-style floral ornament on helmet with a long central tendril. Pellet above earring.
Rev.: ΑΘΕ; owl standing right with head facing, olive sprig and crescent to left.
Ref.: Kroll Pi-Style p. 244, fig. 8; Flament p. 126, 3; SNG Cop 63 (round flan) and 64 (elongated flan); SNG München 96; SGCV I 2547 (elongated flan); SNG Delepierre 1474 (elongated), 1479 (round flan); Svoronos Athens pl. 20: 2, 4, 5; van Alfen New pl. 7: 19 - 20

9 The Most Important Temple in Rome
The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus Capitolinus was the most important temple in Ancient Rome. It was traditionally said to have been built in 509 BC and was dedicated to the triad of Jupiter (Jove), Juno and Minerva. When this coin was struck the building was being rebuilt after having been destroyed by a fire in 83 BC. The fire broke out during the civil unrest of Sulla’s dictatorship. The Sibylline Books were also lost in this same fire.


ROMAN REPUBLIC
M. Volteius M.F. (Moneyer)
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck 78 BC
Wt.: 3.65 g
Dia.: 17.1 mm
Obv.: Laureate head of Jupiter right.
Rev.: Façade of the Aedes Iovis Optimi Maximi Capitolini (Temple of Jupiter the Best and Greatest on the Capitoline Hill), with winged thunderbolt in pediment; M. VOLTEI. MF in exergue.
Ref.: Crawford 385/1; Sydenham 774; Volteia 1
Ex Minotaur Coins (private purchase May 2022)

8 Tripod with a Wonderful Provenance
The tripod was a symbol of Apollo due to the fact that his Pythia at Delphi sat on a tripod while giving her prophesies. It was also a symbol of athletic victory due to its being used as a prize in athletic contests. The athletes of Kroton were famous as among the best in the Greek world. This may have had an influence in their choice of the tripod as a badge of thier city. This coin also has an great provenance that I write more about here.


BRUTTIUM, Kroton
AR Nomos, dumpy incuse type, struck ca. 475-450 BC
Dia.: 18.5 mm
Wt.: 7.39 g
Obv.: Tripod with legs terminating in lion's feet; to left, crane standing right.
Rev.: Incuse tripod.
Ref.: HN Italy 2102; SNG ANS 259; CMG Class IV No. 2
Ex J. G. Le Breton Collection (1884-1968) (Glendining, 30 October 1963), lot 457 (part of; Seaby listed as buyer); Ex Seaby Coin and Medal Bulletin 548 (January 1964), no. A1014; Ex CNG E-Auction 462, lot 11 (Feb. 26, 2020)

7 Struck During the Pyrrhic War
The dolphin rider is an iconic type for the city of Tarus / Tarentum. This example was struck during the Pyrrhic War which was started at the instigation of Tarus. The Tarentines issued a plea for help to Pyrrhus of Epirus in an effort to protect themselves from the rising power of Rome. The battles of the war were mostly victories for Pyrrhus but were so costly for his army that it gave rise to the term “Pyrrhic Victory.”

You can learn more about the mythology of the dolphin rider type as well as my theories about ancient cotton candy in my write up here.


CALABRIA, Tarentum
Pyrrhic War Issue
AR Nomos, Tarentum mint, struck 280-272 BC
Dia.: 20.4 mm
Wt.: 6.4 g
Obv.: Helmeted warrior on horseback l., holding two spears and round shield decorated with star. ΖΩ in right field, ΑΠΟΛΛΩ below
Rev.: ΤΑΡΑΣ, Taras riding dolphin l., holding distaff and bunch of grapes. ΑΝΘ in right field
Ref.: Vlasto 790

6 Zeus the Liberator (of Syracuse)
In the mid-fourth century BC, once mighty Syracuse had fallen on hard times. A desperate struggle between Dionysus II and Hicetas (tyrant of Leontini) for control of the city left it devastated. The threat of invasion from Carthage was also very real. The beleaguered citizens of Syracuse sent a plea for help to their mother city, Corinth. Corinth sent the general Timoleon along with 7 ships and 700 mercenaries to put the affairs of Sicily in order. With this tiny force Timoleon defeated Dionysus II, multiple Sicilian tyrants and a full scale Carthaginian invasion in a stunning series of victories. He then repopulated Syracuse with Greek settlers from the mainland, set up a stable democracy and finally retired into private life.

This coin shows Zues in his aspect as liberator (Zeus Eleutherios) in honor of Timoleon and his stunning achievements.


SICILY, Syracuse
Time of Timoleon or the Third Democracy
AE Hemidrachm (?) struck ca. 343-317 BC
Dia.: 24.00 mm
Wt.: 14.35 g
Obv.: IEYΣ EΛΕΥ-ΘΕ-ΡΙΟΣ Laureate head of Zeus Eleutherios right
Rev.: ΣYPAK-OΣIΩN Τhunderbolt upright; barley
Ref.: HGC 1440 (Vol. 2); Calciati 71
Sometimes attributed to the time of Dion (357-354 BC)
From the collection of a Mentor, ex Naville Numismatics 74, lot 42 (June 2022)

5 Bellerophon, the Chimera and the Peloponnesian War
This is a coin with an amazing historical tie in. It was struck at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, probably to help bridge the gap between the Corinthian and Aeginetan weight standards. It shows the famous mythical battle between Bellerophon and the Chimaera. The obverse features Bellerophon riding Pegasus while the reverse shows the Chimaera in a crouching position, prepared for battle.


CORINTHIA, Corinth
AR Trihemidrachm, struck ca. 431 BC
Dia.: 14 mm, 6h
Wt.: 3.95 g
Obv.: Bellephron flying to right on Pegasos, key symbol below
Rev.: Chimera to right within incuse square
Ref.: BCD Corinth 41; HGC 4, 1850
Ex VCV Collection

4 Voting in the Roman Republic
While there are Roman coins that show the act of voting or allude to it, this coin is the only type I am aware of that shows the actual mechanics of how the voting process worked. We see a voter walking across a bridge and receiving a ballot from an attendant that stands below. The bridge was clearly set up to isolate the voter so that his ballot could be cast anonymously. To the right we see another voter placing his vote into a cista. There is a line in the background with a tablet showing the letter P. This is presumably to mark off the voting area and declare which tribe was taking part. This whole scene most likely takes place in the Comitium of the Roman Forum. This is a truly fascinating type of exceptional artistic quality. It also shows us important details the ancients probably thought were too mundane to write about.


ROMAN REPUBLIC
P. Licinius Nerva (Moneyer)
AR Denarius, Rome mint, struck 114/3 BC
Wt.: 3.9 g
Dia.: 18.7 mm
Obv.: ROMA; Helmeted bust of Roma, left, holding shield (showing galloping horseman) in left hand and spear (over shoulder) in right hand. Crescent above helmet, XVI monogram in left field. Border of dots
Rev.: P NERVA; Voting scene. Voter on left of pons receiving ballot from attendant below. Another voter on right of pons placing ballot in cista. Bar with tablet bearing the letter P above. Border of dots.
Ref.: Crawford 292/1

3 The First Meris
In 168 BC, Perseus V of Macedon was defeated by the Roman legions. The Romans split the kingdom into four nominally autonomous republics (or merides). This coin was struck by the First Meris in the city of Amphipolis. It retains the shield design of previous Macedonian tetradrachms but replaces the portrait of the king with a portrait of Artemis. These coins were well made from good silver and often have excellent artistry as well. I liked this example for its nicely styled portrait.


Macedonia under Roman Protectorate
First Meris AR Tetradrachm, Amphipolis mint, struck ca. 167-149 BC
Dia.: 32 mm
Wt.: 16.6 g, 3h
Obv.: Macedonian shield with head of Artemis right, with bow and quiver.
Rev.: Club in wreath between legend: ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ/ΠΡΩΤΗΣ. APY monogram above.
Ref.: Sear 1386

2 The Quadrigatus
In 225 BC the Celts of Cisapline Gaul combined forces with Celtic mercenaries from the Alps to threaten the Roman Republic. Rome mobilized a huge army to counter them. This enormous expense was paid for using… the quadrigatus. In fact, the quadrigatus would be the last Roman silver coin used by the republic down to the introduction of the denarius in ca. 212 BC. That covers a time period of immense historic interest. Metallurgical studies have shown that the quadrigatii were struck with silver from Hispania. This means that the metal was likely part of the war indemnity paid to Rome by Carthage after the First Punic War. This is an iconic and historically fascinating coin type and I’m extremely happy to have finally added one to my collection.


ROMAN REPUBLIC
Anonymous
AR didrachm or quadrigatus, Rome mint, struck ca. 225-214/2 BC
Dia.: 23mm, 6h
Wt.: 6.69 g
Onv.: Laureate janiform heads of the Dioscuri (?); dotted border
Rev.: Jupiter, hurling thunderbolt with right hand, transverse scepter surmounted by lotus in left, in fast quadriga right driven by Victory; ROMA incuse on raised tablet below.
Ref.: Crawford 28/3; Sydenham 64.

1 Dionysius at Thebes
Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele. Semele was the daughter of Cadmus, founder of Thebes. When Semele asked Zeus to come to her in his full glory she was killed by what was presumably his aspect as lightning. Zeus saved the baby she was carrying and sewed the child into his thigh to be reborn later as Dionysus. The fascinating implication of this is that Thebes was the only Greek polis who could claim to be the hometown of one of the 12 Olympian gods.

In 405 BC, Euripides’ Bacchae told the story of an angry Dionysus returning to Thebes and taking vengeance on his family by driving his aunts into such a frenzy that they tore his cousin, King Pentheus, to pieces with their bare hands. The production of this play in Athens was roughly contemporary with the minting of this coin in Thebes about 33 miles away. How fascinating would it be to know what the Thebans thought of the myth and stories of Dionysus and what relation they had to this coin type?

In addition, this coin was struck during the height of the Peloponnesian War by one of the main combatants. As if that wasn’t enough, this coin was also part of the Stoecklin Collection. This marks the 6th year in a row that a coin from this collection has made my Top 10! This coin was the clear winner for my favorite coin in 2022.


BOEOTIA, Thebes
AR Stater, struck ca. 425-400 BC
Dia.: 22 mm, 3h
Wt.: 11.84 g
Obv.: Boeotian shield.
Rev.: Θ-Ε Bearded head of Dionysos to right, wearing ivy wreath.
Ref.: BCD Boiotia 438. An attractive, toned example.
Ex W. F. Stoecklin, Amriswil, Switzerland, acquired from Münzen und Medaillen in Basel prior to 1975.

 

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All are awesome - top of tops are 1, 4 and 9

 

Can I prick them all? Great coins @Curtisimo. I have examples of a few of these, but not nearly as nice. Congrats on a great collecting year.

 

Lovely coins (an understatement really) and some very interesting links to history there. I'd also have to choose #4 as much for it's striking appearance as for the historical aspect. I think I'd have to go with 10 (love an owl) and 9 for the other two coins.

 

Love your name.

 

I went 1,7,9 but it was hard. They’re all great so congrats on a fantastic year.

 

1, 2, 4

 

2. 9. 10

 

You never cease to amaze, the quality and diversity that you seem to uncover in the coin world makes me wish you lived closer so I could hang around you and pick up the scraps
Your Athens owl is one of the best I've seen and if you look at how old your Syracuse Zeus you would be forgiven for thinking it was minted yesterday, but for novelty credentials the voting Denarius has to be another of my favorites, a coin I would love in my collectiion, congrats Curtis and I hope everything goes all right for the birth off your baby.

 

I can't but tell you here too how much I love them

Q