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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Al Kowsky, post: 4111695, member: 97383&quot;]The Phil Peck (Morris) Collection has proven to be a windfall for collectors of rare, unusual, and attractive ancient coins. His collection was especially rich in large bronze coins although few of these coins would be considered &quot;high grade&quot;. Many of his coins showed considerable ware, were <u>smoothed</u>, or showed obvious signs of cleaning. Personally I prefer silver or billon coins because I find their toning more attractive than the patina I&#039;ve seen on most bronze coins. I made an exception with the well-worn Egyptian drachm pictured below. This coin has a dazzling patina of mahogany brown and jadeite green, along with a fascinating reverse design of a female griffin with her paw on a wheel.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067197[/ATTACH] </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067198[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Griffins are mythological creatures, part eagle and part lion. They date back well over 5,000 years and are seen in many ancient cultures, especially with the Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, and Persians. They are recognized primarily as protective animals with an esoteric association with gold.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067205[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067208[/ATTACH] </p><p>This Roman gilded bronze griffin, circa AD 50 - 270, is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067210[/ATTACH] </p><p>This Roman mosaic, circa 2nd-3rd century AD, is in the National Museum of Damascus,</p><p>Syria, shows a griffin attacking a bull.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1067216[/ATTACH] </p><p>This Byzantine mosaic, circa 6th century, from Istanbul, Turkey, shows a female griffin devouring a lizard.</p><p><br /></p><p>Photos courtesy of Wikipedia, Google, &amp; Stanford University Library.</p><p><br /></p><p>Provenance:</p><p>Virginia Ruzicka Collection</p><p>Joel L. Malter Auction XXVIII, lot 460, 12-8-1984</p><p>Kerry Keith Wetterstrom Collection </p><p>CNA Auction XII, lot 213, 9-26-1990</p><p>Phil Peck (Morris) Collection</p><p>Heritage Monthly Auction 66151, lot 97082, 1-26-2020[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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