Euboia, Histiaea Silver Tetrobol

I have watched these for a long while, waiting till one was offered that was
a. for sale by a trusted dealer
b. within my budget
c. in good style.

This is not the prettiest of coins, but it fits all my criteria above. So here it is:

EUBOIA, HISTIAIA
AR Tetrobol
OBVERSE: Wreathed head of Histiaia right
REVERSE: ΙΣΤ−ΑΙΕΩΝ (partially retrograde), Nymph seated on galley right; SI below
Struck at Histiaea, 369-146 BC
2.23g, 15mm
BCD 379 (I'm not 100% on the reference for this coin)

Εὔβοια, derives from the words εὖ "good", and βοῦς "ox", meaning "the land of the well-fed oxen". Euboea is believed to have originally formed part of the mainland, and to have been separated from it by an earthquake.


Please post any related coins.

 

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It definitely doesn't match the style of fakes reported by Barry Murphy. Speaking of that style, I see them somewhat frequently in reputable auction house sales. I asked about this on Forvm last year and apparently not everyone agrees that all of those are fake. Hmm.

I bought a Histiaia tetrobol in 2013. I didn't know much at the time (and the more I learn, the more I don't know ), but I did at least find Murphy's site and felt that my target was probably authentic. It's definitely a challenging type to buy because of the purported plethora of fakes.


EUBOIA, Histiaia.
340-330 BCE (per seller)
tetrobol, 2.3 gm
Obv: head of nymph Histiaia right
Rev: AIEΩN; nymph seated on stern of galley right; IX (XI?) below
Ref: Sear Greek 2496 (per seller)
Other than a weak attempt soon after purchase, I haven't tried to understand the types and supposed dates of issue and can't confirm the accuracy of the reference or date . I bought it primarily because it was pretty and relatively inexpensive

Not Histiaia, but from also from Euboia:


EUBOIA, Eretria
357-267 BCE
AR drachm, 18 mm, 3.1 gm
Obv: head of nymph Eretria left
Rev: head of bull facing, fillets from horns, EY above, satyr's head facing in right field
Ref: Wallace pl. XI, cf 126.
ex Frank James Collection
ex BCD Collection

 

Wow, that drachm is pretty.

 

I consider both of the Histiaia coins shown here to be genuine as I understand the situation but the fact remains that I still see more coins I suspect than those I can accept and have no intention of buying more of them. I simply do not need the thrill of discovery and have one already which is enough for me.

 

Did someone here say the style of fakes??

 

This had been brought up before. Some of the "styles" identified as fakes by Barry Murphy are not recognized so by many reputable dealers and auction houses. Jwitten's post for example, with the "pellets" in her hair, acsearch with bring some results that looked this way.

 

Thanks TIF. I have looked through Barry's web page many times, and like you I do not have a great understanding of the type. BUT, I have been wanting one, and this one does not meet the criteria for fakes of this type.

It does appear that there was some damage, especially on the reverse, all around the prow. I think this was caused by horn silver removal. Any thoughts?

 

Hmm, I'm not sure. That seems like a plausible scenario.

 

that's a perfectly nice drachm bing, i dig it! i want one of these, but am a bit scared of them...and that has bumped them down a bit on my list.

they are still on it however!

interesting what euboia means...i didn't know that.

i don't have anything from there yet.

 

Atta-boy, big bro => great looking OP-addition (congrats)

Hmmm, I haven't gambled on one of those "yet"

Oh, and fantastic Euboian coins, princess (both are great)

Ummm, I have an example from "Euboea" (I'm assuming it's merely another way of spelling the same thing, eh?)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euboea

Euboea, Chalkis. Drachm
Date 338-308 B.C.
Denomination: AR Drachm
Diameter: 19 mm
Weight: 3.66 grams
Obverse: Head of nymph Chalcis right, hair rolled
Reverse: Eagle flying r., carrying serpent in talons and beak, caduceus beneath
Reference: BCD 179

 

Very nice... I like the coin as well as the criteria you used for selection.
Histiaea struck bronze coins as well. No one seems to bother faking them.


EUOBEA, Histiaea
Circa 3rd-2nd centuries BC
AE14
1.89g, 13.8mm
SNG Cop 537 var. (rev symbol)
O: Head of a Maenad right, star behind.
R: IΣ-TI, bull standing right, Nike holding wreath flying above.

 

Sweet bronze, Z-Bro ... hey, is it a man-bull, or just a bull?

It reminds me a bit of this sweet type, eh?

Neapolis, Campania, AR Nomos
320-300 BC
Nymph Parthenope & Man-Bull, with Nike crowning with wreath, above

 

Mine came in an uncleaned lot in three fragments. I do like the coin very much although I am not entirely sure that it is real.

 

I'm lovin' the sweet jigsaw-puzzle coin, my dear!! (it's awesome)

=> I sure hope that it's authentic (very cool nonetheless, eh?)

 

Mmmmmm... jigsaws.....

 

Yeah, it does look like those man-bull coins... but it's really just a plain ol' bull. The Nike above is apparently a control symbol... I think there are others (probably the usual suspects, bunch of grapes etc).

 

This type was the first silver ancient coin I ever bought. It was $30 in 1984. I don't have a picture of it but it is an ugly one the dealer said was a contemporary imitation(?) I will try to get a picture.

John

 

Can someone tell me about this coin it is fake or real and the price of it
https://ibb.co/m68Kxx
https://ibb.co/feZsHx

 

@Terza: This is an old thread so you would be better off starting a new thread to ask about your coin. From what I see it looks authentic to me.

 

TIF, you can't fool me....you got this because it looked like a Longhorn!!!!!