Featured Fear and Labyrs in Las Knosos and a rare little macedonian shield coin

The word labyrs (also known as double headed axe or bipennis) comes from the word labyrinth (oh, how I WISH I had a labyrinth coin to share with you).



(Bronze Age axe from the tholos tombs of Messara in Crete.)

Wikipedia says, "Labrys (Greek: λάβρυς, lábrus) is, according to Plutarch (Quaestiones Graecae 2.302a), the Lydian word for the double-bitted axe called in Greek a πέλεκυς (pélekus). The relation with the labyrinth is uncertain.[1]"

But they are mistaken! The relation to labyrinth is very well known to us ancientaholics! It is thanks to the many double headed battle axes that adorned and decorated the walls of the palace/labyrinth (ie, house of the double axe) at Knossos that the word is derived.


(aerial view of Knossos. It really is a-maze-ing)

I think we can all agree that labyrs are pretty bad @$$. I have always been happy when a coin of mine has one as a minor motif. Though, I have never outright sought out a coin specifically for the labyrs...until now!!!
A little back story before the coin, as you all know I have been ga-ga for MSCs (Macedonian shield coins) as of late. And it has been such a wonderful journey and type to collect. But there are a few that just don't come by very often. Some that I have let slip through my fingers and some that I didn't even pay attention to when they were right in front of me. The MSC featuring a Labyrs in the boss (center of shield where the strap was attached) is one such coin.



CNG has only one sold ($180 before fees in 2011 and then sold the same coin in 2018 for $125) and only 2 are listed on AC search (1 of which being the aforementioned CNG coin).
So, when this coin showed up for a paltry $12 on Ebay, I immediately jumped on it and of course offered the seller $6 (you know I would gladly pay $12! But you give me a make an offer and, well...being frugal is a genetic disease and it is for life!). He offered $10. It being any other coin and I am all about a $7.50 offer but threw him an $8.75 to not let this bad boy slip away. He excepted and I had an extra 3 hamburgers, one with cheese.
I will post the sellers and my photos so that you can see that I had a small battle with BD to win (distilled water + sawed off tooth brush a few times followed by some Verdicare love):


(Before)

(After. Much better in hand but the dark patina mixed with just a how tiny this guy is spell nightmare to get a good pic of)

Philip III Arrhidaios. 323-317 BC. Æ Quarter Unit (10mm, 1.26 g, 6h). Miletos(?) mint. Struck under Asandros, circa 323-319 BC. Macedonian shield; boss with labrys / Macedonian helmet; K to lower left. Price 2067

Pretty cool to see that coins minted after the death of Alexander showed the juice due his "special" brother, Philip III, with the "BA" on the reverse, denoting him as Βασιλιά = King (something that was taken off of the Diadochi's MCDs for many years to show reverence to Alexander The Great).

And of course you don't bring labyrs unless you have brought enough to share with the class:


Thyateira, Lydia
AD 1-100, AE14, semi-autonomous issue. Bearded head of Herakles right / ΘYATEIΡHNΩN, bipennis (double-axe; labrys). BMC 8; RPC I 2379; SNG Tuebingen 3838. Holed

Labyrs show up on reverses of MCDs as well:


Alexander III 'the Great'
(336-323 BC). Ae 1/4 Unit. Kaunos.
Obv: Macedonian shield, with facing gorgoneion on boss.
Rev: B - A. Helmet; labrys to left, K to right.
Price 2065; cf. HGC 3.1, 958a (1/2 unit; Alexander IV).
Condition: Extremely fine. Weight: 2.02 g. Diameter: 14 mm.

Does my bipennis look crooked?



Demetrios I Poliorketes
Kings of Macedon.
306-283 BC. AE (13mm, 2.36g). Uncertain mint (possibly in Caria), 306-283 BC. Head of Athena right in crested Corinthian helmet / B A, prow right; above, BA; to right, bipennis?; below. SNG Alpha Bank 956 ; SNG Cop 1185.
Former: Kairos

And just for fun, here is most of my MSCs!




Please share all your double axes, bipenni, Labyrses (or labyrinths if you got em!), MSCs or really anything that will add to this thread.

 

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Nice coins.

Here is an Amazon holding a double axe.


Antoninus Pius
Galatia, Ancyra
Obv: ΑVΤ ΚΑΙ ΑΔΡΙ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΩ ϹΕΒ ΠΙΩ, bare head of Antoninus Pius, r.
Rev: Η ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙϹ ΤΗϹ ΓΑΛΑΤΙΑϹ ΑΝΚVΡΑ, Amazon standing, r., wearing tall head-dress, holding double axe, pelta and anchor
Æ, 28mm, 12.43g
Ref.: RPC IV 5686 (temporary)

 

Soon you will have them all! I believe this is my only MS

Antiochus I Soter
Mint: Antioch
281 to 261 BC
Obvs: Macedonian shield with Seleukid anchor in central boss.
Revs: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY, Horned elephant walking right. ME monogram and club above, jawbone in exergue.
AE 18x19mm, 6.37g
Ref: SC 339.4; HGC 10, 148(S)
Note: Counter mark above elephant

And so you reference is not lost Ryro..."Not that we needed all that ...., but once you get locked into a serious [coin] collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.”

 

LABRYS


Troas Tenedos late 5th-early 4th C BCE AR Obol 8mm 0.60g Janiform hd female-male - Labrys within incuse square SNG Ash 1235 HGC 6 387


BIPENNIS


MAKEDON Philip III Arrhidaios 323-317 BCE Æ 1-2 Unit 17mm 4.2g Miletos mint Makedonwn shield Gorgoneion - Helmet bipennis K Price


MEANDER / LABYRINTH

RI Augustus 27BC-AD14 Æ20 5.5g 12h Apameia Phrygia Magistrate Attalos c 15BC Two corn-ears above maeander Labyrinth pattern RPC I, 3125 SCARCE
Pan’s Labyrinth

 

I own a gorgon/helmet bronze with the double-axe as a symbol. It came out of a junk box. (I usually don't replace the coins in my collection with better examples. Coins acquired long ago may not be up to the usual standards of this group.)


In the name of Alexander the Great. Miletos or Kaunos. 3.7g AE16.5
shield/helmet with double-axe (labrys) and K
Ref: Price 2064

I am also very fortunate to have a labyrinth coin from Knossos.

Knossos, 200-67 BC, AE14, 2.18g
Zeus / [Κ]ΝΩ[/Σ−Ι/ΩΝ]; Maze
Ref: Sear 3230v

I have never seen one a Zeus/maze bronze sell for a high price, because I have never seen one in high grade.

 

Very nice... reference wasn't lost either. I have nothing relevant to share. Your coin looks much better after you cleaned it up and the graphics are great

 

I really love how you took highroad and decided not to lowball the seller and just picked up that little diamond in the rough for the asking price. Oh, wait, that's not the story...

Seriously, though... cool coin, well-scored, great clean-up job, and fun writeup.


LYCIA, Dynasts. Mithrapata.
AR Sixth Stater (Diobol). 1.4g, 13.7mm. LYCIA, Uncertain mint, circa 390-370 BC. CNG E-398, lot 291 (otherwise unpublished). O: Lion scalp facing. R: Triskeles; labrys in one section, Lycian legend around; all within incuse square.


CRETE, Knossos
AE19. 5.83g, 19.4mm. Knossos-Gortyna alliance issue, struck circa 220 BC. Svoronos 122; SNG Copenhagen 378; Lindgren II 1721. O: Europa, holding veil, seated left on bull leaping left; radiating lines in periphery, two dolphins below. R: [Κ-Ν-Ω-ΣΙ-ΩΝ], Labyrinth; star above.

 

Thanks and beeeaaautiful coin with a Faaantastic Amazon, @shanxi! It even only shows one breast. I cannot remember where I read that the word amazon(e) means single breasted in Greek. Apparently, the Amazon's would self mutilate so that there bosom's wouldn't get in the way of their bow and arrows.

Thanks @David@PCC! I still have a long way to go with all of the variations on reverses and am still missing a couple boss designs...but that is just for bronzes. I will be lucky to own more then a handful of the AR, as there are some wonderful and expensive types ie, the Roman protectorate, Antigonus II tets etc. But holy smokes that Seleucid Anchor boss w/Elephant reverse you have has got to be in the best condition I have seen of the type! Excellent detail on both the obverse and reverse. Just look at the tusks on the elephant and the jaw bone in the exergue. Certainly blows my guy out of the water!

Thanks @Jwt708! That BD is scary stuff to go up against!
@Alegandron, I LOVE all things Guiremo Del Toro. I just watched Scary Stories to tell in the Dark! Fun for all us 80s/90s kids.
Excellent coins @Ed Snible! Man, am I jealous of you and @zumbly's labyrinth's. One day my friends.

 

LOL , yeah, one of my 80’s/‘90’s daughters loved that movie. Took her a couple times. We really bonded with the cool scenes, but a purdy sad story. She actually sent me that little url.