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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Spaniard, post: 4602779, member: 90248&quot;]Some really interesting posts have been made....Thanks to everyone who&#039;s following and adding to this thread...</p><p>OK....Here&#039;s the next...</p><p>Well this god was always going to be a tough one to acquire in decent condition within a tight budget. I&#039;d been initially looking at a couple of Tragilos coins with the classic rose reverse and nearly pulled the trigger on one when this appealing little coin popped up...Its not only the oldest coin in my collection but also my sole Griffin, my favourite coin of the set so far. It&#039;s a nice looker for the type and has a lovely green patina. It shows Hermes wearing the classic Petasos hat and has an interesting depiction of a Griffin on the reverse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fourth of the dozen....</p><p>HERMES.</p><p>Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia (1 of the Pleiades - The 7 daughters of the Titan Atlas). He was the messanger of the gods being able to move freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine using his winged sandals - Nice touch...</p><p>God of boundaries, roads and travelers, commerce, thieves, athletes, shepherds and a Psychopomp (responsible for escorting newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife)..</p><p>Symbols associated with him are the Talaria (winged sandals), caduceus, tortoise, lyre, rooster, Petasos (Winged helmet).</p><p>His Roman counterpart being Mercury.</p><p>This coin was minted in Phocaia (modern day Foca,Turkey.) the Northern most Ionian city on the West coast of Ancient Asia Minor (Anatolia). Situated near the mouth of the ancient river Hermus and, having two natural harbours, became a major seafaring city as the Phocaeans were the first Greeks to make long sea-voyages founding and colonising Massalia (Modern day Marseille, France), Emporion (Modern day Empuries, Catalonia Spain) and Elea (Modern day Velia, Italy). In subsequent readings it seems that the Griffin was quite an Iconic symbol of early Phokaia. Archeologists have been unearthing huge statues of the Griffin in and around the area dating back to pre 500 BC...</p><p>I must admit that I&#039;m finding the historical ride quite enthralling!.</p><p>Here&#039;s the new arrival...</p><p>Ionia, Phokaia, c. 350-300 BC. Æ (15mm, 4.36g, 11h). Phokleon, magistrate.</p><p>Obverse..Head of Hermes facing left wearing a Petasos hat tied at the back.</p><p>Reverse..Forepart of a griffin springing left. ΦΩKAEΩN (PHOKAEON), name of the magistrate below.</p><p>SNG Copenhagen 1039ff (magistrate); BMC 101.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>As always, please feel free to post your favourite coins portraying Hermes/Mercury.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1140069[/ATTACH]</p><p>Here&#039;s the set so far.....All 4 together..</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1140074[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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