Foibles Revisited, More birds of a Feather, and Expanding the Roman Frontiers - 2021 Review

Thanks! Funny thing about that owl - I hadn't planned to buy this one. I went for several other owls at the auction but kept losing. Then I saw this one come up and its minimum bid was twice that of the others, but it only had a minimum bid. So, last minute I bid one more than the minimum and got it! I still remember when I opened the box. To date it's the only one of my coins to ever impress my wife.

Eventually, yes. Because of my collecting focus, I'd like to pick up an owl closer to the time of Alexander the Great. That's phase 2 of my collection, though, so not right now.

I did pick up this imitative owl.

Egypt, Achaemenid Province. Sabakes, satrap, AR Tetradrachm. Circa 340-333 BC.​

16.61g, 25mm, 9h.
Head of Athena to right, wearing earring, necklace, and crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves over visor and a spiral palmette on the bowl / Owl standing to right with head facing, olive sprig with berry and crescent in upper left field; uncertain letters to left, "Sabakes symbol" and SWYK (in Aramaic) to right.
Van Alfen Type III, 24-34 var. (O11/R- [unlisted rev. die]); Nicolet-Pierre, Monnaies 18-26 (same obv. die); SNG Copenhagen 4 var. (no letters on left of rev.); BMC 265 var. (same).
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A very rare imitative owl, at that!

 

You're welcome. But come on, it's not as if you're 100!

 

I like the Trajan the most, followed by Gallienus/Sol and the imitative owl.

Here's a Commodus with Sol alexandrian tetradrachm


Commode (03 ou 04/177 - 31/12/192) - Tétradrachme de l'atelier d'Alexandrie, AD 189 - 190
[Μ Α ΚΟΜ ΑΝ]Τω CΕΒ ΕYCΕΒ, buste lauré à droite
Helios radié et drapé à droite, LΓ dans le champ à droite (30° année de règne (de Marc Aurèle))
22,5 mm - 13,01 gr
Ref : Emmett # 2543/30 (R1), Kampmann # 41/121, Dattari # 3865, RPConline # 14217
Provenance : Naville web auction #37/299

Q

 

A very nice coin!

It seems that Alexandria, with its skilled die engravers, produced many of the better Roman provincial coins, in terms of aesthetics. Perhaps that was due, at least in part, to the large Greek population in that city during Roman rule, and beyond.

 

That is true for some periods but generally not true during the time of Commodus. @Cucumbor-- that is a shockingly artistic tet for the time! Congrats-- and I'm envious (again) .

 

I went for the group C, the group H, and the Gallienus tet (great style and silver on that last one). I could easily have gone for all three archaic owls but felt I should mix it up a bit. All of your top 10 are super, as are the runners up! (Of the latter I like the Nero and the Vādfradād the best.)

For you I will compile my Athens set so far. I'd love to add a Wappenmünzen (do you have one? would love to see it if so!) and an archaic owl, but otherwise I'm OK with it as is, though I suppose I should add a couple from the 3rd and 2nd c. BCE. (One bronze at least. Other suggestions?)

My oldest one is this Class II owl, c. 470 BCE, which you helped me ID (thank you again!) The seller had just labeled it as a classical "Walmart" owl (thanks for that term, @kirispupis!) so I got it for a steal.

The countermark and chisel mark suggest it circulated in the east.

Next my classical owl, Flament group 2:

Terence Cheesman estimated it was issued c. 440-430 BCE. I second your recommendation to pick one of these up from Roma before they're gone - that's who I got this one from.

From the 4th c. BCE I have this tiny tetartemorion:

I find it interesting that the Athenians were among the last to succumb to the temptation to issue token bronze coinage, producing these tiny silver issues much later than virtually all other polities.

As I said, I don't have anything from the 3rd or 2nd c. BCE, but I recently snagged a New Style tet issued by Aristion, the tyrant who cooperated with Mithradates VI only to be squashed by Sulla. This coin is c. 90 BCE, before Sulla's sack:

(The pegasus is a Mithradatid symbol.)

Then to represent the Roman Imperal period, I have one of the last athena/owls ever issued, from the time of Hadrian. It makes a rather pathetic ending (13mm, 2.49g) for a once magnificent and storied type!


So there you have it, my whole set together for the first time, in honour of your fabulous top 10!!

 

Wonderful coins!

The Class II owl is very elusive, one that I have been trying to acquire, but without any luck. I'd go to Walmart in an instant to buy one. Which aisle?

Your classical is a quintessential example for coins made during this period of massive coinage output, when the Athenian Empire was at its zenith, and before the disaster of the Sicilian campaign against Syracuse came to fruition. It is easy to forget the history behind these coins, given the large numbers available today.

I've never owned a tetartemorion, I guess due to my single-minded focus on tetradrachms. I do have an obol, but I think it is an imitation.

Your new style owl is a nice coin - well struck and centered for this later period of minting. The Pegasus on the reverse really stands out. I noticed that Roma is auctioning some new style owls in their second E-Sale this month. Maybe I'll place a bid or two.

I wasn't aware of that Hadrian issued a bronze coin with the Athena/owl combination. That coin certainly is the closing line to a once dominant and influential line of coins from Athens.

No, I don't own a Wappenmünzen coin. When they do come up for sale, which is rarely, the prices are just way beyond my means, so I must be content with what I have, and I am.

Thank you for your post, and I hope that in the future we can share future acquisitions and insights.

 

Thanks for the comments, @robinjojo!

Yeah, this is definitely a series where one has to go for the smaller denominations! The wheel obols can be quite affordable, luckily. Although in the current market...