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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ed Snible, post: 4615720, member: 82322&quot;]I have no coins of ancient Philadelphia to address [USER=110350]@DonnaML[/USER] &#039;s question.&nbsp; I do have a very strange legendary animal to show.&nbsp; Does anyone think it is a &quot;legendary&quot; Greek panther, or Cerberus, or an unknown monster?</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1143211[/ATTACH] </p><p>ASIA MINOR. Uncertain. Diobol (5th century BC). 11 mm. 1.08 g.</p><p><br /></p><p>The cataloger thought this small coin shows a winged goat and a panther.</p><p><br /></p><p>The animal on the reverse is why I am showing it.&nbsp; This creature has snakes for hair!&nbsp; It seems to be a &quot;gorgon panther&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>Researching it, I considered it might be Cerberus, the three-headed dog who sometimes has a mane of snakes. (e.g. this <a href="http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M12.4.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M12.4.html" rel="nofollow">kylix</a>, this <a href="http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M12.1.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/M12.1.html" rel="nofollow">hydria</a>).</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are a few other examples:</p><p>- CNG 73, September 2006, <a href="http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=90903" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=90903" rel="nofollow">lot 419</a>. (no snakes). The CNG cataloger wrote “This interesting coin appeared on the market alongside a number of coins of western Asia Minor. The types, though, are unknown for any mint in this area. Most significant is the winged goat, an eastern type that would likely place this coin during the Achaemenid period in Asia Minor.”</p><p>- Classical Numismatic Group, e-Auction 334, September 2013, <a href="http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=267306" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=267306" rel="nofollow">lot 157</a></p><p>- VAuctions, Triskeles auction 29, September 2019, <a href="http://www.vauctions.com/APViewItem.asp?ID=49071" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.vauctions.com/APViewItem.asp?ID=49071" rel="nofollow">lot 26</a> (obol)</p><p><br /></p><p>I was unaware of a Greek mythical panther.&nbsp; Does anyone have any vase or mosaic photos of such a creature before the Medieval period?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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