Gortyna Stater - Bull in the Labyrinth

I recently bought a lot of three Gortyna staters in average (ie., typically junky) condition because I wanted one of the coins included in the lot. The single-sided group picture used in the sale didn't reveal anything of what was described as "significant remnants" of a Labyrinth of Knossos undertype, but my interest was piqued. A stater of Gortyna was at the top of my want list, right along with pretty much any coin showing the Labyrinth. So a single coin combining both, even if only through overstriking, was certainly worth considering in my books.

Crete didn't have its own source of silver, so its staters were almost always overstruck, first on foreign coinage (mostly Aegina and Kyrene) and subsequently on older local issues. Gortyna was the most prolific of the Cretan mints, and known to have recycled the earlier staters of Knossos to strike their own. Vestigial (and usually unidentifiable) traces of the original designs are sometimes seen on these issues, but examples with them clearly showing through are much less so. I saw nothing at all in the auction picture, but I guess I was up for a bit of a gamble .


CRETE, Gortyna
AR Stater. 11.77g, 29.8mm. CRETE, Gortyna, circa 330-270 BC. SNG Cop -; cf. Svoronos 58f (rev as Svoronos 62). O: Europa seated right in plane (platanus) tree, resting her head pensively on her left hand. R: Bull standing to right, head turned back left to lick its flank.

Yes, it's worn and ragged, but to begin with, most of these are. The obverse design showing Europa sitting in a plane tree was often rendered quite artistically, but the Gortynian mint would use the dies until they were almost completely worn out, and as a result, the majority of the surviving examples look barely collectible. On the reverse, the Gortyna type is the standing bull, and the surviving details of the undertype shows one quadrant of the Knossos Labyrinth, two small central pellets, and three of the four incuse squares set at the corners of the structure. Quite abit more than I had hoped for!

As a completely unexpected bonus, there's a trace of undertype on the obverse as well... it shows just below the thigh of Europa when you rotate the coin 180 degrees - the head of the Minotaur from the original Knossos stater, along with some of the beaded border. The picture below is of one of these rare Knossos staters (this one sold in a Gorny & Mosch auction two years ago), with the inset being the detail of the Minotaur's head from my coin. I'm never going to own a Knossos Minotaur stater, so for me, this worn-out, junky mess is a thrilling second best .

 

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Absolutely fantastic! Of all the possible undertypes this is probably the most interesting. The gamble paid off!

 

Amazing, I would have not recognized it for what it is but I think it's cool undertype and I wouldn't mind owning it.

Well, I think it's fairly certain I won't own a Knossos Minotaur stater either LOL. I wonder if anyone at CT does???

 

Congrats zumbly very nice overstrike. Dont own one neighter, but I have a nice greek 10 Drachma 1923 banknote

 

What a fantastic find! Nice eye

I don't have the Minotaur version but I do have the variety depicting the Labyrinth, a coin which I happily paid out the nose for to find a well-centered, well-pedigreed, and artistic example:

 

oh wow, that's neat Z!

 

WOW!!!! The artistry is simply suberb!!!

 

Very good score!

 

Although worn still a good coin with significant history attached to it, I would love one like it. Congratulations.

 

Nice! That's one banknote I wouldn't mind having.

 

Nice!! => congrats, Z-Bro ... very cool coin

 

I remember thinking to myself that was the nicest example of the type I had ever seen. The style is wonderful and the pedigree quite exceptional! Definitely worth paying through the nose for .

 

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone. Seeing Gortyna staters almost always causes me a pang of regret because of this one that got away from me last year.



The Knossos undertype of the OP coin allows it to be a happy exception .

 

Yeah, I can see how that loss would hurt. There'll be another one with your name on it when you're ready

Speaking of names, this one is giving me trouble. It looks like it is from Crete but I'm having trouble with the ethnic.




AR 36 mm, 26.2 gm
Obv: HIK EΣT IOHNNY; crossed axes
Rev: labyrinth; ΩBEPΛOOK below

 

Haha! Enjoying seeing this one again .

Johnny thinks you got some of the details just ever so slightly off and will be along with his axe to fix it in just a moment ...



Oops, sorry, Halloween is over isn't it .

 

reverse of a 1914 Bank of Crete 25 Drachma banknote.

obverse with Zeus enthroned and King George of Greece


@zumbly the one that got away coin reminds me of Sleepy Holly

 

Yeah, it does have a Sleepy Hollow/Halloween look to it, eh .

 

Hi there. What is the price now for this coin?

 

Very neat coin

 

Numismatic interest 10/10
Value 10/10
Eye appeal - Only a mother could love

I guess that makes me mom.