Great Griffin!

I love griffins!

Another one from Phokaia:

Not a bird you'd want to argue with...

This one was sold as a hemidrachm, but, since there is nothing to distinguish them from the more common diobol but the weight, it could well be a heavy diobol, struck al marco.

 

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This is my smallest Nemesis




This is my largest Nemesis



- Broucheion

 

ANCIENT PARALLEL

SPHINX

(Just for fun)


Iberia Castulo
Late 2nd C BC
AE As 25mm
Bust Nose Hand
Sphinx



Egypt
SCARAB
Middle Kingdom 2065-1650 BCE
Scarabaeus
Sphinx
ex Gustave Mustaki collection

 

Lysimachos (323-281 BC). Drachm (18mm; 4.21 gm, 12h), In the types of Alexander III of Macedon. Teos mint, 299-296 BC. Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin. Rev: Zeus seated left; ΛYΣIMAXOY to right; Griffin seated left, in l. field over symbol, "cross motif" below throne. Price L35 dr., Müller L33, Thompson, "Lysimachus" 129.

 

Rarely am I in such an agreeable mood but I, too, prefer gryphon. In general I prefer using the Anglicized Greek spellings for Greek things and Latin forms for Roman ones but gryphon is just so very much more refined looking that griffin that I prefer it even on Imperial coins.

 

Gryphon or Sphinx?

 

Possibly A Griphinx or a Sphinon...

 

Griffin on Roman lamp c. 1st century...

 

Until I can get an ancient coin this modern day Latvia coin will have to do:


Latvia 5 Lati 1931
Silver, 37 mm, 25.11 gm

 

Great coin, David! So many interesting coins in this thread. I admired your coin soon after you posted it but got busy and forgot to drop some griffins until now.

My favorite:


TROAS, Alexandria. Trebonianus Gallus
CE 251-253
AE 21 mm, 4.76 gm
Obv: IMP VIB TREB GALVS AV; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: COL AV / TROA; Apollo, head right and holding kithara, seated facing on griffin springing right, head left
Ref: RPC IX 407; Bellinger A403

My first griffin (helmet decoration). This coin was purchased early in my collecting (2013). I miss Pecunem! Their earliest auctions had some great deals.


LUCANIA, Velia
305-290 BCE
AR didrachm, 17.5 mm, 7.3 gm
Obv: Head of Athena right, wearing crested helmet, decorated with griffin; at left, A
Rev: YEΛHTΩN; lion standing/walking right on exergual line; above dolphin between I and Φ
Ref: SNG ANS 1375-6

More helmet griffins:




PONTOS, Amisos
85-65 BCE, time of Mithradates VI Eupator
AE, all are ~27-29 mm
Obv: helmeted head of Athena right; helmet decorated with griffin
Rev: AMIΣOY; Perseus standing facing, holding harpa and head of Medusa, Medusa's body at his feet, blood gushing from the neck

Others:


IONIA, Teos
AR diobol (reduced standard), 10 mm, 0.98 gm
Obv: seated griffin right, paw raised
Rev: lyre, THI, magistrate’s name


Egypt, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius
Year 11, CE 147/8
AE obol, 20 mm, 5.57 gm
Obv: laureate head right
Rev: griffin seated right with forepaw on wheel; in exergue, LIA
Ref: Dattari-Savio Pl. 165, 3121 (this coin); Geissen -; Emmett 1772.11, R5
Ex Giovanni Dattari Collection

 

Sphinx

 

I have a few more Griffins:


RR L Papius serratus 79 BCE Juno Sospita goat skin JUG Griffon Sear 311 Craw 384-1

Good gosh, I need to reshoot this. It has a cool Griffin rev.

Thrace Pantikapaion 4th C BC, AE 20 Pan head - Griffin forepart BMC 869


On helmet

RR Roman Occupied Macedonia Gaius Publilius, Questor Amphipolis Mint As AE26 As ROMA Griffin MAKEDONWN TAMIOV GAIOV POPAILIOV oak wreath BC 148-146 SNG COP 1318

 

This week's Franklin's World comic in Coins Weekly reminded me of this thread!