Savoca STILL put on their bi-weekly auction, despite it being Christmas. What kind of auction house ignores that it's one of the most holi holidays of the year!? Soooo, I got myself some pretty dope new (slightly used) coins from Savoca for the holiday. Just a fun MSC from Antigonos Monophthalmus with a chubby gorgon and a phat kerykeion: Still addressing what the character is under the helmet, but don't think it's the traditional thunderbolt. Possible lifetime of Alexander the Great: If I have to explain why I got this coin to you then... Ionia. Phokaia 350-300 BC. Bronze Æ 11mm., 1.58g. Head of nymph left, hair bound in sphendone / Griffin's head left. very fine SNG Copenhagen 1033. A really cool coin that I'm excited slipped through the holiday melee. NOT from Lesbos like you might think at first glance. She is an early coin of Macedon/Thrace. Which many would've surely labeled as barbarian back in civilized Greece. And that mean looking hog with the studded collar isn't changing any minds! Thraco Macedonian Region. Uncertain mint circa 500-450 BC. Hemiobol AR 8 mm, 0,46 g very fine And lastly, maybe the coolest coin of the Auction, the two people chasing me on folded early. And I mean early I'm excited, for obvious reasons. Not only are BOTH countermarks lovely, but I'm not finding any others with TWO bees on AC search: Pisidia. Termessos Major circa 100-0 BC. Bronze Æ 22 mm, 4,22 g fine Merry happy to all! Now that Christmas, Hanukkah and the most importantly, Saturnalia are over whoes ready for new years?
@Ryro....Cool coins!..Interested in what the Ionia reverse is? Really like the chubby Gorgon....If not the thunderbolt what could it be?.. I'm so glad somebody else is buying coins on Christmas day as my wife thought it was a bit wierd....I'm with you though!....Bought this neat Antoninus pius AE As today.... Antoninus Pius AD 138-161. Æ As (27.1mm, 8.14 g.) Rome mint, struck AD 139. Obv. Laureate head right. Rev. Fortuna standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia. RIC II 533c (scarce) Nice VF, good portrait. Green patina. Scarce 139 AD emission, without globe and COS II rather than COS III.
My favorite is the coin with bee countermarks - way cool. I wonder if it was repurposed for circulation in Ephesos.
Beauuuuuutiful Ant Pius Great portrait, patina and reverse. I updated this OP with the description. It's a VERY monstrous looking Griffin. Here's some more common versions that look little like the MONSTER on my new coin that I also love:
Wow!....Loch Ness Monster!...Now I can see it!....That's a nice coin!..Congrats I haven't got any monsters in my collection yet!.....But certainly looking forward to the coming year if we allow it!
Fun happy holiday buys... I really like the Termessos with the double bee countermarks. Very cool coin.
I like that one I figured it would go (for more) to someone who likes bees. I do have an AE14 that has the smallest c/m of any I have. Bee or bird?
Well @Ryro, judging after our activity in 2021, probably in the near future there would be 2 statues in front of Savoca headquarters, one with you (with a Macedonian shield of course) and one with me (with an empty wallet of course).
Nice Christmas pickups! Congrats Ryro! I got some really rare coins from Savoca/ probably would have been unaffordable in major auctions. One time Sincona had a special Christmas Auction 20 Swiss rarities. I thought I could sneak and get a smashing deal on a AV Basel 6 Dukaten 1741 FDC/ it was estimated at 12K Swiss francs/ starting 5K/ realized 66K
