About a month or so ago, I purchased this Cherronesos AR Hemidrachm from a dealer who suggested the figure in one of the incuse squares is an Ibis. I have researched this coin through a lot of web sites including Barry Murphy's "The Coinage of Thracian Cherronesos", and have not been able to find any reference to an Ibis on these coins. However, while looking at all the examples, it seems to me to resemble the coins with an Amphora (http://bpmurphy.ancients.info/chersonese/pics/00579q00.jpg). I would appreciate everyone's opinion. Also, while I know these coins are widely faked, I have checked and double checked the fake databases, but have found no match. THRACE AR Hemidrachm OBVERSE: Forepart of lion right, head turned back REVERSE: Quadripartite incuse square, VE beside pellet / amphora Struck at Cherronesos, 400-350 BC 2.22g, 13mm BMC Thrace pg. 185, 39; Weber 2423; McClean 4111-4112 A little background quoted loosely from a FAC discussion: Cherronesos is Greek for 'peninsula' and several cities used the name. Chersonesus (the city) has never been found. It is sometimes accepted that the hemidrachms were minted in the main city of Thracian Chersonesus, Cardia and Wikipedia gives the location of Cardia as the Gallipoli peninsula at the head of Saros bay. The coins were struck either by the peninsula as a league, or by a lost city of the same name on the peninsula, or by Cardia. Please, I am very interested in your opinions; and, of course, post any related coins.
Fabric and style look good to me. I don't think it's an amphora. Are the light spots to the right of the so-called ibis raised, or is it just toning?
Try VE beside pellet // lekythos with strigil attached to strap BMC Thrace pg. 185, 44; Weber 2420; McClean 4113
Hmm, I'm not sure what to make of the reverse object. I don't think it is an amphora. Those are oriented differently relative to the lines created by the incuse areas. The reverse objects, including letters and monograms, are typically readable when the coin is oriented like this: Edited to add that Pish's suggestion sounds promising. @Pishpash, do you have a picture of that coin? I didn't find one although I haven't searched "everywhere" .
I don't know... the orientation of the objects don't look right for the strigil & strap coins (of which I have now found pictures, and of which JA posted while I was typing this ). Still, it seems like the most likely possibility. http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=2200309 http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1156345
Nice coin, congrats. Thrace, Chersonesos (386 - 338 B.C.) AR Hemidrachm O:Forepart of lion right, head reverted. R: Quadripartite incuse square with alternating raised and sunken quarters; pellet to left of VE monogram and pentagram above pellet in opposite sunken quarters. 13mm 2.4g BMC 43; McClean –; Weber 2422; SNG Copenhagen –; SNG Dreer 115.
Looking at the first photo I see a bit of a wiggle to the center line suggesting some movement when struck and providing the bit of curve changing pottery into a bird neck. I'm with Pish's ID.
Hey Bing, I'm no expert, but I'm fairly sure that it's an Ibis with his trusty amphora by his side (no brainer)
