Masterpieces of Ancient coinage.

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by BenSi, Feb 4, 2021.

  1. Terence Cheesman

    Terence Cheesman Well-Known Member

    I guess this comment will be in two parts Generally speaking a masterpiece occurs when an outstanding example is created that is above the norm. One on this thread commented that this is tough for Roman Imperial coins which is true as they have a tendency to be uniform and at a very high standard. Please note this. Roman Imperial coins are usually minted at a VERY HIGH and consistent STANDARD. However in the colonial series this is not always the case, Though I would be loath to call this a masterpiece it is certainly a cut above the norm
    Septimius Severus Ar Tetradrachm Laodicae Ad Mare Mint 207-209 AD Obv bust right laureate and cuirassed with gorgoneion on breastplate. Rv. Eagle standing facing wings spread head left. Prieur 1141 This coin illustrated 13.55 grms 28 mm Photo by W. Hansen laodicsseverus2.jpg
    In the second half I would like to address pprp's rather unusual Athenian tetradrachm' One of the central problems we face in our understanding of this coinage is how were the mints organized and how did they function. It is likely that a die could be produced in less than a day and the production of each anvil could be well over a 1000 coins a day. Thus we half to ask in say the mass coinage from Athens which is said to last some 50 years are we looking at an annual production over this time or are we looking at periods of very intense production over a few days or weeks with long periods of inactivity in between. This we do not know. pprp's coin could have been struck as the result of any number of possibilities
    1. The end of a production cycle where there is only the need for a handful of coins to complete the order thus an older die is dusted off and used. This would seem to be unlikely but... I have seen evidence of this phenomenon with Roman coins.
    2. The coin is the product from another mint. With the popularity of this coinage it is possible that other mints copied the Athenian owl so that their silver would gain greater acceptance. We have seen this in Asia Minor as well as Egypt. The mating of an earlier style obverse with a later reverse might seem odd but it is possible. I had a tetradrachm of Athens for many years which when I sold it was described by CNG as being from Egypt. I am still not certain of this
    3. Contemporary copy This would only make sense if the coin was either light weight or of inferior purity of silver. Neither of these can I determine from a picture.
    Unfortunately until we get a better understanding of this coinage as well as some other coinages which are produced en mass such as that produced in the name of Alexander III we will never fully understand what is in fact going on.
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2021
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  3. Curtis

    Curtis Well-Known Member

    A lot of hard posts to follow. At some point I was thinking I'd start a thread on this topic, but for now I'll tease the full post. I'm choosing the Cilicia, Tarsos AR Stater struck under Mazaios, the reason being that its design was so inspirational for future coinage.

    MJ Price and others have said that when Alexander III captured Tarsos ca. 334/3, he was so impressed by the depiction of Baal on the staters that he kept the mint workers on and employed them to produce his iconic Tetradrachm, the reverse inspired by Baaltarz.

    The reverse is also a classical masterpiece -- an updated "modern" depiction of the ancient classic scene, first depicted (numismatically speaking) on the Lydian coinage of Kroisos and his less-famous predecessors.

    I'm going to refrain (for now) from including all the examples I can think of among Greek & Roman coins that paid homage to the original design or to its successors, but no doubt you willing recognize others in your own collection and even in modern coins.

    CONSERVATORI-Tarsos Cilicia Mazaios AR Stater.png
    Tarsos, Cilicia AR Stater (10.66g, 22.5mm, 1h). temp. Mazaios (Satrap of Cilicia), BC 361 – 334.
    Obv: BLTRZ (Baaltars) in Aramaic to right. Baal of Tarsos seated left, holding eagle, grain ear, grapes, and scepter; TR (in Aramaic) to lower left, M (in Aramaic) below throne.
    Rev: MZDI. Lion attacking bull left; monogram below.
    Ref: SNG Levante 106; Casabonne Series 2, Group C. Cf. BMC 53; Babelon 695.
    Pedigree: Ex-CNG eAuction 455, Lot 168 (30 October 2019); Ex-J.B. Collection, purchased from Calgary Coin Galleries, Autumn 2004; Ex-Heritage Auction 269, Lot 11134 (27 July, 2002), from the Dr. Joseph M. Seventko Collection.
    CONSERVATORI-Alex III Tetradrachm Amphipolis Kirk Davis.png
    Kings of Macedon, Alexander III "The Great" (336 - 323 BC) AR Tetradrachm (17.06g, 26mm). Amphipolis mint, temp. Kassander (as regent BC 317 - 305), struck BC 316 – 311 (dating per Troxell; BC 320 - 317 in Price MJ Price, as listed by Kirk Davis).
    Obverse: Head of Herakles wearing lionskin headdress. (Herakles with features of Alexander?)
    Reverse: Zeus seated holding eagle and sceptre, dolphin in l. field. Price Monogram 1238 below throne (Π & Ο).
    References: Price 133; Troxell, Studies, Issue L7; Mueller 542; http://numismatics.org/pella/id/price.133
    Pedigree: Ex-Kirk Davis VCoins (15 February 2014) Order #45-2491; Ex-Gorny & Mosch (10 October 2006) Auction 152, Lot 1318.
     
  4. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    "Transitional" is one of the terms I have found confusing. Some people seem to mean anything in the Starr series by this term, while others seem to use it as I think you are, for something transitioning out of the Starr series into mass produced. I'm surprised the tail feathers on @pprp's coin are transitional, though... to me they look wedge-shaped like a standard mass produced owl. I guess I still have a lot to learn! :confused:

    Interesting observations, @Terence Cheesman!

    To keep with the theme of the thread, though, and inspired by Terence's mention of provincial coinage, personally I think this coin is a bit of a masterpiece (a Nicopolis/Moesia Inferior issue of Elagabalus):
    Screen Shot 2021-02-07 at 7.43.21 PM.jpg
    Just look at the detail on that reverse die! The scales on the serpents, their wings, the tiny seeds being flung from Triptolemos's right hand along with those stored in the fold of his cloak, and then to top it all off, the serpents are depicted on the front of the biga!

    In an entirely different vein, how about this large Hui Zong (1101-1125) 10-cash piece inscribed with the emperor's own calligraphy? Amazing production values and beautiful calligraphy, no? (Well, I realize this will leave some of you cold... :shy:)
    Screen Shot 2021-02-07 at 7.47.20 PM.jpg
     
  5. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    @Curtis, it's Truly Messing With My Head that there are whole Coins from the 4th c. BCE that have Aramaic legends on both sides!
    How this could have influenced Syriac scripts, and languages, into the earlier 1st millennium CE is one question that's sailing over my head --but I'm priviledged even to have been given occasion to ask it. Just where coins are concerned, the lettering has pretty unmistakable family resemblances to stuff ranging from Maccabean and later Jewish, to medieval Cilician Armenian, to Aksumite Ge'ez (the last two alphabets having a common Syriac source).
     
  6. Curtis

    Curtis Well-Known Member

    I recently got a copy of Historia Numorum and the slim accompanying volume of maps, illustrations, and other stuff. One of my favorite things in there are the tables of different alphabets. I'm not sure if they're reproduced entirely here on Numiswiki or just in part (also, I haven't checked if they're on Ed Snible's HN page), but in any case, you may find them interesting.
     
    DonnaML and +VGO.DVCKS like this.
  7. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    @Curtis, YOW! All the ancient Semitic alphabets are there. ...Not fast-forwarding the millennium or so that you'd have to to catch up all the way to medieval Syriac and Ge'ez, but for yours truly, it's a serious start. Thanks Lots.
     
    Curtis likes this.
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