I was looking for an example of this type with a clear reverse, showing the whole body of Medusa. These often go for high prices, but I think I did good and I did not really pay a premium price for this. Mithridates VI Amisos, Pontos - Bronze Coin (85 - 65 B.C) Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena right. Reverse: Perseus standing facing, holding harpa and Medusa's head; Medusa's body at his feet; in fields, AMI-ΣOY and monograms. Reference: SNG Cop. 137 17.30g; 31mm When you look at the body without having Medusa in your mind, it actually looks like a male body that has a sixpack with some pecs. All in all satisfied with this interesting coin. Share your coins of this coin type and of Amisos!
Nice coin Pavlos! Eventually down the road I’d like to get a few Pontic coins;I really like Mithradate’s Alexander tets. Here is my Cappadocian drachm minted about twenty years after your coin was. Ariobarzanes III Pius and Friend of the Romans. Obv: Portrait of King, r.. Rev: Athena standing holding Nike, spear and shield. cf. BMC. 3. I had to use a magnification software, so here is close up image of Medusa on your coin.
It's a fantastic example of the type! Congrats on the good score . I have a few, each with its own plusses and minuses. Prices ranged from surprisingly cheap to wow I spent too much . 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
Thank you! Nice drachm Magnus, Pontic coins are very cool, you should take a look at them. And nice hulk! Thank you TIF! I like your examples a lot as well, your first one is complete and I like the different patinas. Probably the big flan caused the full visible reverse, its a nice example. Hehe I hope not. I always thought Medusa was a deceiving yet beautiful creature.
Very nice and interesting coin. Is there any reason why the dead Medusa has a head on her body here, while Perseus is holding her real head in his hand? Here’s another coin from Amisos: Pontos, Amisos. Late 2nd -early 1st Century B.C. Reference: GCV 3643 Weight: 8.18g Diameter: 21 mm Condition: Very Fine
I agree. There are many considerations selecting which of these coins you want. Sure, we all want a coin with everything perfect but those are rare if they even exist. Below is my definition of a good coin. Your opinions will differ. The following must be on flan and clear: Medusa body Medusa facial details Harpa in Perseus' hand with clear hook Perseus' head detail Athena head and helmet detail clear centered attractively Bold strike both sides Smooth surfaces preferably with minimal or no adjustment marks and finally - preferably from one of the cities more scarce than Amisos I have never seen one. Prove to me it exists. Amisos - small flan but centered crowding everything Amastris - rough but good flan and my best Medusa face Sinope - my best centered and best surfaces but a weak strike
Here's my "type" coin from Pontos, Amisos. Pontos, 120-63 BC AE 30 Amisos Mithradates Obverse: Athena facing right Reverse: Perseus standing, facing forward, holding the head of Medusa in left hand, harpa in right hand, decapitated body of Medusa below, AMI-ΣOY to left and right, followed below with AMTE and WS monograms to left and right. SNG Tuebingen 2049; Malloy 16L 19.16 grams 30 mm, 12 h. VF I really don't blame Perseus for wanting to get "a head", although Medusa probably thought otherwise....
Wonderful new acquisition Pav! Your medusa doesn't skip ab day at the gym I've got a couple of the type. My favorite is the stuttering medusa: And this beauty had a bad case of BD that has been cured for over a year now, but left the coin ever scarred:
My Sinope. Not the greatest, but... Sinope, Paphlagonia; Late 2nd Cent. - early 1st Cent. B.C.; Æ (31mm; 18.28 gm; 11h). Obv: Hd. of Athena, r., wearing triple-crested helmet ornamented with Pegasos. Rev: Perseus stg. facing, holding harpa in r. hand and severed head of Medusa in l. hand, whose decapitated body lies at his feet. ΣΙΝΩ - ΠΗΣ across field, ΜΕ monogram to l. BMC 13, 99, 44 (var); SG 3707.
@Pavlos I'm thinking Perseus may have inadvertently slain Artemis of Ephesus in your coin's depiction. I just recently in the last week happily acquired a couple of this type in a large mixed lot. Having been a young lad in the early 1980s, I was a fan of the movie "Clash of the Titans". To now have examples of the coin (that likely inspired one of the scenes in the movie) is pretty neat. The mechanical owl was a popular mainstay of the film as well, so I'm finding the urge to also acquire a nice example of an Athena/Owl tetradrachm. I have a few smaller fractionals of the type, but I may find myself waiting until another large hoard is found, or when/if my attitude changes about the reluctance towards spending multi-hundreds of $ on any single one coin. Including the OP, there are some nice examples in this thread. Here are my Pontos' coins:
Excellent example, @Pavlos. Welcome to the Headless Medusa Club! The three below are from three different mints - Komana, Amastris, and Amisos.
I have the ultra-rare Medusa’s Revenge! The Headless Perseus... Pontos Amisos Mithradates VI 109-89 BC AE 28 Athena Perseus Medusa Head Body (No head on Perseus either!)
