Miesian, Istros. AR Drachm, 20 mm, 5.3g 4th Century BC. Obv. Male heads facing with left head inverted Rev. Sea Eagle left, grasping dolphin with talons, H below Eagle's tail
This is one of my favorite ancient Greek designs. I dream about finding the ultimate example and adding it to my collection. Here is my current example, which is not bad by any means: The weight/size differences between our coins are interesting though.
There is a difference but I find the reverse more interesting. Same design but yours is level while mine is on an angle. The back on my dolphin is curved while yours is straight. Same with the Sea Eagle. Yours also has an A. Are they from different mints?
Possibly. I am not sure what the A signifies. Also, another difference is that my left head is facing up.
These were minted over a long period of time, so there are many different varieties. Here is one without control marks or letters: Thrace. Moesia, Istros. Silver drachm, Istros (near Istria, Romania) mint, ca. 340-313 BC Obverse: two facing male heads, left head inverted; (The obverse type has been variously interpreted as representing the Dioscuri, the rising and setting sun, and the two branches of the river Danube.) Reverse: IΣTPIH, sea-eagle grasping a dolphin with talons; rare (?) without control letters or monograms on reverse. Reference: Dima subgroup II, 7, pl. V, 3 - 4 (R); SNG Stancomb 138 var. (right head inverted) Weight 5.45g, Diameter 20mm Conservation: gVF
Congratulations on the 39,000 posts! My example, with another letter ligatured with the "A" (see detail). The eagle and dolphin both have straight backs. Thrace, Moesia, Istros. 400-350 BCE. AR Drachm. Obv. Two facing male heads, left head inverted / Rev: Sea eagle on dolphin, ISTRIH [partially off flan] above eagle, globule under eagle’s tail; letter “A” ligatured with [archaic Π with shortened right stem?] beneath dolphin. SNG.BM.249 [Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, Great Britain, Volume IX, British Museum, Part 1: The Black Sea (London, 1993)] [online ID SNGuk_0901_0249 with Rev. Monogram No. 49]; AMNG I/I No. 417 var. [no globule], see also No. 422 [Pick, Behrendt, Die antiken Münzen von Dacien und Moesien, Die antiken Münzen Nord-Griechenlands Vol. I/I (Berlin, 1898) at pp. 161-162]; BMC 3 Thrace No. 6 var. [no globule] [Poole, R.S., ed. A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, The Tauric Chersonese, Sarmatia, Dacia, Moesia, Thrace, etc., Vol. 3 (London, 1877) at p. 25]; Seaby 1669 var. [Sear, David, Greek Coins & their Values, Vol. I: Europe (Seaby 1978)]. 19 mm., 5.36 g. Any further thoughts on the identity of the second letter are welcome.
It could be a sideways gamma, but I see there being a second, longer leg attached to the A, and a gamma has only one leg. Hence my idea that it's some kind of pi with a short second leg, i.e., like a Latin open P.
If you research these, you will find quite a number of variations and a wide range of denominations. 0.3g They even come in barbarous.