My 22 mm Ptolemy has a big brother

Saw this coin at the Manchester NH show and couldn't resist...
this one is 46mm and a mere 84.3 grams.

Here he is beside his 42mm little brother who weighs in at 64.67 grams
I don't think there are too many larger (I've seen 1 48mm)

I may have to work down the scale. I have seen them as small as 12mm but currently own down to 33.5mm

Richard

 

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Yeah, that's a no brainer.

 

Great coin!! These massive Ptolemy bronzes were obviously difficult to strike deeply and yours is actually pretty nicely struck! Someone on CT has one that tips 100 gms (or maybe that's @Alegandron's Carthage 15 shekel?) and someone has one that is astonishingly well-struck-- maybe the same coin. I have a 48 mm Ptolemy bronze and it's fairly homely, especially the reverse. The obverse is nice though.

The ever-changing Ptolemy attributions have changed since I logged this coin. I think it's now thought to be an issue of Ptolemy III. Sorting this out is on the very long to-do list.


EGYPT, Ptolemy II Philadelphus
285-246 BCE
AE48 mm, 91.8 gm
Obv: laureate head of Zeus Ammon right
Rev: eagle standing left on thunderbolt looking right, wings partly spread, E monogram between eagle's legs
Ref: Sear 7782, Svoronos 446
ex Professor James Eaton Collection, acquired in the 1800s

A better picture of the obverse, with a 5 mm Macedonian fractional atop (monkey on the obverse):

 

"I have a 48 mm Ptolemy bronze and it's fairly homely, especially the reverse. The obverse is nice though."
If its that ugly Tif I'd be glad to take it off your hands

 

That is an impressive Ptolemy @ziggy9 . Nice snare.

My heaviest tops out at 69.7g, 7.2mm thick, 40mm diameter.

The one @TIF is referring to of mine is not a Ptolemy... Rather, it was produced by Hannibal after the Second Punic War as Carthage had MASSIVE indemnities to pay to Rome. Hannibal ravaged Italia for 15 years, trying to gain alliances with the Italians, and punishing Rome for his father's and Carthage's humiliation of the First Punic War. After Carthage lost PWII, Carthage had Hannibal reorganize their Government and create financing to pay off their indemnities. Among their currency during this time were massive AE 15-Shekel coins. It was very difficult to strike a nice impression on them, but they are impressive to hold:

@TIF has a GORGEOUS version of this coin also! The hammers struck well on hers.



Carthage 201-175 BC Æ 15 Shekels 45mm 7.5 mm thick. 102g WreathTanit Horse uraeus above. MAA 104 SNG Cop 400 RARE

 

Since you brought it up

This was one of my best coin finds-- a real coup.


ZEUGITANA, Carthage
early 2nd century BCE
AE 15-shekel, 45 mm, 95 gm
Obv: wreathed head of Tanit left
Rev: horse standing right, left foreleg up; Flying Spaghetti Monster solar disk with uraei above
Ref: Alexandropoulos J (2000) Les monnaies de l'Afrique Antique, 103; Müller L (1861) Numismatique de L'Ancienne Afrique, 131; Luynes 3782; Jenkins GK and Lewis RB (1963) Carthaginian Gold and Electrum Coins, Royal Numismatic Society, London, pl. 28 12

It's as thick as a Reese's PBC and almost the same diameter

 

I just realised that the title should read "42mm"

 

PTOLEMY IV
AE36
OBVERSE: Diademed head of Zeus Ammon right
REVERSE: PTOLEMIAOU BASILEWS, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, looking back at cornucopiae under right wing
Struck at Egypt 221-205 BC
46.4g, 36mm
SNG Cop 221

 

38.5mm and41.3 grams...

36mm and40.4 grams


33.75mm and27.8 grams

33.5mm and35.6 grams (much thicker than above coin)

Now you have met the whole family...
Richard

 

Nice @ziggy9

My Family:

I like the Bigguns, but sometimes the smallies are harder to find...

Egypt Ptolemy III Euergetes 246-222 BCE AE Chalkous 12.0mm 2.0g Zeus-Ammon Eagle Trident Svoronos 840 ex Righetti Collection


Egypt Ptolemy II 285-274 BC AE 17mm Eagle Cornuc SV 762


Egypt Ptolemy IV 221-205 BC AE 33mm 35g HemiDrachm Zeus-Ammon Eagle Tbolt


Egypt Ptolemy III 245-222 BC AE 34mm 31g HemiDrachm Zeus-Ammon Eagle Tbolt Cornucopia XP Chi-Rho SV 965


Egypt Ptolemy IV 221-205 BC AE Tet 40mm 7.2mm thick 69.5g Zeus Ammon Eagle


Egypt Ptolemy IV 221-205 BC AE 37mm 42g Drachm Zeus-Ammon Eagle Tbolt SV 974


Egypt Ptolemy III AE Tet 41mm 7.2mm thick 67.5g Zeus Ammon Eagle Cornucopia XP Chi-Rho


Egypt Ptolemy II 285-274 BC AE Obol 20mm 6.7g Alex III Eagle Tbolt Plain SV 601

And, I always liked this guy... He started them all...

Egypt Ptolemy I Soter Tet Delta bankers marks

 

Nice coins Richard, that was a good pickup!

I wanted one as soon as I saw them as a new collector. I think I got one for $60 from Fred Shore in 1984, a lot of money to me back then.

John

 

i do love those massive coins!..

 

Very nice!

 

Might as well show the whole Ptolemy collection

My Ptolemaic bronzes, ranging in size from 48 mm (91.8 gm) to 14 mm (1.7 gm):



I really need to seek out some Ptolemaic bronzes struck somewhere other than Alexandria.

Ptolemy I during his satrapal days:


EGYPT. Ptolemy I Soter
satrap of Tyre, dated RY 32 of king Azemilkos (318/7 BC).
AR tetradrachm, 27 mm, 16.9 gm
Obv: head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress
Rev: AΛEΞANΔPOY; Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; ||–= ЧO (date [year 32]) to left
Ref: Price 3283; Newell, Dated 35; DCA 737

In Egypt, before he declared himself king:


EGYPT. Ptolemy I Soter
AR tetradrachm, 27 mm, 17.0 gm (Attic standard)
Alexandreia mint, struck 313/12 BCE
Obv: Head of the deified Alexander III to right, wearing mitra (headband) of Dionysos and elephant skin headdress, with aegis around his neck, and with horn of Ammon on his forehead
Rev: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ; Athena Alkidemos advancing right, hurling spear with her right hand and with shield over her extended left arm; to right, eagle with closed wings standing on thunderbolt to right with ΔΙ below
Ref: Svoronos 33; Zervos series D, issue XIII; SNG Copenhagen 14; BMC 7

And as king:


PTOLEMIC KINGS OF EGYPT. Ptolemy I Soter
Struck c. 300-285 BCE, Alexandreia mint
AR tetradrachm, 28 mm, 13.92 gm
Obv: diademed head right, wearing aegis around neck, tiny Δ behind ear
Rev: eagle standing left on thunderbolt; to left, P above monogram
Ref: Svoronos 252; SNG Copenhagen 69; Noeske 40

 

Amazing coins in this thread!

 

heres a few more

 

Awesome!!! Welcome to the oktobol club!!! But you hafta sign a waiver promising you won't throw it at anybody.

Mine's 46mm and 93.27g (ex Dattari):

 

THAT'S the one I was remembering. Can't believe I missed bidding on it! Glad it went to family though

 

Not as small as TIF's tiny but a 'Provincial' issue with a non-eagle reverse:
Ptolemy VIII? Kyrene 164-145 BC AE16 Libya head 3.2g FSR 1999


If you look these up in the literature you will find quite a range of opinions as to which Ptolemy struck them. I do not know.