This is my first tetradrachm from Sicily, which I didn't exactly plan on buying but with the numerous test cuts this example was relatively cheap. Test cuts aside, I really love the detail on the coin and would take it over a more worn but test cut-less example. Below is an amalgamation of some interesting tid-bits I found when researching this type. This one is from the city of Messana, also known as Messina, but originally called a much more unattractive-sounding "Zancle". The biga on the reverse is not with horses but instead mules and while it appears to show only one there is a second that forms a faint silhouette behind the first. Strangely enough, yet very topical, this is actually depicting an event from the Olympics of ancient Greece: the mule-cart race (apene). Anaxilas was a tyrant of Rhegium, a stone's throw across the water from Messana (then "Zancle") on the Italian mainland. He seized Zancle around 488 BC and renamed it after his homeland in the Peloponnese. Only a decade or so before this, the biga mule race was introduced in the Olympics, which Anaxilas himself then won in 480 BC. The obverse of this tetradrachm, dated between 480-460 BC, is thus commemorating his success at the event and ostensibly depicts him riding in the biga. The reverse design with the hare may be a nod to the story that Anaxilas supposedly introduced hares to the region. A minor note on the reverse, the N's (nu) in Messana are retrograde, which is not too uncommon on early coinage in general nor on this type but usually it is paired with retrograde sigmas. I've only found a couple other examples so far with normal sigmas but retrograde nus. I'm not sure the reason for it, perhaps the engravers forgot to carve the N in retrograde so that it would print normally when struck. Hopefully the 360 GIF below works, if not you can find a higher quality (and interactive) version on my website here: https://artemis-collection.com/360-messana-tetradrachm/
Terrific coin! What is the weight, and the diameter? The test cut is obviously there, but adds character, in my opinion.
Congrats! That is a beauty. Great detail, lovely toning and fun imagery Here's my Sicilian tet: SICILY. Syracuse. Deinomenid Tyranny 485-466 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm - 17.45 g). Struck circa 480-475 BC. Charioteer driving walking quadriga right, holding kentron and reins; Nike flying above crowning horses / Diademed head of Arethusa right, surrounded by four dolphins swimming clockwise. Boehringer 134 (V60/R93); SNG ANS 38 (same dies); Randazzo -. rev sl off-ctr, sl surface imperfections,most notably a horizontal scratchlike flaw in obv right field.
Wonderful coin and great photos and graphic. My favorite Sicilian tet is a bit later than the popular archaic and classic types but I think it is still a fascinating and artistic coin. It was a struck under Agathokles. Sicily, Syracuse Agathokles, AR Tetradrachm Dia.: 26 mm Wt.: 17.19 g Obv.: KOΡAΣ Head of Kore to right, wearing grain wreath and pendant earring. Rev.: AΓAΘOKΛEIOΣ Nike, bare to the waist, standing right, attaching armor to trophy to her right, she holds a nail in her right hand and a hammer in her left; to left, triskeles of legs running to right. Ref.: Ierardi 143/141 (O38/R95). SNG ANS 674 (same obverse die). An unrecorded die combination; toned. Ex W. F. Stoecklin (1888-1975) acquired in Taormina, Sicily, in 1931.
Thanks! In my excitement I forgot to add the details SICILY, Messana Tetradrachm (480-461 BC). 25.5 mm, 17,26 g, 6h Obv: Charioteer (Anaxilas?), holding kentron in l. hand and reins in both, driving slow biga of mules r.; laurel leaf in exergue Rev: MESSENION (nus retrograde), Hare springing r. SNG ANS 318; HGC 2, 779.
Kaleun, That's a handsome coin despite the test cut , & your video is impressive ! My only Tet from Sicily is pictured below. SICILY, SECULO-PUNIC, circa 300-289 BC. Entella Mint, Quaestor's Issue. Obverse: Heracles. Reverse: Horse head, caduceus, palm tree, & Punic inscription. AR Tetradrachm: 17.15 gm, 26 mm, 4 h. NGC 4167455-013, Ch XF, Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5.
Nice! I like this type as well and would love to get one. Luckily my collecting interests are very broad so I' open to the full spectrum of Sicilian coins.
Stunning example! Could hardly ask for much better centering. Not sure I've seen them with the caduceus symbol before too, though admittedly I'm not often browsing in this price bracket
Excellent coin and presentation. The rotating view makes the details of the test cuts really pop out in an interesting way. I might prefer the rotation speed a little slower but that is just me being nitpicky. Thanks for the post!
Kaleun, Thanks for the kind words. I don't often shop in that price range too, but I got the coin at a very good price . The caduceus in the left field seem like an odd addition for a Punic coin . I edited my post & included the dimensions of the coin .
Thanks Doug! The rotation speed is a bit tricky since too slow makes it appears as if its stutters, though I could shoot more photos (currently 72 per 360) to get around this. The 360 version on my website will be a bit more user-friendly in this sense as you can control the rotation either with your keyboard, the on-screen arrows, or click-and-drag with your mouse. The quality will be a bit better too but recommend browsing on a PC for ease of use https://artemis-collection.com/360-messana-tetradrachm/
Congrats, @Kaleun96 . Nice Tet. I always liked that Rabbit Tet. Mine. Syracuse Gelon 485-478 BCE AR Tet 24mm 16.7g Slow Biga Victory Arethusa 4 dolphins Sear-Greek S 914 Ex Charles Reeve
Congratulations, @Kaleun96. A great coin, displayed to it's fullest by your 360° rotation. Thanks for sharing.
I am very fond of the coins minted in Sicily and over the years have tried to purchase a number. One of the more prolific mints is that of Syracuse and it is my opinion that this mint is one of the most important and among the most innovative in the whole history of Greek numismatics. It is also one of the longest lived finally succumbing in 212 BC. Unfortunately most of the other Greek mints ceased production about 2 centuries earlier. However it can be said that even though much of the Sicilian coinage was minted during a roughly 100 year window, their output contained some of the greatest numismatic masterpieces ever struck. Syarcuse Ar Tetradrachm minted circa 450-440 BC Obv. Charioteer driving slow quadriga right.Above Nike crowning horses. Rv. Head of Arethusa right wearing pearl taina surrounded by four dolphins Boehringer 515 HGC 1311 17.10 grms 27 mm Even though the treatment of the quadriga is fairly standard what we can see even at this early date is the transition from a more archaic image of Arethusa to one that is more natural. The eye is now in profile and the hair though still very stylized has a more individualistic appearance. Also missing are the very sharp features common to earlier coins. The chin is more rounded, the nose more fleshy and the mouth has lost that archaic smile.
