I had one of these already, but what the heck. It's different from my other one, and this one is pretty nice imho. Now I own one each where the cow faces in each direction. ILLYRIA, APOLLONIA AR Drachm OBVERSE: Zenokles and Chaienos. XENOKLHS, Cow standing left, looking back, suckling her calf REVERSE: APOL CAIRHNOS around double stellar pattern in square Struck at APOLLONIA, after 29BC as a Roman Protectorate 3.0g, 17mm Ceka 91; BMC 39; Mionnet Supp. 22 Just for comparison, here is my other coin: ILLYRIA, DYRRHACHIUM AR Drachm OBVERSE: Cow stdg. right, head turned, suckling calf left, ΞENΩN, eagle above, hound running right in exergue REVERSE: Double stellate pattern within double linear square with sides curved inwards, DYR/ FILO / DA/ MOS Struck at Dyrrhachium, after 29BC as a Roman Protectorate 3.31g, 17mm BMC 131, 132 BTW, in case anyone is wondering why I purchased these five, it was the price. I paid $90 for all five. Post your coins from Illyria
Another beaut @Bing ! I have one that's not nearly so pretty. I would love to give mine a little scrub to clean off some dirt. But I believe it's plated and I don't want to risk any further loss. Check im out. Illyria, Apolonia AR drachm 229 BCE under Roman protectorate Obv: Cow looking back as calf suckles Head of Sol flying above Owl top right Rev: double stellate pattern
WOW, @Bing , that is some of the collecting I enjoy: getting complementary coins. Really fun to show one, then have the flip version. Yours are great. I have NO COINS from Illyria! I will offer a couple of my Bovines though: Sicily Syracuse Hieron II 275-269 BC AE 22 Persephone Bull LEFT EX: @TIF (The Taurus) Sicily Syracuse Hieron II 275-269 BC AE 15 Persephone Bull RIGHT Rare EX: @Blake Davis The Guys bull-fighting...
LOVE IT!!! LOL, thanks! I read the Wiki synopsis quickly. I need to learn Gaelic... it was fun learning some (butchering) Cymraic when I lived in Wales.
Am I not correct that left cows are Apollonia and all right cows are Dyrrhachium? I'd like to see exceptions to this if they exist.
Dang! What a deal! That completely escaped my notice but now I want to churn through archives to verify I bought these because Zumbly brought them to our attention with a captivating writeup and interesting thread https://www.cointalk.com/threads/the-nymphaeum-the-nymphaeum-the-nymphaeum-is-on-fire.272860/ ILLYRIA, Apollonia c. 1st century BCE AR 15 mm, 1.25 gm Obv: AI-NEA; fires of the Nymphaeum of Apollonia; dotted border Rev: AΠOΛΛΩ-NIATAN, lagobolon; dotted border Ref: BMC 44; Maier 121 ILLYRIA, Apollonia c. 81-60 BCE Aibatios and Chairenos, magistrates. AR drachm, 18 mm, 3.2 gm Obv: AIBATIOΣ; cow standing left, suckling calf standing right below; in exergue, grain ear left Rev: AΠOΛ / XAIPHNOΣ; fire of the Nymphaeum and lagobolon within linear frame Ref: Maier 120; SNG Copenhagen 398; HGC 3.1, 5 (I do not own any of these references; seller's attribution)
I've got a righty from dirrachium! I didn't know that left/right cow thing..pretty neat. Illyria, Dirrhachium AR Drachm, 3rd-2nd Century BC O:cow and calf, moneyer name above. R: double stellate pattern in square borders, 17 mm, 3.3 g Looks like I have something below my calf, wish I could tell what it was!
Cool, Bing! This one has been in my collection for 20 years, but you've inspired me to finally photograph it: Illyria, Dyrrhachium AR drachm, 2.95 g, 17.4 mm, 11 h Magistrate Zopyros, 80-70 BC Obv: Cow suckling calf, owl in right field before cow; ΦΙΛΩΤΑΣ above, head of Helios facing right, top Rev: Square with double stellate pattern, ΔΥΡ/ΖΩ/ΠΥ/ΡΟΥ around Refs: Ceka 451; Maier 221; SNG Cop 469; SNG Evelpides 1744; SNG Leipzig 715.
I like it Bing. The two are different enough to make it a very interesting pair. I'm not familiar with these or Greek coins in general. Are there many others of the type ?
Nice addition Bing. Illyria, Dyrrhachium. AR Drachm. After 229 BC. MENIΣKOΣ, cow standing right, looking back at calf which it suckles / DUR DIONUSIOU, square containing double stellate pattern. BMC 62-64. CEKA 320. Weight 3 gr. Illyria, Apollonia. AR Drachm. ca 229-30 BC. AGIAS above cow standing left suckling calf / APOL EPIKADOY around double stellate pattern. BMC 15-16. CEKA 3. Weight 3.2 gr. I find this explanation on a site: http://asklapiadas.ancients.info/02General.html All Dyrrhachian drachms and the earlier Apolloniate drachms have the cow standing to right. Cow to left means an Apolloniate piece from the later half of their production. The cow/calf type Illyrian drachms display a cow with suckling calf on the obverse and the double stellate pattern on the reverse. The diameter is 17-18 mm; mean weight is 3.3-3.4 g. These drachms are identified by the ethnic attribute and the two names on them. One is above the cow on the obverse, in the nominative case; occasionally, the name is abbreviated or is a monogram. The other name is on the reverse: place the ethnic attribute APOL or DYR up so the name starts in the segment on the right, clockwise. The ethnic attribute determines the mint (Apollonia or Dyrrhachium). The name on the reverse determines the year of issue and all style features including the occasional symbols on the obverse. The name on the obverse is probably of a moneyer. The usual reverse is a double, symmetrical geometrical pattern. This is most probably a schematic representation of the two stars of the Dioscuri. Other explanations include backgammon (for the resemblance of the pattern to the board of the popular game "tavli"), or doors, flowers - including a romantic 19th century guesswork that the pattern would represent the gardens of Alkinoos from the Odyssey. Believers of the star origin call it "double stellate pattern"; in contrast to the flower origin, "floral pattern".
I feel that between cow left and cow right you can have your cake and eat it by going with a brockage . ILLYRIA, Dyrrhachion Obverse brockage strike. 3.45g, 19.3mm, ILLYRIA, Dyrrhachion, circa 250-200 BC, Magistrates Philotas [and Diodorus?]. cf. Maier 200. O: Cow standing right, looking back at suckling calf standing left below; ΦΙΛΩΤΑΣ above, snake staff of Asklepios in exergue. R: Brockage of obverse. The new one is a nice score for the price, @Bing, but I really love your original one with the running hound in exergue.
