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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ryro, post: 7939480, member: 91461&quot;]Just under 4 years after the death of Alexander, Pyrrhos (Pyrrhus) or Epirus is born in 319 BCE:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373870[/ATTACH]</p><p>(Those friendly would talk of how beautiful a man Pyrrhos was. His enemies talked about him having a grotesque appearance with a snarl and of his upper jaw being one long tooth!)</p><p><br /></p><p>The stories of baby prince Pyrrhos being stole away, by a few loyalist to his family, across a raging river as enemies were hot on their heels looking to murder the infant are the stuff of legend.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373868[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Or the story of when his caretakers finally get Pyrrhos to the neighboring Illyrian king Glaukias, he was hesitant of taking care of the boy, knowing this would make him an enemy to Casander, little Pyrrhos toddled over, unphased by the king and his surroundings, and grabbed onto the king&#039;s leg. With this act and at his queen&#039;s behest King Glaukias was moved and decided to protect 2 year old Pyrrhos. Again, stuff of legend.</p><p>But when your father is king of Epirus and cousins with Alexander the great&#039;s mom, Olympias (making Alexander Pyrrhos&#039;s second cousin once removed), you have a pretty good chance of becoming legendary yourself. And that&#039;s just what Pyrrhos did.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373871[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course what he is remembered for most is either Hannibal&#039;s declaration that he was the second greatest general of all time, after Alexander, or for the time after one of his battles against the Romans that he had forced them off the field but suffered many casualties, when congratulated by one of his generals on the victory to which he is said to have stated:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373869[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Pyrrhos would ultimately die a very very silly death when a woman, in a town he was, overtaking, threw a tile from above on his head knocking him unconscious long enough for either one of his enemies or one of his own confused soldiers, who didn&#039;t recognize him, to cut off his head!</p><p>Along the way he had some unique and fascinating coins. Here are a few of my favorites:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373875[/ATTACH]</p><p><b><u>Pyrrhos (of Epiros)</u></b></p><p>287-285 BC and 274-273 BC. Æ 18mm (3.17 g, 8h). Uncertain Macedonian mint. Macedonian shield with monogram of Pyrrhos in central boss / BAΣI&nbsp; and Pyrrhic monogram incuse, Macedonian helmet; labrys below; all within oak-wreath. SNG Alpha Bank 971. VF, green patina, a little porous. Very rare</p><p>Former: Savoca</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373876[/ATTACH]</p><p>Pyrrhos (of Epiros). 287-285 BC and 274-273 BC. Æ Unit (17mm, 4.75 g, 7h). Uncertain mint in Macedon. Monogram of Pyrrhos on boss of Macedonian shield / Macedonian helmet; BAΣI below; all within oak wreath. W. Weiser, “Ein neues Kupferstück des Pyrrhos als König der Makedonen” in SM 144 (November 1986), –; AMNG III –; SNG Alpha Bank 970; BMC Thessaly 38-9. VF, green patina.</p><p>Savoca Sept 2021</p><p>Extremely rare issue without monograms. Coins of the Epeirote king Pyrrhos are known from many different mints, following his exploits around the northern Mediterranean. His two short tenures as king of Macedon, though, did not produce a very robust coinage. His rare issues are all bronze, and all have the same obverse type – his monogram on the boss of a Macedonian shield. The reverse type is also standard, a Macedonian helmet within an oak wreath, and the legend BAΣI below the helmet. Almost all of the known examples, though, have a monogram between the alpha and sigma in the legend. The present variety, without monogram is only known from the Alpha Bank and BMC specimens. None are present in any other published private or public collection. Purchased from Savoca Sept 2021</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373879[/ATTACH]</p><p><b><u>Pyrrhus</u></b></p><p>EPIRUS. AMBRAKIA. Kings of Epirus., 297-272 BCE AE (5.15g, 20 mm). Obv .: Head of Zeus left Reverse: lightening bundle in oak wreath between B and Pyrrhus monogram. SNG Cop. 102; BMC 44; HGC 3.1 271. Green patinated</p><p>Ex: Savoca</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373878[/ATTACH]</p><p><b><u>Pyrrhus</u></b></p><p>(278-276 BCE) Sicily, Syracuse, AE 23mm 10.25 gr, head of young Herakles left, wearing lion&#039;s skin, rev. Athena Promachos advancing right w/owl to right of foot (SNG ANS 852), attractive smooth green patina, good very fine</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373883[/ATTACH]</p><p><b><u>SICILY, Syracuse</u></b></p><p>Pyrrhos. 278-276 BC. Æ Litra 21mm. Head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin; [cornucopia behind] / Athena Promachos right; wreath to left.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you&#039;d like to know more about Pyrrhos, read a book! I can&#039;t be sitting here typing his stories all day for free, can I?</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1373891[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]cTds0422x7g[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>So, please share all of your Pyrrhic coins, stories of the great man or anything that helps keep this thread from coming undone![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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