At our first ever coin show looking for ancients, FFIVN and I picked out a Pontos, Amisos AE21 from a "junk bin" for $5 and boy does it put the "junk" in "junk bin". However, this coin really gave me my love for all things Nike/Victory. I have been wanting an upgrade for awhile but haven't found one that was an upgrade enough for me at a price that I could justify getting a coin that we already had an example of. I've placed bids on a few but never won one until this last week. Well, it arrived in the mail today and I couldn't be happier. A pretty good upgrade for only $9.50 if I do say so myself. Here is our first: Amisos, Pontos, AE21 85-65 BC Obverse: Aegis facing Reverse: AMI-ΣOY, Nike walking right, holding palm tied with fillet over left shoulder; monograms left and right Badly centered on the obverse. Scratched. patina flaked off. The reverse is decently centered but pretty worn and hard to see. Some flaking on the patina as well as all the little green spots. Here is today's arrival: Amisos, Pontos, AE22 85-65 BC Obverse: Aegis facing Reverse: AMI-ΣOY, Nike walking right, holding palm tied with fillet over left shoulder; monograms left and right Let's see some of your upgrades!
Great upgrade, @furryfrog02 ! these are just great coins. So cool. Pontic Kingdom, Amisos AE21, 6.95g; 85-65 BC Obv: Aegis with Gorgon head at center. Rev: Nike advancing right carrying palm branch. AMI-ΣOY in field with mongrams. Reference: SNG XI Stancomb 688. Ex: @John Anthony
Great upgrade, @furryfrog02- I like that dark blue-green color! Three different looks posted here with your's and @Alegandron's olive-gold one and @hotwheelsearl's black with bluish tints coin. Here's a fourth example that has a light brown obverse and light green reverse.
That's an excellent upgrade, especially for the price. Mine, below, is a contemporary imitation. PONTOS, Amisos. Contemporary (Sarmatian?) Imitation AE23. 7.27g, 23.5mm. Contemporary (Sarmatian?) imitation of PONTOS, Amisos, circa after 105 BC. Cf. HGC 7, 242 for prototype. O: Aegis with Gorgon's head at center. R: Nike advancing right carrying palm; [A]MI-Σ… across field. Here's another type from Amisos, with the same Nike reverse, but the bust of an Amazon on the obverse wearing a wolf-skin headdress. PONTOS, Amisos AE21. 7.15g, 21.2mm. PONTOS, Amisos. Struck under Mithradates VI, circa 95-70 BC. HGC 7, 244; SNG BM Black Sea 1219. O: Head of Amazon right, wearing wolf-skin headdress; counter-punch behind. R: AMI-ΣOY, Nike advancing right, holding palm branch and wreath. Ex E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection
Yes, its not easy to find bronze Pontus coins in good condition. Took me some time to find this one, still far from perfect
Those wishing to research the matter will fing quite a number of posts from at least five years ago on the Mithradates VI coins. Many were started by SteveX6 who was very active then and was particularly fond of the series. I believe he was closing in on a complete set of the mints of the type discussed here and had all the common ones of the slaying type. The things are hard to find with full details on all the important parts so some of us have one with a good Medusa body and another with a Perseus head etc. I would like to see the coin that has all the details on one smooth, well struck flan. I'd like to see it but I know I could not afford it. For the coin in this post I'll show my first of the type (an Amisosso well centered that part of everything is crowded or cut by the 'normal for these' flan.. Less often seen but neither popular nor expensive is the Amisos fractional with Artemis and tripod. In equal grade, these will sell for less than 1/10 of the going rate for the more common slaying scene coins.
