Log in or Sign up
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Pamphylia - Coin with Sphinx
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 3130475, member: 19463"]A few points on ancient Greek coins in general, not just this one. Some of these types were made over a span of years during which staff and standards at the mint may have changed. We need to allow for variations we would not if we were dealing with coins made by machines. Every die was a separate work so two made at about the same time may show little differences like staff position for reasons that made more sense to them back then than to us today. Many of the types copied statues known to the die cutter but lost long ago so each die may have shown his attempt to capture his subject better or may reflect his 'Friday afternoon' rush to finish and go home. Add to that the fact that corrosion and wear change things from the way they looked when new and we have more to consider.</p><p><br /></p><p>The next question is how do we tell fakes from originals if the real ones have so much variation. I say it is like your handwriting. Every time you write your name, you make something just a bit different than last time or last year but you still recognize it as within the parameters of 'you'. All of the examples of this coin shown online have little differences but retain basic similarities. Perhaps an in-depth study of the entire group would make more sense of it but such studies are only done on big deal series like the Boehringer die study of Syracusan silver which identifies and places in sequence hundreds of dies used over many years. We tend to forget that the same factors came into play for little bronzes as did for the high dollar tetradrachms. </p><p><br /></p><p>Question: Below are my two examples of the Syracuse tetradrachm showing a chariot and the head of Arathusa as issued by the same mint but years apart. Are the the same coin or different? The answer is 'both'. Is the only difference you see the direction of flight of Nike over the horses? I doubt it but that one is easier to put into words than most of the others. </p><p><br /></p><p>At the same time Syracuse was issuing these big silvers, they made small change in a range of denominations. Also at the same time, hundreds of other cities were making one or a series of coins according to their needs. Perhaps this explains why the 'Red Book' covering ancient Greek coinage would be over ten feet thick. </p><p>[ATTACH=full]798432[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]798433[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 3130475, member: 19463"]A few points on ancient Greek coins in general, not just this one. Some of these types were made over a span of years during which staff and standards at the mint may have changed. We need to allow for variations we would not if we were dealing with coins made by machines. Every die was a separate work so two made at about the same time may show little differences like staff position for reasons that made more sense to them back then than to us today. Many of the types copied statues known to the die cutter but lost long ago so each die may have shown his attempt to capture his subject better or may reflect his 'Friday afternoon' rush to finish and go home. Add to that the fact that corrosion and wear change things from the way they looked when new and we have more to consider. The next question is how do we tell fakes from originals if the real ones have so much variation. I say it is like your handwriting. Every time you write your name, you make something just a bit different than last time or last year but you still recognize it as within the parameters of 'you'. All of the examples of this coin shown online have little differences but retain basic similarities. Perhaps an in-depth study of the entire group would make more sense of it but such studies are only done on big deal series like the Boehringer die study of Syracusan silver which identifies and places in sequence hundreds of dies used over many years. We tend to forget that the same factors came into play for little bronzes as did for the high dollar tetradrachms. Question: Below are my two examples of the Syracuse tetradrachm showing a chariot and the head of Arathusa as issued by the same mint but years apart. Are the the same coin or different? The answer is 'both'. Is the only difference you see the direction of flight of Nike over the horses? I doubt it but that one is easier to put into words than most of the others. At the same time Syracuse was issuing these big silvers, they made small change in a range of denominations. Also at the same time, hundreds of other cities were making one or a series of coins according to their needs. Perhaps this explains why the 'Red Book' covering ancient Greek coinage would be over ten feet thick. [ATTACH=full]798432[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]798433[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Coin Talk
Home
Forums
>
Coin Forums
>
Ancient Coins
>
Pamphylia - Coin with Sphinx
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Competitions
Competitions
Quick Links
Competition Index
Rules, Terms & Conditions
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Showcase
Showcase
Quick Links
Search Items
Most Active Members
New Items
Directory
Directory
Quick Links
Directory Home
New Listings
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Sponsors
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...