No, not something your weird nephew is into, though it is one of the coolest band names I can think of. This is about heavy metal, lead. Lead was common in antiquity, (lead bullets were used in most battles), but extremely rare in coinage. It was used sometimes for cores of fourrees, for various tokens most famously of Antinoupolis in Roman Egypt, but not really coins. There is an enigmatic series of lead coins the Sasanian empire issued. Details are very scarce. The best I have pieced together is I find an example from Narseh in SNS as the earliest I can find, and I read that they continued through Kavad, (though SNS show none for him). They were somehow valued between silver and copper, though we are not sure the different values. So, very rare in general for any pieces, most references do not include them. I have a couple before this latest one but was recently able to get this one. SASANIAN KINGS, Shahpur II, AD 309-379. PB (Lead) unit (3.34 gm; 17 mm). No mint. Bust of Shapur II right, 3 large dots on obverse behind the crown wearing mural crown with korymbos and inner ribbon / Fire altar with ribbon and bust right in flames, flanked by two attendants, each wearing mural crown with korymbos. Gobl SN Ia/6a. Choice VF. Nice original find patina. Extremely rare. The auction had quite a few, and I got DESTROYED. Must be a lot more people trying to obtain these than I thought. I liked this one for the clearer obverse than normal. Many of them both sides look like the reverse here. Not terribly surprising, since lead does not strike or wear well, which is why it was not commonly used for coins. Anyone else have any further information on these I would love to hear it. I own Gobl but do not read German in case he discusses them in there.
Did someone say Persian heavy metal? This song isn't the worst thing I've ever heard. I wonder what Shahpur II would think of it
Neat find, Chris. Not something I have ever seen before. My only Shapur II Shapur II (309 - 379 A.D.) AR Drachm O: Crowned bust right. R: Fire altar with bust of Ahura-Mazda in flames, and with two attendants. 26.6mm 3.45g Göbl type 1a/6a
Congrats @medoraman , I placed some strong bids in this auction but didn't win any lead Sasanians. Sorry I don't know anything else about why the Sasanians issued lead coinage, or what role it played in their economy. Lead coins do turn up now and then in some other ancient coinages- there's a number that turn up in the ancient Indian series, a few Chinese cash issues are known in lead, and I think there are lead versions of some Judaean prutot. But yeah, these pieces are quite rare, and I am green with envy
I saw the lead units in this auction, but decided to go for other coins, there was so much to choose from! However, the lead units are very hard to come by and some day I would like to add them to my Sasanian collection. They are often a bit obscure, unclear, but some of them are in matching condition with most copper Sasanians. And these are rare enough by themselves. Sasanian Empire. AE 1/12 unit Kavad I, datable 499-505. Obv. Crowned bust in pearl rim, moon and star outside it. Rev. Fire altar with assistants, moon and star between them. 12 mm, 0.40 gr. Cf. Göbl 186, crown II, rev. Year of reign 13-19.
Yeah, I forgot about the prutot issues. I knew about Indian and Chinese issues, but most here do not collect those. I think the Chinese are mainly "middle ages" periods, like 5 kingdoms, right?
These are 4 and 8 prutot(prutahs)from Mattatias Antigonos, last Jewish King of the Hasmoneans to rule in Judaea 40-37 BCE when he was executed by the Romans. These are lead/copper alloys. They are very heavy metal, like KISS are Israelis so this is Judean heavy metal. Heavy metal but not pure lead. Common coins but the alloy use I think is still rare.
(chapter in French) Ryka Gyselen, Malek Iradj Moshiri « Une collection de monnaies sassanides de billon, de cuivre, et de plomb » In Ryka Gyselen: Sasanian Coins, Middle-Persian Etymology and the Tabarestan Archive, Peeters 2027 If you can find the PDF and google translate it, I bet you’ll have some satisfying Docs and ref I requested the pdf from Dr Gyselen, wait and see
Yes, that's my impression too. A quick glance at Hartill (which I will plug every time I have reason to discuss Chinese coinage) shows various examples from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960 AD), at least one of which, Qian Heng zhong bao from the Southern Han Kingdom (H. 15.108-9) is fairly common. The only earlier examples I spotted in a quick flip-through were a rare lead coin from the State of Yan (300-220 BC) (H. 6.20) and the "White Coin" variety of Wu Zhu (H. 10.26a) of which Hartill notes, "The whitish colour of this coin is due to the addition of lead and tin to the alloy, which was done officially from 585." If anyone wants to write a proper monograph on lead coinage, I'll pre-order a copy.
The Seleucids also had lead Tetradracms. I do not have one, nor do I plan one getting one. It is uncertain if these are trial strikes or meant for circulation. I'm not sure if anyone knows.
a lead fouree of a classic Athenian tetradrachm sold recently on ebay for about $300. Has anyone ever heard of one of these before? I can only find the obverse photo here:
Yes. Fourree cores are known uses for lead, though usually not for silver since lead weighs more than silver. Certainly a lead alloy would be useful to use for a fourree of a silver coin. Gold fourree cores are fairly well known.
Wonder how they know this is lead. I have seen many Roman Egypt with that "look" for tets given they are debased silver. Heck, I bought a group lot of Nero Tets once if they had been anything other than Alexandrian issues I would have thought all of them were lead.
from ebay "Probus Lead (PB) Tetradrachm Egypt, Alexandria Mint Year 2 (= 276/277 AD) Obverse: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Reverse: Elpis standing left, lifting chiton with left hand and holding flower in right hand; to left, B above L References: Köln 3128cf; Dattari 5533cf; Milne 4531cf; Emmett 3987cf Extremely Rare Size: 21mm, 9.93g Numismatic Notes: A highly intriguing variety produced in lead instead of bronze! It is uncertain why some tetradrachms of Alexandria were cast in lead, but they are a very rare occurrence. The present example is of high grade and very clearly made of lead; the tell-tale gray patina and the fact that one can expose white shiny metal simply with their fingernail (I've tested at the edge so as not to deface the coin). :"
Hello friends I have an opinion and it may not be true. Of course, it is only a possibility. May be in ancient times. After the war or things like that The molds were stolen And thieves minted coins with lead Because lead melts easily
