Please help me identify this bronze Greek coin

I am in the process of combining the coin collection left to me by my father with my own. His collection included just the one presumably Greek ?copper or bronze coin. I’ve never collected Greek coins and I must confess to knowing very little about them. As far as I can see this has on the reverse at least three lines of text:

… ΑΣΙΛ… = ?BASILEUS (King) (extent of my homework!)
… ΧΝΞΙ…
(Thunderbolt)
…ΠΑΤ…

Overall diameter 16mm. The edge is bevelled so that the obverse is a slightly smaller diameter than the reverse. Does that mean that it was cast rather than having been struck?

Any suggestions gratefully received!

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Not sure about identification, but I have this one with a thunderbolt from Tralles

TRALLES, LYDIA CITY COINAGE
AE18
OBVERSE: Laureate head of Zeus Larasios right
REVERSE: DIOS TRAL-LIANWN, thunderbolt, all in wreath
Struck at Tralles 200-1 BC
6.51g, 17.86 mm
Mionnet 661

 

Thanks Bing Someone suggested to me it is a coin of one of the Selcucid kings by the name of Antiochos but I believe that there were at least three kings of that name

 

Welcome to CoinTalk Ancients, Cobbler!

They were correct. On the second line of the reverse I see ANTI...

Antiochos IX

Here's an example from Savoca, 30 Dec 2017:


Estimate: - | Starting price: 20 EUR Price realized: 20 EUR
Seleukid Kingdom. Antiochos IX Philopator 114-95 BC. Bronze Æ
Seleukid Kingdom. Antiochos IX Philopator 114-95 BC.
Bronze Æ
18mm., 6,21g.
Diademed bust right / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY ΦIΛOΠATOΡOΣ, thunderbolt.
very fine
Sear 7170.

 

Wow thanks TIF - I'm very impressed! I didn't know about this site until today but that's brilliant . Do you know if these coins were cast or struck?

 

If I read the legend on the reverse correctly, the Seleucid suggestion you got should to be correct. I can make out "...ΑΣΙΛΕΩ... / ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ / ...ΟΠΑΤΟΡ...". With the missing letters added that should be (Β)ΑΣΙΛΕΩ(Σ) / ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ / (ΦΙΛ)ΟΠΑΤΟΡ(ΟΣ). Thus I believe it's this coin here: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sg/sg7170.html.

EDIT: @TIF already posted more complete information while I was writing this. Just in case the wildwinds link is helpful, I am still leaving this post here.

 

Many thanks Orielensis - you guys have made my day

 

The flans were cast and the coins struck.

 

Thanks TIF

 

Welcome to cointalk!

It is a fun and educational place to hang out.

John

 

Thanks Theodosius - it certainly is, and I only discovered it earlier this evening

 

Seleucid bronze coins are beautiful and affordable. I thought that I had one like yours but I don't as of yet.

 

Cool seleucid. And Awesome avatar coin! At 1st I thought it as RR. But looked closer, now I'm thinking Celtic maybe? Whatchagotthere?
And in regards to finding this fun filled place called coin talk...

 

Welcome to CoinTalk @Cobbler ! It's Seleucid for sure.


Antiochos IX Kyzikenos, 116 - 96 BC.
Æ19, 5.7g; Antioch mint.
Obv.: Diademed head of Antiochos IX right.
Rev.: BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ANTIOXOY | ΦIΛOΠATOPOΣ; Winged thunderbolt, monogram in field.

Guess my reverse needs to be rotated...

 

Welcome to the Ancients Forum @Cobbler ! I also know very little but I learn something new every day here on the CTAF.

 

Thanks

Sounds painful

 

Celtic is correct! Iceni: Norfolk God. Moustache Type. c.AD25-43. AR unit. 13mm. 1.06g. Male head r, wearing boarskin headdress, slit and crescent eye, two trefoils in front./ Horse r, with beaded mane, beaded pelta above, ‘kite’ motif below. ABC 1567, VA 792, 794, BMC 3605-759, S 434. Gd VF, lightly toned, bold horse.

 

Please excuse my lack of expertise but what does the monogram look like and where is it in the field

 

I also have a much later (Roman) coin struck at Antioch - I'll start a new thread for that

 

On this picture (original found here), I marked all possible locations of monograms on this type of coin:



There is a variety of different monograms for this type. Generally speaking, they serve these purposes: the middle monogram, still visible on your specimen, gives the regnal year the coin was struck. The bottom monogram, which should be, or rather should have been, on your coin, identifies a mint official and/or officina (i.e. not a mint, as on Roman imperial coins). It can consist of multiple characters or symbols. The top one, looking like a triangle or Greek delta on the picture, appears to be missing on most coins. I wonder whether it's really a monogram that points to, for example, a specific officina, or whether it's ornamental.

The whole issue of monograms and control marks on Seleucid coins is tediously complex. Probably, someone else in this forum knows a lot (!) more about it than me. Yet, if you really desire to dive into this field, it would probably best to spend some time with Houghton/Lorber: Seleucid Coins: A Comprehensive Catalogue, 2 vol. (2002/8). There, the topic is discussed in detail.