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Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 3147315, member: 83845"]Welcome to Round 1 of CIT 2018!  If you are unaware of the tournament I invite you to get caught up with all the fun on the following link: <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-it%E2%80%99s-time-the-second-annual-coin-imperator-tournament-2018.320328/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-it%E2%80%99s-time-the-second-annual-coin-imperator-tournament-2018.320328/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/ancients-it’s-time-the-second-annual-coin-imperator-tournament-2018.320328/</a> [ATTACH=full]805717[/ATTACH] I want to give a special thank you to the participants for volunteering to play the game.  We have a great group of people here at CT. ............................................................ #5 [USER=87271]@AnYangMan[/USER] [ATTACH=full]805718[/ATTACH] AE Boshan Ming Knife, 284 – 279 BC.State of Qi, mint located in Ju164 mm, 13.04 g.Hartill 4.46, Rarity 4Obv: Boshan 博山Style Ming 明, Rev: serial mark Yi 一(one) Price: $60 Why It’s Cool:Like so many of our members here, I tend to collect from a historical perspective. For early Chinese coins this is often quite difficult, with a date range of less than a century seldomly encountered and only the issuing state or city being identifiable. These Boshan (named for the site they were first discovered at in 1802) knives are a welcome exception. They are relatively rare (Hartill gives them a 4/16), so I was quite happy to snag this up from a reputable dealer who had misidentified it as a regular Ming knife for about a tenth of the going rate. [ATTACH=full]805719[/ATTACH] They were issued by the Qi 齐 state in a short period between 284 and 279 BC and represent the dire situation Qi was in during these five years. Initially, Qi was one of the most prosperous and advanced of all the warring states. It went completely downhill in 300 BC however, when king Min 齊湣王 ascended to the throne of Qi. Overconfident, paranoid and a complete megalomaniac (never a good combination), he overstretched his forces while conquering the smaller southern state of Song 宋, trying to achieve his dream of unifying China under his rule. The king of the neighbouring Yan state, a far more competent ruler, sensed an opportunity and advanced into Qi territory without opposition. In 284 BC, Yan sacked and occupied the capital of Linzi 臨淄, as well as 70 other cities,reducing Qi to only two cities: Jimo 即墨 and Ju 莒. These Boshan knives were issued within this turbulent period; whoever cast these knives would not have been sure whether his state would survive for another week, month or year. The smaller of the two remaining cities, Ju, was responsible for issuing these knives. Some of the rarer reverses even mention the toponym. In addition, an archaeological excavation in the vicinity of the ancient city of Ju in 1994 yielded the remains of a metal-casting workshop, along with around 70 terracotta moulds for Boshan knives. So the mould which was used in casting my specimen might actually still be around. How awesome is that? [ATTACH=full]805720[/ATTACH] One question remains: Why did the once proud Qi state resort to casting such an imitative currency? They were obviously intended to circulate within the Yan state economy, a fact supported by their findspots; the latest theory stating that they were used by merchants in trading with (occupied) Yan territory. They were however cast by a government authority and will undoubtedly have been used to finance the fight against Yan. Differentiating these Boshan Ming knives from actual Ming knives is quite easy: Boshan knives are usually much lighter, with even heavy specimens not reaching the 15-16 gram standard Yan state Ming knives were cast on. The biggest difference however is the calligraphy of the character on the obverse. Compare the angular Ming of my Boshan knife (left) to the more roundish version found on a regular Ming knife (Right). [ATTACH=full]805721[/ATTACH] The production of Boshan knives would come to a halt in 279 BC. After five years of hardship, Qi’s luck would finally turn around; King Min had since been murdered and the capable general Tian Dan 田單 had taken command over the remaining Qi forces. The tipping point would be the unsuccessful Yan siege of Jimo, famous for the unorthodox method of defence used by this general. He dug tunnels under the city walls and when darkness fell released a bunch of oxen, dressed in red silk adorned with daggers and flaming torches, into the Yan encampment. The Yan soldiers thought they were being attacked by dragons (Yikes!) and routed instantly, opening the door for Tian Dan to reconquer all lost Qi lands. ............................................................ #28 [USER=86498]@Terence Cheesman[/USER] [ATTACH=full]805722[/ATTACH] Satraps of Caria Maussolos Ar Tetradrachm ME Magistrate. 15.13 grms 23mmObv. 3/4 facing head of Apollo laureateRv. Zeus Labraundod standing right. Price: $5,100 Why It’s Cool:I really like the portrait of Apollo on this coin. It is so much more artistically rendered than what you normally see in this series. Apollo is depicted as a confident young man. 3/4 facing portraits are among the most difficult for an artist to render and I think the man who did this one did an absolutely superb job. Additionally, the coin was struck under Maussolos, whose tomb was one of the wonders of the ancient world.  A beautiful coin stuck by one of the most famous figures of the era, what more can I say? ............................................................ A Gentle ReminderWe have had a remarkably fun and friendly tournament so far and I want to thank all of our members who have contributed and commented <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> Let's continue to do a good job of keeping our tournament friendly! Instead of focusing comments too much on why you didn't vote for one coin over the other try to focus on why you did vote for the one you chose! Remember that everyone gets 3 votes to choose which coin you think comes out on top in each of the three categories. With that I will open the floor to comments, pile-ons and shameless lobbying.[/QUOTE]

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