Well, another of the last of my 2014 buys arrived today bringing the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, into my collection. While not in the best of conditions, it was very reasonably priced at $19, so I can overlook the roughness. As is usually the case, in hand it looks much better than the images. SICILY, SYRACUSE, HIERON II AE19 OBVERSE: Head of Persephone left, wreathed with corn, wearing earring and necklace, poppy head behind head . REVERSE: Bull butting left; above, club above IA; IE in exergue Struck at Syracuse, Sicily 275-265 BC 5.71g; 19mm BMC. Sicily, p 219, 624 Heron II, (died 216/215 bc), tyrant and then king of Syracuse, Sicily, from about 270 to 216/215 BC, who struggled against the Mamertini and eventually allied his city with Rome. Pressed by the Roman forces, in 263 BC he was compelled to conclude a treaty with Rome. From this date until his death he remained loyal to the Romans, frequently supplying them with soldiers and provisions during the Punic Wars. Hieron maintained a powerful defensive fleet and employed his famous kinsman, the Greek Archimedes, in the construction of ingenious mechanical devices for defense of the city. Hieron’s system of taxation was held up as a model of its kind and was used by the Romans in 241 BC, when they annexed Sicily as the first province. PERSEPHONE was the queen of the underworld, wife of the god Haides. She was also the goddess of spring growth, who was worshipped alongside her mother Demeter in the Eleusinian Mysteries. Persephone was titled Kore (the Maiden) as the goddess of spring's bounty. Once upon a time when she was playing in a flowery meadow with her Nymph companions, Kore was seized by Haides and carried off to the underworld as his bride. Her mother Demeter despaired at her dissappearance and when she learned that Zeus had conspired in her daughter's abduction she was furious, refusing to let the earth fruit until Persephone was returned. Zeus consented, but because the girl had tasted of the food of Haides, a handful of pomegranate seeds, she was forced to forever spend a part of the year with her husband in the underworld. Her annual return to the earth in spring was marked by the flowering of the meadows and the sudden growth of the new grain. Her return to the underworld in winter, conversely, saw the dying down of plants and the halting of growth.
I forgot to mention one important fact about the reason to buy this particular coin. It came with a very neat guarantee of authenticity dated 1977:
Very cool Greek coin, my crafty ol' pal ... Sicily, Syracuse AE23 317-295 B.C. Diameter: 22 x 23 mm Weight: 9.7 grams Obverse: head of Kore-Persephone left, wreathed with grain Reverse: bull butting left, dolphin and above, dolphin below
=> wow => I was only "14" years old when I signed that!! (very cool) ... just jokes ... Wow, David R.Sear ... yummy, that is very cool (jealous ... he's my hero)
Honestly => very cool, Bing ... here is my cool signed 1st edition (just for signature recognition) ... cheers, Big Bro (very cool new addition) ... I hope that you and Mrs. Bing have a great holiday season
man, that's awesome bing...total worth 19 bucks! stevex, I don't know why im surprised by your last name. did I actually think it was x6?
Another example of Kore/Persephone Syracuse Agathokles 317-289 BC SYPAKOSYWN. Head of Kore left Bull butting left, two dolphins and linked VA in field 6.0 gr, 20 mm Ref : Sear #1195 var Q
Super coin for $19, Bing! A strong F, and the bust is very handsome. I also like the certificate from David Sear - a certificate which actually means something. The coin really didn't need certification, but that's the sort of exonumia I also like to collect.
Very nice coin. One thing I like about collecting Greek coins is the gods and goddesses. There are so many to choose from its like collecting a series.
That's a nice coin, Bing. That COA would be worth nothing if made recently so it's definitely awesome.
