Tanit Horsehead Punic Sardinia

Bought these 2 AE units in November and December, I'm curious if there are Cointalkers
with coins of Punic Sardinia. Please show 'm. Thank you.

 

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How does one tell Punic Sardinia coins from those of Carthage?

 

Doug, I got my info from wildwinds and coinarchives, and both sellers claimed these were from the Sardinian mint.
http://www.coinarchives.com/a/results.php?results=100&search=Sardinia

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/sardinia/i.html

 

Does it have anything to do with the symbol under the horse's chin?

 

Nice bronzes!!!

I have a couple of Carthage and a Tet pending from Sicily but none stated to be struck in Sardinia. I'd be interested to know how that is determined as well....and what to look out for.

 

Great Carthage Sardinians! Love the Green Patina on the Double Unit.

Here are my Carthage coins minted in Sardinia:

(My last two are from the BRUTAL Carthage-Mercenary War after the 1st Punic War)


Carthage 3rd C (320-264 BCE) AE 20 Sardinia Mint Tanit-Kore Horse Hd Pellet 4.3g SNG COP 164


Carthage - LIBYAN REVOLT 241-238 BCE Sardinia mint Tanit 3 Grain ears SNG Cop 252


Carthage - LIBYAN REVOLT Rebels 241-238 BCE 9.63g 24mm Shekel Sardinia mint Tanit 3 Grain ears Crescent SNG Cop 247

 

Count me in as one who would like to know what distinguishes a Punic coin minted in Sardinia.

 

Me too! I have coins like this but not sure the mint. I'm thinking if Doug isn't sure......?
My tag says this is a shekel from Carthage.

 

I am by no means an expert. However, when I purchased them (3 different sellers), I received their references. Additionally, I also acquired (from Warren Esty), a Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum for North Africa Syrtica-Mauretania from 1969 PLATE BOOK that illustrates each of my coins. I confirmed, but amended my last one from SNG COP 248 to 247 due to its weight. Other than that, not being a Numismatist, this is the best way I was able to reference or confirm reference.

Nice Large reference at approx 15.5" x 11.5" (39 x 29 cm) that illustrates a nice chunk of Carthage issues.

 

Wonderful coins all.
I might have one. Can't tell

 

I'd say you are a numismatist now!

 

I have three from Carthage



The third one is 3 shekel.

 

Well thank you. LOL, but nope. I do not collect numismatically, rather I like Historical, love them worn and used as they have touched Human Hands from that period. It is nice to have variants, but I do not focus my thoughts there.

 

Great coins Pish! I really like tri-shekels! Big and dominating type coins. What are the specs on yours?

 

Sorry Brian, I should have included them
Coin No 1
Carthage, Zeugitana
Coin: Bronze
- Head of Tanit left, wearing wreath of grain ears
- Horse's head right; pellet before
Mint: Zeugitana (300-264 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 0.00g / 17mm / -
References: SNG Copenhagen 169-171

Coin No 2
Carthage, Zeugitana
Coin: Bronze Shekel
None - Wreathed head of Tanit left
None - Horse standing right, looking left
Mint: Carthage (215-201 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 7.07g / 22mm / -
Rarity: Scarce
Acquisition/Sale: $0.00
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 309-13
CARTHAGE, SECOND PUNIC WAR

Coin No 3 - previous owner ancientnoob
Carthage, Zeugitana
Coin: Bronze 3 shekel
- Goddess Tanit left
- Horse right, foreleg up
Mint: Zeugitana (201-195 BC)
Wt./Size/Axis: 17.78g / 28mm / -
Rarity: Rare
References: cf MMA 105

 

Ah, I love those Tanit/horse coins. One day I’ll pick one up. I understand that the horse head is an allusion to the legend that the Phoenicians/Tyrians who founded Carthage decided to found their new city at the site where they dug up the head of a fiery stallion (“caput acris equi)”—a foreshadowing of their vigorous and warlike spirit. And Tanit is the North African Juno. Vergil makes use of both associations in Aeneid 1:

Lucus in urbe fuit media, laetissimus umbra,
quo primum iactati undis et turbine Poeni
effodere loco signum, quod regia Iuno
monstrarat, caput acris equi; sic nam fore bello
egregiam et facilem victu per saecula gentem. 445
Hic templum Iunoni ingens Sidonia Dido
condebat, donis opulentum et numine divae,
aerea cui gradibus surgebant limina, nexaeque
aere trabes, foribus cardo stridebat aenis.

“[441] Amid the city was a grove, luxuriant in shade, the spot where the first Phoenicians, tossed by waves and whirlwind, dug up the token which queenly Juno had pointed out, a head of the spirited horse; for thus was the race to be famous in war and rich in substance through the ages. Here Sidonian Dido was founding to Juno a mighty temple, rich in gifts and the presence of the goddess.”

I wonder if the Juno/Horse head legend preceded the coin, or if it was a tradition that developed long after the coin. Fagles’s notes to the Aeneid assumes the tradition predates and explains the coin imagery, but I don’t know how far back that tradition is attested.

 

Every time I see one of those horse head coins, I think of this:

 

NICE big Tri-Shekel! They are fun to hold.

I have a couple:


Carthage AE Trishekel Tanit Horse 220-215 BCE 30mm 17.6g Lot 35.jpg


Carthage AE Trishekel Tanit Horse 220-215 BCE 30mm 19.7g Lot 36.jpg

 

Wow, Andres => those are two fantastic OP-additions (congrats)

Oh, and amazing pile-on additions by the coin-troops as well (it's always cool to see other people's sweet coins, eh?)

I scored a wonderful AR Xmas gift, which shows Tanit on the obverse and a sweet horse on the reverse (yah, I don't recall being good, but Santa rewarded me with a fricken beauty) ... I will try to snap a couple of lousy stevex6 home-photos for ya