Collect89’s Greek coin collection has been expanded with three NEWPS. :thumb: You may recognize the coins because they came from a Cointalk member. These things arrived with no documentation & have not been easy for me to identify. This stuff may be easy for some of you guys but it's Greek to me. :smile Please provide your comments & corrections. SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA Seleukos I Nikator AR Tetradrachm Babylon mint ca. 317-305 B.C. 16.93 grams, 26-27 mm diameter Obv: Head of young Herakles facing right clad in lion’s skin Rev: Zeus enthroned facing left with legs crossed holding eagle and scepter. ΜΗΡ in wreath monogram to left, AΛΕΞΑΝΑΡΟΥ to right, MI below throne & ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ in exergue. Grade: gVF with old cabinet tone. Enthroned Zeus is nicely centered and Herakles obverse is off center. Other: Posthumous issue In the name and types of Alexander III (The Great) of Macedon. Similar to Sear 6829 except minted with Alexander’s name, Price 3746, SC 82.5a. From private sale June 2013.
Lifetime Alexander The next one is another Alexander the Great Tetradrachm. It weighs 17.06 grams and measures 26 mm. The monogram to the left of Zeus is slightly off the flan but there is enough present to identify it as a snake (or serpent in a bowl) which resembles the number “6”. Much time was spent looking for this critter throughout Sear and internet images. My friend then found the serpent in a bowl, Price 3665 Variant, Babylon Mint lifetime issue 325-323 B.C. About the only thing I can add is that Alexander died in Babylon in June 323 B.C. so it’s pretty cool having an Alexander lifetime coin from Babylon around the time he died. Here is my coin label for this one: Macedonian Kingdom Alexander III (The Great) AR Tetradrachm Babylon mint ca. 325-323 B.C. 17.06 grams, 26 mm diameter Head of young Herakles facing right clad in lion’s skin Rev: Zeus enthroned facing left with legs parallel holding eagle and scepter. Serpent in a bowl to left, AΛΕΞΑΝΑΡΟΥ to right Grade: GVF with attractive old toning and lustrous details in the protected areas. Slightly off center on small flan Other: Coveted lifetime issue coin with snake monogram from the Babylon mint. Similar to Sear 6724, Price 3665 Variant. From private sale June 2013.
Yes, but a few corrections. First of all, Alexander III was long dead in 317 and was never a ruler of the Seleukid Kingdom. I would catalog this as SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator. AR Tetradrachm. In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Also, there is no need to cite 6829 - it is a completely different type. Add to references: SC 82.5a (Seleucid Coins by Houghton & Lorber, the standard reference on the series).
The little owl of Athens has seen better days The final coin in this triad looks to be an Athena Owl Tetradrachm. This puppy has seen some hard times. (I mean it has character). It may have actually experienced some circulation before it was tumbled around in the ground for a couple thousand years. I’ve tried to look very closely at all the nooks & crannies. The metal appears to be very old through & through. There is actually some nice detail visible in the deepest protected areas. I've guessed 353-294 BC based upon the eye and the recess that the owl is within. Please let me know your thoughts on the date etc. A picture speaks more than 1,000 words: ATTICA, Athens, AR Tetradrachm. (Owl) 353-294 B.C. 17.0 grams, 20-23 mm Obv: Helmeted head of Athena facing right in crested ornamented helmet Rev: Owl standing right, head facing; AΘΕ to right all within incuse square. Grade: Fine, toned, porous, horn silver with some cleaning scratches. Other: Horn silver 7.44 mm thick. Like Sear 2526, Kroll 16; SNG Copenhagen 63. Huge quantity struck to pay for Athenian campaigns & temples. From private sale June 2013. (BTW, I don't plan to keep this one but it's beginning to grow on me).
Sear is fairly useless now for dating and extremely limited for general attribution. Better references: Kroll 16; SNG Copenhagen 63. I would describe the grade as "Good Fine, toned, porous, horn silver and cleaning scratches"
I'll get back to you on the second Alexander type tetradrachm. I'll have to actually look that one up the old-fashioned way, in a book. *gasp!*
:3three:..... Most of the sources, I looked out show the Serpent on the Gold Staters, and rarely on the silver pieces.
I appreciate your taking the time to look it up in your library. :yes: My friend looked it up in his Price books. I struggle identifying many coins with only my Sear books and the Internet. Without you folks at CT, I would be more lost than found.
The second one appears to be unlisted in Price - I could find no tetradrachms with the snake symbol in left field and no other monograms. I do not believe it to be related to Price 3665 from the Babylon mint - the style does not seem to fit. There are, however, two other issues that use only the snake, albeit on different denominations. The first is an issue of drachms struck under Philip III (in Alexander's name) at the Lampsakos mint. But no tetradrachms are known of this issue and, in any case, the higher-denomination staters are of Philip type. The second is a stater from Sardes struck 330/25-324/3 BC. This series has corresponding drachms and tetradrachms, so I think your coin belongs here.
I found a Babylon tetradrachm that includes the lone snake monogram (Babylon, 325-323 BC, Price-3665). Here is the link at Stephen Album’s Website: http://db.stevealbum.com/php/lot_auc.php?site=2&sale=14&lot=4&cust=0 It is clearly not exactly the same coin as mine but it does have the lone snake monogram. Help me if you can. I’m seeing cross-eyed after looking at so many images of Zeus enthroned.
I agree with Ardatirion that the style does not fit Babylon, moreover it also lack the other symbols usually associated with that mint. Pella issued tets with similar coiled serpent (but they also have a Boeotian shield...), stylistically closer to that mint imo, but nothing conclusive :thirst:
Here is an Italian website that includes a nifty graphic program. You click on the mint name & a graphic representation of enthroned Zeus is depicted with that mint monogram. You guys are probably familiar with all these websites but I just learned of this one today. Check it out: http://www.roth37.it/COINS/Alex/alex_monetazione.html
There's one in the [outdated] work of Müller (Numismatique d'Alexandre le Grand), number 530, with a lone snake in left field, attributed to Trikka (don't think this location would currently hold)... Was from the Welzl collection (no 2529)... found the corresponding catalogue but, unfortunately, there's no plates... http://books.google.ca/books?id=K33...a=X&ei=MrXPUauIKMLg0gGE8YHgCw&ved=0CEUQ6AEwAg
