Yes indeed, that is the question Fantastic cartoon! Love his shopping bag . Alexandria did issue its share of "someone standing there" reverses, but there are also a ton of fascinating and wonderfully weird designs. A snake-heavy sampling: The "Good Snake" Agathodaemon riding a horse Agathodaemon with the head of Serapis, riding a horse: Serapis-headed Agathodaemon, dismounted from the horse Plain ol' cobra, wearing a stylish hat (and holding a grain ear and sistrum. A sistrum... does that make it a rattlesnake? ) A snake with the torso and head of Isis (Isis-Thermouthis): A snake-powered chariot: A sphinx in the pose of the Great Sphinx of Giza: A chariot pulled by centaurs: A detailed canopic jar (or canopic statuette; this probably doesn't contain organs): Two canopic jars having a little pillow talk: Nero's silphium bong
Hiss! (but not "boo-hiss") (It is a good cartoon, despite the quirky caption spelling. Who needs that silly silent "e", anyway, right?)
Good heavens, that "snake cowboy" Domitian is sure attention-grabbing, even without the fun GIF animation! Wow.
I disagree. It seems that all mints had a real need to use 'someone standing there' reverses whenever they could. There are great types from everywhere but all seemed to feel the need to be boring whenever they could get away with it.
I agree. The bane of denari to me are "someone standing there" reverse types, (great definition btw @TIF, love it). That is why I never got into denari much, since most were of that type, which by definition are boring no matter which god you claim it is.
PS. Just made this pic of a snake coin specially for you in the Museo Correr, Venice, Italy. Nicomedia in Bithynia, Caracalla (211-217).
Wow, those are some great coins @TIF and others. Really need to add some of the interesting Alexandrian types to my collection. It seems like the "sweet spot" for these is the 2nd century A.D.
Boy, do I really wish I had a snake powered chariot. Oh well, the next best thing is a coin with one on it. nice ones TIF
Oh yes, Glycon... I had dreams of winning one in a CNG auction a couple of years ago, LOL. Actually, they've had four of them come up for auction since I've been collecting. I took a few swings at a couple of the better examples but should have tried for the corroded one offered in 2016.
Not everyone does this? Seriously, that is how I drift off to sleep, dreaming of undiscovered auctions full of precious little coins for me.......
There is some truth in this, BUT the US has done a great job of one upmanship in this regard with our belief that no coin should be issued without a dead white guy (in a wig if at all possible) on the obverse and a building on the reverse. Extra points if the building has nothing to do with the dead white guy in a wig, but was built after he died to honor him.
