I recently reserved an unpublished Ancient Greek coin earlier while sitting at work (twittling my thumbs). What are everyone's take on unpublished Coins? Would you purchase one or not bother with them? I'm always interesting in learning more and gathering others opinions will help me in future decisions. I love the rarity in things which often garner my attention. If it's out of my reach financially, then I will leave it alone. I recently purchased a Gela coin with the man-faced bull on it. It was cheaper, curious, and unique compared to the others. The others were in themselves, immaculate, such as the wavy hair Gela design. Beautiful! Silver obol, Apparently unpublished, Jenkins 219, 189 var. (forepart right). SNG ANS 44 var. (same), SNG Cop 259 var. (same), HGC 2 372 var. (same), VF, well centered, dark toning, light bumps and scratches, 0.425g, 10.0mm, Gela mint, c. 480 - 470 B.C.; obverse forepart of man-faced bull (river god) left; reverse wheel with four spokes It's now my oldest coin in my collection. I'm happy with it which is all that matters in the end. Would you purchase an unpublished coin?
I'm surprised that anyone wouldn't purchase an unpublished coin! I think it's a very neat thing to have. There are few or lots of them depending on the time and place, and if I had one I'd try to document it somewhere.
It is a beauty. Can I use this pic for my next book? There was another like this in THE NEW YORK SALE, XIV, lot 36, but yours is nicer.
Cool little obol! And yes, why wouldn't anyone purchase an unpublished coin? Sadly, once @Nicholas Molinari is done with his book, it'll no longer be unpublished. At the same time, it sounds like it may now be your actual coin that will be published! How's that for an equally satisfying turnaround? Edited to add, an unpublished hemiobol from Asia Minor: MYSIA, Kyzikos (?) AR Hemiobol. 0.26g, 6.8mm. MYSIA, Kyzikos (?), circa 525 - 475 BC. Apparently unpublished and possibly only the third known (haven't been keeping track, likely more known by now); cf. CNG 213, lot 151; cf. G&N Pecunem 15, lot 168. O: Head of Attis right, wearing Phrygian cap. R: Quadripartite incuse square.
@Nicholas Molinari, you sure can. I've seen others but the man-faced bull is facing the opposite direction.
Wow- cool find. @Nicholas Molinari is an expert on these so you will soon have a plate coin! Here is my only unpublished as far as I know(and rarest with only three known!) : purchased from Brian at Bargain Bin ancients: Thrace, Perinthos (Perinthus) Pseudo-autonomous Issue; Circa 1st-2nd Century AD Ox: PERIN-QEWIN in two lines above basket containing object inside Rx: Nike advancing right, object in lower right field Some wear but absolutely identifiable with dark patina. I found one other example of this type but couldn't find any published pieces. An interesting type. 15.5mm, 2.2gms Just as an aside to you @Jbruce it is cool owning these rare ones but w/o being known and of little historical interest there is little demand for them and they will never be worth much monetarily. Yet they are rare relics of history. Crazy to think about though.
Also someone posted previously once, i think it may have been @dougsmit ? not sure but someone said that there really are few if any truly unpublished coins. Since there is a vast literature on ancients that would have to be consulted and only a few experts like CNG would have access to all those archives.
I believe this one is unpublished: Severus Alexander and Julia Mamaea Roman provincial AE Pentassarion, 10.1 g, 25.7 mm Moesia Inferior, Marcianopolis, AD 225-229 Obv: ΑVΓ ΚΜ Α[VΡ CΕVΗ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟC ΚΑΙ] ΙΟVΛΙΑ ΜΑΜΑΙΑ, confronted busts. Rev: ΗΓ ȢM [ΤΕΡΕΒΕΝΤΙΝΟV ΜΑΡ]ΚΙΑΝΟΠΟΛΙΤ-ΩΝ, Dikaiosyne standing l., holding scales and cornucopiae, E (5) in field, r. Refs: Not listed in: AMNG, Moushmov, Varbanov, BMC Greek, Sear Greek Imp, SNG Cop, SNG von Aulock, or Hirstova and Jelov.
Looks like an interesting coin. If it meets your collecting interests and does not break the bank, I'd say go for it. I take unpublished for Greek coins with a grain of salt. There are sooooo many books, auction catalogs, on line databases that I suspect that the seller has not seen one. I have not, but there might be a reference out there. I have one with one fish swimming the "wrong" way. These coins were made with dies => I would be surprised if mine was the only one made.
Fantastic Gela Obol Jbruce, I just yesterday posted a supposedly unpublished according to CNG......here's the link...https://www.cointalk.com/threads/koinon-makeΔonia.312248/#post-3013504
It isn't in the standard references but I've yet to look through the journals, so there is a chance it is published. Either way, yours is a great example.
Nice MFB @Jbruce ! I really like those MFB's and @Nicholas Molinari has a really cool book on them! "Potamikon" I have no problems with Unpublished Coins as long as it is from someone I trust, an expert, or a very trusted Seller... From the X6 Collection: And @TIF has one also... RI Trajan AE Dichalkon Laureate hd L Rhinoceros walking L LI-Z yr 17 CE 113-114 12.9mm 1.25g Emmet 719 var. rhino right APPARENTLY UNPUBLISHED One that is NOT published in @Nicholas Molinari 's book! (yeah, bummer) But I DO have one of his Plate Coins (not this one below, rather another MFB) Uncertain of Western Asia Minor, ca. 5th c. BC, silver tetartermorion, 5mm, 0.15g Obverse: Young male (female?) head r. Reverse: Forepart of bull r. (No, it is not an MFB) Reference: Kayhan - Grading: VF+ , obv. o/c, slightly porous, toned, extremely rare Comment: This is an apparently unpublished type, with nothing matching the design in numerous references consulted. Lacking visible legends (and being almost certainly an anepigraphic type to begin with), the main clues would come from style, metrology and possible association with other types from the lot it came in. These are predominantly Western Asia Minor fractions (mainly in Attic or Milesian (hemi?)tetartemorion weight range) of the 5th c. BC. The forepart of bull with partly facing head is consistent with several types that K. Konuk in CNG Kayhan assigns to an "uncertain mint of Karia" - and more so than alternative depictions from, say, Magna Graecia or Cretan Gortyna - but they seldom appear facing right (cf. Kayhan 960) and even then invariably on larger denominations (cf. Kayhan 968). Above all, however, in those listings (which extensively cross-reference the related Keckman, Troxell, Rosen and Berry catalogs) there is no pairing with the present finely styled head, leaving this as another among the mysteries of Asia Minor fractional silver. FORUM ANCIENT COINS Kingdom of Thrace, Lysimachos, 305 - 281 B.C., Portrait of Alexander the Great Silver tetradrachm, 14.309g, maximum diameter 28.7mm, die axis 180o Ephesus(?) mint, c. 294 - 281 B.C.; Obv: diademed head of Alexander the Great wearing the horn of Ammon Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ (king) ΛYΣIMAXOY (Lysimachos), Athena enthroned left resting arm on shield, transverse spear resting against right side, Athena holds Nike crowning name with wreath, ΣΠE(?) monogram under her hand ex: Roma Numismatics e-auction 5 (23 Feb 2014), lot 353; extremely rare Ref: Apparently unpublished; Müller -, Thompson -, SNG Cop -, SNG Tübingen -, Armenak Hoard Comment: VF, high-relief unusual style portrait, toned, tiny flan crack, light marks This coin was previously attributed as Thompson 166, but that type has a bee under Athena's arm and a similar, but not identical, monogram in the exergue. We were unable to find another example of this type.
