Hello friends, here's an eclectic bunch. PM if interested. Paypal, check, MO, Transferwise. Prices are firm, shipping is $5. Peace and blessings! J __________________________________________________ 1. “Magadha was an ancient Indian kingdom in southern Bihar, and was counted as one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, 'Great Countries' of ancient India. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism, and two of India's greatest empires, the Maurya Empire and Gupta Empire, originated in Magadha.” [wiki] These coins were produced by stamping sheets of silver with various punches, then cutting out pieces of approximately the same weight, in roughly square, circular, and rectangular shapes. They are classified according to the different types of punches found on a coin, and represent some of the earliest Indian coinage. See this page at CoinIndia for a more detailed analysis of the types. Today I have a set of three coins of the same type, representing the three commonly found geometric shapes. Here are the offerings at vcoins for comparison. I have a very low starting bid on these today – they would probably cost around $40 apiece at retail. $75 (for the three). INDIA. Magadha. AR square punch-marked karshapana, 15mm, 3.2g. Obv.: 5 Punches. Rev: blank, as made. Reference:GH 450, series IVd. INDIA. Magadha. AR round punch-marked karshapana, 17mm, 3.4g. Obv.: 5 Punches. Rev: blank, as made. Reference:GH 464, series IVd INDIA. Magadha. AR rectangular punch-marked karshapana, 23x11mm, 3.3g. Obv.: 5 Punches. Rev: bankers marks. Reference:GH 468, series IVd. __________________________________________________ 2. The tetradrachms of Alexander III are avidly collected for both artistic beauty and historical significance. These coins, which were first struck during the late-330s B.C., feature Alexander in the guise of the demi-god Heracles (wearing a lion scalp), and the seated figure of the supreme Greek god Zeus. They are among the most iconic of ancient coins, second only to Athenian Owls. Posthumous issues, considered types of Alexander because they retain the same design elements as the original coins, were struck under his successors, the diadochi. Initially, the style and fabric of these coins remained the same, as evidenced by this piece, struck by Seleukos I Nikator. As such, this coin represents a key type for collectors of Seleucid coins, as being the first tetradrachms issued by the new empire. This is a stunning, EF specimen struck in Babylon. At CNG, comparable coins have sold between $400 and $500 before fees. See here. $375 SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator. 312-281 BC. AR Tetradrachm, 17.2g, 28mm, 9h; Babylon mint. Struck in the name of Alexander III of Macedon, circa 312-300 BC. Obv.: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin. Rev.: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ BAΣIΛEΩΣ; Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; monogram within wreath in left field; H below throne. Reference: SC 82.6; Price 3704 From the Sallent Collection __________________________________________________ 3. The Nabataeans were originally a conglomerate of nomadic tribes who inhabited northern Arabia and the Southern Levant. During the period of Seleucid and Ptolemaic hegemony, the Nabataeans gravitated toward the larger cities of Damascus and Bostra (among others) where they could engage in robust trade. During the 1st century BC, they built the citadel of Petra and expanded their trade routes to cover the whole of the Arabian peninsula. Aretas IV reigned from 9 BC to AD 40. His daughter was married to Herod Antipas, but Herod divorced her and married his brother's wife Herodias. John the Baptist's opposition to this scandal led to his beheading. Meanwhile, Aretas IV's opposition to the scandal consisted of invading Judaea and trouncing Herod's armies. Herod appealed to Tiberius for assistance, but the emperor died before his Syrian legions reached Aretas, and the invasion was scrapped. One of the characteristic design elements of Nabataean coinage is jugate busts of the king and queen. Here we have Aretas and his (second) wife Shakilat with double cornucopia reverse. These are the most common of Nabataean coins, and make an excellent addition to a kingdom set. The obverse of this example is a bit off-center, but it captures both heads, and the lettering on the reverse is complete, which is uncommon for the type. The lettering reads right-to-left, top to bottom: HRTT/SHKY/LT (Haratat, Shakilat). Compare to vcoins here. $25 NABATAEAN KINGDOM. Aretas IV, 9 BC – AD 40. Æ16, 2.5g, 12h; Petra mint. Struck AD 20-40. Obv.: Jugate laureate busts of Aretas and Shaqilat right. Rev,: Crossed cornucopias; HRTT/SHKY/LT Reference: Meshorer, Nabataea 114. From the Mat Collection. _________________________________________________ 4.“Perhaps the most enigmatic coin of Caligula’s reign was the smallest regular Roman denomination, the quadrans. It took 64 of these little coppers to equal the value of one silver denarius – a day’s pay for a manual worker. On the obverse, the emperor’s name and titles surround a “liberty cap” – the felt hat worn by freed slaves – bracketed by the letters “SC”. The reverse inscription continues the emperor’s titles, surrounding the large letters “RCC”. For many years, the consensus of numismatic scholars was that this abbreviation stood for remissa ducentesima, celebrating Caligula’s repeal of an unpopular one-half percent sales tax (“one part in two hundred” – “CC” being the Roman numeral for 200). A brilliant 2010 study by David Woods argues that this interpretation is unlikely, and RCC probably stands for something like res civium conservatae (“the interests of citizens have been preserved”).” [Coinweek] Here is a strong, VF example that would easily run you $125 or more on vcoins, see here. $85 Caligula, AD 37-41 Æ Quadrans, 3.4g, 18mm, 7h; Rome mint, AD 40. Obv.: C•CAESAR•DIVI•AVG•PRON• AVG•; Pileus between S C. Rev.: PON•M•TR•P•III•PP•COS•TERT• around R•C•C• Reference: RIC 45 From the Sallent Collection, ex-Bertolami E71, 793 __________________________________________________ 5. Trajan was declared optimus princeps (best ruler) by the Roman Senate, for presiding over the largest military expansion of the empire, in addition to his building programs and social welfare policies. He was one of the Five Good Emperors. Melqart was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city of Tyre, and in some ways resembled the Greek strongman Hercules. He was likely the Ba'al found 1 Kings 16.31–10.26, whose worship was introduced to Israel by King Ahab and later eradicated by King Jehu. Read more about this interesting deity at wiki here. Now, as far as these tetradrachms go, they are not rare, but they are rather scarce, and finding one with good style, smooth surfaces, and no damage can be challenging. Look at this page at vcoins for a representative sample. What I like about this coin is that it has smooth surfaces (no roughness, just circulation wear), great style, copious lettering, and a “patina cameo” if you will. Also, Melquart's bust is nice and large, and fills up the flan. (If he was alive today, he'd be a lineman – doesn't he look like Jim Otto - the center for the Raiders back in the day?) At any rate, coins costing over $200 at retail aren't as bold and commanding as this specimen! $165 Trajan, AD 98-117 AR tetradrachm, 24mm, 14.14g, 6h; Tyre mint, AD 110/1. Obv.: AYTOKP KAIC NЄP TPAIANOC CЄB ΓЄPM ΔAK; Laureate head right, club and eagle below. Rev.: ΔHMAPX ЄΞ IЄ YΠAT Є (COS V), Laureate bust of Melqart right, draped in lionskin knotted at neck. Reference: BMC 14, Prieur 1515; From the Sallent Collection, ex-JAZ Numismatics, ex-Ancientnoob. ___________________________________________________ 6. SOLD
