Ancient Greek & Other Cultures,
from approx 500 BC to 1000 AD.

 

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NOTE - All prices in Australian dollars, buying about 68c US and 46 GB pence at present.

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In the descriptions, AR refers to silver, AE to copper or bronze and AV to gold. 

Cheaper Ancients available - listed further down this list...

Listed in order of age.

Aust   $
Mesopotamia, cylinder seals.  Mostly of the period 4th-3rd millennium BC, mostly about 30mm, all with intaglio images of figures, lines, etc. (8) together with other flat seals, mostly animal heads (3) beetle scarab (1) all with holes for hanging. Historical and interesting. 12 items. Ex Noble Numismatics, Sydney. $650
KINGS of LYDIA. Kroisos. Circa 561-546 BC.  Silver Half-Stater - Siglos (15mm, 5.26 g). Sardes mint. Confronted foreparts of lion and bull / Double incuse square punch. Rosen 663; SNG Copenhagen 456; SNG von Aulock 2875. VF, toned. Ex Colonial Coins, Brisbane.

ther than the literary tradition ascribing the origin of coinage to the kings of Lydia, there is little evidence for a more exact chronology of early Greek coinage. The tradition, buttressed by limited archaeological studies, does confirm Asia Minor as the place of origin, most likely Lydia or Ionia, and a date somewhere around 650-625 BC. The alloy used, a mixture of gold and silver known to the Greeks as elektron, was based on the natural ore found in nugget form in many river-beds in the region. The earliest coins were of a globular shape and without design in imitation of this natural form; later, simple striated and punched patterns of squares, rectangles, and swastikas were included. The earliest true types may have developed from the use of personal seals, the most widely known being the stater of Ephesos with a stag bearing the inscription “I am a seal of Phanes”.  The intrinsic value of the early electrum, even down to the 1/96 stater, was too high for use in everyday commerce, and early coinage must have been used only for the transfer of large sums of money, such as mercantile transactions, payment of government expenses (mercenaries, tribute and such), and donatives, either for services rendered to individuals or the state, or to religious foundations. The Artemision deposits, hoards of early electrum found at the site of the temple of Artemis at Ephesos, are examples of the latter.

$1150
LYDIA, Sardeis, time of King Croesus or later, (c. 550-500 B.C.), silver half stater or siglos, (5.288 grams), obv. confronting foreparts of lion, facing right, and bull facing left, rev. two incuse punches of unequal size, side by side, (S.3420 [ú450], BMC 41, Traite pl.10, 9, SNG von Aulock 2877, I. Carradice, Coinage of the Persian Empire BAR Inter. Ser. 343, [1987], Pl.XI, 9). Toned, very fine and rare. Ex Spink Australia Auction Sale 23 (lot 1802).

This coin is normally known as an issue of the Lydian king Croesus. Throughout the ancient world he was known for his legendary wealth, and it is therefore not surprising to find these most ancient of silver coins associated with this king. The lion is the paramount symbol of royalty and as such was appropriate for his Lydian kingdom. According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first to strike gold and silver coins, but the numismatic evidence is not fully compatible with this statement. Carradice suggests that this coin is unlikely to have been minted in the lifetime of King Croesus and is of the type he calls late Croeseid (c. 510-500). However Sear assigns them to Croesus c. 560-546 B.C. The issue represents the introduction of the world's first bimetallic coinage, gold and silver pieces based on a stater of pure metal weighing about 10.8 grams. This was the initial phase of relatively short duration as shortly after the gold was reduced in weight to about 8 grams for a stater and the silver siglos of just over 5 grams replaced the silver stater. This is an historic and important silver coin from the earliest period of coinage. From the style of this example Carradice assigns the issue to late in the 6th century B.C.

$895  
LUCANIA, Metapontion.  Circa 510-470 BC. Silver Nomos (21mm, 8.04 gm). Ear of barley with six grains / Incuse ear of barley with five grains. Noe 255 (same dies); SNG ANS 256 (same dies); HN Italy 1482. Lightly toned, good VF. Unusual incuse design.

Metapontion, originally named Sybaris, was an Achaian colony of very early foundation, though the precise details of its origin are shrouded in uncertainty. Following the destruction of its first foundation by the Samnites, it was refounded, as Metapontion, early in the 7th century BC by settlers under the leadership of Leukippos, who was thereafter revered as the city founder. The great prosperity of the city — attested by the extent of its archaic silver coinage commencing in the mid 6th century BC — was based on agriculture. Situated on the Gulf of Tarentum, Metapontion occupied a plain of extraordinary fertility watered by the rivers Bradanos and Kasuentos. Its standard coin type is an ear of barley, a tribute to the source of Metapontine wealth, and Demeter, the goddess of grain who is the city’s most revered diety. One of the city's most notable claims was that it was the burial-place of Pythagoras who had retired there and perished in a sedition.

$795
ITALY, Calabria, Tarentum (Taras), 500-473 B.C, silver stater or nomos, (8.058 grams), obv. Taras seated to left on dolphin holding cuttlefish, [TARAS] reversed to right above, scallop shell below, rev. wheel of four spokes, (cf.S.223, Vl.84 [same dies, p.13, Pl.III], cf.SNG ANS 830 similar dies]). Obverse off centred, otherwise good fine and rare archaic type.

According to tradition the Spartan colony of Taras (modern Taranto), known as Tarentum by the Romans, was founded in 706 BC under the leadership of Phalanthos. The city derives its name from Taras, the son of Poseidon and a local nymph, Satyra. It adopted a democratic form of government circa 475 BC, and thereafter became the leading Greek city in southern Italy. Its success led to continual difficulties with its neighbor cities, and on four occasions Tarentum required expeditions from Greece to help overcome its aggressors. The last of these expeditions was led by the famed Epeirote, Pyrrhos. Following his withdrawal from the city, Tarentum was occupied by the Romans. Tarentum was among the early cities of Magna Graecia to strike coinage, employing the incuse type that was the hallmark of the first Italian coinages. Taras’ prosperity is exemplified by its vast coinage known today which was continuous from 510 BC until the end of the Second Punic War. The primary type recurring throughout the coinage is a figure astride a dolphin, which depicts either Taras or Phalanthos, who was said to have been saved from drowning by a dolphin.
 

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ITALY, Bruttium, Croton (Kroton) 500-460 BC. Silver Stater or Nomos (8.02 grams) obv. tripod, crane to left, QPO to right, rev. tripod, incuse, (S.256, SNG Cop. 1759-1760, SNG Munich 1428, Gale 15, SNG ANS 267). Nearly extremely fine and rare in this condition.

As with many cities in Magna Graecia, Kroton was established by colonists from mainland Greece. Myskellos, obeying a directive of the oracle of Delphi, led a group of Achaean settlers to the site and founded the city around 710 BC. This divine sanction is represented by the tripod of the oracle, which became the civic badge of Kroton and is featured on its coinage. Kroton was among the first cities to produce coinage in Italy, its earliest being of the incuse type struck on the Achaian standard. As evidenced by its bountiful coinage, Kroton was one of the most important and wealthy cities of southern Italy. Although its fortunes rose and fell over the centuries, it maintained its production of a wide array of denominations and metals until the Roman period.

$895
SICILY, Syracuse. Deinomenid Tyranny. 485-466 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (16.49 g, 8h). Struck under Gelon, circa 480-478 BC. Charioteer driving quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horses / Diademed head of Arethusa right; four dolphins around. Boehringer series VIb, 80 (V37/R52); SNG ANS 20; SNG Copenhagen 204 (same dies). VF, toned. Fine early dies. From the C.G Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 50 (23 June 1999), lot 485. $2650
SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (23mm, 17.71 g). Struck circa 430-420 BC. Charioteer driving walking quadriga right, holding kentron and reins; Nike flying above crowning horses / Head of Arethusa right, hair tied with ribbon over head, surrounded by four dolphins swimming. Boehringer 671 (V338/R458); SNG ANS 221 (same dies). Fine or better, lightly toned, typical short flan.

During the final decades of the 5th century the art of the die-engraver in Sicily had evolved to such a level that the individual artists began signing their work on the dies. This brought them great celebrity and doubtless commensurate income and the phenomenon was by no means confined to Syracuse itself. Never before, and probably never since, have die-engravers achieved such a high level of fame and the quality and inspiration of their work briefly raised coinage truly to the level of fine art. Unfortunately, these exciting developments were cut short by the catastrophic political events of the closing decade of the 5th century, when the Carthaginian invasion and the reestablishment of tyranny at Syracuse destroyed forever the environment in which this remarkable, but fragile, artistic movement had occurred. Eumenos' work was especially noted for the introduction of high action in the horses drawing the racing chariot, a change which was to be carried much further by other masters of this brief but brilliant period of numismatic art. Together with the engraver Sosion, Eumenos was in the vanguard of the artistic movement which transformed the Syracusan coinage in the late 5th century.

$1350
ATTICA, Athens. Circa 460-404 BC. Silver  Tetradrachm (22mm, 17.20 g). Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; Dewing 1591; SNG Copenhagen 31. VF, nice old colour, tight flan. $1295
AKARNANIA, Leukas. Circa 405-345 BC.  Silver Stater (21mm, 8.20 g). Pegasos flying left / Helmeted head of Athena right; caduceus and L behind. Pegasi II 91/2 (same obverse die). VF, toned. $475
AEGINA. 404-340 BC. Silver Stater.  12.03g. 22mm. Land Tortoise with segmented shell. Rx: incuse square within five lines. S 2606. BMC 165. Weber 3625. A possible overstrike of an earlier turtle type. Glossy violet antique tone, gVF and rare. $1350
IONIA - Phokaia, c400-330 BC, Electrum, sixth stater. Seaby 4531. 2.5 grams, 10mm diameter. Head of Demeter, seal beneath. Reverse square. Some surface scratches, overall very pleasant with sharp detail, grades VF. Electrum was a natural mixture of Gold and Silver and was the metal that the first ancient coins were composed of. This was part of a series struck in Asia Minor, modern Turkey. Ex IS Wright, Adelaide. $850
BOEOTIA, Thebes. Circa 395-338 BC. Silver  Stater (20mm, 12.13 g). Amphi-, magistrate. Struck circa 379-368 BC. Boeotian shield / Amphora; AM-FI across field. BCD Boiotia 513; SNG Copenhagen 348. VF, toned. $895
BOEOTIA, Thebes. Circa 395-338 BC. Silver Stater (20mm, 12.20 g). Apol-, magistrate. Struck 363-338 BC. Boeotian shield / Amphora; grape cluster on vine above, AP-OL across field. BCD Boiotia 565; SNG Copenhagen 317; Hepworth 11. VF, attractively toned. From the BCD collection. $995
ATTICA, Athens. Circa 393-355 BC. Silver  Tetradrachm.  (22mm, 17.14 g). Helmeted head of Athena right, with profile eye / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. Kroll 15a-b;  Dewing 1625. CHOICE! Good VF, attractively toned, a few light deposits. Ex Numismatic Fine Arts Fall Mail Bid Sale (12 October 1988), lot 248. $1500
ATTICA, Athens. Circa 393-300 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (21mm, 17.08 g). Circa 350-300 BC period. Head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet, eye in profile/ Owl standing right, head facing in erect posture; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. S 2537  SNG Copenhagen 65. Slightly short on flan, nice grey tone, VF.  Ex Robert A Climpson, Nobles sale 85B, July 2007 lot 1442. $850
IONIA, Ephesos. Circa 390-325 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (23mm, 15.21 g). Parthenios, magistrate. Struck circa 360-350 BC. Bee with straight wings / Forepart of stag right; palm tree to left. Pixodarus class F, obv. die 92 (same dies as illustration). Good VF, attractive iridescent toning, good metal, minor die break on obverse. Superb for type! So much better than average, by far the best of more than a dozen of these sold over the past 15 years. $3250
PAMPHYLIA, Aspendos. Circa 380-325 BC. Silver Stater (20mm, 10.82 gm). Two wrestlers grappling; ES between / Slinger to right; triskeles in field. Tekin Series D; SNG France 106; Nice violet tone, near VF. Ex I.S Wright, Adelaide. $425
PAMPHYLIA, Aspendos. Circa 380-325 BC.  Silver Stater (21mm, 10.84 gm). Two wrestlers grappling; BL between / Slinger to right; triskeles in field. Tekin Series D, letters not listed; SNG France -. VF, toned. From the Dr Garth R. Drewry Collection. Ex Paramount (6-8 November 1970), lot 158. $450
Cilicia, Mazzaios. 361-334 BC.  Silver Stater (10.62 grams, 20mm) Tarsos Mint. Baal of Tarsos enthroned left, holding corn ear & bunch of grapes in right hand. Lion left on the back of bull kneeling left, which it attacks with teeth and claws. Aramaic legend on obv & rev. Usual worn obverse die, Seaby 5650. Attractive tone, VF/EF. Ex Status International, NSW. $895
Cilicia. Mazzaois. 361-334 BC. Silver Stater.  20mm, 10.4 grams. S 5652. Babylon Mint. Baal of Tarsos/Lion walking. Some scrapes, nice old tone, full of character, F/gF. $495
Macedon, Philip II, 359-336 BC, Silver Tetradrachm, 14 grams, 24mm diameter, like Seaby 6680. Olympic issue with wreath under horse. Struck on good silver, some wear, still showing the high relief these coins were struck in. Near VF. A historical figure, father of Alexander the Great. Ex Antiquarius NZ. $895

SICULO-PUNIC, mint of the camp (c320 -310 BC) silver tetradrachm (17.06 grams) Obv: wreathed head of Persephone (or Arethusa) to left wearing triple pendant earring & necklace, four dolphins swimming around. Rev: Horse's head to left, palm tree behind, Punic legend "MMHNT" below, border of dots, (S6434, Rizzo Pl.66, 3; SNG Llyod 631 (same dies) Jenkins SNR 56 (series 3a) 148 (same dies, O47/R133) Flat on top of hair, otherwise Very Fine or better and rare.

Ex B.R. Noble Collection, Glendining & Co, London, Auction Sale December 11-12, 1975 (lot37). Illustrated as cover coin and in plates. Exhibited at joint exhibition by Spink & Son and Copperfield Galleries, Mosman as "An Exhibition of Ancient Numismatic Art 550 B.C. - 600 A.D. in November 1976 as item 17.

$4250
KINGS of MACEDON. Philip III Arrhidaios. 323-317 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (26mm, 17.16 g). Babylon mint. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion’s skin headdress / Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; M in left field, B below seat. Price P182. Good VF, toned.  From the Alain Lagrange Collection. $795
MACEDON, Kingdom of, Alexander III, (336-323 B.C.) silver tetradrachm, (17.082 grams), Babylon mint, issued 311-305 B.C., obv. head of Herakles to right wearing lion skin with dotted border, rev. Zeus seated on throne to left, eagle in outstretched hand, MHP monogram in wreath to left, MI below throne, BASILEWS in exergue, to right ALEXANDROU, (cf.S.6713, Price 3747, BMC 3747, M.734). Lightly toned, very fine or better. $750
SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator. 312-281 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (26mm, 17.08 g). Babylon I mint. Struck in the name of Alexander III of Macedon, circa 311-300 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; in left field, monogram in wreath; MI below throne. SC 82.5a; Price 3746. VF/aVF, toned. Ex Robert Kutcher collection.

The Seleukid Empire was one of the main successor states to the Macedonian empire forged by Alexander III 'the Great'. Following Alexander's death, his greatest generals, the Diadochs, divided the empire among themselves, but the settlement was not enduring and nearly constant warfare resulted from their ambitions to widen their respective areas of control. Seleukos I, despite being passed over in the initial settlement in 323 BC, received the satrapy of Babylon in the second settlement in 320 BC. By the time of his death in 281 BC, Seleukos had expanded his realm to encompass most of Alexander's eastern possessions from Asia Minor to Baktria.

$495
SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator. 312-281 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (25mm, 16.98 g). Seleukeia II mint. Struck circa 296/5-281 BC. Laureate head of Zeus right / Athena in biga of horned elephants right, brandishing spear and shield; monogram to right, Q in exergue. SC 133.42. Near VF, toned. From the John A. Seeger collection. $1250
KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III the Great. 336-323 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (27mm, 17.00 g). Sidon mint. Struck 309/8 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion’s skin headdress / Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; A/M in left field, SI below throne. Price 3521. Near VF. From the C. G. Collection.

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), king of Macedonia, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. Alexander was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia, was the son of Philip II, king of Macedonia, and of Olympias, a princess of Epirus.  In the summer of 336 BC Philip was assassinated, and Alexander ascended to the Macedonian throne. In 335 BC as general of the Greeks in a campaign against the Persians, originally planned by his father, he carried out a successful campaign against the defecting Thracians, penetrating to the Danube River. On his return he crushed in a single week the threatening Illyrians and then hastened to Thebes, which had revolted. He took the city by storm and razed it, sparing only the temples of the gods and the house of the Greek lyric poet Pindar, and selling the surviving inhabitants, about 8000 in number, into slavery. Alexander's promptness in crushing the revolt of Thebes brought the other Greek states into instant and abject submission. Alexander began his war against Persia in the spring of 334 BC by crossing the Hellespont (modern Dardanelles) with an army of 35,000 Macedonian and Greek troops; his chief officers, all Macedonians, included Antigonus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. At the river Granicus, near the ancient city of Troy, he attacked an army of Persians and Greek mercenaries totaling 40,000 men. His forces defeated the enemy and, according to tradition, lost only 110 men; after this battle all the states of Asia Minor submitted to him.  Continuing to advance southward, Alexander encountered the main Persian army, commanded by King Darius III, at Issus, in northeastern Syria. The Battle of Issus, in 333, ended in a great victory for Alexander. Cut off from his base, Darius fled northward, abandoning his mother, wife, and children to Alexander, who treated them with the respect due to royalty. Tyre, a strongly fortified seaport, offered obstinate resistance, but Alexander took it by storm in 332 after a siege of seven months. Alexander captured Gaza next and then passed on into Egypt, where he was greeted as a deliverer. By these successes he secured control of the entire eastern Mediterranean coastline. Later in 332 he founded, at the mouth of the Nile River, the city of Alexandria, which later became the literary, scientific, and commercial center of the Greek world.  In order to complete his conquest of the remnants of the Persian Empire, which had once included part of western India, Alexander crossed the Indus River in 326 BC, and invaded the Punjab as far as the river Hyphasis (modern Beâs); at this point the Macedonians rebelled and refused to go farther. He then constructed a fleet and passed down the Indus, reaching its mouth in September 325 BC. The fleet then sailed to the Persian Gulf. With his army, he returned overland across the desert to Media. Shortages of food and water caused severe losses and hardship among his troops. Alexander spent about a year organizing his dominions and completing a survey of the Persian Gulf in preparation for further conquests. He arrived in Babylon in the spring of 323 BC. In June he contracted a fever and died. He left his empire, in his own words, “to the strongest”; this ambiguous testament resulted in dire conflicts for half a century.

$495
MOESIA, Istros. Circa 4th Century BC.  Silver Drachm (18mm, 6.11 gm). Facing male heads, the left inverted / Sea-eagle left, grasping dolphin with talons; AP monogram below dolphin. SNG BM Black Sea 249; AMNG I 417. VF.

Another, quite similar - $395

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ITALY. Lucania, Velia, 305-290 BC. Silver nomos (7.212  grams) Period VII, Philiston Group. Head of Athens to left, wearing crested Corinthian helmet with griffin behind/Lion walking to right, SNG ANS 1371, Williams 501. BMC 100. Near very Fine.  Ex Nobles sale 85, July 2007. $275
KINGS of THRACE. Lysimachos. 305-281 BC. Silver Tetradrachm. (30mm, 17.25 g). Lampsakos mint. Struck circa 297-281 BC. Head of the deified Alexander right / Athena seated left, holding Nike and sceptre, shield behind; monogram in inner left field, crescent in exergue. Thompson 49; SNG Copenhagen 1097. VF, choice, lightly toned. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 50 (23 June 1999), lot 593.

Lysimachos was a Macedonian of great physical strength and fortitude who rose to prominence as a bodyguard for Alexander the Great. He became governor of Thrace and parts of northwest Asia Minor bordering the Black Sea after Alexander’s death, and like the other Diadochi assumed the royal title in 306/5 BC. At the beginning of his reign, Lysimachos continued to use Alexander’s coinage types, later modifying them by replacing Alexander’s name with his own. In 297 BC, Lysimachos introduced his own coinage, and chose to honor his benefactor, Alexander, by using the latter’s portrait as the obverse type. Athena, Lysimachos’ patron god, was chosen as his new reverse type. This coinage was struck at a variety of mints in Asia Minor and, later, Macedon and Thrace. The currency gained wide popularity, and continued to be minted as civic issues by a number of the cities for over a century after Lysimachos’ death.

$1750
EGYPT, Kingdom of, Ptolemy I, (323-283 B.C.), silver tetradrachm.  EGYPT, Kingdom of, Ptolemy I, (323-283 B.C.), silver tetradrachm, issued 305-283 B.C., (14.100 grams), Alexandria mint, obv. diademed head of Ptolemy I to right, with aegis, **D* behind, rev. eagle to left with closed wings, standing on thunderbolt, in front P over monogram **PAR*, around **BASILEWS PTOLEMAIOU*, (S.7762, Sv. 255, SNG Cop. 70-1). Nearly very fine/very fine. EX Noble Numismatics Sale 89. $650
EGYPT. Ptolemy II 285-246 BC. Silver Tetradrachm,  27mm, 13.8 grams. Diademed head right/Eagle standing left. Year 32, struck 254-253 BC. S 7771. Fine style, VF. Ex Tony Byrne, NSW. $395
CARTHAGE, First Punic War. Circa 264-241 BC.  Æ 27mm (16.63 g). Sardinian mint. Wreathed head of Tanit left / Horse head right; letter before. MAA 58p; Müller 289. VF, dark brown patina, old gouges on horse’s neck. From the J.S. Wagner collection. $295
KINGS of BAKTRIA. Euthydemos I. Circa 230/25-200 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (27mm, 15.87 g). Attic standard. Mint A. Struck 225-220/15 BC. Diademed head right / Herakles seated left on lion's skin draped over rock, holding club on rocks;  monogram below. Cf. Kritt A8; cf. Bopearachchi SÈrie 10A; cf. SNG ANS 137 (same reverse die). VF, toned. $950
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Euthydemos I. Circa 225-200 BC. Æ Double Unit (5.97 g, 12h). Mint B (”Bactra”). Struck circa 215-208/6 BC. Bearded head of Herakles right / Horse prancing right; monogram below. Bopearachchi Série 17A; SNG ANS 146-165. VF, red-brown patina, smoothed. $225
SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Antiochos III ‘the Great’.  223-187 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (26mm, 16.71 g). Uncertain mint on Commagene or N. Syria (northern Euphrates region). Struck after 211 BC. Diademed head right / Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow and resting hand on bow set on ground; monograms in outer left and right fields. SC 1101.1; WSM 1238. VF, toned. Struck in very high relief. $1250
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Demetrios I. Circa 200-185 BC. Æ Triple Unit. (29mm, 11.32 g). Head of elephant right, bell around neck / Caduceus; monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi Série 5E; SNG ANS 209-211. Good VF, dark brown patina, light smoothing, scarce. $495
KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’. 336-323 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (32mm, 16.76 g). Chios mint; Zenon, magistrate. Struck circa 190-165 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; in left field, sphinx seated left on amphora, XENWN in exergue. Price 2418; Müller 1120. Large flan, typical of issue, VF, lightly toned, surfaces slightly grainy.  From the John A. Seeger collection. $650
BAKTRIA, Greco-Baktrian Kingdom. Antimachos I. Circa 180-165 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (33mm, 16.90 g). Diademed and draped bust right, wearing petasos / Poseidon standing facing, holding trident and filleted palm frond; monogram to right. Bopearachchi Série 1D; SNG ANS 276. VF, lightly toned. $1750
KINGS of MACEDON. Perseus. 179-168 BC.  Silver Drachm (15mm, 2.67 g) - Third Macedonian War issue. Mint in Thessaly; Hermias, magistrate. Struck circa 171 BC. Head of Helios facing slightly right / Rose; ERMIAS above, Z-W flanking stem. Price, Larissa pl. LV, 247; SNG Keckman 793. EF, handsome gold and grey toning, minor die break and die rust on reverse.

In his 1988 article on Rhodian imitations, R. Ashton has argued persuasively that this coinage was struck by Perseus to pay Cretan mercenaries serving in his army (see “A Series of Pseudo-Rhodian Drachms from Mainland Greece,” NC 1988, pp. 29-30). The Rhodian coinage circulated on Crete, where it was a familiar and trusted currency for the Cretans, and it is likely that they would have required payment in that form (see also Ashton, SM 146 (May 1987), p. 34.)

$795
SYRIA, Seleukid Kings, 162-150 BC, Demetrios I. Silver Tetradrachm, 16.8 grams, 29mm diameter. Obverse: Diademed portrait of King within laurel wreath, Reverse: Tyche seated on throne supported by winged monster, holding baton & cornucopiae.  S 7014. Bright silver, a few age spots, gVF. $495
AEOLIS, Kyme. Circa 165-140 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.60 g). Metrophanes, magistrate. Head of the Amazon Kyme right, wearing tainia / Horse prancing right; one-handled cup below raised foreleg. Oakley Issue 1; SNG Copenhagen 104. Good VF, lightly toned. From the Alain Lagrange Collection. Ex Münzen und Medaillen 74 (18 October 1988), lot 67. $1250
AEOLIS, Kyme. Circa 165-140 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.79 g). Metrophanes, magistrate. Head of the Amazon Kyme right, wearing tainia / Horse prancing right; one-handled cup below raised foreleg. Oakley Issue 1; SNG Copenhagen 104. Good VF. From the Alain Lagrange Collection. $1295
MACEDON, Amphipolis, 159-148 BC. Silver Tetradrachm, 16.8 grams, 30mm diameter, Seaby 1386. Obverse: Bust of Artemis with bow & quiver, Reverse: Club between monograms. Some contacts, near VF with attractive violet tone. Ex I.S. Wright, Adelaide. $350
ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos.  Circa 148-80 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (32mm, 16.54 g). Head of young Dionysos right, wearing ivy wreath / Herakles standing facing, head left, holding club in right hand, lion skin draped over left arm; monogram to inner left. Le Rider, Thasiennes 52; SNG Copenhagen 1046. Near VF, toned. $295

 
Seleukid Kingdom, 121-96 BC, Antiochos VIII, Silver Tetradrachm, Seaby 7145.  Old violet tone gVF/aEF. Ex I.S. Wright, Adelaide. $595
CELTS. Danube Region. Imitating Alexander III of Macedon.  Circa 2nd Century BC. Silver Drachm (19mm, 3.84 g). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress / Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; stag(?) before, HGV right. CCCBM S204; Kostial -; De la Tour -. Good VF, attractive toning, worn obverse die. $250
PHOENICIA, Tyre.  Silver Shekel (29mm, 14.39 g). Dated CY 31 (96/5 BC). Laureate bust of Melkart right / Eagle standing left on prow; palm behind; to left, AL (date) above club; Phoenician B between legs, monogram to right. Rouvier 2015; BMC 118. Good VF, lightly toned.

The shekel of Tyre is renowned as the most likely candidate for the coin used to pay Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus. The reason why it is generally accepted as such is that it was used by the merchant Phoenicians in their business transactions, and was thus a well-recognized and quite ubiquitous coin.

Matthew 26:14-16

Then one of the twleve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, and said to them, 'What will ye give me if I deliver him to you?' And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.

These shekels were issued from 126 BCE (Before Common Era) to the time of the First Jewish War in 69-70 CE (Common Era) on a very consistent, yearly basis. In a world that was quickly falling to Roman invaders, this is an amazing fact. The reasons are simple: The Jewish people had to pay an annual tax to the Jerusalem Temple that was only payable in the money of Tyre. The shekels from Tyre were widely available in the region and were well known for their good silver content and accurate weight.
When Jewish pilgrims came to the Jerusalem Temple from other parts of the Greek and Roman world, they found money changers set up in the temple court competitively advertising exchange rates for the locally accepted Shekels. The method of advertising was a loud voice. It was this loud commercial activity that Jesus found offensive, when he threw over the tables of the merchants and expelled them from the Temple.

Matthew 21:10-13

And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying: 'Who is this?' And the crowds said, 'This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.' And Jesus entered the temple of God and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them 'It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers.'

$1350
PHOENICIA, Tyre. 126/5 BC-AD 65/6. Silver  Shekel. (28mm, 14.10 g). Dated CY 161 (AD 35/6). Laureate bust of Melkart right / Eagle standing left on prow; palm behind; to left, date above club; a between legs; to right, KP above monogram. Rouvier 2108 var. (letter between legs); cf. BMC 205; RPC 4694. VF, minor die wear on obverse, a few light marks. $795

SYRIA, 93-83 BC, Philip Philadelphos, General of Pompey, Silver Tetradrachm.  Seaby 7196. 15.9 grams, 25mm diameter. Obverse portrait of the king, reverse shows Zeus.  Antique purple tone, few minor age marks, splendid reverse, overall VF. Ex Noble Numismatics, Sydney. $295
PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (Auletes). 80-58 BC. Silver  Tetradrachm.  (24mm, 13.29 g). Alexandria  mint. Dated RY 16 (66/5 BC). Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis around neck / Eagle standing left on thunderbolt; date to left, PA to right. Svoronos 1863; SNG Copenhagen 387. Good VF, lightly toned, banker’s mark on obverse. Good metal for issue. Ptolemy XII was the father of Cleopatra VII, and was generally a puppet of the Romans. He was deposed in 58 BC, but returned to power with the support of the Romans in 55 BC. $695
PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (Auletes). 80-58 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm (23mm, 14.34 g). Alexandria mint. Dated RY 14 (68/7 BC). Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis around neck / Eagle standing left on thunderbolt; date to left, PA to right. Cf. Svoronos 1861; SNG Copenhagen 384-385. aVF. $325
CELTIC, Northeast Gaul. Ambiani. Circa 58-55 BC.  Gold Stater (16mm, 6.21 g). Gallic War issue. Plain bulge / Large disjointed horse right; crescents and pellets around; plain line below, zig-zag pattern in exergue. D&T 236; Scheers 151; De la Tour 8710; Van Arsdell 52-1; SCBC 11. Choice EF for type, some reverse contacts. From the Alain Lagrange Collection. Crédit Suisse List 41 (November 1983), no. 2.

As their name implies, Gallic War staters were issued to fund the fight against Julius Caesar in Gaul. Two explanations for the blank obverse have been suggested: firstly, to signify that the coins were minted by a coalition of tribes – ‘headless’ in other words – and, secondly, to speed up the production process, because the coins were often made in a hurry. The latter rationale seems to be more plausible.

$1450
Celtic Gold Ring Money. c100 BC-100 AD period. 27mm, 4.2 grams. Gold outer, usual charcoal inner. Some faults & gouges to reverse, very rare and unusual. $695
PARTHIA. Phraatakes (Phraates V).  Circa 2 BC - 4 AD. Silver Drachm (18mm, 3.23 gm). Mithradatkart mint. Diademed bust left; star and crescent before, Nike behind, crowning him with wreath // Arsakes I seated right on throne, holding bow; monogram below bow. Sellwood 56.6; Shore 317. EF, lightly toned, typical small flan. Good metal, much better than average.

Phraatakes was the son of the slave girl Musa, who was given to the Parthian king Phraates by the Romans in 20 BC. Musa eventually became Phraates’ queen and manipulated her son into an unchallenged position to succeed the king after murdering Phraates in 2 BC. In a seeming attempt to legitimize his rule and secure her influence, Phraatakes and Musa were married in 2 AD, and began issuing a coinage containing both of their portraits.  This union was not unprecedented in certain eastern cultures, but did little to secure their position among the Parthian nobility, as they were, after all, of Italian stock. Within two years the Nobility successfully overthrew them both and placed Orodes III upon the throne.

$395
PHOENICIA, Tyre. 126/5 BC-AD 65/6. Silver  1/2 Shekel (20mm, 6.98 g). Dated CY 146 (AD 20/21). Laureate bust of Melkart right / Eagle standing left on prow, palm on right wing; PMS (date) and club to left, Phoenician letter between legs, KP and monogram to right. BMC -; RPC I 4691. VF, toned, small flan, scarce. $695
ARABIA FELIX. Himyarites,  Circa 80-100 AD. "RYDN" Royal Series. "'MDN BYN" (Amdan Bayyin). AR Scyphate Quinarius (15mm, 1.49 gm). Male head right within torc; monogram behind / "'MDNIBYNI" around, "RYDN" in exergue, small head right; "sceptre" symbol before. Malcom-Hay 3.4i; SNG ANS 1575. VF, toned, very attractive. $250
INDIA. Kushans. Huvishka I 152-192 AD. Gold stater or dinar, 7.728 grams, obv 3/4 bust of king holding small ankus and sceptre, legend around, rev radiate sun-god Mithra standing left wearing sword and diaphanous cloak, small garland behind right shoulder, hand ext left, tamgha below, MIOPO to right. M 3201. Gobl 266 (same dies) Very Fine, rare and an interesting type. Ex Robert A Climpson collection, Noble Numismatics sale 85B, July 2007, lot 1523. $1295
INDIA, Kushan Empire. Vasudeva I. Circa AD 192-225.  Gold Dinar (19mm, 8.22 g, 11h). Mint A. Vasudeva standing facing, head left, sacrificing at altar and holding standard / OHPO, Siva standing facing, holding diadem and trident; tamgha to right. MK 504/3 (O1/R9A). EF, slight die wear.

The name Kushan derives from the Chinese term Guishuang, used to describe one branch of the Yuezhi, a loose confederation of Indo-European people who had been living in the Xinjiang Province of modern China. Driven west by Xiongnu between 176 and 160 BC, the five groups of the Yuezhi – the Xiumi, Guishuang (Kushans), Shuangmi, Xidun, and Dumi – reached the Hellenic kingdom of Baktria by 135 BC. They expelled the ruling Greek dynasties there, forcing these kings further south to settle along the Indus River. In the following century, the Guishuang forced the other tribes of the Yuezhi into a tight confederation. Now, as the Guishuang was the predominant power, the entire group became known by that name. This appellation was Westernized as Kushan, though the Chinese still referred to them as Yuezhi.

Like the Hellenistic Greeks and Romans, the Kushans were a multi-cultural society, incorporating much of the cultures they ruled into their own. Like their Baktrian predeccesors, early Kushan coins used Greek legends on the obverse, along with a translation in the local Karosthi script on the reverse. Beginning with Kanishka I, however, the Kushan language, written in an adaptation of the Greek alphabet with some local alterations, was used almost exclusively. From the time of Vima Taktu (Soter Megas), the Kushans also began to adopt Indian cultural elements. Embracing a wide variety of local Indian and Central Asian deities, they assimilated them with Greco-Roman types already prevalent in the region. Overall, the Kushan pantheon represented a religious and artistic melding of western and eastern elements.

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INDIA, Kushan Empire. Shaka. Circa AD 325-345. Gold Dinar (24mm, 7.81 g). King standing left, sacrificing at altar; trident standard behind, monograms in field / Goddess Ardoksho enthroned facing, holding fillet and cornucopiae. MK 689. EF. $750
KUSHAN EMPIRE, Kanishka II, (c.A.D. 332-350), gold stater. (7.872 grams), obv. king standing, head turned left, holding sceptre in left hand, sacrificing with right hand over altar, trident above altar, legend around, Kanishka II symbols in field, rev. Siva standing facing holding trident, bull to left behind, legend OhpO downwards on right, (Gobl 634.6, M.3503). Nearly extremely fine and very scarce. $1200
Click photo to enlarge. Generally less Expensive Ancient coins! Aust

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GREEK. Asia Minor. Ionia. Miletos Silver Obols.  Circa 600-550 BC.  Head of Lion left or right / Stellate floral pattern in square incuse. SNG von Aulock 2080-2082. VF or better, several available. Small coins, 10mm diameter. $125

ea

MOESIA, Istros. Arrowhead Proto-Money. 6th-5th centuries BC.  Four different types. $65 each coin. Includes the following:


a) Cast AE 'leaf' or 'arrowhead money' (length 33 to 49 mm; weight ~3.4 to 5.00 g); willow or laurel leaf or arrowhead shape, well designed but some roughness, flues from casting visible. SNG BM Black Sea 218; SNG Stancomb 24, 26-27, 128.


b) Cast AE 'arrowhead money' (length 33 to 44 mm; weight ~5.4 to 11.6 g). Two or three-leaves shaped with blunt point and a hooked barb, cast together with the body; some with sockets filled with lead.

c) Cast AE ‘short arrowheads’ (length 25-33 mm; weight ~2.2 to 2.3 g), trefoil feather-shaped with short blunt point, no insert visible. A few pierced in the middle of body. SNG Stancomb 129.

d) Cast AE ‘true long arrowheads,’ of 'Scythian' type (length 30-39 mm, weight ~1.6 to 2.8 g), light, prolonged triangular shape with sharp blades, with an extant insert. May be marked with ‘X’. Fine casting, then carefully filed. Cf. M. Tameanko, 'The Coinage of Ataias, King of Scythians', The Picus 1996, fig. 5.

The Milesian colonies of Olbia, Borysthenes, Istros, Odessos, and Apollonia, founded on the western Black sea coast in the 7th century BC, were once the central points of exchange and trade between the Greeks and local Scythian and Thracian populations. With the invention of coinage as a form of exchange of goods, a few types of pre-monetary items were introduced: the ubiquitous ‘dolphins’ and the scarcer ‘arrowheads’ and ‘wheel-coins’, all cast in copper. All were originally thought to have been from Olbia, but more recent hoard evidence indicates the latter were produced primarily at Istros and Apollonia. These pieces remained in circulation in the west Pontic area for about two centuries, until being finally replaced by struck coinage. Recent publications of finds from South Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Romania limited the circulation area of these proto-monies to the narrow coastal strip along the western/north-western shores of the Black sea. Some scholars suggested the ‘arrowheads’ were produced there since Apollo, with his bow and arrows, was the main deity who supervised the colonies of Miletus. As a god of archery, Apollo was well known with epithets as Aphetoros (“god of the bow”) and Argurotoxos (“with the silver bow”). These proto-money items are known in French as ‘monnaies–points de flèche’ or ‘flèche-monnaies’, but in English they are best known as 'arrowhead money'.

$65

type a

 

 

$65

type b

 

 

$65

type c

 

 

$65

type d


 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THRACE, Olbia. Cast AE Dolphin Money. c 450 AD.  2.1 grams, 33mm x 10mm maximum. S 1684.  Earlier or Archaic period example, complete with full tail and better than average, VF. $200
SKYTHIA. Late 5th-4th centuries BC. Cast Æ 18mm (1.97 g). Wheel of four spokes / Cf. SNG BM Black Sea 385 for a type perhaps derivative; this type is also attributed to the eastern Celts. VF, hard dark brown patina. From the Christopher Morcom Collection. Ex Sir William Ridgeway Collection. $175
PERSIAN IMPERIAL COINAGE, Kingdom of, Artaxerxes I (475-420 B.C.), silver siglos. (5.512 grams), obv. king as bearded archer kneeling to right with spear and bow, rev. oblong incuse punch, (S.4678, Babelon Pl.86, 11, Carradice Type IIIb). Nearly very fine. $195
BOEOTIA, Federal Coinage. Circa 395-340 BC. Silver Hemidrachm (14mm, 2.55 g). Boiotian shield / Kantharos; above, club right; to right, ivy leaf (obliterated). BCD Boiotia 25. Near VF, toned. From the Christopher Morcom Collection. $195
THRACE, Chersonesos. Circa 386-338 BC. AR Hemidrachm. (12mm, 2.33 g). Forepart of lion right, head reverted / Quadripartite incuse; [pellet] above X and caduceus in opposite quarters. McClean 4120; BMC Thrace p. 186, 50; Weber 2432. Near Fine. $65
MACEDON. Philip II, 359-336, Silver tetradrachm. SNG 2483, 13.8 grams. Reverse shows nude youth on horse. Lower grade, seen some use and cleaning, still, a reasonable budget example of this famous personality, the father of Alexander the Great.  $195
MYSIA. Parion. 350-300 BC. Silver Hemidrachm. 14mm, 2.2 grams. Bull standing/Facing Gorgoneion. BMC 15, S 3919. Attractive, gF. $150

 
SICILY. Time of Timoleon, 344-336 BC.  AE Litra.  33.1 grams, 28mm. Obverse: Athena, Reverse: Starfish between two dolphins. Nice reverse with good portrait of dolphins, VG/F. Ex I.S Wright,  Sydney. $185
SICILY, Gela. Circa 339-310 BC. Æ Tetras (14mm, 2.95 g).  Bearded head of Herakles right, wearing lion’s skin headdress / Bearded head of Gelas left. Jenkins, Gela 544; CNS III pg. 28, 55. Near VF, dark greenish-brown patina with some spots of red. $100
MACEDON. Alexander the Great, 336-323 BC, Silver tetradrachm. (26mm, 16.8 grams)  Obverse: Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin headdress. Reverse: Zeus seated left, holding eagle and scepter. Legend in Greek. Monograms in the left field and beneath the chair. Modest example, aVG. Sold
Alexander the Great, c 336-323 BC. Silver Tetradrachm. Obverse: Head of Herakles wearing lion's skin headdress. Reverse: Zeus seated left, holding eagle and scepter.  Modest but collectable grade, Fine. $295
THRACE, Apollonia Pontika. Mid-late 4th century BC. Silver Drachm. (14mm, 2.89 g) Facing gorgoneion / Upright anchor; A and crayfish flanking. SNG BM Black Sea 161; SNG Copenhagen 457. S 1655. Toned, Fine.

Around 610 BC, Ionian Greeks from Miletos established an important outpost on the western Black Sea coast. Originally called Antheia, and located on a natural peninsula and three nearby islands, the city quickly became a prosperous trading post by exporting copper, honey, grain, and timber, while importing wine, salt, textiles, and pottery for resale to the inland Thracians. The city’s key trading partners at the time included fellow-commercial centers Miletos, Athens, Lesbos, Chios, and Rhodes. Prosperity soon enabled Antheia to expand and develop as an important cultural metropolis. An important temple to Apollo was constructed within the city in the late 5th century BC. For 500 talents, it commissioned the Greek sculptor Kalamis (of Boeotia) to cast a 13 ton, 10 meter high, bronze statue of Apollo for the new temple (Strabo VII.6.1). So popular was this temple of Apollo, that the city was now renamed Apollonia in its honor. In 72 BC, during his war against the Thracian Bessi, the proconsul of Macedon, Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus (cos. 73 BC), sacked the city and had the statue transported to Rome, where it was displayed on the Capitol (Pliny, NH XXXIV.18; Strabo VII.6.1).
The 5th and 4th century BC coinage of Apollonia Pontika reflects that city’s origins: commercial wealth and maritime power. The gorgon was a popular apotropaic device, seen as warding off evil; thus a number of ancient Greek cities adopted it as a coin design. The anchor and the crayfish attest to the city’s reliance on maritime commerce for its economy, and the anchor depicted on these coins is actually one of the first anchors of modern design rendered in Greek art. In 342/1 BC, Philip II attacked and conquered Apollonia as well as other towns in Thrace, thereby incorporating these areas into the Macedonian realm. The famous Gorgon/Anchor silver drachms of Apollonia were struck in the period preceding this event, when the city needed to produce coinage to finance its defense against the impending Macedonian invasion. Philip’s conquest brought a close to the city’s autonomous silver coinage, as no issue subsequent to these was ever minted. By the 4th century AD, the town once again underwent a change of name. Now known as Sozopolis (“The City of Salvation”), reflecting the inhabitants’ early acceptance of Christianity, its proximity to the Byzantine capital at Constantinople secured a long period of peace and prosperity. In 1328, Byzantine emperor John VI Kantakouzenos spoke of Sozopolis as a large and populous town (Historiae 1.326). The city was one of the last in the region to fall to Ottoman domination, submitting in April 1453, just before the fall of Constantinople. Today the city, now known as Sozopol, is a thriving seaside resort in Bulgaria.

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Ancient Dolphin Money.  OLBIA (Ukranine - Black Sea Coast) cica 300-100 BC.  S 1684. Cast, approx 20 - 25mm, in the shape of a dolphin.  Usual missing tails.  Unique coinage type. $25 or $45 each.

Better, more complete dolphin money.

$25

ea

 

 

$45 ea








ILLYRIA, Dyrrhachion. 3rd-2nd cent BC  (after 229 BC) Silver Drachm. Cow and calf / Stellate pattern. SNG Copenhagen 495. Seaby 1899. 23mm diameter, 2.95 grams. Slight spotting, still with clear detail and grades Fine or better. $75
CARIA. Kaunos. After 167 BC. Silver Hemidrachm. A tiny coin, 10mm diameter, 1.2 grams. Sword/Athena. S 4818. Near VF. $50
Ancient India.  Mayuran silver units, circa 300-100 BC. Most of size 15mm to 20mm diameter. $20

ea

Danube Celts - Silver Tetradrachm.  1st century BC, Philip III imitative type, very concave, 15.8 grams, 27mm diameter, Zeus seated reverse. With much character, Fine/G. Gobl plate 44/g. $100
CELTIC. Durotriges. c40-35 BC. Billon Stater, 20mm. S367. Abstract Celtic design, Devolved head of Apollo right / Disjointed horse left; pellets above, pellet below, pellet in lozenge above tail, zigzag and pellet pattern between two parallel exergue lines. Grey tone, F/aVF. $110
KINGS of THRACE.  Rhoemetalces, with Augustus.  11 BC-AD 12.  Copper 24mm (12.12 g). Jugate heads of Rhoemetalkes, diademed, and Pythodoris right / KAISAROS SEBASTOU, bare head of Augustus right. RPC I 1711. VF, brown-green patina. From the Dr. Garth R. Drewry collection. $195
Nabataea. (near modern Israel) 9BC-40AD. Copper 15mm,  1.39g.  Laureate head right / Double cornucopia; palm frond to left. Meshorer, Nabataea 61A. VF, contrasting green and earthen patina, from the time of Christ. $85
Ancient China. "Spade Money"  c 9-22 AD.  Wang Mang period, made of bronze and an interesting early form of "coinage" Usual green patina, ex Noble Numismatics. $45 each