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NOTE - All prices in Australian dollars, buying about $1 US and 65 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

ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 510-490 BC.  Silver Stater (16mm, 12.09 g). Sea turtle / Windmill pattern with four sunken segments. Milbank pl. I, 11. Fine.

The island state of Aegina situated midway between Attica and the coastline of Argolis was probably the first place in European Greece to issue coinage. From Aegina the practice quickly spread to Athens and Corinth and other important centres. The Aigian weight standard was widely adopted in Crete and Asia Minor as well as Greece and the turtles of Aegina were a widely accepted trade coinage.

$500

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

IONIA, Teos. Circa 510-475 BC. Silver Stater (18mm, 12.00 g). Griffin seated right, raising foreleg / Quadripartite incuse square. Balcer group I, - (A-/P2 [unlisted obv. die]) Good VF and rare. Well centered and struck.

$1500

SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. silver Litra (11mm, 0.60 g). Struck circa 466-460 BC. Head of Arethusa right / Octopus. Boehringer Series XIIIb, 466 (V250/R336); SNG ANS 137-43. VF, toned, porous.

$295

BRUTTIUM, Kroton. Circa 480-430 BC. Silver Nomos  (22mm, 8.06 g). Tripod, legs terminating in lion's feet; to left, heron standing right / Incuse tripod. SNG ANS 259-60; HN Italy 2102. VF, lightly toned.

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.

$695

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

ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos. Circa 463-449 BC. Silver Stater (23mm, 8.76 g). Satyr advancing right, carrying off protesting nymph / Quadripartite incuse square. Le Rider, Thasiennes 5; SNG Copenhagen 1008-9. Fine.

$500

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. gVF, nice old colour, tight flan.

$1295

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

CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 400-390 BC. Silver Nomos.  (7.73 g, 20mm). Nude youth, holding whip, on horseback right; Λ below / Phalanthos, holding aphlaston, on dolphin left. Fischer-Bossert group 26, 354 (V164/R276); Vlasto 337-9 (same obv. die); HN Italy 850; SNG Copenhagen 805 (same dies); Hunterian 31 (same dies); Hirsch 91 (same dies). Near VF, toned, slightly off center. Rare die combination. From the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection. Fischer-Bossert lists 7 examples from this die pairing, not including this coin, and 184 coins overall for his group 26, from 32 die pairings (12 obverse and 22 reverse)

$695

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.

$975

SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysios II. 367-357 BC. Æ  (24mm, 9.86 g). “Kainon” issue. Griffin springing left; below, grasshopper left / Horse prancing left, trailing rein; above, star. CNS 10; SNG ANS 1176 (Alaesa). VF, green-black patina, reverse slightly double-struck. From the Jörg Müller Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 54 (14 June 2000), lot 292.

$275

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.

Mazaios had been appointed satrap of Cilicia around 361 BC. Later, with the addition of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel to his territories, he became one of the Persian king's most powerful subordinates; during this period he put down a Phoenician revolt, which had the support of both the Pharaoh of Egypt, Nectanebo II, and 4,000 Greek mercenaries. For his services, Darius III promoted him to the overlordship of Mesopotamia and sealed it with the promise of marriage to the king's daughter, Barsine, or Statira. 
At Gaugamela in 331 BC, Maizaios' extraordinary abilities did little to ward off the advance of Alexander III of Macedon, as the flight of the Persian king signaled the collapse of the Persian army and Macedonian victory. Mazaios withdrew his forces to protect Babylon, and on the assurance that it would not be plundered, the city was surrendered. Mazaios proved himself indispensable to the new government through his hospitality and sagacity, and Alexander appointed him satrap of Babylonia, the first Persian to be so rewarded by the Greeks. He continued to be rewarded with favorable appointments until his death in 328 BC.

$895

KINGS of MACEDON. Philip II. 359-336 BC. Gold Stater (8.58 g). Pella mint. Struck circa 340/36-328 BC. Laureate head of Apollo right / Charioteer driving Biga right; kantharos below horses. Le Rider 187 (D92/R138); SNG ANS 138-43. Good VF.

$4950

KINGS of MACEDON. Philip II. 359-336 BC. Gold Stater (8.55 g). Pella mint. Struck under Antipater, Polyperchon, or Kassander, circa 323/2-315 BC. Laureate head of Apollo right / Charioteer driving biga right; below horses, thunderbolt above N. Le Rider 562 (D233/R408); SNG ANS 186-7. VF, light deposits. Well centered and struck.

$4750

ATTICA, Athens. Circa 350-294 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (19mm, 17g). Helmeted head of Athena right, with profile eye / Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent behind; all within incuse square. Kroll 15; SNG Copenhagen 63. VF.

$495

SICILY, Syracuse. Timoleon and the Third Democracy. 344-317 BC. Æ Hemidrachm.  (22mm, 11.59 g). Timoleontic Symmachy coinage. Struck circa 344-339/8 BC. Laureate head of Zeus Eleutherios right / Thunderbolt; to right, eagle standing right. CNS 72; SNG ANS 477. VF, rough brown patina. From the D. Alighieri Collection.

$265

KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III ‘the Great’. 336-323 BC. Gold Stater.  (19mm, 8.51 g). Uncertain mint in Macedon. Struck under Antipater, circa 324-319 BC. Head of Athena right, wearing necklace and crested Attic helmet decorated with serpent / AΛEΞANΔPOY, Nike standing left, holding wreath in extended right hand and cradling stylis in left arm; thunderbolt in left field. Cf. Price 164; Troxell, Studies, p. 127 and pl. 25 VF, well centered.

Although the dies for this coin are not listed in Troxell, the style, with the diagonally oriented feathers in Nike’s upper wings, is very similar to the many other dies she records.

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), king of Macedonia, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and one of the greatest military commanders of all time. 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 much conflict for over half a century.

$3750

MACEDON, Alexander the Great, 336-323 BC.  Silver Drachm, 4.21 grams, 19mm. S 6730 CNG Cop 988. Alexander as Heracules/Zeus enthroned left holding eagle and sceptre. Pleasing, gVF. 

MACEDON, Alexander the Great, 336-323 BC, struck circa 320-310 BC.  Silver Tetradrachm,  17.1 grams, 27mm. S 6721 CNG Cop 707. Uranopolis Mint. Alexander as Heracules/Zeus enthroned left holding eagle and sceptre. Old cabinet tone, gVF. 

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.

$750

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

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

CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 280 BC. Silver Nomos (7.85 g, 20mm). Warrior, wearing helmet and holding shield, on horse cantering left, restrained by Nike standing right, holding rein; [LUKISKOS] below / Phalanthos, holding shield [inscribed E], on dolphin left; ZOP to left, waves below. Vlasto 679; HN Italy 963; SNG Fitzwilliam 292 (same dies). VF, toned. From the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection.

$750

CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 272-240 BC. Silver Nomos (6.29 g, 20mm). Warrior, wearing helmet, holding lance, shield slung on back, on horseback right; |-HPAK-Λ/HTOΣ in two lines below / Phalanthos, holding rose and cornucopia, on dolphin left; monogram and thyrsos to right. Vlasto 890 (this coin); HN Italy 1037. VF, old collection toning. From the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection. Ex Vecchi 17 (15 December 1999), lot 491; M.P. Vlasto Collection, 890; Scheffelin Collection.

$750

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

PAMPHYLIA, Side, c200BC. Silver Tetradrachm. 16.236 grams. Obv: Athena to right wearing Corinthian helmet. Rev: Nike Advancing to left with wreath **KLE UC** across the field, to left a pomegranate. (S 5436, BMC 43 (p 148) SNG Von Aulock 4797, SNG Cop 400. SNG France 3, 695-700 (similar dies) Nearly Extremely Fine & scarce. Ex Noble Numismatics  Sale 90.

$750

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.

$395

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.

$595

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 Series 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

BAKTRIA. Kingdom of Eucratides I (170-145 BC) Silver Tetradrachm. 16.982 grams. Obv: Pith helmeted head of Eucratides to right ornamented within bull's horn & ear, dotted border. Rev: The Dioskouroi on horseback prancing to right, each holding spear & palm, to right a monogram **DFI** in exergue **Eukratidou** around above **Basilews Megalou. S7570 Mitchiner 1.177ee. Bopearachchi Series 6ee, SNG ANS 465. Delightful gold and grey patina, about as struck in very high relief and rare in this condition. Ex Derek PB Warden USA Collection with his ticket, ex Noble Numismatics sale 90.

$3500

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.

$950

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.

$995

ATTICA, Athens. Circa 165-42 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.13 g). New Style coinage. Amphikrates, Epistratos, and Kleoma-, magistrates. Struck 101/0 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing, on amphora; magistrates’ names in fields, two grain ears to right, B on amphora, ΠЄ below; all within wreath. Cf. Thompson 840 (same obv. die). Better than average, Good VF, toned.

$950

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.

$375

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, Reverse Zeus seated, Seaby 7145.  Old violet tone gVF/aEF.

$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. 126/5 BC-AD 65/6. AR Shekel (14.29 g, 12h). Dated CY 48 (79/8 BC). Laureate bust of Melkart right / Eagle standing left on prow; palm frond behind; to left, HM (date) above club; Δ to right, Phoenician A between legs. Rouvier 2032 var. (control marks); SNG Copenhagen -; BMC 140 var. (Phoenician B between legs). Good VF, lightly toned.  From the Norman Frank Collection, ex CNG sale 81.

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.'

$1395

MACEDON (Roman Province). Aesillas. Quaestor, circa 95-70 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.28 g). Head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon; Θ behind / Money chest, club, and chair; all within wreath. Bauslaugh Group I; SNG Copenhagen 1330. VF, toned, struck from a worn obverse die.

$295

PHRYGIA, Apameia. Circa 88-67 BC. Silver  Tetradrachm (24mm, 12.30 g). Cistophoric type. Struck 75-67 BC. Cista mystica with serpent; all within ivy wreath / Bowcase with serpents; MVTA above, AΠA to left, [two flutes] to right. Kleiner, Late 37-38; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC 18. VF, toned, obverse die break. From the D. Alighieri Collection.

$225

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.

$495

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.

$1350

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.

$650

PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Cleopatra VII Thea Neotera. 51-30 BC.  Æ Diobol - 80 Drachmae (27mm, 18.06 g). Alexandria mint. Diademed and draped bust right / Eagle standing left on thunderbolt; cornucopia to left, Π to right. Svoronos 1871; Weiser 183; SNG Copenhagen 419-421. Near Fine, brown patina, porous, rare.

$495

IONIA, Kolophon. Circa 50 BC. Æ Hemiobol (18mm, 5.65 g). Apollas, magistrate. Homer seated left on throne, holding scroll in left hand, resting chin on right hand / Apollo standing right, holding cithara and patera. Kinns 176; Milne, Colophon 178; SNG Copenhagen 184. VF, rough green patina.

From the D. Alighieri Collection.

As the ancient poet Homer was believed to have been from Ionia, he figured quite prominently on the coinage of Smyrna, but is also seen, far less often, on this type from Kolophon. Strabo mentions specifically the issue of bronze coinage from Smyrna when, discussing the city, he says "there is also a library; and the 'Homereum', a quadrangular portico containing a shrine and wooden statue of Homer; for the Smyrnaeans also lay especial claim to the poet and indeed a bronze coin of theirs is called a Homereum" (Strabo, Geographica XIV, I.37, transl. by H.C. Jones, The Geography of Strabo, VI [Loeb, 1960], pp. 245-247).

$295

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.

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.

$1495

INDIA, Kushan Empire. Vasudeva I. Circa AD 192-225. Gold Dinar (7.29 g). Mint I (A). 1st emission. Vasudeva standing facing, head left, sacrificing over altar to left and holding filleted standard; to left, filleted trident / OhÞO, ithyphallic Siva standing facing, holding diadem and trident; behind, the bull Nandi standing left; tamgha to upper left. MK 509 (unlisted dies); Donum Burns 413. Good VF. Ex Garth R. Drewry Collection (Classical Numismatic Group 67, 22 September 2004), lot 1047. Ex CNG Sale 81 May 2009.

$1250

INDIA, Kushan Empire. Vasudeva II. Circa AD 290-310. Gold Dinar (26mm, 7.95 g). Mint III (C). Vasudeva standing facing, head left, sacrificing over altar and holding trident; filleted trident to left, Buddhist Triratana (“Three Jewels”) to right; pellet between legs / OhÞÞO, Siva standing facing, holding diadem and trident; in background, the bull Nandi standing left; tamgha to upper left. MK 666 var. (rev. legend with one ‘Þ’). VF, slightly dished flan. Rare legend variety.

$1295

INDIA. Kushan Empire. Kanishka II, (c AD 332-350), Gold Dinar, 7872 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 behinds, legend Ohp) downwards on right, (Gobl 634.6, M 3503) Nearly Extremely Fine and scarce.

$1250

Click photo to enlarge.

Generally less Expensive Ancient coins!

Aust

$

MOESIA, Istros. Arrowhead Proto-Money. 5th century BC.  Four different types. $65 each piece. 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

MOESIA, Istros. Cast Æ Wheel Coins. Late 5th century BC. All coins: wheel (or solar disk) with four spokes and with raised central hub / ΙΣΤ across field (often obscured). Three different denominations available, similar to photo:

a) Æ 15mm (weight ~2.50 – 3.25 g). SNG Black Sea 220; SNG Stancomb 131.

b) Æ 11-12mm (~1.30 – 2.20 g). SNG Black Sea 221-222; SNG Stancomb 132.

c) Æ 7-9mm (~0.60 – 1.40 g). SNG Black Sea 223-224; SNG Stancomb 133.

Average VF to Good VF condition, some roughness, as usual.

$125

$100

$75

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 much better than average, VF.

$195

Ancient Dolphin Money.  MOESIA - OLBIA (Ukraine - Black Sea Coast) circa 300-200 BC.  S 1684. Cast copper, approx 20 - 25mm, in the shape of a dolphin.  Usual missing  or chipped tails.  Unique coinage type. 

$25

ea

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

MYSIA. Parion. 350-300 BC. Silver Hemidrachm. 14mm, 2.2 grams. Bull standing/Facing Gorgoneion. BMC 15, S 3919. Attractive, gF.

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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.

$175

SICILY. Time of Timoleon, 344-336 BC.  AE Trias. 7.4 grams, 17mm.  S 1193. Obverse: Head of Athena facing left, Reverse: Hippocamp facing left with curled wing. G/VG. 

$50

EGYPT. Ptolemy II, 285-246BC. AE 30. 30mm, 25.1 grams. S 7786. Head of Zeus facing right/Eagle standing on thunderbolt. Usual central punch mark both sides, part of the manufacture. Near Fine.

CARIA. Kaunos. After 167 BC. Silver Hemidrachm. A tiny coin, 10mm diameter, 1.2 grams. Sword/Athena. S 4818. Near VF.

$50

BAKTRIA, Indo-Greek Kingdom. Zoilos I. Circa 150-130 BC. Æ Quadruple Unit (23mm, 9.26 g). Indian standard. Bust of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Club and bow in bow case; all within wreath; monogram to right. Bopearachchi Série 6B; SNG ANS 979. VF, dark brown patina, some minor smoothing.

$175

Danube Celts - Silver Tetradrachm.  1st century BC,  Alexander the Great  imitative type, very concave, 15.8 grams, 27mm diameter, Zeus seated reverse. With much character, but reverse is very low grade, Fine/Fair. Gobl plate 44/g.

$100

GREEK. Celtic. Æ ‘Ring Money’. c100 BC-100 AD.  All coins in the shape of rings, ranging from 15mm to 30mm. Fine, old patina.

$20

each.

CELTIC GAUL. 70-50BC Leuci Tribe. Cast AE potin.  18mm, 3.45g, Obverse Native head/Boar with hackled back. gVF.

The Leuci were between the Mediomattrici on the North and the Lingones on the South, in the valley of the Upper Mosel in the general area of Lorraine in NE France. One of their chief towns was Tullum (modern day Toul). They are mentioned once by Caesar: The Leuci Sequaqni and the Lingones supplied Caesar with grain. Pliny gives them the title of Liberi. Lucan celebrates them in his poem as skilled in throwing the spear: "Optimus excusso Leucus Rhemusque lacerto."

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.

$150

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.

$75

Period c100 BC to c600 AD.

Ancient Baktrians, Parthians, Sassanians. (Current Iran/Iraq area)

Aust

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Parthian coins in stock  include:   Phraates II, 38-2, BC Billon Tetradrachm, slight edge filing, Fine, top right in photo $100  Gotzares II silver tetradrachm, 40-51 AD, VF $250  Sassanians, dark age large SILVER coins, most shown in 3rd/4th  photos.. (All silver drachms) include Ardashir I, 224-240, light colour, aVF $250  Shapur II (309-379) gVF $125 Yazdegard I (399-420) VF $110 Varhran V, (420-438) VF $120  Peroz (457- 483) VF $75,  Kavad I (496-98) VF $95 Khosaru II (531-579) aVF, light colour, $65 Hormazd IV (579-590) VF $80 Artashir III  (628-630) Drachm, EF and scarce, $250

The Parthians & Sassanians (modern Iraq & Iran area) were opponents of Rome for many years in Ancient times and several times annihilated Roman armies, just another example of the fact that the East-West rivalry is nothing new, it has been going for thousands of years.. The Parthians were particularly famous for their archery and horseback skills. The "Parthian Shot" was a final volley of arrows before breaking contact and has become the parting shot in modern  English. These were semi-nomadic people. The Sassanians who succeeded the Parthians around 224 AD, tried to obliterate all traces of them and Parthian coins are one of the few surviving links to this culture.

Aust

$

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c700 AD to Genghis Khan, period, circa 1200 AD.

Ancient Islamic coins.

Aust

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Islamic. Silver Dirhems, c 700 AD - 1250 AD.

Most 25mm diameter - Umayyad - Al Walid I, Damascus mint, 706 AD, VF+ minor age mark near rim $45  Umayyad - Sulyman, 717 AD, VF $45 Abbasid - Al Saffah, 751 AD VF $45 Abbasid - Al Mutadid, Baghdad mint, 848 AD, VF $55 Abbasid - Al Muqtadir, Baghdad mint, 910 AD, toned, EF, $50 Buyid - Abud Al-Dawla Abu Shuja, Shiraz Mint, VF $50 Huwahhids of Nth Africa, circ 1244-1272 AD square silver dirhem, 14mm, VF $45

Aust

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ISLAMIC, al-Maghreb (North Africa). Zirids. al-Mu'izz ibn Badis.  AH 406-454 / AD 1016-1062. AV Dinar (23mm, 3.60 g). al Qayrawan mint. Uncertain date. Shiite religious legends, with mint and date formula. Cf. Hazard 4; cf. Kazan 632; Album 458. Good VF.

$395

ISLAMIC Gold Dinar. 1059-1099 A.D. About 9  carat. 25mm, 3.8 grams. Ghaznavids, Ibrahim ibn Mas'ud, associated with the Caliph Al-Muqtadi Bi'amir Allah. Usual blundered legends & variable strike, near Fine.

The influx of gold from the Middle East during this period led to new gold issues throughout Western Europe in the 13th - 14 th centuries.. Inexpensive gold coin from nearly 1000 years ago.

    $180  

Zangids of Mosul - Kutb Al Din Mopud Ibn Zangi, A.H 544-565, AE, 29mm. (M1117-19). Facing Bust, Nike above. Some weak spots, still attractive, Fine. (M1117-19).

$95

Islamic - Atuqids of Mardin. This splendid, classically  inspired series of bronze Islamic coins was produced in the 11th-13th centuries AD. Kutb Al Din Fel Ghazi Ibn Alpi,  A.H 572-580,  (M1033-4) AE, 32mm. Byzantine style portraits. F+ 

$100

Atuqids of Mardin.  Hosam Al Din Yuluk Arslan.  A.H 580-597, AE 30mm. (M 1035-36) Byzantine style busts. F+/F. 

$100

ISLAMIC, Mongols. Great Khans. Chingiz (Genghis Khan). AH 602-624 / AD 1206-1227. Choice of two Copper Jitals (22mm, 4.49 and 3.87 g). Qunduz mint. Horseman to left / Strung bow (numan tamgha) within polylobe. Album 1972; Tye 334 

 Plus: Nawruz, Governor of Sistan. Circa AD 1270. Æ Jital (14mm, 3.97 g). Crude legends both sides. Album 1978F; Tye 129e1.

$495

$495

$50

ISLAMIC, Mongols. Great Khans. Chingiz (Genghis) Khan.  AH 602-624 / AD 1206-1227. BI Dirhem (16mm, 4.19 g). Ghazna mint. Undated issue. Titles of Chingiz Khan / Name and titles of Abbasid Caliph al-Nasir. Cf. SICA 9, 1008; SNA Tübingen 654; Album 1969; MWI 1495. VF, toned.

$475

Informative Book on Ancient Coin Collecting by Wayne Sayles.  Very readable, with lots of useful information for the beginner to advanced collector of this fascinating field of numismatics. Hardback, nearly 200 pages.  Others in this series, volumes 2 to 7, also available.  All BRAND NEW.

$50

Ancient Coin Collecting Volume  2, Greek coins.

Volume 3, Roman coins.

Ancient Coin Collecting Volume  4, Roman Provincial coins. Retail $58.

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Ancient Coin collecting Volume 5, Byzantine coins.

Volume 6, Non-classical cultures. Retail $58. Brand New.

Ancient Coin Collecting Volume  7, Classical deception, all about fakes and forgeries.

$59.95

$59.95

$45

Antique print made in the 1890's, (Chromolithograph by Planographic Method) depicting "The Atrium, or Court of House in Pompeii, Restored". In modern protective pack, vivid colours and fine condition.

$65

Antique print made in the 1890's, (Chromolithograph by Planographic Method) depicting "Grecian Architecture and Sculpture". In modern protective pack, vivid colours and fine condition.

$65

Do you live in or near Adelaide and have an interest in coins, medals or banknotes?

The NSSA meets 3rd Thursday of each month in rooms behind the State Library on Kintore Ave, Adelaide City, from 7.45pm. Small but friendly and dedicated group of collectors, always welcomes new members and visitors. Annual subscription cost is very modest. Meeting usually lasts about 2 hours. Members are encouraged to bring along their items to discuss. Coin magazines and lists available to peruse. Light supper provided. More details: call Richard on 08 82816615 between midday and 7pm - Monday to Friday.