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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.
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Aust
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$
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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.
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$650
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 | Lydia, pre-Croesus; Electrum 1/3 Stater / Trite, 610-561 BC. 4.68g.
Seaby 3398. Weidauer 86-89. Obv: Lion's head right with radiate globule on forehead. Reverse:
Incuse. Well-centered. Clear and sharp wart on the lion's head. VF. Other 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”. These devices later took on the
characteristics of civic symbols, although it would be dangerous to link a
specific symbol to a particular city in this early period. The most secure form
of classification has been by weight standard, based on two major, and several
lesser-used, standards. The Milesian standard, with a stater of circa 14 grams,
saw circulation in Lydia and parts of Ionia. The Phokaic standard of circa 16
grams was also used in Ionia as well as Mysia. Persic, Aeginetan, and Euboic
standards saw scattered use in early coinage, limited in time and extent of
circulation. 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. | $2950 | |
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GREEK.
Miscellaneous. 6th-5th
century BC,
small silver Fractions. Includes:
Ionia, Klazomenai. Diobol. Forepart of winged boar right /
Quadripartite incuse square // Mysia, Kyzikos. Obol. Forepart of
running boar left; behind, tunny upwards / Head of roaring lion
left, star above, all within incuse square // Kyme. Diobol.
Eagle standing right, head reverted / Forepart of horse right //
Miletos. 1/8 Stater. Lion’s head right / Starlike floral
design within square incuse.. F/VF. 4 coins in lot, from the
beginnings of coinage. From
the D. Alighieri Collection.
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$450
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  | Bruttium, Kroton, silver nomos. c550-480 BC. 20mm, 7.93g. SNG Cop-1751,
SNG ANS-269. Obv: Delphic Tripod of the oracle, crane in field to right; Rx: Tripod
incuse. aVF. | $595 | |
| IONIA, Phokaia. Circa 521-478 BC. Silver Trihemiobol. (9mm, 1.33 g). Female
head left, wearing helmet or close fitting cap / Quadripartite incuse square.
SNG Copenhagen (Cyprus, etc.) 389-94; SNG Kayhan 522. Good VF, toned, light
porosity. | Sold | |
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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.
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$500
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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.
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$795
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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.
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$1500
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| PAPHLAGONIA, Sinope. Circa 490-425 BC. Silver Drachm. (17mm, 6.23 g). Eagle’s
head left; below, dolphin left / Quadripartite incuse square with two opposing
quarters filled, the others stippled. SNG BM Black Sea 1359-66; SNG Stancomb
750. VF, toned. | Sold | |

| PERSIA, Achaemenid Empire. Time of Darios I to Xerxes II. Circa
485-420 BC. Gold Daric. (15mm, 8.35 g). Persian king or hero in kneeling-running
stance right, holding transverse spear and bow / Incuse rectangular punch.
Carradice Type IIIb A/B (pl. XIII, 27); BMC Arabia pl. XXIV, 26. VF, lustrous. | $2500 | |

| ARGOLIS, Argos. Circa 480-460 BC. Silver Triobol. (15mm, 2.88 g). Forepart of
wolf at bay left / Large A; two small incuse squares above, pellet below
crossbar; all within shallow square incuse. BCD Peloponnesos 1015-6. Near VF,
toned. | Sold | |
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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.
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$295
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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.
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$695
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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.
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$1350
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| ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos. Circa 480-463 BC. Silver Stater. (21mm, 8.81 g).
Satyr advancing right, carrying protesting nymph / Quadripartite incuse square.
Le Rider, Thasiennes 5; SNG Copenhagen 1010. Near VF, toned | $650 | |

| IONIA, Teos. Circa 465-440 BC. Silver Stater. (19mm, 11.42 g). Griffin seated
right, left paw raised; [grape vine] before / Quadripartite incuse square.
Balcer 15. VF, toned, irregular flan. | $650 | |
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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.
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$500
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CARIA,
Mylasa. Circa 450-400 BC. AR Obol
(8mm, 0.60g, 7h).
Facing forepart of lion / Scorpion, tail to right. SNG Kayhan
934-8. Good VF, toned. Charming tiny coin showing scorpion.
From the D. Alighieri
Collection.
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$295
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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.
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$1295
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  | SICILY. Gela. Silver Tetradrachm, circa 430-425 BC. 20mm, 17.01g. SNG ANS-80
(same obv. die); Jenkins-396,4. Obv: Quadriga walking r., guided by charioteer
in long chiton; above, wreath; Rx: Forepart of man-headed bull; behind
truncation, olive spray; above, CΕΛΑΣ. Struck from worn dies, especially the
obverse, but from point of wear near EF. | $1650 | |
  | SICILY. Gela. AE Tetras, circa 420-405 BC. 6.27g. Calciati III-pg. 8,7.
Obv: Bull standing to left, head lowered and 3/4 facing. Above, ΓΕΛΑΣ, below
three pellets; Rx: Head of river god to right with loose hair floating; behind,
barley-grain. Fine/VF. | $295 | |

| ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos. Circa 412-404 BC. Silver Trihemiobol. (12mm, 0.81
g). Satyr kneeling left, holding kylix; astragalos to left / Amphora. Le
Rider, Thasiennes 27; SNG Copenhagen 1029 var. (without astragalos). VF,
toned. | $295 | |
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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.
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$495
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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.
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$1350
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MOESIA,
Istros. Late 5th-4th centuries BC. Silver Drachm
(16mm, 5.69 g). Two
facing male heads, the right inverted / Sea-eagle left, grasping
dolphin with talons; I to left of eagle, A in exergue. AMNG I
435; SNG BM Black Sea 231 var. (no A). Good VF, well-centered.
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$375
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CALABRIA,
Tarentum. Circa 400-390 BC. Silver Nomos.
(7.73 g). 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)
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$695
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LUCANIA,
Metapontion. Circa 400-340 BC. Silver
Nomos (20mm, 7.51 g). Head of Demeter right, hair bound with
fillet / Barley ear of seven grains with leaf to right; pear
above leaf. Noe 487; HN Italy 1542; SNG ANS 368; BMC 143;
Jameson 297; McClean 967 (all from the same dies). VF, lightly
toned. Noe records 10 examples. From
the Colin E Pitchfork collection.
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$350
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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.
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$850
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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.
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$895
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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.
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$975
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THRACE, Maroneia. Circa
386-347 BC. Silver Stater (22mm,
10.19 g). Ienonos, magistrate. Bridled horse rearing left /
Grape vine within linear square border. Schönert-Geiss 478
(V28/R52); SNG Copenhagen -; Dewing 1292 (same dies). Near VF,
toned, minor roughness and scarce.
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Sold
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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.
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$275
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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.
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$895
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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.
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$4950
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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.
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$4750
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ATTICA,
Athens. Circa 350-294 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (21mm,
16.76 g). 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. Minor
flan flaws, VF.
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$425
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ATTICA,
Athens. Circa 350-294 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (20mm,
17.07 g). 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.
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Sold
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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.
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$495
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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.
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$265
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| EUBOIA, Chalkis. Circa 338-308 BC. Silver Drachm. (16mm, 3.69 g). Head of
the nymph Chalkis right / Eagle flying right, carrying serpent in talons;
kantharos to right. Picard Em. 4; BCD Euboia 127. VF, toned,
some rough deposits. | $295 | |

| PAPHLAGONIA, Sinope. Circa 330-300 BC. AR Drachm. (18mm, 4.97 g).
Ikesio, magistrate. Head of nymph left, hair in sakkos / Sea eagle on dolphin
left. SNG BM Black Sea 1487; SNG Stancomb 774. Good VF, lightly toned. | $495 | |
  | KINGS OF MACEDON. Alexander III "the Great" 336-323 BC, Gold Stater. Sardes mint, c. 333-323 BC, 18mm, 8.57g. Price-2537.
Obv: Helmeted head of Athena right. Rx: Nike standing left, holding wreath, tripod in
left. field. Lifetime issue and scarcer thus, VF/gVF. Ex Harlan J Berk, USA, with their ticket. | $3950 | |
|
|
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.
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$3750
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| KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander the Great. Struck 323-317 BC. Silver Drachm. (17mm,
4.32 g). In the name and types of Alexander III. Kolophon mint. Head of
Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; tunny fish in
left field, spear-head in right field. Price 1762. Good VF, lightly toned. | $375 | |

| KINGS of MACEDON. Antigonos I Monophthalmos. As Strategos of Asia,
320-306/5 BC, or king, 306/5-301 BC. Silver Drachm. (17mm, 4.23 g). In the name
and types of Alexander III. Lampsakos mint. Struck circa 310-301 BC. Head of
Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; in left field,
forepart of pegasos left; monogram below throne. Price 1382. Good VF . | $275 | |
|

|
PAMPHYLIA,
Aspendos. Circa 330-300 BC. Silver Stater
(26mm, 9.76 g). Two wrestlers
grappling; ΠO between / Slinger standing right; to right,
forepart of horse above star. Tekin Series 5; SNG France 114.
Near VF, toned, minor porosity. A scarcer type.
From the Jörg Müller
Collection. Ex Elsen 63 (16 September 2000), lot 487.
|
$650
|
|
|
|
ARGOLIS,
Argos. Circa 330-270 BC. Silver Triobol. (13mm,
2.44g). Forepart of wolf at bay left / Large A; N-I above, grape
bunch to right, club below; all within shallow square incuse.
BCD Peloponnesos 1075.7. VF, toned, scarce.
|
$495
|
|
|

|
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 (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 THRACE. Lysimachos. 305-281 BC. Silver Tetradrachm. (29mm, 17.11 g). Magnesia ad Maeandrum mint. Struck circa 297/6-282/1 BC. Diademed head of
the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / Athena Nikephoros seated left,
left arm resting on shield, spear behind; monograms to inner left. Thompson 113. gVF, lightly toned. 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. | $895 | |
|
 
|
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). 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 280-272 BC. Silver
Nomos (6.54 g). The Dioskouroi riding left; [monogram above],
ΣΩΔ-A-M-O-Σ below / Phalanthos, holding
Nike, two spears and shield decorated with serpent, on dolphin
left; ΓY to left, waves below. Vlasto 774 (this coin); HN
Italy 1011. Good VF, toned, obverse a little off center, small
nick on dolphin. From
the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection. Ex M.P. Vlasto Collection,
774
|
$795
|
|

| KINGS of MACEDON. Antigonos II Gonatas. 277/6-239 BC. Silver Tetradrachm.
(33mm, 17.05 g) Amphipolis mint. Struck after 270 BC. Head of Pan wearing
goat horns and goat skin in center of Macedonian shield, lagobolon over
shoulder; shield decorated with seven eight-pointed stars within double
crescents / Athena Alkidemos left, brandishing thunderbolt and shield, shield
decorated with aegis; crested Athenian helmet left, monogram right. Mathisen pl.
22, 38; SNG Alpha Bank 986; SNG Ashmolean 3258. Good VF, toned, some marks on
reverse. | $1350 | |
|

|
CALABRIA,
Tarentum. Circa 272-240 BC. Silver
Nomos (6.29 g). 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
|
|

| CELTIC, Lower Danube. Uncertain tribe. Early 3rd century BC. Silver
Tetradrachm. (26mm, 13.90 g). Imitating Philip II of Macedon. Laureate head of
Zeus right / Youth on horseback right, holding palm; below, Λ above torch. Lanz
353 var. (symbol); CCCBM I 4; KMW 1015 var. (same). VF, toned, some light marks. | $450 | |
|
 
|
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
|
|
|

|
MYSIA,
Pergamon. Circa 166-67 BC. Silver Tetradrachm
(26mm, 12.54 g). Cistophoric
type. Struck circa 150-140 BC. Cista mystica with serpent; all
within ivy wreath / Bow case with serpents; monogram to left,
cornucopia to right. Kleiner & Noe Series 22; SNG France -.
VF, toned, well centered, minor porosity. From
the D. Alighieri Collection.
|
$250
|
|
|
 
|
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.
|
$395
|
|
|

|
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
|
|
|
|
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
|
|

| PTOLEMAIC KINGS of EGYPT. Ptolemy X Alexander I & Cleopatra Berenike.
101-88 BC. Silver Tetradrachm. (24mm, 14.54 g, 12h). Alexandreia mint. Dated RY
20 (95/4 BC). Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis / Eagle standing
left on thunderbolt; LK (date) before, ΠA behind. Svoronos 1680; SNG Copenhagen
369. Good VF, toned, nice metal. | $395 | |
|

|
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
|
|
|
 
|
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.
|
$275
|
|
|

|
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.
|
$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
|
|
|

|
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.
|
$650
|
|
|

|
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).
|
$350
|
|
|

|
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.
|
$1350
|
|
|

|
INDIA,
Kushan Empire. Vasudeva
II. Circa
AD 290-310. AV
Dinar (26mm, 7.95 g, 12h). 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
$
|
|
|

|
MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa
525-475 BC. Silver Tetartemorion (9mm,
0.25 g). Forepart of boar left; tunny to right / Head of roaring
lion left; star to upper left; all within incuse square. Von
Fritze II 14; SNG France 375. VF, toned, porous.
|
$150
|
|
|

|
MOESIA,
Istros. Arrowhead
Proto-Money. 6th-5th
centuries 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
|
|

| CARIA. Circa mid-5th century BC. Silver Obol. (8mm, 0.68 g).
Forepart of a roaring lion left / Eagle flying left within incuse square. S.
Hurter, “Lions and lionesses, eagles and a few heads: a new uncertain mint in
Caria,” Essays Hersh, Group I, 10 (this coin); SNG Kayhan 981 var. (eagle
right) VF, toned. | Sold | |
|

|
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
|
|
|
 
|
PERSIA.
Achaemenid
Kings. Artaxerxes
I - Darius III, 450-330 BC. Silver
Siglos. 18mm, 5.5g. Persian king or hero in kneeling/running
stance right, holding spear and bow / Incuse punch. S 4682.
Fine. From the D. Alighieri Collection.
|
$120
|
|
  | SICILY, Akgragas AE Hexas. Before 406 BC. 6.38g. Calciati-66. Obv:
Eagle standing r. on serpent. Rx: Crab, two fish. below. Fine. | $175 | |
|

|
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.
|
$200
|
|
|
 
|
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 BC.
AE
18mm. Head
of Apollo/Youth on horseback, barleycorn beneath) S 6696.
Pleasant old patination, VF. The father of Alexander the Great.
|
$65
|
|
|
 
|
MYSIA.
Parion. 350-300 BC. Silver Hemidrachm. 14mm,
2.2 grams. Bull standing/Facing Gorgoneion. BMC 15, S 3919.
Attractive, gF.
|
$195
|
|
|
 
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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
|
|
|
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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
|
|
  | CARTHAGE. Zeugitania. 16mm. Late 4th century, early 3rd century BC. AE
16mm. Head of Tanit/Horse standing, palm tree behind. SNG Cop 117.
Minor roughness, VF, lovely portrait. A charming little coin from
a civilization almost completely destroyed by the Romans. Little except
their coins survives... | $125 | |
|

|
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. Menander
I. Circa
165/55-130 BC. Silver
Drachm (17mm, 2.42 g). Indian standard. Diademed and draped bust
right / Athena Alkidemos left; monogram to right. Bopearachchi
Série 13B; SNG ANS 774-81. Good VF.
|
$150
|
|
|
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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
|
|
|
|
BAKTRIA,
Indo-Greek Kingdom. Philoxenos.
Circa
125-110 BC. Æ
Unit (19mm, 8.62 g). Indian standard. City goddess standing
facing, head left, holding cornucopia; monogram to lower left /
Zebu bull standing right, head facing; Σ below.
Bopearachchi Série 10H; SNG ANS 1209-14. VF, brown
surfaces.
|
$120
|
|
|
 
|
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
|
|
|
 
|
JUDAEA.
103-76 BC. Alexander Janneaus. Copper Prutah.
14mm. Anchor/Wheel. An
excellent example for this generally crude type, gVF.
|
$75
|
|
|

|
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.
|
|
|
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INDIA.
Ancient silver units, c 200 BC.
Mostly 15-20mm size with
various inscriptions. Six coins in this group.
|
$65
|
|
|

|
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
|
|
|
 
|
JUDAEA.
Antonius Felix. 58-59 AD. (Roman
Procurator) Copper Prutah, 17mm. S 5627. Palm branch/three lines
within wreath. Near VF.
|
$50
|
|
|
 
|
Ancient
India, Kushans, Huvishka 260-292 AD.
Copper unit 24mm
diameter, Balkh mint, King seated facing, cross-legged with
sceptre, rev sun god Mithra. Worn but clear and an interesting
Ancient Dynasty.
|
$30
|
|
|

|
Post
Guptan, Jammu & Kashmir.
Circa
6th - 8th century AD.
Base gold
(about 8-10 carat) stater.
7.95g 24mm. King standing left, sacrificing at altar; trident
standard behind, monograms in field / Goddess Ardoksho enthroned
facing, holding fillet and cornucopiae. Typical later more
abstract design. A nice, historical gift, looks good in
jewellery.
|
$180
|
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|
INDIA, Post-Gupta
(Kashmir). Yinayaditya.
Late 5th
century AD. Gold
Dinar (7.4 g). Abstract Kushan-style king standing left,
sacrificing over altar and holding filleted standard; filleted
trident to left; Brahmi “Ka” to inner left, "Kidara"
monogram and "Jaya" to outer right / Abstract Ardoxsho
seated facing, holding filleted investiture garland and
cornucopia; Brahmi “Sri Vinaya” to right, “Ditya”
to left. MACW 3656-60. Good VF, areas of light porosity.
|
$195
|
|
|
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
also Shapur I (240-270 AD)
aVF $175
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
$
Email
to
order.
|
|
|
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
$
Email
to
order
|
|
|

|
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.
|
$350
|
|
|

|
ISLAMIC
Gold
Dinar.
1059-1099 A.D. About
10 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.
|
$55
|
|
|

|
Ancient
Coin Collecting Volume
2, Greek coins.
Volume 3, Roman coins.
Ancient
Coin Collecting Volume
4, Roman Provincial coins. Retail $58.
|
Sold
$59.95
$59.95
|
|
|


|
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
|
|
| NUMISMATIC SOCIETY OF SA. 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. | | |
| | | |