Ptolemy II and his Bad*** Eagle

nicholasz219 · November 12, 2014 10:00AM

I couldn't resist this piece. I know I am not giving these last four coins the treatment that we have come to expect from SmEagle, Zohar and the others, but if I get some time this weekend, I will add some background. Now I just got my mail and wanted to post these before I head to work.

I mean how awesome is that eagle??

Ptolemy II Obverse

Ptolemy II Reverse

NiceCurrency · November 12, 2014 10:06AM

nice desert patina, imo these are very reminiscent of morgan dollars and George T. Morgan must've drawn plenty of influence from this design

I have one of these, it's bigger than a morgan dollar I believe, really cool to have a big hunk of brass from that period and location

ajaan · November 12, 2014 10:32AM

lordmarcovan · November 12, 2014 3:43PM

Gotta love that sandy patina.

I wish the Ptolemaic rulers had offered us a bit more variety in their coin designs like the Seleucid kings did, but this often-used design is nice. And yeah, that's a great eagle.

Funny, I've never gotten around to owning one of these yet.

TIF2 · November 12, 2014 6:05PM

Nicholas-- nice patina! I love Ptolemy bronze, have many, and will undoubtedly buy more

LordM-- you need to rectify your Ptolemy deficiency

nicholasz219 · November 12, 2014 9:07PM

Thanks for the pic post, Ajaan. I never have any luck doing that.

I would also like to note for the record that there is ONE coin, and it is this one that I have owned before LM. So currently, LM has one coin on his list of coins he would like to buy after seeing it in my collection. I, on the other hand, have 238 coins on my list of coins that I would like to buy after seeing them in LM's collection.

It's just not fair.

NiceCurrency, this coin is a smaller piece, about the size of a nickel. I will have to re-do these posts this weekend along with appropriate diameter info and stuff like that. I was rushing out the door when I got the mail and had to boast a little about my two NEWPs.

TIF, thanks for the compliment. I really liked how the patina made the eagle design pop right off of the coin. I hope to add some more of these to my collection, so if you have duplicates, and if I have money, we should talk.

Icollecteverything · November 13, 2014 3:33AM

Here is my Ptolemy IV, larger version. It is the opposite of the OP example because there is no contrast between the devices and the fields which is exacerbated by my lack of photo skills.

I hope it's ok for me to post this here but I do have an ulterior motive. I am hoping you can tell me if mine are genuine or suspicious. Although I always tried to buy ancients from reputable dealers it seems that is not always a lock on being the real thing.

LochNESS · November 13, 2014 5:50AM

That eagle is indeed bad*** and laudable

I just watched "the rock" Dwayne Johnson's "Hercules" movie last night [2014]. This coin would fit right in. The movie is primarily set in Thrace, beginning in Macedonia. I thought of you guys

TIF2 · November 13, 2014 9:35AM

One of my favorites is a 48 mm bronze of Ptolemy II. 91.8 gm. This thing is HUGE.

Here's a picture of the obverse with my smallest coin, a 5 mm silver fractional from Macedon (that's a monkey on the obverse)

This Ptolemy has a cool provenance too. It was acquired by a professor and collector named James Eaton in the mid to late 1800s and it remained in his family until I bought it last year.

nicholasz219 · November 13, 2014 9:47AM

Very nice TIF! I like the history most of all!

SmEagle1795 · November 13, 2014 9:56AM

Great coins! I've also wanted to acquire one of these and keep telling myself I'm waiting for the "right" one while I watch nice examples go by...

<< <i>I just watched "the rock" Dwayne Johnson's "Hercules" movie last night [2014]. This coin would fit right in. The movie is primarily set in Thrace, beginning in Macedonia. I thought of you guys

>>

Did you enjoy it? I was recently on a long flight and considered watching it but ended up sleeping. I'm not expecting historical accuracy but any time ancient civilizations make it to mass media is beneficial in my eyes

NiceCurrency · November 13, 2014 10:00AM

The gf and I saw that Hercules movie at a cheaper movie theater that shows already ran movies but you can eat delicious food there too, we went for the food but the movie wasn't bad and she agreed and we don't really care for dwayne the rock johnson, so there you go

here's mine with the sellers pic and blurb:

A large 36 mm brass coin of Ptolemy IV Philopater (221-205 BC). Soon after the death of his father, Ptolemy III, in 222, Ptolemy IV had his mother, Berenice II, murdered to free himself from any regency arrangements. His reign marked the start of the decline of the Ptolemaic Kingdom: While invasions and rebellions rocked his domains, he devoted himself to hedonism and left the governing of Egypt to court favorites. He actually lost control of Upper Egypt to a renegade dynasty of native Pharaohs. Ptolemy IV is also noted for building the Tessarakonteres war galley, which at 425 feet was the largest ship ever built in the ancient world. The front of the coin shows the head of the horned Graeco-Egyptian god Zeus-Ammon. The back shows an eagle standing on a thunderbolt, with a Greek letter lambda between its legs, indicating year 11 of Ptolemy IV's rule, or 211 BC. Around the edge is a Greek inscription that reads "King Ptolemy". The coin is in nice shape -- the front is good, but the back is sharp, detailed, and deeply-struck. The Minted in Alexandria, Egypt, 211 BC. Reference: Svoronos 1167

nicholasz219 · November 13, 2014 10:31AM

NiceCurrency: your love for the Rock notwithstanding, you did pick up a nice Ptolemy IV coin. Very nice reverse.

LochNESS · November 16, 2014 3:24PM

<< <i>Did you enjoy it? … … >>

SmEagle, sorry for the delay I had a busy weekend. Yes I did enjoy the movie though it wasn't the Hercules which I had expected. Not the mythological character which I've seen done so many times. This was a much more realistic telling of the story. Part of me was disappointed because I always enjoy watching the labors of Hercules reenacted on TV and film. But for the same reasons I was also relieved. Definitely the most original version of the story I've ever seen produced by "mass media."

nicholasz219 · November 17, 2014 9:11PM

Icollecteverything: From what I can see, your coin looks real. It seems to have worn in a pattern typical for these pieces, where the center portion is typically more visible than the outer edges. The inscriptions on many of these coins that I have seen seem to wear off faster than the center designs. I am by no means an expert, but if this was a fake, there would be a chorus of voices on here telling you to "uh, maybe send it in to NGC or take it to a show maybe?".

Lochness: Yeah, Hercules sounds like a fun movie, but not enough to even pay Redbox for a rental. I will probably see it when the free copy hits my library. I don't mind the Rock. He seems to like to poke fun at himself in his roles and I can not say I've seen much of his stuff that makes me angry for watching it. (Some of the tv shows that I overhear while my gf watches them: now those make me angry. "Gilmore Girls" for example. What a bunch of whiny, trite crap.)

I've really been poking around the ancient world these last two weeks. I have some other purchases in a similar vein that should be arriving shortly. I look forward to posting them on here as well.

LochNESS · November 18, 2014 1:51AM

I look forward to seeing them!

Icollecteverything · November 18, 2014 3:27AM

Thanks nicholasz, that's what I was hoping, that someone here would let me know if they see any possibility of a fake. I am pretty confident in most of my small collection of ancients and medieval because of the sellers but someday I will start a thread and show some others.

determined · November 21, 2014 8:02AM

Nice thread and coins. Thanks for sharing.
Here's a couple of my chunks of bronze. I like the relatively clean state of these because it gives an idea of what they actually looked like when they were in circulation over 22 centuries ago.
A few of these would have really weighed down a coin purse!
TIF I like your 91.8gm monster. I have been looking for a 90+gm.

Ptolemy III Euergetes 246-221 BC
34.4mm, 35.4gm

Ptolemy III Euergetes 246-221 BC
41mm, 69.09gm

nicholasz219 · November 21, 2014 10:27AM

Determined: Those are great coins. The overall look and details are really really outstanding!

I haven't spent as much time reading about these issues as I wish. What is the deal with the holes or indentations on each side, seemingly regardless of issuing Ptolemy? I just got a Ptolemy VII that has the same business but I believe that the hole goes through.

SmEagle1795 · November 21, 2014 10:50AM

Gorgeous examples, determined!

determined · November 21, 2014 10:51AM

Thanks guys!

TIF2 · November 21, 2014 6:36PM

@determined, that is a fantastic example! I'd love to have one that pristine.

Ptolemy II and his Bad*** Eagle

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