Comments on ancient Greek (Thracian) coin, please!

spoon

Bought this recently, not yet arrived, but I would be interested in further details, plus grade and value estimates. It's my first (ancient) Greek coin! Browsing through the few listings at VCoins it seems I got an absurdly good deal on it.

Here's the info I have; confirmation, wild speculation and any other comments appreciated : Mesembria in Thrace, 450-350BC; AR diobol 1.15 g. Obv.: Crested helmet faced. Rev.: META in the four quarters of a radiate wheel. Ref.: David Sear, Greek coins and their values, Vol. 1, p. 166, 1673.

(seller's image)


Thanks!

Aethelred

Those are cute little coins, I think they tend to be about 10mm in diameter. The obverse shows a helmet, not a person wearing a helmet, thus it should be described as a "facing helmet" not a "helmeted face."

I would grade that coin VF, it is SG-1673 and cats for £85 in my (very old) edition of Sear.

SYRACUSIAN

META means after, but I would be rather surprised if this has the same significance here. Congrats spoon!

theboz11

ATEM means theres no more to eat



Nice coin

CIVITAS

Probably cleaned. Ain't worth $5.00.






























Very nice coin. Good detail and pretty decent centering.

Kurt4

Looks like the brother of mine



Not my images.

spoon

<< <i>I would grade that coin VF, it is SG-1673 and cats for £85 in my (very old) edition of Sear. >>

Thanks for the added info o' Dead One seems I got it for a really good price then!

And thanks to all others for your comments! No one has questioned its authenticity which gives me comfort. It is from a good seller so I didn't really have doubts, but I remain quite ignorant on coins of this period.

Thanks again!

Sapyx

<< <i>META means after, but I would be rather surprised if this has the same significance here. >>


The "T" is actually a local variant of the letter sigma - it says "MESA", as in Mesembria.

Be very careful buying coins of Mesembria, and the nearby ancient city of Apollonia. The Black Sea Hoard, notorious among ancient forgery detectors, contained coins of these types. Hoard ones generally have the helmet looking a lot more like a "face", than either of the ones posted here, so I think they're both OK.

Wayne Sayles mentions them in his new book "Classical Deception". It's a great read.

northcoin

Thanks for the reference to Sayles new book on "Classical Deception." Since slabbing is not all that prevalent among collectors of ancients, I would sure welcome some tips on how to avoid forgeries and fakes. Does Sayles only treat the subject on a coin by coin basis, or are there some general guidelines offered?

Sapyx

<< <i>Does Sayles only treat the subject on a coin by coin basis, or are there some general guidelines offered? >>


A bit of both. There are some general guidelines like "How to spot made-for-tourist copies" and general guidelines and rules for detecting forgeries. Some examples are given of some of the more famous forgers like Becker, and the Black Sea Hoard, and an entire pictorial catalogue of known Peter Rosa reproductions.

The book is only 200 pages, so it's not going to be completely comprehensive, but it should give you some ideas of what to look for and not to look for in ancients.

Philip

Mesembria is a fantastic city, even today.

northcoin

Thanks