<< <i>I believe that cottonmouths are in Texas near the eastern border.
>>
Oh no, I can assure you that there are plenty of them in N. Central TX, namely, Grapevine Lake. Several people have been killed in that lake over the years by 'intruding' into a nest of them in the water.
Copperheads are also very indigenous to the area. >>
That explains that.... We live near Grapevine Lake
I used to be somebody, now I'm just a coin collector. Recipient of the coveted "You Suck" award, April 2009 for cherrypicking a 1833 CBHD LM-5, and April 2022 for a 1835 LM-12, and again in Aug 2012 for picking off a 1952 FS-902.
Cottonmouths are ugly, nasty foul-tempered snakes- water moccasins are everywhere down here. I grew up on the Amite River and every spring when the river comes up they are all over the yard.
My Mom's Catahoula got bitten by one and her head "swole up" to the size of a balloon- she lived, though.
When my daughter was about 7 years old, she walked out onto the front porch and shouts- "Dad, Winnie's wrestling a snake!" I walked out the door and our dachschund/ beagle mix had a cottonmouth by the middle and was shaking her head violently, with the snake's head repeatedly hitting the concrete. Thank God she wasn't bitten- she was a very small dog- and the hero of the day.
My next door neighbor had just gotten one of those huge old sugar kettles and filled it with aquatic plants and goldfish- the thing was a moccasin magnet.
Try having one drop into your boat from overhanging cypress branches in the swamp for a real eye-opener.
I HATE the damn things- glad you're okay. UC.
"College men from LSU- went in dumb, come out dumb too..." -Randy Newman
This coin was minted in the second century BC in Pergamon, a Greek colony on the west coast of Turkey on the Aegean Sea. It is a silver tetradrachm midway in size between a quarter and a half dollar. It is one of the most common type coins of the Greek period. This one would be graded VF.
The obverse shows a basket which contains a holy snake. The snake was the symbol and some believed the actual incarnation of the Greek God Dionysius (Roman=Bacchus), who was the patron god of Pergamon. The snake basket was called a "cista mystica" or sacred or mystical basket. These baskets were in all the temples in the area, complete with resident snake. The reverse shows a couple more snakes, as well as a representation of a quiver. The peculiar looking symbol to the left of the snake on the left is a mint mark, but I don't know the mint it represents. In general, mint marks are not all that important in ancient coinage.
Sometimes these coins are called "cistaphoric" or 'basket-carrying' tetradrachams. They are readily available in excellent condition. A coin like the one pictured would likely retail for $150-$175.
Oh no, I can assure you that there are plenty of them in N. Central TX, namely, Grapevine Lake. Several people have been killed in that lake over the years by 'intruding' into a nest of them in the water.
I live right near Lake Grapevine and I can vouch for the snakes! I often hike around the water there in the small streams etc. and see quite a few copperheads and cottonmouths during the summer. I leave them alone. One time when my son was 3 he and I were hiking up a mostly dry stream and came to a point where the stream was overgrown and there was just a small puddle in the middle. I was looking in it for frogs & fish and noticed quite a good collection of baby copperheads in various places around the puddle...didn't notice them at first but one I saw one the others started to stand out. Needless I told my son 'Well let's get going and I'll carry ya!'. Would have been tough to explain to the wife....
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www.brunkauctions.com
<< <i>
<< <i>I believe that cottonmouths are in Texas near the eastern border.
Oh no, I can assure you that there are plenty of them in N. Central TX, namely, Grapevine Lake. Several people have been killed in that lake over the years by 'intruding' into a nest of them in the water.
Copperheads are also very indigenous to the area. >>
That explains that.... We live near Grapevine Lake
Recipient of the coveted "You Suck" award, April 2009 for cherrypicking a 1833 CBHD LM-5, and April 2022 for a 1835 LM-12, and again in Aug 2012 for picking off a 1952 FS-902.
My Mom's Catahoula got bitten by one and her head "swole up" to the size of a balloon- she lived, though.
When my daughter was about 7 years old, she walked out onto the front porch and shouts- "Dad, Winnie's wrestling a snake!" I walked out the door and our dachschund/ beagle mix had a cottonmouth by the middle and was shaking her head violently, with the snake's head repeatedly hitting the concrete. Thank God she wasn't bitten- she was a very small dog- and the hero of the day.
My next door neighbor had just gotten one of those huge old sugar kettles and filled it with aquatic plants and goldfish- the thing was a moccasin magnet.
Try having one drop into your boat from overhanging cypress branches in the swamp for a real eye-opener.
I HATE the damn things- glad you're okay. UC.
-Randy Newman
Swampboy asked:
<< <i>DoctorPaper that is an awesome piece!!!
What can you tell us about it.
Thanks,
Gil >>
This coin was minted in the second century BC in Pergamon, a Greek colony on the west coast of Turkey on the Aegean Sea. It is a silver tetradrachm midway in size between a quarter and a half dollar. It is one of the most common type coins of the Greek period. This one would be graded VF.
The obverse shows a basket which contains a holy snake. The snake was the symbol and some believed the actual incarnation of the Greek God Dionysius (Roman=Bacchus), who was the patron god of Pergamon. The snake basket was called a "cista mystica" or sacred or mystical basket. These baskets were in all the temples in the area, complete with resident snake. The reverse shows a couple more snakes, as well as a representation of a quiver. The peculiar looking symbol to the left of the snake on the left is a mint mark, but I don't know the mint it represents. In general, mint marks are not all that important in ancient coinage.
Sometimes these coins are called "cistaphoric" or 'basket-carrying' tetradrachams. They are readily available in excellent condition. A coin like the one pictured would likely retail for $150-$175.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
I knew it would happen.
I live right near Lake Grapevine and I can vouch for the snakes! I often hike around the water there in the small streams etc. and see quite a few copperheads and cottonmouths during the summer. I leave them alone. One time when my son was 3 he and I were hiking up a mostly dry stream and came to a point where the stream was overgrown and there was just a small puddle in the middle. I was looking in it for frogs & fish and noticed quite a good collection of baby copperheads in various places around the puddle...didn't notice them at first but one I saw one the others started to stand out. Needless I told my son 'Well let's get going and I'll carry ya!'. Would have been tough to explain to the wife....
K