Selinos litra: This tiny coin has it all!

TIF2

Chock-full of artistic devices... check
Gorgeous iridescent toning... check
Cool provenance... check

Yep, it was a splurge. Good think I hadn't won those other expensive coins in Triton. I love this little thing! It's smaller than my thumbnail, a mere wafer of silver. How on earth did the engraver accomplish those incredible details? The MFB... look at the realistic rendering! The great detail on his face! Wow. Other than compositing the two sides and fixing the background, these images are unadulterated.

SICILY, Selinos.
c. 410 BCE
AR litra, 11mm, 0.76 g, 1h
Obv: nymph seated left on rock, right hand raised above her head, extending her left hand to touch coiled serpent before her; selinon leaf above
Rev: man-faced bull standing right; ΣEΛINONTIOΣ above; in exergue, fish right
Ref: HGC 2, 1229; SNG ANS 711–2 var. (ethnic); SNG Ashmolean 1904–5; SNG Lloyd 1270 var. (same); Basel –; Dewing –; Rizzo pl. XXXIII, 6.
Good VF, dark iridescent tone, some porosity. Rare.
ex MoneyMuseum, Zurich; ex Leu 79 (31 October 2000), lot 404.

The coin is fascinating and trying to find more information about the devices is leading to more questions, more research, more rabbit holes. At the moment I have more questions than answers. What is the nymph doing with the serpent? Charming it? Worshiping it? Communing? Could the serpent be Zeus Meilichius? Does this man-faced bull have a name? Is it a local river god?

Since I can't tell you any hard facts about the devices, here's some information about Selinos.



Founded in the mid seventh century BCE, Selinos began as an oligarchy. It was supposedly named for the abundant wild parsley found in the area (σέλινον, selinon). As is the case with most ancient (and modern!) city/states, Selinos went through a variety of rules and modes of rule. There were the usual cycles of hostilities and reconciliations with neighboring cities over the next three centuries. In 409 BCE the city was sacked and partly destroyed by Hannibal. Through treaties with Dionsius, then Timoleon, and then Agathokes Selinos was under the dominion of Carthage from 407 to ~278 BCE, when Selinites and other Sicilian cities asked Greek general Pyrrhus to assist them with driving out the Carthaginians. In 250 BCE Carthaginians destroyed Selinos.

RIP Selinos. You sure managed to produce some lovely coins in your brief existence.

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Post your coins of Selinos . Or if you don't have any, something from Sicily.

NiceCurrency

what a gorgeous little coin, and yes indeed crazy to see such intricate detail on an 11mm piece, good stuff all around

Zohar

That's a keeper. Superb.

JCMhouston

Very nice.

Hussulo

The detail of the man's face on the bull is amazing. How small must the engraving be for the tail! Wow

lordmarcovan

Neat. That's one of the more expressive MFB's I've seen. (For the uninitiated, "MFB" = Man-Faced Bull.) And yes, the toning is lovely.

I don't have Selinos, but for Sicily, here's an Akragas crab with various and sundry other critters and acts of predation going on.




I sold that coin, but would like to find another example of the type in higher grade.

nicholasz219

Ah, very nice! This is my first time seeing a coin of Selinos. I have been chasing after Akragas pieces for a few months now to no avail after a post about the super crab/eagle pieces from there.

Thanks for yet another thing on my list now.

>:-(

TIF2

Thanks for the coin kudos! I'm loving this coin. It's going to be a plate coin in an upcoming book on MFB coinage

Also, additional provenance information came to light. It is ex Athos Moretti.

LordM-- nice Akragas! That's a type I'd love to have.

brg5658

If you ever make it to the west coast of Sicily, seeing the ruins at Selinunte (Selinous) is worth a visit. It is a wonderful place. I have visited 5 times, and I always find something different each time I'm there (was last there in Dec 2014). The reconstructed Temple of Hera is amazing, and they are continually excavating the ancient city streets. Add that to the fact that the view from the coast is absolutely stunning, and you'll get your money's worth!

Lovely coin!