NEWPs: Ancients. Yes, I have been bad.
Zohar
Posts: 6,668 ✭✭✭✭✭
These three came at me at once and price/quality ratios. A bit painful, yet really nice pieces that fit my taste.
I have looked at the Selinus pieces in auction catalogs and could not find a well centered piece. The Ancient Greek colony of Selinus in Sicily, was named after wild parsley that grew abundantly there; Selinountian coins depicted a parsley leaf as the symbol of the city. The name "celery" retraces the plant's route of successive adoption in European cooking, as the English "celery" (1664) is derived from the French celeri coming from the Lombard term, seleri, from the Latin selinon, borrowed from Greek. Fascinating stuff!
SICILY. SELINUS. Ca. 540-480 BC. AR Didrachm. 20mm, 9gr. Obv. Selinon leaf. Rev. Incuse square with linear patterns. Arnold-Biucci Group I; Selinos Hoard 20 (same dies); SNG ANS 676 (same dies); HGC 2, 1207 (same dies as illustr.). Attractively toned and well struck. NGC graded Ch AU 5/5, 5/5.
The Tyrian Shekel is a historical coin - WIKI - during in the Roman Empire took on an unusual role as the medium of payment for the Temple tax in Jerusalem, and subsequently gained notoriety as a likely mode of payment for Judas Iscariot and in the latest standard, which was also the one used for the temple tax, the coins bore the likeness of the Phoenician god Melqart or Baal, accepted as the Olympian Herakles by the Greeks and derided as Beelzebub by Jews in the time of the Seleucids, wearing the laurel reflecting his role in the Tyrian games and the ancient Olympic Games.
PHOENICIA. Tyre. 126/5 BC-AD 67/8. AR Shekel. 30mm, 14.29gr. Dated CY 37 (90/89 BC). Obv: Bust of Melqart right, wearing laurel wreath and lion's skin around neck. Rev: Eagle standing left on prow, palm frond over right wing; to left, ÆË (date) above club; ZB to right, Phoenician B between legs. BMC 128. Beautifully centered piece with pleasing eye appeal. NGC Ch. AU 5/5, 4/5. Came in with an auction tag - Stacks April 8, 1989 coin sale, lot 245.
Lastly this Perseus mercenary issue. LordM has a lovely toned and well centered piece. This has the eye appeal and intense look, yet a bit off center. It will do for now until LordM sells his
KINGDOM OF MACEDON. PERSEUS, 179-168 BC. Pseudo-Rhodian AR Drachm. 16mm, 2.63gr. Obv. Head of Helios.Rev. Rose, EÑMIAÓ magistrate. SNG Keckman 795. Golden iridescent highlights. NGC graded Ch. MS 5/5, 5/5.
I have looked at the Selinus pieces in auction catalogs and could not find a well centered piece. The Ancient Greek colony of Selinus in Sicily, was named after wild parsley that grew abundantly there; Selinountian coins depicted a parsley leaf as the symbol of the city. The name "celery" retraces the plant's route of successive adoption in European cooking, as the English "celery" (1664) is derived from the French celeri coming from the Lombard term, seleri, from the Latin selinon, borrowed from Greek. Fascinating stuff!
SICILY. SELINUS. Ca. 540-480 BC. AR Didrachm. 20mm, 9gr. Obv. Selinon leaf. Rev. Incuse square with linear patterns. Arnold-Biucci Group I; Selinos Hoard 20 (same dies); SNG ANS 676 (same dies); HGC 2, 1207 (same dies as illustr.). Attractively toned and well struck. NGC graded Ch AU 5/5, 5/5.
The Tyrian Shekel is a historical coin - WIKI - during in the Roman Empire took on an unusual role as the medium of payment for the Temple tax in Jerusalem, and subsequently gained notoriety as a likely mode of payment for Judas Iscariot and in the latest standard, which was also the one used for the temple tax, the coins bore the likeness of the Phoenician god Melqart or Baal, accepted as the Olympian Herakles by the Greeks and derided as Beelzebub by Jews in the time of the Seleucids, wearing the laurel reflecting his role in the Tyrian games and the ancient Olympic Games.
PHOENICIA. Tyre. 126/5 BC-AD 67/8. AR Shekel. 30mm, 14.29gr. Dated CY 37 (90/89 BC). Obv: Bust of Melqart right, wearing laurel wreath and lion's skin around neck. Rev: Eagle standing left on prow, palm frond over right wing; to left, ÆË (date) above club; ZB to right, Phoenician B between legs. BMC 128. Beautifully centered piece with pleasing eye appeal. NGC Ch. AU 5/5, 4/5. Came in with an auction tag - Stacks April 8, 1989 coin sale, lot 245.
Lastly this Perseus mercenary issue. LordM has a lovely toned and well centered piece. This has the eye appeal and intense look, yet a bit off center. It will do for now until LordM sells his
KINGDOM OF MACEDON. PERSEUS, 179-168 BC. Pseudo-Rhodian AR Drachm. 16mm, 2.63gr. Obv. Head of Helios.Rev. Rose, EÑMIAÓ magistrate. SNG Keckman 795. Golden iridescent highlights. NGC graded Ch. MS 5/5, 5/5.
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On modern coins I kind of like that look. But on ancients I don't. It just seems too modern looking to my uneducated eye.
--Severian the Lame
World Collection
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<< <i>Lastly this Perseus mercenary issue. LordM has a lovely toned and well centered piece. This has the eye appeal and intense look, yet a bit off center. It will do for now until LordM sells his
KINGDOM OF MACEDON. PERSEUS, 179-168 BC. Pseudo-Rhodian AR Drachm. 16mm, 2.63gr. Obv. Head of Helios.Rev. Rose, EÑMIAÓ magistrate. SNG Keckman 795. Golden iridescent highlights. NGC graded Ch. MS 5/5, 5/5.
Ha! You got one!
I'm glad you got one, 'cause I ain't turnin' loose of mine anytime soon.
PS- I wonder what the pops are? It's possible that you and I jointly have the top pop coins right here? Then again, with hoards and all that, maybe not. (Well, we're certainly at the top of the pops, but how many others are tied for the top grade, is the question.) It's interesting to wonder about. Both of our pieces garnered "perfect" grades that couldn't be improved upon unless NGC had granted a "star". I have yet to be able to second-guess them on that, however, and also have yet to have owned a "star" grade coin. Was sort of surprised mine didn't get one when I submitted it. But I was so happy with the grade that I wept no tears over the nonexistent star.
PPS- look at how amazingly similar the reverse die alignment is on both of our coins.
and that is one spooky looking Helios/Larissa
great lookin Tyre Shekel, Melquart's hair and wreath look like they really raise high off the coin
<< <i>that is one spooky looking Helios/Larissa >>
His does look rather vampiric and slightly evil, doesn't it?
Mine, on the other hand, looks a little daydreamy and maybe a bit sad.
Both have a bit of resemblance to Medusa, as well.
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I like them all - in terms of Eye Appeal - I get this; I seek toning and general eye appeal in strike and style. I guess this is my "look" xt
...really like that too, and will make a HUGE difference down the road.
The Tyre is the nicest I have seen in a long time - most are shiny ancient silver looks - this one has really nice and stand out fields - well graded as the strike is cool. I can see you liking it.
And you know the Drachm is fantastic looking
<< <i>really like that too, and will make a HUGE difference down the road. >>
Let's hope yet for now its fun putting this collection together.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
8 Reales Madness Collection
I know both of yalls are the macedonian issues for the rhodes transplants to feel at home with, but either those or the rhodes coin that is very similar would be a welcome addition from just having to settle for the poster of all the greek coins that is above my monitor