A good starting point might be Kyzikos fractions. They are plentiful, pretty, and dirt cheap. I have a half dozen on ebay now, most of which are under $5 and I doubt they will go much higher. They are small, though!
This is my example; still one of my favorite Greek coins:
I didn't expect to, but I found a real soft spot for Persian satrapal coinage of Cilicia in southern Asia Minor, pre-Alexander: (My favorite although I did part with it when I was offered a price too good to pass up!)
Here are my first acquisitions. I'm looking forward to seeing these coins in hand.
Thanks Finn235 for the Hemiobol. Troas, Abydos, 4th century BC?, AE 10, 0.99g - From a Numismatik Naumann lot Obv: Laureate head of Apollo right Rev: Eagle standing right, ABY above back, bow and arrow before
Won this today at CNG's eAuction. Tried to get an Owl tetradrachm but kept getting beaten by a guy named Steve... What appealed to me was the bird on Zeus's arm. Funny how little details like that really catch one's eye. KINGS of MACEDON. Alexander III 'the Great'. 336-323 BC. AR Drachm (16.5mm, 4.26 g, 12h). Sardes mint. Struck under Menander, circa 324/3 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aėtophoros seated left; rose below throne. Price 2571; ADM I Series X. Good VF, lightly toned, a little off center, slightly soft strike on obverse.
Alex III drachm is a good coin to start with. I however find a couple of details on this coin worrying (perhaps I am always a bit anxious when it comes to authenticity on Greek silver...)
I wonder if anybody else wants to comment on the line that runs from 9 o'clock on the edgeand around downwards and across the neck on the left hand image... only because such a line can be indicative of lost wax casting (when they scalpel off the rubber before making the waxes) it could be nothing but anything out of place I like explained. Certainly if I was just looking at the reverse I would say everything looked OK...
Even the best sellers occasionally have one slip through, the time to ask questions is always sooner rather than later and the good sellers will honour if you have a problem or give you reassurance if there isn't. I have a doubt about the detail I mention but that doesn't mean the matter is settled... it is commonplace around here for coins to be questioned and either to stand up to scrutiny or be pulled apart.
I passed that mark off as a bit of 'character' but with David's comments I went looking. I found a bunch of very similar (authentic) coins, but no fakes and only one ebay coin that I found suspicious (itself not a die match).
The problem is, I can see two 'suspect' things - David's line, which could be a die break over the neck, but could also be a casting line - and the square over Zeus' abs, which could be an overstruck sprue. It couldnt be both of those things and on balance, I think the coin is good. I'd certainly hope CNG would not be fooled by a cast fake. Will be interesting to see pictures of it when it arrives - fingers crossed.
Here are some detail shots of the coin. I need to set up a better rig, but cats don't make that easy.
There are numerous hairline cracks in the coin. The coin shows diamagnetic property with rare earth magnets, so I'm sure it's silver. It's slightly concave from back to front.
My friend jskirwin, I totally hear you on getting beaten on CNG auctions. Look at this coin. estimated 500 and most worth 700 but I end up paying way higher since one guy kept beating me and I really wanted this coin as it was a rare and a HOARD coin so I ended up going too high on this. But at the end of the day if you feel good when you hold it in your hand it worth your money even overpriced!
Latest acquisition, again from CNG. Had to go big and get an owl. Took awhile to find one that wasn't out of my price range that didn't look like it was pulled out of a kitchen garbage disposal. What appealed to me with this coin was a decent obverse with a portion of Athena's crest, and a nice solid owl on the reverse that wasn't sliced or diced. Since I'm used to Roman silver denarii the coin feels hefty in the hand. And the idea that it's 2,400+ years old - minted when the Romans were still beating up on the local Latin towns - is sublime.
Amazing acquisition congrats! Its a beautifully stroked coin. These coins can be very expensive in auctions sometimes. I have a drachm of it which they say is mnore scarce than tetra
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Posted 10/15/2018 5:02 pm
