My First Animal On A Coin.

Thanks Paul. For such a small coin I'm impressed by the amount of detail still visible. This one, though older, also retains much of the original detail.

It is not immediately apparent why this coin from Kyzikos in Mysia is here, but below the amphora is a tunny fish. Interestingly, what I thought was an "H" is actually a "Z".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyzicus
Kyzikos (Cyzicus) was a town of commercial importance due to it's advantageous location. The gold staters of Cyzicus were a staple currency in the ancient world till they were superseded by those of Philip of Macedon. The cyzicenus, was worth 28 drachmae. The famed ancient philosopher Eudoxus of Cnidus established a school at Cyzicus and went with his pupils to Athens, visiting Plato. Later he returned to Cyzicus and died in 355 B.C.

I couldn't find this coin in Wildwinds, but found a few on ACSearch like this one: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3052321

MYSIA. Kyzikos. (circa 4th century BC).
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo left. Reverse: Amphora, below - tunny tight. Inscription: KY / ZI. Diameter: 9.4 mm. Weight: 0.65 gr. SNG France 411. SNG Cop 57.

I missed that one Paul, so thanks for posting it.

This coin from Klazomenai, Ionia, caught my eye as it is one of only a few that I've seen with a swan on the reverse. Unfortunately there is not a lot of the detail of the swan left.

From Wikipedia: "A silver coin minted in Klazomenai shows the head of Apollo, the principal god of the city. According to myth, swans drew the chariot in which Apollo flew south every year from his winter home in the land of the Hyperboreans. But Klazomenai was also home to large numbers of swans, and it is thought that the verb klazo was used to describe the call of the wild birds. The swan on the obverse is both an attribute of Apollo and a pun on the name Klazomenai."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klazomenai

Klazomenai, Ionia, early 4th cent. BC.
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo left. Reverse: Swan standing left, wings spread. Bronze. Diameter: 11 mm. Weight: 1.1 gr. Cf. Sear 4331.

Nice set, David. Good to see you posting here again.

Ancients to watches to paper money...

Well, we'll always be here if you come full circle.

A lovely group @DavidUK. I particularly like the portrayal of the cow's head.

There is not a lot of detail left of Tanit on this coin from Carthage, but I did like the very bold portrayal of the horse's head. The coin was listed as "Horses head right, star in right field. SNG Cop 144-147". However the star appears to be three pellets, making it SNG Cop 175.

From Wikipedia: "Tanit was a Punic and Phoenician goddess, the chief deity of Carthage alongside her consort Baal-Hamon. She was also adopted by the Berber people.

Tanit is also called Tinnit. The name appears to have originated in Carthage (modern day Tunisia), though it does not appear in local theophorous names. She was equivalent to the war goddess Astarte, and later worshipped in Roman Carthage in her Romanized form as Dea Caelestis, Juno Caelestis, or simply Caelestis."

Carthage 300 - 260 BC.
Obverse: Kore Tanit, left. Reverse: Horses head with three pellets in right field. Bronze. Diameter: 20mm. Weight: 5.10g. SNG Cop 175.

Another horse reverse from Alexandria in Troas. The city was founded around 310 BC by Antigonos and given the name Antigoneia. Ten years later Lysimachos renamed it Alexandreia.

This seems to be quite a rare coin.

Alexandria - Troas. 262 - 227 BC
Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo left. Reverse: Horse grazing left. Reverse Inscription: AΛE. Bronze. Diameter: 11 mm. Weight: 1.2 gr. Reference: SNG Cop. 69; SNG München 41.

I still haven't managed to get a nice bronze eagle and crab Akragas coin, but this Hemidrachm has fairly good detail. It was listed as Sear 751v, but it closely resembles SNG ANS 1009 on Wildwinds.

SICILY, Akragas, 473 - 420 BC.
AR Hemidrachm. Obverse: Eagle standing left on dead hare. Reverse: AKPA. Crab, below, tunny fish left. Diameter 16 mm. Weight: 2.1 gr. Sear 751v.

Although not so little at this point.