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Ancient Greek Gold Coin From Crimea Sells For A Record-Breaking £4.8m

 
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Author Previous TopicReplies: 4 / Views: 515Next Topic  
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United States
2880 Posts
 Posted 05/27/2023  3:40 pm Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add Hondo Boguss to your friends list Get a Link to this Message
Ancient Greek gold coin from Crimea sells for a record-breaking £4.8m
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/202...breaking-48m

Quote:
The stater depicts the head of the satyr on one side and a griffin holding a spear in its mouth on the other. In an unusual choice of design, the satyr's head is shown in a three-quarter pose rather than the more common profile position usually seen on similar staters. Its value is attributed by the seller to this quirk of design as well as its rarity; it thought to be one of only three of its kind in existence and the only one not in a museum collection.


Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
Edited by Hondo Boguss
05/27/2023 3:50 pm
New Member
United States
37 Posts
 Posted 05/27/2023  8:16 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add samoth to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Ancient & medieval PRs seem to have been very strong the past year or so, which I didn't expect given the monetary issues most countries (and by proxy, their citizens) will continue to face for some time.

I actually liked the auction's other example of this coin (with bust in profile) better, but I'm not good at ascertaining "artistic" quality in stuff. The $5M premium for the inferior 3/4 example versus superior profile example seems extreme, even with the jump from "exceedingly rare" to "of the greatest rarity."

They also had a rare gold hare litra from Messana -- and lots of other really high-end items -- that pushed valuations up.

Not that I can afford anything near these levels, but it's still interesting to watch; and it definitely trickles down to the lower-end bidders like myself.
Valued Member
Canada
269 Posts
 Posted 06/05/2023  10:39 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Dollar 1935 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Here's a video of the coin in question :

vimeo.com/814570586
''Buy the very best, stretch to buy it. It means if you can't afford to buy it, buy it anyway."

-Steven Duckor
Edited by Dollar 1935
06/05/2023 10:42 am
Valued Member
Portugal
147 Posts
 Posted 06/28/2023  5:05 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jecz79 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
A satyr? It is not the head of a Satyr, it's the god Pan. Couldn't the auction house at least read the relevant museum catalogs?

The Gulbenkian Museum has two of these. Same obverse, slightly different reverse in one of those.
I doubt the only three claim. But the specimens in the museum may have come from the Hermitage sale also, some of its contents did.
The reverse in this one is oddly crude, compared to the two museum pieces there.VERY oddly crude. Caveat emptor. The catalog is published and has good photos. It's the cover coin.

The observe die seems to be the same. It is extremely similar but I see what looks like differences in the left eye and cheek, comparing photos. May have been tooled? Would be necessary to see the two side by side.

The reverse is similar in design but has none of the squashed edges. Unfortunately the second coin is not photographed in the catalog. This same reverse in the Pan profile coin is much better struck.

Found the auction description

Stater circa 350-300, AV 9.12 g. Facing bearded head of Pan, slightly l. Rev. Π - A - N Griffin standing l., head facing and its r. forepaw raised. Locker Lampson 122 = Gulbenkian 583 (these dies). Gulbenkian 584 (this obverse die) and 580 (this reverse die). K. Regling, Der Griechische Goldschatz von Prinkipo, ZfN XLI, 1931, 165 (this obverse die). Jameson 2143. Gillet 851 (this coin).

So they knoew and compared. Good. Gulbenkian bought the Lampson coin?
The only three may have been creative interpretation by who wrote the other piece.
Edited by jecz79
06/28/2023 5:41 pm
Valued Member
Portugal
147 Posts
 Posted 09/07/2023  01:36 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add jecz79 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Noticed this and decided to add, who bought this one missed a similar much cheaper one a couple of years ago? Or perhaps bought both.

https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=l...d=3515&lot=2

Everyone rich buyer collecting greek coins was for the Arethusa in that auction, little love for Pantikapaion then?
Is is as in the big art auctions. The text the auction houses use for each item helps them very much with making the prices of the pieces. Draw more attention to this of that.

And a university disposing of such a piece of its collection? Crazy!
Edited by jecz79
09/07/2023 01:40 am
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