I recently picked up a coin that has been on my "get list" since the first time I laid eyes on it almost 15 years ago, a Macedonian First Meris tetradrachm!
It has what I assume is a test cut on the obverse, but that is probably what dropped this coin into my price range. I've always thought the style and devices were great on these. I didn't know they were slightly scyphate until I had it in hand (it feels great in hand by the way).
I don't think I really knew what "first Meris" meant until recently. After the Romans conquered the penultimate Macedonian king the area was divided into 4 semiautonomous regions called merides. The first meris seemed to have some silver mines and to be pretty wealthy, and to have some very cool coins.
Macedon, Republican period - First Meris, AR Tetradrachm. 167-148 BC.
O: Artemis centered on a Macedonian Shield.
R: Club with inscription ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΩΝ ΠΡΩΤΗΣ ("First Macedonians"), monogram of ΑΡ above, thunderbolt to the left, surrounded by wreath of oak leaves.
Amphipolis mint. 30 mm, 17.0 g.
Here is a short video clip of the coin in hand.
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Anyone have a coin that they finally picked up after REALLY wanting one for over a decade? Feel free to post them, I would love to see!
Wow, chrsmat - that is a very impressive coin! It's a great strike, fantastic design, and a nice big chunker. Congratulations on finally acquiring it - it looks like an outstanding coin to me! Thank you for sharing the information and history with us.
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
That is a beaut @chrs! I picked up mine about 8 years ago. You can see that it doesn't have a test mark, but has significantly more circulation wear. They are spendy coins but have some real heft to them.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz
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