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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,941 |
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Hello All, I need some help in ID ing this coin. From Italy? I have seen other coins online with the horse/chariot/angel, but the other side, I have not seen anywhere. Thank you!   identified - moved to Ancients subforum - Sap |
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Moderator
 Australia
16850 Posts |
Hello and welcome.  The forepart-of-a-man-headed-bull is a common symbol of the coins of Gela, a city on the island of Sicily (now owned by Italy). See this wildwinds page for numerous examples. Below the charioteer is the retrograde Greek word GELOION, so we can be certain of it's origin. The Wildwinds page does not have an exact match for your coin, with a female figure crowning the bull. How large is your coin? And I also have to ask, have the images been mirror-flipped? Because the beard on the bull is very late-period looking, which does not match well with retrograde lettering, which is a very early trend. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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New Member
 United States
5 Posts |
Hello, thanks for your reply. The coin is not round, more oblong. Measures 15/16" x 1 1/16". One image is upright, whereas the other side is upside down. The photos I uploaded are not flipped. Thanks for any help!
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Moderator
Australia
16850 Posts |
OK, found it: a tetradrachm dating from roughly 440-430 BC. Listed in the Sear catalogue as number 794. It's also extremely rare and expensive, which probably explains why there aren't any listed on Wildwinds. Here's a couple of museum examples. My 1997 edition lists it at £4500, so unless you've got some good provenance to go with it, I'd have to assume yours is a replica. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Thank you for your reply! The coin was given to my daughter , along with some silver jewelry from Denmark, there is also a bracelet that I can't identify, that appears to be about mythology. Should I take the coin to a jeweler to see if it is a fake/ Is it supposed to be made of silver? Thanks again.
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Moderator
Australia
16850 Posts |
Yes, it is supposed to be made of silver. But a jeweller is likely to do a destructive test on it (a touchstone or a chemical test) which you wouldn't really want to have happen to it if it were genuine. Further, a fake of a coin that's worth thousands of dollars could still be made of genuine silver, to try to fool people; there are two on the FORVM fakes database, here and here that are both made of silver. If you can, take it to an ancient coin dealer so they can see it in hand. I'll move this thread to the Ancients subforum as well as edit the title, to get the attention of the ancient Greek experts. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2044 Posts |
The coin could also be sent to Sear for authentication.
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Thanks for the help. If I want to send it for authentication, how does one go about that? Should I have insurance or contract with them/ So many questions.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4253 Posts |
Quote:
unless you've got some good provenance to go with it, I'd have to assume yours is a replica.  Your description of how this came to be in your possession suggests it is probably fake. Fake or not, this style of coin is a beautiful design and highly sought after by collectors. Like Gil-galad said, you can send this off and pay for an expert to authenticate. I think the going price is around $50. If the coin is real, it will be well worth the $50. If not, it will be a waste. There is one other way. Harlen J. Berk, a dealer of ancient coins with renowned experts on staff, may be willing to look at your image and make a judgement for free. I have had them do this for me on occasion. It won't be absolutely definitive w/o having it in hand, but it will be a starting point. http://www.harlanjberk.com/ |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Edited by DVCollector
07/31/2012 3:21 pm
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Thank you all for the help and suggestions!
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,941 |
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Posted 07/29/2012 10:54 am
