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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,523 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3446 Posts |
Away back in the last century I picked up a few small Alexander type AE's. My brother (OBLIVIVS RVFVS) had named his son 'Alex' and he had started buying the type ...... I decided to snag a few for myself. Now back in the days of "analog" and "Long Playing" 33 1/3 we used to find them in dealers 'junk' boxes. High end junk boxes ($10 or $15 ea. your pick) but they were all mixed unattributed AE's piled into cereal bowls. But patience would often result in finding something down below all the 'rubbish' Seeing that of late I have seen several posted here (and some people who seem to know something about them !) I went scrounging around and located the three I still have kicking about. Coin #1 19-20mm 5.53 grams BASILEWS between quiver and bow & club, torch below. Price 2800 ?   Coin #2 17-18mm 4.59 grams   Coin #3 16-17mm 6.53 grams Very thick flan   I am assuming that they are postumous issues but I honestly have no idea. I am making an educated guess on the attribution for coin #1 (Price 2800)based on one I spied on Wildwinds. I honestly have no clue and have never been very adept at attributing these types. Well ..... "Its all Greek to me" |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
Nice coins. The first one is posthumous, but I believe the other two are life time issues.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
3626 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
The prices have gone up quite a bit.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3446 Posts |
Yes I have noticed that prices today are beyond what I am interested in dishing out !
Fortunately I have these three to show for my early years of collecting. I may actually have paid out $20 for the first one.
But that was 30 years ago !
I often cringe when I think of the many gem Constantine AE's I had purchased then for $2 and $3 apiece !
A few years later I sold them off for around $5 when my "wants" had changed.
The lesson I believe is that you should always hang onto the higher grade (XF) material and when need be sell off the 'puppies'.
Would that I had !
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4981 Posts |
those are nice...i'd love to get any of them for 20 bucks a pop. the first two are really fantastic. those are 60+ usd coins now.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3446 Posts |
The third one is actually my favorite (despite being small diameter and a bit over cleaned)
Its a thick lump of a coin and reminds me of the small Ptolemy I have ..... somewhere !
Perhaps it was minted in the same general area ?
Yes I am glad I bought them long ago and kept them too !
But I probably would not mind trading places with you either chrismat71 ...... getting old isn't all its cracked up to be !
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1006 Posts |
Not Greek But Macedonian otherwise First is posthumous 325-310bc while the other two are lifetime 336-323bc.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3446 Posts |
"Graecum est, non legitur"
It is (in) Greek, I can't read (it)
I notice that some varieties of these are attributed to either certain specific mints in Macedonia
or general geographic areas (Asia Minor)
How they attribute them is still a mystery to me.
Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, 1601:
CASSIUS - Did Cicero say any thing?
CASCA - Ay, he spoke Greek.
CASSIUS - To what effect?
CASCA - Nay, an I tell you that, Ill ne'er look you i' the face again:
but those that understood him smiled at one another
and shook their heads;
but, for mine own part,
it was Greek to me ......
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1006 Posts |
Ah The interpretation I took was slightly different (logical rather than english) sorry friend just a big peeve of mine. On the varieties some may be mistakenly attributed to Asia Minor cities however this series was minted in Macedonia while the Shield/helmet series was Macedonia and Asia Minor. Any other questions on the coinsthat I can help with? Anyway say hi to Alex from Alex  wouldn't happen to be Macedonian too? Lol. Also have you read Macbeth killer book aint it? lol. Edited by oh my florin
07/30/2014 9:37 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3446 Posts |
No offense taken !
I mentioned above that #3 is very much a 'lump' of a coin. All the others I have seen tend toward a normal thickness while this one is more like a small Ptolemaic AE.
They did not issue in Alexandria ?
I would add that the portrait is also somewhat different - and more pleasing to my eye. The heavy brow is lacking making the portrait less "serious" looking and dare I say younger looking.
Macbeth was 'required' reading in my eighth grade English ! So long ago (42 years !) that I am affraid the text would seem quite new to me.
Edited by FVRIVS RVFVS
07/30/2014 9:43 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1006 Posts |
Good to hear bud.
On number 3 I think you may have a half unit with its diameter being significantly smaller than the other ones (the units and half units had the same design but differing diameters and weights.) They didn't issue them in Alexandria when Ptolemy I got Egypt he issued new coins even during his Satrapy (Seleucus did the same tho some tets are the same type as the originals.)On the variation you see every die had to be cut from scratch and as no one person could do it there were a lot of different artists cutting new dies so there are a number of different styles out there.
Don't worry they still have it in 8th grade here as of at least 5 years ago when I was doing it ironically I was terrible at English but did very well with Macbeth lol. Thankfully don't need english now studying at Uni.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,523 |
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Posted 07/30/2014 11:50 am
