Sybaris Incusum Coin

An interesting piece... looks like a brockage at first glance then you realise that it was clearly designed that way.

Lucania is also famous for the wheat sheaf coins in the same manner (one side incuse) so I guess it is a bit of a theme for them.

Always good to see some archaic Greek bronzes, I am trying to make an effort to add more of them to my collection since Greek silver seems to dominate at the moment.

Just saw his big brother on V-coins... wow its a beauty but not a cheap coin ^^

https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/pa...Default.aspx

it are my favorite coins, but it is not easy to find a beautiful affordable one ,especially in the incusum .
DavidUK : with wheat sheaf coins , you mean the coins from Metapontum? You have staters with the sheaf in incusum and triobols with a bullhead in incusum .
This silver incusum coins exist only in South Italy for about 50/60 years around 500 BC.
Your big brother coin in not only BB in size , but also in pricealbert

to make a collection of ancient coins , you need , as you know , a lot of patience to find the coin you want and you can pay .I was looking 2 years for this coin of Sybaris.
This coin from Metapontum is the first incusum coin I bought . It is a stater.
22 mm , 7.74 gr ,510-470 BC , HNItaly,1482.
I have now all the incusum coins wich are affordable , as stater or as 1/3 stater (drachme) .
For me , Greek coins are the most beautiful coins , and in the Greek ones,I prefer South Italy and Sicily .albert

sometimes I am wondering that they made such small coins so beautiful and full of details .I have often problems only to look with my old eyes .For me , it is also a mystery such small coins still exist after 2500 years .It is not the kind of coin to put in a hoard ,but many still exist . How is it possible . albert

I have a couple of fun incuse coins I can show from my collection.

Something from Europe.

Italy, Bruttium, Kroton
Anonymous Civic Coinage (BC 530-520)
AR Nomos 24 mm x 7.77 grams
Obverse #984;PO left field, Lion legged Tripod center , Bennu bird standing facing left.
Reverse Tripod in recess.
Ref: SNG ANS 227




and...

Something from Asia Minor.


Lesbos, Mytilene
Electrum Hekte (s. BC 521-478)
10 mm x 2.46 grams
Obverse : Ram left, chicken right
Reverse: Incuse Hercules right
Ref: Bod. MY 21

very nice coins , especially the Kroton stater , nicer and older than mine :
23 mm , 8.06gr ,
480/430 BC
HNItaly2102,var





Kroton is the town who destroyed Sybaris around 500 BC .

For me , the real incuse coins are this with the negative impression on the reverse .Many Greek coins have an incusum , especially the oldest,but I like the negatives .
Some South Italian cities made also incusum coins with a different reverse :
Metapontum , AR triobol
bull head in incusum
13 mm , 1.09 gr , ax 6 h
470-440 BC
SNGAns260






Also very well know is the Poseidon coin of Poseidonia ( Paestum ) , the city with the well conserved Greek doric temples about 100 km under Naples .
Poseidonia is a colony of Sybaris .
AR drachme , 20 mm , 2.8 gr ,
obv : Poseidon at right
rev:incusum
530-500 BC
HNItaly1108
albert