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 Replies: 9 / Views: 2,718 |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Hi folks, I have what is possibly a Greek coin with a little owl on the reverse which I am not sure if it is part of the design or a countermark. Hopefully you can help me out. Obverse - head right wearing crested helmet Reverse - A at bottom, owl right. possible under type ? Weight - 2.78g Size - 15mm     |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
Bob L is really good with ID's. I can't can't make out much.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2624 Posts |
Pontos Amisos might be worth a try (aside from Athens I know that they used owls too on some coins) but I agree with Echizento...BobL usually knows ^^
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
Neat little owl there. Well, the owl's small size, in combination with a likely Athena obverse, makes me think Neonteichos, Aeolis. Can't find a match, but that might be due - as you suggest tenbobbit - to an overstrike from which the "A" and loops come - and from which the "NE" of the Neonteichos issues gets obliterated. That's just a working theory, though. I'll keep looking. Hopefully someone has more to offer than I.
Btw, another working theory: the owl IS a countermark and the coin is an Athena/Serpent issue (the loop) from Pergamon.
Edited by Kamnaskires
04/30/2016 6:48 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
1194 Posts |
Maybe Mysia , Pergamon , size and weight are correct . albert  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Many thanks for the leads Bob, I have been trawling every site I can think of trying to find a match for the undertype but have drawn a blank. Pretty sure your suggestion of Pergamon is correct its just that I cant fid a serpent type with the A in the position that mine has, the obverse does match though. There is a seller on E-Bay called - Highratinglowprice that has a very similar coin with an Owl countermark, not an exact match but close enough for me to be comfortable in going with your thought BOB that it is indeed a Pergamon Serpent type with Owl countermark  Many thanks again Bob for your efforts and knowledge The coin was tossed into a tray with many other little blobs that I didn't know, amazing what turns up when you take a proper look. Here is another that came from the same ignored tray of coins, possibly another Owl type ? Needs a clean.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
That last one looks tiny, Tenbobbit. Perhaps, as you say, another owl, although really hard to tell for sure. The diagonal extending down to the right from the head (?) could be another wing, and the two little lines below it could be legs...so perhaps it's a double-bodied owl. Several cities (Agathopolis, Sigeion, Adramytion, and Athens) issued coins with this reverse motif. If indeed it's an owl (or double-owl) my best guess, without seeing the obverse, would be a dichalkon or diobol of Athens...there seem to have been several variants of the double-owl minted there, one type with what I've seen described alternately as a kalathos and a basket, below the owl (I see a large shape in that spot on yours)...some various Athens double-owl types for comparison with yours below. These all had helmeted Athena obverses. Looking forward to seeing your coin cleaned up, and with an obverse pic. This speculation could be way off base.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Your knowledge of this period amazes me Bob, I had no idea that it could be a double bodied owl  Of the pictures you posted I would say it looks a lot like picture #1, I did a search and this would make it an Agathopolis issue, circa 300bc. Wildwinds has it listed as Borrell 4, this is the closest I could find for a possible match. The obverse is in a poor condition unfortunately, difficult to make out the details. Weight 2.11g Size - 11mm    |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
Actually, Damion, that first pic is an Athens issue...see below. In my opinion, the obverse portrait on yours - with its sharp nose - and just possibly the hint of a helmet along the brow - seems more akin to Athena than the pudgy "young male" of the Borrell 4 on Wildwinds. I also like the bulging shape below the double-bodied owl on yours, as a match to whatever it is below the owl on the Athens issue. See coin number one, with obverse shown, underneath your obverse, below...pulled this image from acsearch.info. I'm also showing an Athens issue from CNG, for reference to the Athena portrait. I could be way off base. Again, just speculatin' here.    Edited by Kamnaskires
05/03/2016 10:01 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
701 Posts |
Yet again Bob I bow to your greater knowledge  I thought I had nailed it  Many thanks again Bob for all your efforts, greatly appreciated and most educational I can at least say that I own an Athens Owl coin now, not a silver 1 but who cares  I have 1 more that I will post for you to ID Bob, this time it has half a horse and a cow I think. I will open a new post for that 1. Many thanks. |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 2,718 |
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Posted 04/30/2016 5:27 pm
