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 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,645 |
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Moderator
 United States
34427 Posts |
As my search for a coin from every year has stalled a bit in the late 15th Century, and through constant exposure to ancients from you folks, I have broadened my collecting a little bit. Here is a recent purchase--a silver Didrachm from Luciania, Velia. The obv shows Athena with a helmeted head. That helmet has a griffin on the side. On the rev is the inscription YE^HTON along with a lion devouring a piece of meat. This coin was minted in the range of 300 to 280 BC (Philistion group), but I absolutely fell in love with the clarity and detail of that rev image. You can plainly pick out the extensor tendon on the lions right forelimb! The previous owner had freed this coin from a plastic tomb of NGC construction, but the remnant label shows that this TPG had it at 4/5 for strike and 4/5 for surface. The attribution is Williams 390, although I don't see an example posted on wildwinds. If anyone out there has a copy of Williams' book, I'd appreciate it if you could confirm this attribution. Thx! In looking at previous threads on CCF with similar coins, I was ROTF  with @sel_69l's description of the lion as a "vomiting dog": http://goccf.com/t/70084  "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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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
I agree, the toning is beautiful.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
Quote:
I was ROTF with @sel_69l's description of the lion as a "vomiting dog" LOL. I am reminded of when, back in the days when I taught art history along with studio art, one of my students wrote an analysis paper dealing with Botticelli's Birth of Venus - you know, the famous picture of Venus standing nude on a scallop shell. In the painting, the wind god Zephyr blows Venus across the sea. The student interpreted this as "On the left part of the painting there is a guy who seems to be spitting on her." Wow.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2624 Posts |
Wow, great looking coin. Congrats.
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Valued Member
United States
406 Posts |
I do not even collect ancient coins, but that coin is magnificent! The toning really enhances the design!
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Moderator
 United States
34427 Posts |
Thanks everyone! I was super excited to win it. I like the rev description in the Stacks-Bowers auction too: Quote:
Lion gnawing on ram's head "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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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
1194 Posts |
that's a realy nice coin with an old cabinet toning .You made an excellent choice : greek coins are the most beautiful , and of the Greek coins , South Italian and Sicilian are for me the most beautiful.The piece of meat in fact is a ram's head , you can see the horn left under . On the top you have in the middle a cicada and left and right control marks : phi --- iota .Athene wears a Phrygian helm.Congratulations and when the next? albert
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Moderator
United States
34427 Posts |
albert, thanks for the additional information about the control marks and cricket. I've picked up a few other coins recently (none as nice as this one) and will post when I have a chance.
"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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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
1194 Posts |
I am waiting impatiently,albert
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
Exceptional example of a beautiful type.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 1,645 |
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Posted 10/07/2017 10:36 pm
