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 Replies: 70 / Views: 9,899 |
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Pillar of the Community
 Spain
2752 Posts |
Here's one of mine that I think fits into series 1.1.2 Flame 4.3.2.1 Couple of differences...Crescent moon reverse top right.. Only 2 horizontal lines above s shape of ribbon in front of the portrait Paul  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
6130 Posts |
Nice coin Paul! I have a match to it, which is still a few coins away. A little more later  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.2 Coin 7 23mm 4.05g  This coin I believe to be related to Coins 5 and 6, although the exact relationship is unclear to me. The flat-struck area is quite unfortuante, although we still have a lot to work with here. The nose is perhaps the most striking feature of this coin, and is quite realistically engraved--large with a rounded tip and large nostrils. The lips are pursed similarly to the previous two coins, and we can also see a small chin beneath them. The ear seems to have either an elongated lobe or a hoop earring, but the three earring pearls are still present. The lower portion of the ribbon is elegantly engraved, with two parallel curving lines giving it a somewhat less two-dimensional appearance, although not entirely convincing. The fire altar on the reverse is large, but not quite as large as previously. The bowl and base are both large and wide, and the shaft is a simple rectangle connecting them. The flames feature prominently in a 4-3-2-1 pattern, and the sun is again a rayed dot to the upper right. The ribbon is a confused mess of dots in front of the attendants. The attendants are again portrayed with small, thin, simply engraved bodies, although the thorns are a bit more prominent here. The faces are unadorned large dots, surrounded by their necklaces. The arm is long, and bends sharply at the elbow. |
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Pillar of the Community
Spain
2752 Posts |
Nice coin Steve! I've never seen such distinct facial details as this on these type of coins..good find! Quote:
I have a match to it, which is still a few coins away. A little more later Ooops sorry...Maybe get the mods to delete out my coin and I'll post it again at the correct time? Great work Steve... Paul  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7066 Posts |
I'm not commenting with each addition, but am really enjoying the ride. Well done, Steve.
I suspect that if 1.1.2 # 7, above, was the only coin ever excavated that featured this reverse iconography - in other words, if we had no other coins from which to deduce the imagery - that we might not know what was being represented here. That reverse is so chaotic and abstract, and made more ambiguous by the flat areas - I would have guessed it was an ancient bowling alley after being destroyed by a tornado (or, well, a central Asian dust storm as the case may be).
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
I agree and outstanding thread.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.2 Coin 8 22mm 4.07g  Another with a rather distinctive portrait! This one unfortunately suffers from striking issues, but we can see a beardless portrait with a large, almond-shaped eye and a long, pointed nose. The nostrils and lips are a bit confused, but there appears to be a moustache coming from the upper lip. The potrait's hat is a cone hovering above the brim, and has some indistinct decorations on it. The ear is a bit large and round for this series, and the earring beads are extra large below it. The hair bun star has been replaced with what looks like an X (right below the hat, next to the rear ribbon), and there are mystery pellets surrounding it. Interestingly, we can see that the bottom portion of the right ribbon originates from the king's lips, almost like he is blowing smoke. Compare to Coin 7 above, and it is not difficult to argue that this coin is probably a derivative; the celator ran out of room before the shoulder pads, and had to drop the extra line. The reverse is somewhat obscured by flat-struck areas, but we can see the fire altar features prominently in the center. The flames are probably 4-3-2-1. Breaking from the formula, we can clearly see that the base of the fire altar sports four layers, not three! The shaft is a small unadorned line, and once again the ribbons are a confused mess of dots clustered around the center. Here we can prominently see that the moon is on the left, and there is a large pellet within the crescent. The attendants are tall, thin, have long arms and curving backs, large prominent necklaces, and a dress hem that forks at the bottom. The legs have been replaced with two pellets beneath the dress. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.2 Coin 9 24mm 3.96g  Hold up, is that a die match? Why yes it is! Here we have yet another extremely rare case of two coins made from the same die, this time purchased from the same seller and probably found together in the same hoard. Curiously, this one is struck on a flan a full 2mm larger in diameter, and a large unstruck rim is the result. The strike is distributed more evenly, so here we can see that the portrait's nose comes down to a sharp point that touches the ribbon below it. The stray dots are still present behind the head, but their purpose is still no more clear. The reverse confirms the 4-3-2-1 flame pattern, but the plot thickens as two additional dots appear at the top, next to the moon... I am not sure what to make of these! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.2 Coin 10 21mm 3.93g  Here we have the match to Paul's coin. The style here is quite a bit different than the other coins of 1.1.2 - I am not even entirely certain where to place it. It is here only by virtue of lacking a beard. The portrait is well-centered, carefully engraved, and fully struck - these types are almost without exception. The head shape is quite distinct with a large square cheek, squared off jaw, and a brow that runs from the back of the head and becomes the nose. The hat is a tall semicircle, and we can somewhat see the orb above it. The wings are rather simply engraved, and shaped like downward-facing cornucopiae - curiously, my coin lacks the extra little swirl that Paul's demonstrates near the top. The ear is small, simply engraved, and the earring seems to only have two earrings. The hair bun is a filled in, thick star of six rays. The necklace is a single row of beads, and there is no visible neck. The shoulder pads on mine appear as a solid shape, but Paul's show pellets around a central line. The most unusual characteristic of this coin is that the top portion of both the front and rear ribbons is only two lines, not three! This is the only coin type in this entire track that has a visible ribbon of only two lines. The fire altar here is tall and somewhat narrower than the previous coins. The shaft has taken a somewhat diamond or lozenge shape. The flame follows the 4-3-2-1 pattern, and sadly the sun and moon are not visible on my specimen. The ribbons are a short, simple string of dots held by each attendant. The attendants here are quite striking, almost serpentine in appearance! The head is an unadorned pellet sitting atop a crescent necklace with no beads, and the two breasts lay just below. Beneath the breasts begins the dress, here with extremely prominent thorns that curve into almost an S shape. The arm is long and curves smoothly at the elbow. The back arm almost seems to attach to the shoulder and moves down to the bottom line of the fire altar bowl. It is difficult to tell whether the dress simply ends at the die border, or whether there are tiny pellet legs below. This coin type seems to be a bit more common than others-- I have one, Paul has one, Maheshwari illustrates six, and they periodically appear at auctions. Example: https://www.cNGCoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=98580Edited by Finn235
06/30/2018 4:38 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Spain
2752 Posts |
Interesting and impressive breakdowns Steve! That 1.1.2 coin 10 is really nice... Hope you don't mind but here are two other coins for sale at the moment 21 euros each!! If your intersrested PM me and I'll send you the link... They seem to follow the criteria you've described.. Hopefully these are helpful and maybe show different aspects you've not seen before for example looking at the second coins reverse it seems to show the attendants legs as indeed 2 pellets. Also both portrait chins are shorter......Paul  Edited by Palouche
07/01/2018 04:52 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
Thanks Paul. I was already aware of those; had considered pulling the trigger a few times, but my budget usually gets pulled somewhere else.
This series in particular is fascinating in that:
1) Despite the incredible differences we see in the portrait and fire altar, the basic formula is constant; the king always wears a hat with wings, is always flanked by ribbons of the same number of lines, wears the same jewelry. The attendants all wear the thorn dress and flank a fire altar with a very consistent design - indeed more consistent than most imperial Sassanian mints could manage in the 5th century.
2) This series is full of one-off coins that are seemingly very close to unique, while others seem to have been imitated through several iterations.
3) The large number of minor differences between a sub-sub-type I believe can probably be best explained by each die being engraved by hand when the old pair wears out - no Hubbing of any sort used here!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.3 - Fancy Hat type, Large square jaw This type is reasonably common within this series, although certain varieties can fetch respectable prices at auction. The defining characteristics of this category are: - The portrait has a large, jutting jaw that curves smoothly with finely engraved beard dots, and slightly open lips. - The eyes are usually circular with dot pupils, as if the king is surprised. - The hat is large with a brim that usually runs to the edge of the die. The top is tall and narrow, and usually sports large, stylish wings. Think of a big sombrero, but with wings. The hat usually takes up about a third of the total obverse die, but may take up nearly half in some cases. 1.1.3 Coin 1 23mm 3.89g  This first coin, although worn, is nearly fully struck, which is unusual for this sub-series. Presumably an earlier iteration, the engraving of this coin is fine, showing that the face was originally struck in full relief. The eye unfortunately cannot be distinguished here, but we can see a small pointed nose, lips apparently attached to the cheek, and a characteristic strong jaw lined with a beard. The hat here takes up just under half of the total obverse die, and the dotted brim runs all the way to the border of the die on either side. The crescent is clearly present, and we can see the orb above; here an indistinct pom-pom shape with remnants of turrets (This is the basis of Maheshwari's Gadhaiya Type 1, which we will discuss later). The shoulder pads show some texture (these are frequently flat-struck or worn smooth anyway) and are attached to a central ring-shaped brooch, displaying like an oversized bow tie beneath the bust. The bottom portion of the front ribbon seems to be coming from the shoulder pad, under the chin, and the lines of the upper portion are somewhat crooked. The rear ribbon originates from under the tuft of hair behind the head, and curves upward to the awkwardly spaced upper portion. The reverse shows the fire altar well-proportioned in the middle of the coin; the flames as a triangle of tightly clustered dots that mostly merge together. The shaft is an unadorned pillar, and the ribbons are clearly engraved strings of dots held by each attendant. The moon is on the left, displaying as a large crescent with a central dot, and the sun is on the right, displaying like a large pom pom shape. The attendants are tall thin, wear prominent thorn dresses, and have elongated featureless oval heads which tilt away from the fire altar. The arms are long, meeting sharply at the elbow, and curving in a crescent from the elbow to the ribbon. The dress splits at the bottom, and reveals two small, simple legs. Edited by Finn235
07/20/2018 1:27 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.3 Coin 2 23mm 3.92g  Although nearly uncirculated, this coin is plagued by striking issues. Here we can see the more naturalistic representation of the face on the previous coin giving way to something more schematized. Here we can see a portrait with a large circular cheek, round, wide open eyes, a strong jawline lined with two rows of beard-dots, and a long straight nose with a small nostril. The ear is high, well engraved, and the earring shows only two beads at the end of very long chains. The headgear is mostly obscured by the flat strike, but we can see parts of the large, ornate wing, and interestingly a decorative element above the brim, displaying as a line terminating in a dot. Again on this portrait, the hair bun is a large pom-pom, although distinctively more star-shaped, perhaps due to being in better condition. The rear ribbon is made up of a two-stroke lower portion originating from the die border just behind the shoulder pad, and leads up to a slanted but more attractively engraved upper portion. The shoulder pads again display like large textured clubs attached at a central brooch. The reverse, although mostly obscured, is nearly identical to our coin 1. We can see a plain unadorned pillar attaching the bowl of the fire altar to the base, and the attendants are tall, thin, wearing prominent thorns, and have a prominent split at the bottom of the dress that reveals two legs comprised of dots. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.3 Coin 3 22mm 3.98g  Here is a rare sighting - a nearly fully struck coin! The portrait on this example is nearly identical to our Coin 2, although it is more crudely engraved, most notably with fewer dots in the beard. An important distinction is that the hat has shrunk considerably, although it is still tall and narrow with elaborate wings. Due to the slightly smaller size of this coin, the ribbons seem crammed in at the corners - note how the lower portion of the rear ribbon is almost nonexistent. The reverse is still attractively proportioned, although the fire seems a bit tightly clustered at the top. Contrasting with coin 1, here we see the sun on the left (engraved by making a central dot, and adding rays, some of which are crooked) and presumably the moon on the right. The attendants are somewhat more stylized here, curving backwards more sharply, and with extra tall heads that pass over the border of the die. The thorns are much more prominent here, and the breasts are more clearly engraved beneath the necklace. Still in line with the schema for this type, the elbow meets at a nearly 90 degree angle, and the lower arm curves. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
1.1.4- Fancy hat, Pointed Nose This type is closely related to 1.1.3, although it is difficult to determine whether they were minted before, after, or concurrently. They are less common than the square jaw type, but common enough to get their own type. the defining characteristics of this category are: - The portrait is overall more realistically proportioned, with a small, more rounded jaw - The nose comes to a sharp point - The eye is still round and wide open - The brim of the hat is wide, but not typically run to the edge of the die - The wings are not as large as on 1.1.3, but are more "feathery" and ornate. - The hat is topped with a quite prominent "Antenna" - The fire altar shaft is so small it almost appears to be a dot 1.1.4 Coin 1 22mm 4.04g  As noted above, this coin prominently features a bust resembling those of 1.1.3, however lacking the powerful jaw. The eye is wide open, a dot within a circle. The nose comes down to a point, and the nostril is a crescent opening toward that point, giving the impression of a sharply pointed schnozz. The beard again displays as two rows of dots, the outer coming around to form the chin. The ear is larger and more pointed than on 1.1.3; the earring unfortunately is somewhat obscured by a die break, thus impossible to determine whether it has two beads or three. The hair bun is a large pom pom situated behind the bust. The hat is small and rounded, and sports a nice little antenna at the top. There is no trace of an orb above the helmet. The wings are large and ornate. The reverse unfortunately suffers from an off-center strike and numerous strike issues. We can see a very tall and wide fire altar with just a tiny lozenge at the center for the pillar. The ribbons originate from this lozenge, and are horizontal squiggly lines. Only the right attendant is visible - She is quite thin and tall with exceptionally long arms (unfortunately obscured by a large die break). The hem of the dress seems to split in the middle, and reveals two legs made of dots. The attendant's head is not visible, nor are the sun and moon. |
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Replies: 70 / Views: 9,899 |
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Posted 06/27/2018 3:39 pm
