Greece/Calabria; Taras [Tarentum] BCE 302-228

AR Obol, 11 mm, 0.43 g

Vlasto 1659 (this coin), the plate photo is quite poor, though the obverse is precisely the same the reverse is weak probably due to the fact that it was a poor cast and it appears that most if not all the photos in Vlasto are based on casts not the actual coins. The positioning of the kantharos on the reverse is the same as on the actual coin. Ravel does not note the dot in the field or the aplustre for the simple fact that they did not transfer when cast for some reason. This is the most likely explanation.

O: kantharos, letters in right field
R: kantharos, dot in right field, aplustre in left field

Ex: Michel P. Vlasto (1874-1936) Collection
Ex: Den of Antiquity (UK)

Acquisition: 2008

Photo of M. P. Vlasto from the frontispiece of Descriptive Catalogue of The Collection of Tarentine Coins formed by M. P. Vlasto, compiled by Oscar E. Ravel (reprint 1977)

Click on the link below to see an example of a nice Southern Italian Kantharos like those depicted on this obol: http://www.hixenbaugh.net/gallery/detail.cfm?itemnum=3252

Greece/Macedon; Mende c. 500 BCE

AR Partitioned Tetradrachm, 8.48 g; 19 x 14mm (cf. illustration below for full Tet.)

O: Ithyphallic ass stg l crow perched r on his back pecking at his rump.
R: Five incuse triangles arranged in “mill sail” pattern.

Price & Waggoner 195-203 cf, BMC 5, 1

Ex: Asyut Hoard (part of the group not pictured in the corpus); cf. below
Ex: W.P. Wallace Collection.
Ex: Dr. Paul Rynearson Collection (CA)

Acquisition: 2008

The Asyut (ancient Lycopolis) Hoard, 300 km S of Cairo, was found in 1969.
It was buried according to Price c. BCE 475 it is IGCH 1644 (according to CH IX, 680 the deposition is now thought to be BCE 475-470 with 900 AR deposited, all dispersed. The citations appearing in the CH series are IGCH 1644, CH 2.17, CH 4.11, CH 8.44 besides CH 9.680)Contents: 869+ AR, many fragmented and chiseled; found with 3+ AR ingots.

The Asyut Hoard, discovered in 1969 in Egypt, comprised the largest hoard to date of Archaic Greek coins. In addition to its size, it is also important for the wide variety of Greek types represented, indicating a broad network of trade in the eastern Aegean in the time between the late Archaic and early Classical periods. http://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=31096


17 Tetradrachms from Mende were recorded.

According to CH VIII; 44, “study of cut fragments including three of Neapolis staters additional to the published record” was produced by P. Rynearson in SAN XII.4 (1981-1982), pp. 71-73. (this coin illustrated as #4 in article) The actual title of the article was “Partitioned Coins: Hoard Evidence For Fractional Denominations?”

drawing of the tetradrachm before partitioning. from Catalogue of Greek Coins; Macedonia etc., by B. V. Head ( London; 1879, p. 80)