Iran/Sassanian

Kavad, 2nd reign CE 499-531

AR Drachm, 27.5 mm, 3.76 g, mint AS in Khuzistan(?)
Year 27 or 37(?) =c. CE 507-519
Göbl 187
O: hd of Shah r.
R: Fire altars and attendants

Ex: Amphora/D. Hendin
Acquisition: 2005

Greece/Thessalian League BCE 196-146

AE 17 mm, 3.05 g
GCV 2237 v

O: Hd of Athena r in crested Corinthian helmet, IΠΠAI/[TAΣ] above and beneath.
R: ΘΕΣ/Σ/[ΑΛΩΝ] above and below horse trotting r

Ex: J. Jencek
Acquisition: 2006

Gordian III CE 238-244

AE Sestertius, 33 mm, 22.68 g, Rome mint, CE 243-244

O: laur bust r. IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG
R: Gordian stg r, PM TRP VI COS II PP SC

Ex: Amphora/D. Hendin

Acquisition: 2004

Philip I CE 244-249

AR Antoninianus, 4.8 g, Rome mint, CE 244-245

RSC 103, RIC 40(b)

O: rad cuir bust r. IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG
R: Pax adv l, PAX AETERN

Ex: Copper Penny

Acquisition: 2005

Marcus Aurelius CE 161-180

AE Dupondius, 25 mm, 12 g, Rome mint, CE 175

C. 922, RCV 5046

O: rad bust r. M ANTONINVS AVG GERM SARMATICVS
R: Annona with usual accoutrements stg l, TRP XXIX IMP VIII COS III SC

Ex: Amphora/D. Hendin

Acquisition: 2004

Gratian CE 367-383

AE 3, 18 mm, 2.42 g , Antioch mint, c. CE 378-383

CHK 2695v, RIC IX Antioch 45a (S)

O: DN GRATIA-NVS PF AVG, diad draped bust r.
R: CONCOR-DIAAVGGG/ANTє, Roma std hd facing left. In left field Θ in right field, Φ over K.

Ex: Norman Munoz (TX) “rockman101” via eBay

Acquisition: 2008

Greece/Illyria; Dyrrachium after BCE 229

AR Drachm, 17 mm, 3 g

GCV 1899 v, SNG Cop 459

O: cow stg r suckling calf, above magistrates name in nominative case, around circle of dots, in ex. Rudder (o/c). MENIΣΚΟΣ

R: double stellate or floral pattern within double linear square, above ΔΥΡ(o/c); around name of the Eponymos(?) in the genitive case,[ AP ]/ XIΠ / ΠOY, cf. Maier, 144*

*Maier, Alfred; Die Silberprägung von Apollonia und Dyrrhachion, NZ XLI (1908), p. 1ff.

Ex: Frank S. Robinson
Acquisition: 2005

Diocletian CE 284-305 Provincial Egypt CE 284-296

Bi. Tetradrachm, 19 mm, 7.5 g, Year 2=CE 285-286

Emmett 4045(1), Köln 3217, Dattari 5654, Milne 4774

O: Α Κ Γ ΟVAΛ ΔΙΟΚΛΗΤΙΑNOC CEB, laur dr cuir bust r.

R: L B, Eirene stg l. holds olive branch and sceptre.

Ex: Tom Mann/Frascatius (eBay)

Acquisition: 2008

Julian II CE 360-363

AE 1; 26 mm, 6.77 g, CE 362-363 Antioch mint
CHK 2641, RIC VIII Antioch 216

O: DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG, diad, draped cuir. bust r.
R: Bull r, SECVRITAS REIPVB/palm ANTΓ palm
pitted reverse.

Ex: Amphora/David Hendin

Acquisition: 2003

Islamic/Ayyubid Syria; Halab CE 1237-1260

An-Nasir Salah ad-Din II CE 1237-1260 with Caliph al-Muta'sim CE 1242-1258
AR Dirham, 21 mm, 2.63 g, Halab/Aleppo mint, c. CE 1245-1258
O: al-Malik an-Nasir/bin al-Malik al-'Aziz on outside can be read the word "sana" for year but not much else.
R: al-Imam al-Muta'sim/Amir al-Mu'minin shahada around central design.
Ex: shop in the Suq of Jerusalem's Old City, on Bab as-Silsileh St.
Acquisition: 1987, paid 10 ₪.
In the seven centuries since this coin was minted it possibly moved a mere 521 km +/- (324 mi.+/-) between Halab and Jerusalem, but from the day I purchased it, it moved from Jerusalem to Herzlia and then to the USA (9,000 km or 5,700 mi) where it has remained.

Greece; Seleucid Dynasty; Antiochus IV BCE 175-164

AE 21 mm, 8.6 g, Antioch mint.

BMC 48, CSE 123

O: radiate hd of king r.
R: eagle stg. r. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ/ ANTIOXOY /ΘΕΟΥ /EΠΙΦΑΝΟΥ

cf. I Maccabbees 1:16-19

16 When Antiochus saw that his kingdom was established, he determined to become king of the land of Egypt, in order that he might reign over both kingdoms. 17So he invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants and cavalry and with a large fleet. 18He engaged King Ptolemy of Egypt in battle, and Ptolemy turned and fled before him, and many were wounded and fell. 19They captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt, and he plundered the land of Egypt.

China; Ming Dynasty CE 1368-1644

Hongwu Emperor, CE 1368-1398, AE Cash, 23 mm, 2.9 g

Schjöth 1137 v

O: Hong Wu Tong Bao

Ex: gift from visiting Chinese Delegation from Shandong Province, portion of a collection of more than 60 examples of Chinese coins from the Cowrie shell to the Min Guo.

Acquisition: 2007

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor b. 1328 d. 1398

Greece/Thrace; Byzantion c. 340-320 BCE

AR Siglos (16.5 mm, 5.29 gm)

SNG BM Black Sea 21; SNG Copenhagen 476

O:Heifer standing left on dolphin B[Y] above.
R:Quadripartite granulated mill-sail incuse punch


Ex: CNG Triton VIII, portion of lot 1929 (10 January 2005)
Ex: ANE

Acquisition: 2008

Greece/Thessaly, Pharsalos c. BCE 424-405

AR Drachm, 17 x 20 mm, 5.87g

SNG Cop. 221 v, Boston Coll. 924 v, Lavva Pharsalos 107 v (S.144, F 18)

O: Athena in close fitting crested helmet, winged snake adorning helmet r
R: ΦΑΡΣ, rider on horse prancing r wearing chlamys and petasos holding whip.

Ex: CP

Acquisition: 2007

Greece/Thessaly, Pharkadon c. BCE 480-450

AR Hemidrachm, 14 mm, 2.83 g
Sear 2182; BMC Thessaly pg. 42, 1 v; SNG Copenhagen 209 v, Grose 4672 (with thanks to Gary Waddingham for providing a scan of the plate to confirm this information)


the BMC and SNG Cop types are with the youth stg in front of the bull. Out of 1,000 Thessalian coins reviewed via coinarchives.com, only seven (4 drachms and 3 hemidrachms) depicted the youth behind the bull. All dated within the period of BCE 500-460 and were all somewhat archaic in their rendering. All were noted as being Rare (3-dr of Larissa 2 and 1 hemidrachm of Larissa), Very Rare (2-a hemidrachm of Pharkadon and a hemidrachm of Larissa) or Extremely Rare (2-both drachms of Pherai).


CNG sold one similar example to the coin depicted in MBS 57 lot 295 (4 April 2001) that is quite similar in style and rendering, CNG notes that the coin is "very rare"

O: naked youth stg r restraining forepart of bull prancing r, rose beneath , petasus blowing backwards off youth’s hd.

The depiction on this coin (and its related types) refers to a sport, much in vogue in Thessaly at the time of its minting. A youth would ride a horse to the bull and then propel himself off the horse and onto the bull literally grabbing the bull by the horns in order to try and bring it down. (info based in part from this website: http://www.infomonnaies.com/fr/monnaie/show-2e-Monnaie-Antique-Grecque-Thessalie.htm)


Another thought is perhaps similar to Jason (of the Argonauts fame) performing the same feat to yoke two bulls to plow a field. This story of course appears somewhat later then these coins though there may have been a local tradition just the same, especially since Jason was a local Thessalian hero. For all we know, this depiction may not have been referring to a sport in vogue at the time at all, but to the legendary Jason himself(??) comments in this regard are welcome.


R: slightly doublestruck Φ]ARKA, appears R & K are retrograde, forepart of horse prancing r all within incuse square. Trident to far left.

Ex: CP

Acquisition: 2007




photo of the plate coin, 175.7 from the McClean Collection, Grose 4672


More on the type:


George Macdonald writing in his Coin Types; Their Origin & Development (Glasgow; Maclehouse & Sons, 1905) pp. 99-100 writes of this type:

“…the fifth century coins of Crannon, Larissa, the Perrhaebi, Pharcadon, Pherae and Tricca. They have on the obverse a youth seizing a struggling bull by its horns, while on the reverse is a bridled horse. The meaning of the former type has never been doubted since it was first pointed out by Eckhel. But I do not think that the latter has yet been adequately explained. It is usually regarded independently and taken as a symbol of Poseidon. And it is certain that it did come to be looked upon as a thing by itself. I strongly suspect, however, that the designer of the first of these coins---for all are copied from a common original---had a different idea in mind. He intended the two sides to be complementary and the horse to be the horse from which the matador had just dismounted to dispatch his victim. It must be remembered that the horse was an important actor in the drama, and that without him we should not have the whole picture. Nor would there be anything singular in so intimate a connection between obverse and reverse. We need not go beyond Thessaly itself for a parallel. A fourth century drachm of Larissa has on the one side a bull in full career and on the other a galloping horseman in Thessalian garb. Taken together, these two types present us with a sketch of the first stage of the ταυροκαθάψια exactly as described by Suetonius.



[Note: Suetonius Claudius 21, discussing the Saecular Games held by him, Suetonius writes: …and a show in which Thessalian horsemen drove wild bulls across the arena, tired them out, leaped on them, seized hold of their horns and then threw them to the ground.]


It is sometimes said that the bull-fight has a religious significance on coins, inasmuch as performances of the kind were given at games held in honour of Poseidon ταύρεος. But at the best this would be a strangely indirect way of appealing to the god to bear witness to the soundness of the currency. And in any case the inference could hardly be admitted unless it were proved that it was only on the occasion of the games that the coins were minted. There is no evidence to support such a view.”


In many of the 19th century sources this coin (or those like it) are noted on a Rarity Scale as being an “R7” or extremely rare, though not unique or nearly so.

According to CNG the coin is “very rare” thereby signifying that there are perhaps 50 or less known. Though it could well be 30 or less.

This particular type for this particular locale has been noted only selling once in 2001 as noted above via CNG (obviously I suspect there are other sales in the past but have not checked them yet).

The following collections do not list this particular coin with the youth behind the bull:


SNG Vol: III 1592 Lockett Collection

SNG Vol: III 1593 Lockett Collection

SNG Vol: V Ashmolean Museum 3908

SNG Vol: V Ashmolean Museum 3909

SNG Vol: V Ashmolean Museum 3910

SNG Vol: VIII 602 Blackburn Museum 602

SNG Cop, 209, 210, 211 & Supplement

Rosen Collection

Dewing Collection

SNG Winterthur

If you can note a resource where this coin is noted, please provide the information accordingly, by writing to me at yofijr@hotmail.com

Re: Pharkadon itself, The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (Stillwell, R, ed., PUP, 1976) writes:

"The Classical city has been identified with fortifications on an isolated hill above the modern town of Klokoto. The walls, of ashlar with some Byzantine repairs, circle the W and lower of two peaks. The line of the wall runs E along the saddle but turns S to the plain without enclosing the higher peak. The city presumably extended into the plain but has left no visible remains."

Greece/Boiotia; Thebes c. BCE 425-375

AR hemidrachm, 13 mm, 2.65 g.
BCD Boiotia 412.

Obv: A Boiotian shield.
Rev: θ E - B H A wine kantharos with club of Herakles above all within an incuse square.

Ex: BCD Collection (not in CNG BCD Boiotia Sale & not accompanied by BCD's tag)

Ex: CNG MBS 73, portion of lot 241 (13 September 2006)

Ex: Hixenbaugh Ancient Art (NYC)

Acquisition: 2007

Greece/Cilicia; Tarsus BCE 174-164

AE 21.1 mm, 6.14 g

SNG Levante 944 (this coin is the plate specimen, cf. plate photo below)

O: Turreted bust Tyche to right
R: Sandan to right upon horned animal within pyramid TAPΣΕΩΝ to right monogram 39 to left see example to far right here.

Ex: Edoardo Levante (1932-2007) Collection
Ex: CNG Triton VII, portion of lot 1340 (12 January 2004)
Ex: Amphora/David Hendin

Acquisition: 2007

SNG Levante plate photo

Antoninus Pius CE 138-161

AE Dupondius, 26 mm, 13.57 g, Rome mint, CE 146

BMC 1741, Cohen 752, RIC 807 (citations with thanks to Curtis Clay who states that this coin is scarce)

O: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TRP COS IIII, radiate bust r.
R: Mars advancing right with spear in right hand and trophy in left. SC

ex: Silenos

Acquisition: 2004
Sold: 2007