Here are my 3 favourite coins of this year, along with a couple extras. 2023 has been a great year for me in terms of acquisitions, and I was even able to get a mini coin cabinet made to house my small collection. There’s a poll at the end if you want to vote for your favourite. Enjoy!
🏅 Best Inexpensive Coin - Phrygia AE
Phrygia, Eumeneia Æ 19mm. Pseudo-autonomous issue, time of Septimius Severus, AD 193-211. ΔHMOC ЄVMЄNЄΩN, head of Demos to right / ΓΛAVKOC, river-god Glaukos reclining to left, holding grain ears, poppy and reed, and resting elbow upon overturned urn from which liquid flows; two tunnies swimming to left below. SNG von Aulock 3587 var. (arrangement of obv. legend); BMC 26-7. 4.73g, 19mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Ex Roma Numismatics e-Sale 114, Lot 323 (2023)
Great ancient coins really don’t have to be expensive, and that’s hopefully what this category demonstrates. Very recently, I happened upon this sweet bronze at one of Roma’s online auctions. I placed a bid because I loved the reverse: a river god leaning on an overturned urn, which water flows from (two fishies swimming underneath). Not only is it very well executed but the scene lends itself very well to the circular space of the coin; clearly a lot of care has been put into this piece. And… I managed to win it for just £50 (hammer)! What’s so great is that that purchase has also led me to appreciate a whole new area of numismatics (Roman Provincial coins) I had never previously explored - and I’ve already bought some books about it, eager to learn more. A perfect example of how classical numismatics can be so rewarding no matter your budget.
🏅 Runner Up - Archaic Corinth Drachm
Corinthia, Corinth; c. 480-431 BC, Drachm, BM-79. Obv: Pegasus flying l., with curled wing, koppa beneath. Rx: Head of Aphrodite r., wearing necklace, within incuse square.Scarce early drachm; scrape on Pegasus Scarce early drachm; scrape on Pegasus . Toned Fine. Ex HJB Buy or Bid Sale 198, Lot 423 (2016), Ex Heritage Auctions (2022?)
This little drachm caught my eye while browsing eBay earlier this year. And while it took a while to arrive from America, I think it was certainly worth it! A thick piece of silver with a lovely pegasos sporting the old-style curled wing and my favourite: a gorgeous depiction of Athena on the other side, a great example of the archaic style of Greek art. Nothing spectacular, but I find this piece charming in its own way.
#3 - Bellerophon Hemistater
Corinthia, Corinth AR Trihemidrachm. Circa 375-330 BC. Bellerophon on Pegasos flying to right; Ϙ below / Chimaera standing to left, right forepaw raised; ΔI between hind legs, amphora in exergue. Warren, Trihemidrachms, Group V. A.1.2 (same obv. die); SG 2632; BMC 319; Roma 5, lot 194 (hammer: -). 3.25g, 17mm, 4h. Very Fine; somewhat porous, pleasant old cabinet tone. Extremely Rare. Ex Terner Collection, Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 99, 7 July 2022, lot 67.
Another coin from Corinth, this one arguably the most interesting on the list. It’s remarkable in that it narrates the famous myth of Bellerophon, the two sides of the coin very well suited to hunter and beast. I’ve been wanting one of these for a while as I think it’s the coolest type from this city state. Unfortunately, they’re very rare, so I’ve had to wait a while for one to come up - even more happy, therefore, to finally get my hands on an example!
The auction description explains the myth:
[this coin] narrates the story of Corinth's most famous son, who slew the feared Chimaera - a monster that Homer depicts as possessing a lion's head, goat's body and a serpent for a tail, whose breath 'came out in terrible blasts of burning flame'. The Chimaera, being impervious to Bellerophon's attacks even when mounted on Pegasos, required an inventive weapon - mounting a block of lead on the end of his spear, Bellerophon lodged the lead in the Chimaera's mouth so that when it breathed fire the lead melted and blocked its airway, suffocating it.
#2 - Athens Tetradrachm
Attica. Athens AR Tetradrachm. Circa 454-404 BC. Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet ornamented with three olive leaves above visor and spiral palmette on bowl, round earring with central boss, and pearl necklace / Owl standing to right with head facing, olive sprig and crescent behind, AOE before; all within incuse square. Kroll 8; Dewing 1591-8; SNG Copenhagen 31; HGC 4, 1597. 17.149, 25mm, 4h. Near Extremelv Fine. Ex Roma Numismatics e-Sale 104, Lot 106 (2022)
While I did get this coin for Christmas last year, I wasn’t able to include it in my 2022 top coins list (I hadn’t bought it by the time I wrote it), so I thought it would be a shame not to mention it in this year’s. And what a coin it is - probably the most famous of all antiquity! I’ve been wanting one ever since I started collecting, and think every collector ought to add one to their collection too if they can. I discussed it in an article recently, so here’s a segment from that with some info:
The Athenian owl was first produced in around 520 B.C. Over the following centuries, there were numerous changes to the coin (as well as a rapid decrease in artistic quality, especially following the Peloponnesian war), and yet it still retained the same basic design. The most abundant type of these were struck from 454-404 BC, and are known as “mass issue” owls.
These were made of good silver and circulated over a massive area, becoming the trade coin of the ancient world, praised as “the finest coins of all” and standing “the test everywhere among barbarians and Greeks”. In fact, they grew so popular that they were even imitated by many Eastern tribes: Persians, Egyptians, Arabians, etc.
The obverse of these Tetradrachms (worth roughly 4 days’ labour) depicts the patron goddess Athena wearing an Attic helmet (decorated with olive leaves and a spiral palmette), an earring, and a pearl necklace. The reverse features an owl, and it is for this reason that the coins were known as “little owls” (γλαύξ) in antiquity. The legend ΑΘΕ is an abbreviation of ΑΘΕΝΑΙΩΝ; this is a coin “of the Athenians”. And in the top left of the flan we can see an olive branch and a crescent moon, although its meaning is often debated.
#1 - Mytilene Hekte
LESBOS. Mytilene. Circa 377-326 BC. Hekte (Electrum, 10 mm, 2.49 g, 6 h). Head of Dionysos to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit. Rev. Head of a satyr to right, wearing wreath of grain ears. Bodenstedt 87. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG von Aulock 1719. The reverse struck slightly off center, otherwise, very fine. Ex Leu Web Auction 26, Lot 1086 (2023), Purchased from Tom Vossen (2023)
Greek gold! Sort of. This coin is made of something called electrum, an alloy of gold and silver that the very first coins were made of. Silver soon took over, but some city states (like Mytilene) continued to issue coins made of electrum well into the 4th century BC, probably because the conversion rate to silver was very convenient (1:10). While this sixth stater (hekte literally means 1/6 in Greek) only weighs 2.5g, it would still have been worth a substantial amount of money, roughly equivalent to the much larger tetradrachm above. It’s awesome to hold this tiny piece of metal and think about just how much value it would have held. The obverse features the head of Dionysos, the god of wine and party, wearing a wreath of ivy and fruit (both commonly associated with him). The reverse depicts a satyr, companions of the god. But what I love most about this coin is the engraving skill put into it - what detail for a flan only 1cm wide!
Thank you