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A Troublesome Tripod


kirispupis

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Recently, while going through an auction, I noticed this coin that caught my interest.

Bisanthe_2.jpg.1fa9d1d133655967a09a434d10016ce5.jpg

Bisanthe, Thrace
circa 300-200 BCE
Æ 13mm, 1,40g
Laureate head of Apollo to right / 
ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ, tripod.
HGC 3.2, 1369

The coin was marked as "Asia Minor. Uncertain mint" and I recall clearly that it took all of two minutes to figure out the attribution, and that the type was quite rare. So, I put it on the list as something to pick up if it didn't go too high but no big loss otherwise.

Sure enough, it didn't go very high and so I picked it up. When the coin arrived, I stared at it for some time. Where was it from? I spent hours poring through various tripods, but couldn't find it. Eventually, this coin gave me the clue, since it had a better preserved inscription. Ironically both were sold by the same auction house one week apart.

The full ethnic of ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ leaves little dispute that this is a coin of Bisanthe in Thrace (so the "Asia Minor" part was wrong). 

Bisanthe was at the beginning of the 4th century under control of the Odrysian kings. Xenophon wrote of Seuthes II promising him Bisanthe as a marriage present, which was described as ” the very fairest of all the places I have upon the seacoast.” Later on, Seuthes reneged from the deal.

The coin obviously depicts a tripod, which was a household item for prayer. One thing I learned from the re-research of this coin was that nearly every city had its own form of tripod. While there were many cities that used tripods on their coins, every one looked different in some way.

From the handful (5) of these that I could find at auction, there appear to have been three denominations. This was the smallest, and then there was a 3.5g and 5g denomination, though bronze coins had a very high standard deviation at the time. 

Feel free to share your coins with tripods!

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12 minutes ago, kirispupis said:

Recently, while going through an auction, I noticed this coin that caught my interest.

Bisanthe_2.jpg.1fa9d1d133655967a09a434d10016ce5.jpg

Bisanthe, Thrace
circa 300-200 BCE
Æ 13mm, 1,40g
Laureate head of Apollo to right / 
ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ, tripod.
HGC 3.2, 1369

The coin was marked as "Asia Minor. Uncertain mint" and I recall clearly that it took all of two minutes to figure out the attribution, and that the type was quite rare. So, I put it on the list as something to pick up if it didn't go too high but no big loss otherwise.

Sure enough, it didn't go very high and so I picked it up. When the coin arrived, I stared at it for some time. Where was it from? I spent hours poring through various tripods, but couldn't find it. Eventually, this coin gave me the clue, since it had a better preserved inscription. Ironically both were sold by the same auction house one week apart.

The full ethnic of ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ leaves little dispute that this is a coin of Bisanthe in Thrace (so the "Asia Minor" part was wrong). 

Bisanthe was at the beginning of the 4th century under control of the Odrysian kings. Xenophon wrote of Seuthes II promising him Bisanthe as a marriage present, which was described as ” the very fairest of all the places I have upon the seacoast.” Later on, Seuthes reneged from the deal.

The coin obviously depicts a tripod, which was a household item for prayer. One thing I learned from the re-research of this coin was that nearly every city had its own form of tripod. While there were many cities that used tripods on their coins, every one looked different in some way.

From the handful (5) of these that I could find at auction, there appear to have been three denominations. This was the smallest, and then there was a 3.5g and 5g denomination, though bronze coins had a very high standard deviation at the time. 

Feel free to share your coins with tripods!

Nice pick up, also interesting research. I didn't know about the tripod thing thanks for sharing.

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25 minutes ago, kirispupis said:

nearly every city had its own form of tripod

Do you have any more on this please as that suggests a lot of different types? Here's  one of the better-known types, a tripod-lebes from Kroton. An early version,  incuse and with the koppa.

 

Stater. Circa 530-505 BC. Tripod-lebes, legs terminating in lion paws, with ornaments on and serpents rising from the bowl; ϘPO upwards to left / Incuse tripod, legs terminating in lion paws, ornaments and serpents in relief.

 

12100-42-39-1_orig1.jpg.eabc2d261588e78e3add7c5991564261.jpg

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My favorite tripod coin is this Pius dupondius.

image.png.9a46da8747937df3b2ae43c7176a300f.png

27 mm, 12,01 g.
Antoninus Pius 137-161. Ӕ dupondius. Rome. 158-159.
ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXII, head of Antoninus Pius, radiate, right / VOTA SVSCEPTA DEC III COS IIII S C, Antoninus Pius, standing left, sacrificing with patera over tripod, left arm at side.
RIC III Antoninus Pius 1020.

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52 minutes ago, Deinomenid said:

Do you have any more on this please as that suggests a lot of different types? 


I don't have any specific article. This was just my observation from spending several hours looking through them. 🙂 What I don't know is whether each city had their "traditional tripod" or whether each die maker had a different idea when told to engrave a tripod...

FWIW, here are the other tripods I have.

Kallatis.jpg.93e6ab286e5c53b09538b9b75d12ce70.jpg

Thrace, Kallatis
Circa 250 BCE
Bronze 25mm 9.74g
Laureate head of Apollo right
Tripod “KA??A-TIANON” “A?O?A” below
HGC 3.2, 1828

 

Kyzikos_2.jpg.5a5eadd3ed2c12be810845759bee8764.jpg

Mysia. Kyzikos
circa 300-200 BCE
Æ 11mm, 1,16g
Obv: Head of Kore Soteira right.
Rev: KY - ZI, Tripod.
Nomisma X 1; SNG BN 43

 

Philippi.jpg.13c8ad26157a5c2e7c059d261179f9f9.jpg

Macedon, Philippoi
c. 356-345 BCE
AE 18mm, 5.70g, 11h
Head of Herakles r., wearing lion’s skin. R/ Tripod; to l., monogram above grain ear.
SNG ANS 666; BMC 11

 

Phytia.jpg.6fbfca7b8ca0b99a3fd4e188ac8630bc.jpg

Akarnania, Phytia
Circa 300-250 BCE
AE 16 mm, 2.78 g, 4 h
Laureate head of Apollo to right.
Rev. ΦΥ-ΘΕ Tripod; in upper left field, monogram of ΔΙ.
BCD Akarnania 354 var. (arrangement of legend). HGC 4, 906. Imhoof-Blumer, Akananien, 155, 7

 

Smyrna.jpg.b92a347434615ef2a0b69a39b7d9b157.jpg

Ionia, Smyrna (as Eurydikeia)
AE 9mm. 0.54g
Circa 290-287/1 BCE.
Veiled head of Eurydike to right / Tripod, [Ε]ΥΡΥΔΙΚΕΩΝ to left.
Milne, Autonomous 5; SNG Copenhagen 1105. 0.54g, 9mm, 6h
Ex Nick Collins Collection
Ex Numismatik Lanz München

 

Kassander_2.jpg.49f94f59e83921e4dd21988177919e74.jpg

Kassander
AE 18 mm, 6.09 g, 11 h
Amphipolis (?)
Laureate head of Apollo to right. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΚΑΣΣΑΝΔΡΟΥ Tripod; to left, monogram; to right, kerykeion.
McClean 3553. SNG München 1030

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9 hours ago, kirispupis said:

I don't have any specific article. This was just my observation from spending several hours looking through them. 🙂 What I don't know is whether each city had their "traditional tripod" or whether each die maker had a different idea when told to engrave a tripod...

FWIW, here are the other tripods I have.

Kallatis.jpg.93e6ab286e5c53b09538b9b75d12ce70.jpg

Thrace, Kallatis
Circa 250 BCE
Bronze 25mm 9.74g
Laureate head of Apollo right
Tripod “KA??A-TIANON” “A?O?A” below
HGC 3.2, 1828

 

Kyzikos_2.jpg.5a5eadd3ed2c12be810845759bee8764.jpg

Mysia. Kyzikos
circa 300-200 BCE
Æ 11mm, 1,16g
Obv: Head of Kore Soteira right.
Rev: KY - ZI, Tripod.
Nomisma X 1; SNG BN 43

 

Philippi.jpg.13c8ad26157a5c2e7c059d261179f9f9.jpg

Macedon, Philippoi
c. 356-345 BCE
AE 18mm, 5.70g, 11h
Head of Herakles r., wearing lion’s skin. R/ Tripod; to l., monogram above grain ear.
SNG ANS 666; BMC 11

 

Phytia.jpg.6fbfca7b8ca0b99a3fd4e188ac8630bc.jpg

Akarnania, Phytia
Circa 300-250 BCE
AE 16 mm, 2.78 g, 4 h
Laureate head of Apollo to right.
Rev. ΦΥ-ΘΕ Tripod; in upper left field, monogram of ΔΙ.
BCD Akarnania 354 var. (arrangement of legend). HGC 4, 906. Imhoof-Blumer, Akananien, 155, 7

 

Smyrna.jpg.b92a347434615ef2a0b69a39b7d9b157.jpg

Ionia, Smyrna (as Eurydikeia)
AE 9mm. 0.54g
Circa 290-287/1 BCE.
Veiled head of Eurydike to right / Tripod, [Ε]ΥΡΥΔΙΚΕΩΝ to left.
Milne, Autonomous 5; SNG Copenhagen 1105. 0.54g, 9mm, 6h
Ex Nick Collins Collection
Ex Numismatik Lanz München

 

Kassander_2.jpg.49f94f59e83921e4dd21988177919e74.jpg

Kassander
AE 18 mm, 6.09 g, 11 h
Amphipolis (?)
Laureate head of Apollo to right. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ΚΑΣΣΑΝΔΡΟΥ Tripod; to left, monogram; to right, kerykeion.
McClean 3553. SNG München 1030

Isn't the Smyrna coin supposed to be a lyre/cithara upside down?

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Athens New Style Tetradrachm c125/4 BC

Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
29mm 16.67g Thompson issue 40
Thompson catalogue : 470f
Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora on
which month mark Θ control ΜΕ below
3 magistrates : POLEMON ALKETES ARIS
LF symbol : Tripod
All within a surrounding olive wreath

 

Athens New Style Tetradrachm 125/4 BC SOLD Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 29mm 16.67g Thompson issue 40 Thompson catalogue : 470f Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora on which month mark Θ control ΜΕ below 3 magistrates : POLEMON ALKETES ARIS LF symbol : Tripod All within a surrounding olive wreath SOLD Keywords: TRIPOD ATHENS ATHENA OWL

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Interesting overstrike of Pantikapeion on Pontos Amisos aegis/Nike type:

pantikapion-ae21-both.jpg.b7ef2663521f82f7a0b4e5471186d2fe.jpg

THRACE, Pantikapaion, 85-75 BC, AE21, 8.22g
Jean Elsen, auction 68, December 2001, lot 231

The obverse head is usually described as Apollo or Dionysos, but I wonder if it could be a young Pharnaces II?

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6 hours ago, seth77 said:

Isn't the Smyrna coin supposed to be a lyre/cithara upside down?

Weird. For some reason I posted an ordinary issue of Smyrna. This is the correct one.

111_Full.jpg.4ffc5d06b8ec86e671454afeac10f9c4.jpg

Ionia, Smyrna (as Eurydikeia)
AE 9mm. 0.54g
Circa 290-287/1 BCE.
Veiled head of Eurydike to right / Tripod, [Ε]ΥΡΥΔΙΚΕΩΝ to left.
Milne, Autonomous 5; SNG Copenhagen 1105. 0.54g, 9mm, 6h
Ex Nick Collins Collection
Ex Numismatik Lanz München

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  • 4 months later...
On 4/2/2024 at 4:19 PM, kirispupis said:

Recently, while going through an auction, I noticed this coin that caught my interest.

Bisanthe_2.jpg.1fa9d1d133655967a09a434d10016ce5.jpg

Bisanthe, Thrace
circa 300-200 BCE
Æ 13mm, 1,40g
Laureate head of Apollo to right / 
ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ, tripod.
HGC 3.2, 1369

The coin was marked as "Asia Minor. Uncertain mint" and I recall clearly that it took all of two minutes to figure out the attribution, and that the type was quite rare. So, I put it on the list as something to pick up if it didn't go too high but no big loss otherwise.

Sure enough, it didn't go very high and so I picked it up. When the coin arrived, I stared at it for some time. Where was it from? I spent hours poring through various tripods, but couldn't find it. Eventually, this coin gave me the clue, since it had a better preserved inscription. Ironically both were sold by the same auction house one week apart.

The full ethnic of ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ leaves little dispute that this is a coin of Bisanthe in Thrace (so the "Asia Minor" part was wrong). 

Bisanthe was at the beginning of the 4th century under control of the Odrysian kings. Xenophon wrote of Seuthes II promising him Bisanthe as a marriage present, which was described as ” the very fairest of all the places I have upon the seacoast.” Later on, Seuthes reneged from the deal.

The coin obviously depicts a tripod, which was a household item for prayer. One thing I learned from the re-research of this coin was that nearly every city had its own form of tripod. While there were many cities that used tripods on their coins, every one looked different in some way.

From the handful (5) of these that I could find at auction, there appear to have been three denominations. This was the smallest, and then there was a 3.5g and 5g denomination, though bronze coins had a very high standard deviation at the time. 

Feel free to share your coins with tripods!

You have some really nice, really rare tripods. I recently started collecting them as a subset. Here is an interesting one from my collection:

lot126.jpg.0d669ac4b20fbd210c801d29cb2a1e04.jpg

At first glance this coin looks really rough and rather crude, however it is an extremely rare overstrike of a Macedon, Philippi from Thasian Epeiros, Krenides. Of the 5 known specimens all are in this same condition. Krenides was a small colony of Thasos established on the plain of Philippoi, circa 360/59BC. In 357 BC, these colonists appealed to Philip II of Macedon for aid against the local Thracians, who were attempting to oust the non-native Thasians. Shortly after Philip defeated the Thracians, he re-founded Krenides as Philippoi, and settled a number of Macedonians there, who soon began to issue coinage in the name of the new city. Two series of coinage have been attributed to the city's early period, while it was a Thasian colony (Thasian Epeiros). Both types feature the lion skin clad head of Herakles on their obverse and the legend ΘAΣION HΠEIPO (or EΠEIPO) on the reverse. On the reverse of the first series, which is only known in bronze, it has a club and bow. The second series has a tripod and all known tripod specimens, of this type, are overstrikes (restrikes) using the first series coins as the base flan (Le Rider, Thasiennes 28-30). This second series is fundamental in establishing the placement of these coins at Krenides. All coins from this city are extremely rare.

 

Province, City - Reign:  Macedon, Philippi (as Thasian Epeiros, Krenides) 

Denomination:  AE 11

Mint:  Thasian Epeiros, Krenides (360 - 356 BC)

Size:  11.0 mm 

Weight:  1.00 g

Obverse: Overstrike - (Both undertype and overtype) Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress

Reverse: Overstrike - (Overtype) Tripod; (ΘΑΣΙ) ΗΠΕΙ to left and right; (Undertype) traces of club and bow, ΘAΣION above, HΠEIPO below

References: (Overtype):  Bellinger, Philippi -; Le Rider, Thasiennes 30; HGC 3.1, 627 
(Undertype - base coin):  Bellinger, Philippi 2; Le Rider, Thasiennes 29; HGC 3.1, 626; SNG ANS 646; 

 

Copy of Base Coin (Not Mine):

lot126research-basecoin08.jpg.b9edb1ccd58e2bc53cc63bf1b54c7cea.jpg

Edited by -monolith-
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That’s a fascinating overstrike!

Here’s my only example of Thasian Epeiros.

IMG_1658.jpeg.f31d2d622b284f5da803561fdf42e523.jpeg
Macedon, Philippi (as Thasian Epeiros [Krenides])
c. 360/59-356 BCE
Æ 10mm, 1.49g, 6h
Head of Herakles r., wearing lion skin. 
R/ Club and bow.
Le Rider, Thasiennes 29; AMNG II/2, 1; HGC 3.1,626

I received another Philippi example today but I still need to run the research on it.

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Here's a tripod reverse from Baktria in bronze. 

image.jpeg.c695ad3444b0e4019a7ac9c416d3bac8.jpeg  

Baktria. Apollodotus II Soter Philopator Megas. c. 85-65 BC. Æ Double Unit (3.57 gm, 17x17mm, 12h) of Punjab. Apollo standing r., holding bow and arrow. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΩ-ΤΗΡΟΣ ΚΑΙ Φ-ΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ- ΑΠΟΛΛΟΔΟΤΟΥ. / Tripod, Monogram 𐊓- to inner r. Maharajasa tratarasa Apaladatasa (Karosthi: of Great King Apollodotus the Savior).  nVF. CNG EA 367 #290.  Boperachchi Série 17A #38-40; HGC 12 #405; MIG 3 Type 427a; SNG ANS 9 #1598-1602; SNG Cop 7 (Parthia-India) #436.
 
 

 
And one from Baktria in cupro-nickle.
 
image.jpeg.5af39b74f050fee67182dcf1db82fe09.jpegBaktria. Euthydemos II Dikaios. 185180 BC. NI Double Unit (7.74 gm, 21.4mm, 12h). Laureate head of Apollo right. / Tripod. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΕΥΘΥΔΕΜΟΥ.  ᴾ monogram to inner left. VF. Bt. Najaf Coins, 2002. Bopearachchi Série 6A; HGC 12 #77; MIG Type 118b; Sear Greek 7540; SNG ANS 9 #223.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Romans had tripods too... 
image.jpeg.5f839ee078e78b6050107edbb4e2a7c9.jpeg  
Roman Empire. Galerius. Caesar 293-305 AD. AR Argentus (3.31 gm, 19.1mm, 12h) Siscia, 2nd officina 1st emission, 294-295 AD. Laureate head right, MAXIMIANVS CAESAR. / Four tetrarchs sacrificing over tripod before camp gate with eight turrets, VIRTVS MILITVM. EF. Triton VIII #1239. Rare. RIC VI p.460 #44b; RSC 220†g. cf. Jelocnik 12b (Maximianus); Pink p. 35; SRCV IV #14267.
 
 
 
 
 
...and the Seleukids.
image.jpeg.c0ae50e32b0969572f7d8da830776c76.jpeg
Seleukids. Seleukos II Kallinikos. 246226 BC. AR Tetradrachm (16.53ᵍᵐ 29.9ᵐᵐ 12ʰ) of Sardis. Beardless, diademed head right, with sideburn. / Apollo standing left, holding arrow and resting arm on tripod. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ. Controls ΑΙ to left and N̅ to right. nEF. Bt. Louis diLauro, Coral Gables, 2000.   SC I #654.4; HGC 9 #303g; SNG Spaer 440; Newell WSM 1416ε (same dies); BMC 4.16,1.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here's a tripod control on a stater of Akarnania.
image.jpeg.69e2edf109be3fa9bef6194045d576b1.jpeg  
Greece. Akarnania. 350-300 BC. AR Stater (8.42ᵍᵐ 23.1ᵐᵐ 3ʰ) of Anaktorion. Pegasus flying right, pointed wing and Ꜹ ("ANA") monogram below. / Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet over leather cap. To left, Ꜹ monogram and tripod enclosed by wreath. nEF. Pegasi Numismatics Sale 122 #92. SNG Cop 3 (Epirus-Acarnania) #289; Calciati Pegasi II pp.491-2 #30-31; BCD Akarnania 89; BMC 35-37 (pl 32 #3); HGC 4 #758. cf. SNG Delepierre 1219 (no wreath); Boston MFA #1157 (same); Dewing 1796 (same). cf. CNG EA 281 #62 (same dies).
 
 
 
 
And a tripod on a stater of Kroton (no, not the eye-popping early stater of @Deinomenid, but it'll do). 
image.jpeg.1d0874920f34ee2825c17bba17d0f9fb.jpeg
Greek Italy. Bruttium. 400-325 BC AR Stater (7.68 gm, 20.9mm, 1h) of Kroton. Head of Hera Lakinia facing three-quarters, wearing stephanos adorned with honeysuckle & griffin heads./ Herakles Epitrapezios seated left on rock covered w/ lionskin, holding wine cup, Ϙ by ankle. Bow & club crossed above. KPOT & tripod to left. ME above arm. VF. CNG Web Auction, 1999. SNG ANS 3 #380 (same obv. die); ACNAC Dewing 512 (same dies); HN Italy 2162; HGC 1 1463. Cf. SNG Cop 1 (Italy) #1800 (Δ overstruck on E of Rᵪ); SNG Lockett 629 (same).
 
 
Edited by Anaximander
Fixed a couple of photo-text spacing issues.
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Here are a few additional tripods in my collection:

photo-01.jpg.6d9df7a0bce03be2ff198b6a0d2e0644.jpg

Province, City - Reign:  Lydia, Sardes  - Seleucia Antiochos II Theos - Seleucid King

Denomination:  AE 16

Mint:  Sardes (261 – 246 BC)

Size:  16.6 mm x 16.2 mm

Weight:  3.62 g

Obverse:  Laureate head of Apollo right

Reverse:  BAΣIΛEΩΣ - (A)NTIOXOY, Tripod w/ “Y” anchor “M” below; monogram left and right fields 

References:  SC 525.1; HGC 9, 253 (a); Sear GCV, 6891; Lindgren 1772-1723

 

photo.jpg.9fb8bad3f9b1959b513fcd159bd28d0e.jpg

Province, City - Reign:  Lydia, Sardes  - Seleucia Antiochos II Theos - Seleucid King

Denomination:  AE 17

Mint:  Sardes (261 – 246 BC)

Size:  16.8 mm x 17.3 mm 

Weight:  4.41 g

Obverse:  Laureate head of Apollo right; countermark

 Reverse:  BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY, to right and left of tripod; YTP monogram in left field, Φ monogram in right field

 Exergue:  anchor

 References:  SNG Cop 520; Newell 1381; SC 537

 

photo2.jpg.a500ef81a9afb7da59bb8418ac5d06d4.jpg

Province, City - Reign:  Lydia, Sardes  - Seleucia Antiochos II Theos - Seleucid King

Denomination:  AE 15

Mint:  Sardes (261 – 246 BC)

Size:  15.1 mm x 15.6 mm

Weight:  3.50 g

Obverse:  Laureate head of Apollo right

 Reverse:  BAΣIΛEΩΣ - ANTIOXOY, Tripod w/ “Y” anchor “M” below; monogram in left and right fields 

References:  SC 525.1; HGC 9, 253 (a); Sear GCV, 6891; Lindgren 1772-1723

 

lot86.jpg.5088ad96a45155d4be267d27fcc1803d.jpg

 

Province, City - Reign:  Lydia, Sardes  - Seleucia Antiochos II Theos - Seleucid King

Denomination:  AE 16

Mint:  Sardes (261 – 246 BC)

Size:  15.8 mm x 16.1 mm

Weight:  4.10 g

Obverse:  Laureate head of Apollo right

Reverse:  BAΣIΛEΩΣ - ANTIOXOY, Tripod w/ “Y” anchor “M” below; monogram in left and right fields 

References:  SC 525.1; HGC 9, 253 (a); Sear GCV, 6891; Lindgren 1772-1723

 

lot300.jpg.0e514ee6620019b1778d7a80e3bd52d4.jpg

Province, City:  Mysia, Kyzikos (Cyzicus)

Denomination:  AE 11

Mint:  Kyzikos (Cyzicus) (4th century BC)

Size:  11.3 mm x 11.1 mm

Weight:  1.38 g

Obverse:  Head of Kore Soteira right, hair bound in sakkos

 Reverse:  KY-ZI on either side of tripod; radiate disk above, tunny below; no monograms

References:  SNG France 5, 429-432; SNG Cop 62

 

25776.jpg.f3a21056d37ee1bf7c7c268f052097c4.jpg

 

Province, City:  Mysia, Kyzikos (Cyzicus) – Civic Issue

Denomination:  AE 18

Mint:  Kyzikos (300 – 200 BC)

Size:  18.1 mm x 18.0 mm

Weight:  4.50 g

Obverse:  Head of Kore right, wreathed with corn

 Reverse:  KY-ZI on either side of tripod; radiate disk above, tunny below; monogram left

References:  SNG France 5, 426 (base coin for BMCG 16.38.145 overstrike)

 

lot821.jpg.b22a0d1e5feab349dc161a1091fa90fe.jpg

Province, City:  Mysia, Kyzikos (Cyzicus)

Denomination:  AE 11

Mint:  Kyzikos (Cyzicus) (3rd century BC)

Size:  11.2 mm x 11.3 mm

Weight:  1.45 g

Obverse:  Head of Kore Soteira right, hair bound in sakkos

 Reverse:  KY-ZI on either side of tripod; radiate disk above, tunny below; monogram bottom right

 References:  Unpublished

 

 

Edited by -monolith-
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BRUTTIUM, Kroton. Circa 400-325 BC. AR Nomos (20.5mm, 7.34 g, 7h). Laureate head of Apollo right / Tripod with high neck surmounted by wreaths, legs terminating in lion's feet; filleted laurel branch to left. Attianese 143; HN Italy 2177; Pozzi 308 (this coin). Old cabinet tone. Good VF.

Ex Edward J. Waddell inventory 19361 (ND); Prof. S. Pozzi Collection (Naville I, 14 March 1921), lot 308.

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image.png.a193dfb2c70e881aca2ad715d1708fe3.png

 

BRUTTIUM . Croton. Didrachme/Nomos, ca. 425-350. Eagle with closed wings and head turned back, standing on a stag's head to the left. Rv/ ?PO. Tripod, ivy leaf in the field to the left. Attianese 104; SNG ANS 351–2; HN Italy 2146; HGC 1458. 7.75 g.
Finely toned. Good, very fine

The tripod is closely linked to the cult of Apollo. It was the leitmotif of the Croton coinage. From an exceptional collection that was put together between the early 1970s and 1990s, previously the collection of Prof. S. Pozzi - Naville auction (Ars Classica), Lucerne no. 1 (1921), lot 295

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16 hours ago, Alegandron said:
 

image.png.926d5587a540290dde1b566d514b7915.png
Mysia, Kyzikos 
Æ12 1.2g, 6h; c. 400 BCE - 3rd century BCE 
Obv.: Head of Kore Soteira right, hair bound in sakkos.
Rev.: KY - ZIH; Tripod; above, crown; below, tunny fish.
SNG France 430; BMC 141-3.

Your coin is the same type as my last one. I rechecked SNG France 5, BMCG 16, and Wildwinds, which identifies most of the Kyzikos tripods, but this type is not listed in any of those references. The reverse legend is KY, to the left and Z (looks like a rotated H) I with a Z monogram, to the right. I cannot find the Z monogram listed in any standard references, therefore I classified it as "unpublished". I was going to submit it to Dane, at Wildwinds, perhaps she can find a reference for it.

Edited by -monolith-
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2 hours ago, -monolith- said:

Your coin is the same type as my last one. I rechecked SNG France 5, BMCG 16, and Wildwinds, which identifies most of the Kyzikos tripods, but this type is not listed in any of those references. The reverse legend is KY, to the left and Z (looks like a rotated H) I with a Z monogram, to the right. I cannot find the Z monogram listed in any standard references, therefore I classified it as "unpublished". I was going submit it to Dane, at Wildwinds, perhaps she can find a reference for it.

Thank you for your update. I have several coins that are not on Wildwinds when I tried looking them up… some Etruscan, etc.

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Here is an example of a tripod from Seleukeia on the Tigris in Parthia. I like the fact that the coin specifically mentions the river Tigris which 2,150 years later retains that same name. Minted in 125 BCE, some 16 years after Mithradates I of Parthia captured the city of Seleukeia on the Tigris from the Seleucids. Æ dichalkon (3.78 gm; 17 mm). Obv: Turreted bust of Tyche R. Rev: Tripod, legend either side within dotted border, ΣΕΛΕΥΚΕΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΠΡΟΣΤΩΙ ΤΙΓΡΕΙ  (Of the people of Seleukeia on the Tigris). Sellwood 92.1; McDowell 127; Le Rider (Séleucie) 2. 

image.jpeg.95512c91b062579513351f8dcc8476f4.jpeg

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Kroton, Bruttium

525-425 BC
AR Triobol (11mm, 1.25g)
O: Tripod with lion‘s feet, within dotted border; QPO (retrograde) to left.
R: Pegasos with curled wings flying left; Q below.
SNG ANS 323-6; HN Italy 2127; Sear 468; Hands Class V, 3v (ethnic to right)
From the Frank James collection; ex CNG; ex Roma Auctions

normal_Kroton_ANS_323.jpeg2.jpg.d2dd0a196dd2381f7bea6d2babb84961.jpg

Kroton, Bruttium

480-430 BC
AR Stater (20mm, 7.57g)
O: Tripod-lebes with lion's feet; heron standing right in left field, QPO to right, lemniscate serpents in ex.
R: Tripod-lebes incuse, with dentate border.
SNG ANS 312; SNG Cop 1764v
ex Tom Vossen

Kroton.jpeg2.jpg.1184351510f03b0239323cd36cfbd26f.jpg

 

Kyzikos, Mysia

Circa 3rd century BC
AE 11 (11mm, 1.16g)
O: Head of Persephone Soteira right, hair in sakkos.
R: Tripod between KY-ZI; tunny below.
SNG Cop 56; SNG France 429-430; Sear 3862
ex David Conners

Persephone_Kyzikos_0.jpeg2.jpg.0dd1bdfd2ae352ff107dad0948d85ba2.jpg

 

Seleukid Kingdom, Reign of Antiochos VIII (Epiphanes)

121-97 BC
AR Drachm (17mm, 3.18g)
O: Head of Antiochos VIII (Grypos) right.
R: Tripod; [EΠ]IΦANOYΣ downward to left, BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY downward to right.
HGC 9, 1209m; Newell 409; Sear 7149; BMC 4, 98,6
ex Forvm Auctions

MixCollage-07-May-2024-01-36-PM-4528_9.jpg.b8d231e3491e04278b0790b9514b7b7f.jpg

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Here are two tripods I just entered today!

872_Full.jpg.cbdb26e3aef23f5b357768efe2ab853b.jpg

Phrygia, Sanaos
Apol-, magistrate
c. mid 2nd to early 1st century BCE
Æ 15mm, 4.60g, 12h
Laureate head of Apollo r.
R/ Tripod
Imhoof-Blumer KM p. 286, 1; von Aulock Phrygien I, 856-8
 
877_Full.jpg.c4d8d30d9a6c99dbbc450d5008a108c4.jpg
Macedon, Philippi
ca 356-345 BCE
Æ 10,6mm, 1.7g
Head of young Herakles right, wearing lion skin
R/ Tripod ΦΙΛΙΠΠΩΝ around
Cf. SNG ANS 668-671
 
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