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Ancient Coins
Enlargement
1681 Paphlagonia, Amastris. Queen Amastris. Silver Didrachm (9.33 g), ca. 300-285 BC
. Head of Amastris (or Mithras?) right, wearing laure-
ate Persian headdress.
Reverse:
[
] [
]
[
], Aphrodite seated left, holding Nike who crowns her with wreath, and scepter.
Cf. RG 2 (legend orientation); cf. SNG BM 1299 (Nike crowning name); cf. SNG Stancomb 728 (holding Eros who holds taenia up to bust of Helios;
legend orientation).
Variety unpublished in the standard references.
Pleasing old cabinet toning.
Very Fine
.
Estimate Value ..............................................................................................................................................................................$600 - UP
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from F. Kovacs in 1987.
There are a plethora of varieties of the didrachms of Queen Amastris. Symbols are sometimes found on the obverse behind the head; the legend
on the reverse varies in position; Aphrodite variously holds either Eros or Nike; and Eros and Nike crown either the legend, Aphrodite, or a radiate
head of Helios. One could spend years searching for and acquiring each subtle difference.
Enlargement
1682 Paphlagonia, Kromna. Silver Drachm (3.50 g), 4th century BC
. Laureate head of Zeus left.
Reverse:
KP
MNA, head of Hera left, wearing
ornate crown; below chin, KP monogram. RG -; SNG BM -; Jameson 2156. Toned with small test cut on edge.
Extremely Fine
.
Estimate Value ............................................................................................................................................................................ $350 - 400
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from F. Kovacs in the 1990s.
Enlargement
1683 Paphlagonia, Sinope. Silver Drachm (6.01 g), ca. 490-425 BC
. Head of sea-eagle left; below, talon above dolphin left.
Reverse:
Quadripar-
tite incuse square, two raised and two sunken quarters; the upper sunken quarter containing E. Cf. SNG BM 1367-72; SNG Stancomb -; SNG von
Aulock 6835 (this coin). Attractive old cabinet tone.
Superb Extremely Fine
.
Estimate Value ............................................................................................................................................................................ $400 - 500
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from F. Kovacs. Ex E. Gans Collection; H. von Aulock Collection.
Pontic Sinope was founded by Milesian colonists as a center for trade on the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor in the seventh century BC. It served as
the seaport for a caravan route that extended south to Mesopotamia and trafficked in grain, luxury goods, and a red earth pigment used through-
out the Greek world for painting. This hematite-rich earth was known as sinopia or "Sinopic earth" after the city that exported it, but it was actu-
ally mined in the neighboring region of Cappadocia rather than in the environs of Sinope. In the fourth century BC the civic badge of Sinope was
a seabird clutching a dolphin, but on early drachms such as this only the head appears and if the dolphin is present at all it is as a small subsidiary
symbol.