One of the more expensive ancient coins I have ran across

[the_Thing ®]

 

Sale: Triton VIII, Lot: 56. Closing Date: Jan 10, 2005. SICILY, Akragas. Circa 414-413 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.25 gm, 5h). BID Estimate $200000

 

SICILY, Akragas. Circa 414-413 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.25 gm, 5h). A-K-R-A-G around a pair of eagles standing right on the upturned body of a dead hare; the nearer eagle, with closed wings, screaming with its head reared and beak wide open; the further, flapping its wings and lowering its head to tear at the prey / AKRA-G-A-NTIN-[ON] around a crab with open claws seen from above; below, Skylla swimming left, her right hand raised to shade her eyes, left arm trailing behind, and her hair streaming in the wind. C. Seltman, "The Engravers of the Akragantine Decadrachms," NC 1948, pl. I, ii (same dies); SNG ANS -; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC Sicily pg. 12, 61 (same dies); SNG Lloyd 821 (same dies); Rizzo pl. 1, 20 (same dies); Gulbenkian 166 (same dies); Jameson 509 (same dies); Pozzi 389 (same dies); McClean 2043 (same dies); Basel 258 = Kraay & Hirmer pl. 60, 175 (same dies). Superb EF with light cabinet toning. A masterpiece of the engraver's art. Extremely rare, the finest specimen of approximately a dozen known. ($200,000)

 

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 8 (3 April 1995), 116; Leu 20 (25-26 April 1978), 20.

 

From Akragas' first coinage in the late sixth century BC, two symbols predominated on its coins: the eagle and the crab, and the finest master engravers were recruited to create artistic images. In the last quarter of the fifth century BC these traditional types were transformed. The static eagle is now depicted tearing up a dead hare or other victim, and is usually accompanied by its mate. This design may have been inspired by the omen presented to Agamemnon and Menelaus in Aeschylos' Agamemnon, where two eagles, representing the two kings, devoured a pregnant hare, an allusion to the city of Troy. The monster Skylla is portrayed as a beautiful young woman from the waist up. Two dogs emerge from her sides, and the body ends in a long curling, finned tail. She holds up her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, while gazing straight ahead, perhaps patrolling the horizon for enemies of the city. According to the chronology of R. Ross Holloway in "La strutture delle emissioni di Siracusa," AIIN 22 (1975), pg. 45, this coin can be associated with the Athenian expedition of 415-413 BC against Sicily. The Carthaginian destruction of the city in 406 BC cut short this brilliant phase of coinage.

[Hoot]

Extremely cool coin, thing. What is the mythology of Skylla?

 

Hoot

[the_Thing ®]

Great question Hoot. And, the answer is....I have no earthly idea.

[truthteller]

If you had a choice of a nice house in Amarillo or this coin, which would you choose?

 

 

 

TRUTH

[gmarguli]

That is an awesome looking coin. I love it! It's amazing some of the designs that they created 2000-2500 years ago. Compare them to the complete trash we have today and the people responsible at our mint should be lined up and shot!

[GDJMSP]

Extremely cool coin,

 

Hoot

 

 

You took the words right out of my mouth

[the_Thing ®]

If you had a choice of a nice house in Amarillo or this coin, which would you choose?

 

 

 

TRUTH

 

 

What makes you think I don't live in a nice house now?

[truthteller]

"What makes you think I don't live in a nice house now?"

 

 

 

You mean you don't live in that homeless shelter that TJ keeps talking about?

 

 

 

 

TRUTH

[the_Thing ®]

You have to be careful around TJ. Its hard to tell when he is under the influence. He told me just the other day about having lunch with a couple of guys, cost him over $300.00, and to quote him... "I didn't even get a piece of [#@$%!!!] out of it"

[TomB]

I saw that coin and immediately thought of two things-

 

1) It's unbelieveably cool

 

2) It looks to have design detail that is about as crowded as a Texas commem

[Hoot]

Here's a link on Skylla. Apparently Skylla was a beast of the Odyssey. Save for the unfortunate misuse of the word "loosing" (the incorrect transitive form of the verb loose, i.e., "to set free") for "losing" (the correct transitive verb for the action "to lose") the site's alright.

 

Hoot