DOI issue:
Artykuły / Articles
DOI article:Stancomb, William M.: Some rare or unpublished coins from the North Black Sea
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22230#0052
WILLIAM M. STANCOMB
weight, two at 3.70 and 3.04 and three at 4.22, 4.57 and 4.37 g. The remainder fali
into the 5-6 g rangę. This could suggest that either we have two denominations, or
that the attention to detail over weights was not important.
The horse head countermark coins must show that the river god r. / buli r., is
as AnokhhTs seąuence. Frolova types 21 and 22 are earlier tłfjn the coins with the
river god 1. / horse head r., cf. Anokhin nos 427-431, Frolova Tyra types 17 to 19
where most of these two denominations are separated by the obverse head being
either left or right.
Anokhin suggests a datę for the Odessa specimen of c. 360-350 while Frolova
gives the second half of the third century. A firm datę cannot be established at pre-
sent. Countermarking of coins on the west coast of the Black Sea starts in the 280s
when the Galatians overran and occupied Thrace, which caused economic chaos in
that region. It is understood that a countermark on a bronze coin of the same city
either introduces a new type or value.5 We therefore suggest that the countermark
would have been applied after c. 280 to enable it to remain in circulation alongside
new coinage.6
TYRA 2. (PI. 1, Fig. 2)
c. 200-100 B.C.
Obv. Head of Demeter r. wearing com wreath.
Rev. Flaming torch; T-Y P-A.7
AE. ix 3.18 g
This apparently uniąue coin was acąuired during the Berlin Numismatic
Congress of 1997 from the Granów catalogue where it was briefly described as
Artemis / Comucopia.8 It is noted in Frolova Tyra as my coin, with the description:
Obv. Head of Dionysus r. wreathed in ivy. Rev. Thyrsus; T-Y P-A.9 This is cor-
5 J. MELVILLE JONES, A Dictionary of Ancient Greek Coins, London, 1986, p. 60, “Countermark or
counterstamp. A letter, number or other symbol impressed on a coin after it has been struck to revalidate it if old,
to validate for circulation in a new area, or to indicate a change of value”.
6 The West Pontic mini of Odessos is instructive. The first coins were struck following the death of
Lysimachus in 281, gold staters and tetradrachms in the name of Alexander the Great cf. M.J.PRICE, Coinage in
the name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus. A British Museum Catalogue, London & Zurich 1991,
nos. 1132-1176. For the bronze issue at the same time, cf. D. DRAGANOV, “Debut du monnayage de bronze
d'Odessos”, Numismatika 1990:3. p. 19-24 [in Bulgarian-French summaryj. Draganov covers the introduction
of bronze coins at Odessos, Young head diademed r. / Great God reclining 1. holding patera and cornucopia; on
plinth, OAHEITON; above 1., inverted amphora, cf. SNG BM1 294. The countermarks used were (a) Great God
reclining holding comucopia, (b) same without comucopia, and (c) Great God reclining and monogram A. Ali
three countermarks were applied to the bronze coins in circulation with the names of Philip II, Alexander and
Lysimachus c. 280-270. The countermark, A was also applied to the civic coinage described above and is dated
c. 260-250.
7 Cf. FROLOVA, Tyra type 33. 4 (Dionysus / thyrsus) this coin. Dieter Grunow, Autumn list 4, no 3386.
8 Cf. Notę 8.
9 FROLOYA, Tyra, type 33. 4, pl. VI la
weight, two at 3.70 and 3.04 and three at 4.22, 4.57 and 4.37 g. The remainder fali
into the 5-6 g rangę. This could suggest that either we have two denominations, or
that the attention to detail over weights was not important.
The horse head countermark coins must show that the river god r. / buli r., is
as AnokhhTs seąuence. Frolova types 21 and 22 are earlier tłfjn the coins with the
river god 1. / horse head r., cf. Anokhin nos 427-431, Frolova Tyra types 17 to 19
where most of these two denominations are separated by the obverse head being
either left or right.
Anokhin suggests a datę for the Odessa specimen of c. 360-350 while Frolova
gives the second half of the third century. A firm datę cannot be established at pre-
sent. Countermarking of coins on the west coast of the Black Sea starts in the 280s
when the Galatians overran and occupied Thrace, which caused economic chaos in
that region. It is understood that a countermark on a bronze coin of the same city
either introduces a new type or value.5 We therefore suggest that the countermark
would have been applied after c. 280 to enable it to remain in circulation alongside
new coinage.6
TYRA 2. (PI. 1, Fig. 2)
c. 200-100 B.C.
Obv. Head of Demeter r. wearing com wreath.
Rev. Flaming torch; T-Y P-A.7
AE. ix 3.18 g
This apparently uniąue coin was acąuired during the Berlin Numismatic
Congress of 1997 from the Granów catalogue where it was briefly described as
Artemis / Comucopia.8 It is noted in Frolova Tyra as my coin, with the description:
Obv. Head of Dionysus r. wreathed in ivy. Rev. Thyrsus; T-Y P-A.9 This is cor-
5 J. MELVILLE JONES, A Dictionary of Ancient Greek Coins, London, 1986, p. 60, “Countermark or
counterstamp. A letter, number or other symbol impressed on a coin after it has been struck to revalidate it if old,
to validate for circulation in a new area, or to indicate a change of value”.
6 The West Pontic mini of Odessos is instructive. The first coins were struck following the death of
Lysimachus in 281, gold staters and tetradrachms in the name of Alexander the Great cf. M.J.PRICE, Coinage in
the name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus. A British Museum Catalogue, London & Zurich 1991,
nos. 1132-1176. For the bronze issue at the same time, cf. D. DRAGANOV, “Debut du monnayage de bronze
d'Odessos”, Numismatika 1990:3. p. 19-24 [in Bulgarian-French summaryj. Draganov covers the introduction
of bronze coins at Odessos, Young head diademed r. / Great God reclining 1. holding patera and cornucopia; on
plinth, OAHEITON; above 1., inverted amphora, cf. SNG BM1 294. The countermarks used were (a) Great God
reclining holding comucopia, (b) same without comucopia, and (c) Great God reclining and monogram A. Ali
three countermarks were applied to the bronze coins in circulation with the names of Philip II, Alexander and
Lysimachus c. 280-270. The countermark, A was also applied to the civic coinage described above and is dated
c. 260-250.
7 Cf. FROLOVA, Tyra type 33. 4 (Dionysus / thyrsus) this coin. Dieter Grunow, Autumn list 4, no 3386.
8 Cf. Notę 8.
9 FROLOYA, Tyra, type 33. 4, pl. VI la