W O W ! ! ! ! !

Trajan, Phrygia, Hierapolis

AE32 (17.46 gm)

Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust left, AV KAI ΘEOV VΩ NEPBA TPAIANΩ CEΓEPMA / Athena, holding spear and shield, standing right, and Hermes, holding purse and caduceus, standing left, IEPAΠO ΛEITΩN. BMC 129 (same obverse die).


Let me begin by reminding you that the photo above has been compressed to fit the dimensions allowed by blogger.com. A larger, more worthy image is available by clicking on the photo.

Occasionally, we are presented with a coin that we just can't stop thinking about. There was a large AE of Tiberius from Oea on which I truly regret not having bid just a little more. There was also a gorgeous tetradrachm of Alexander 'the Great' upon which I wish I had bid a little more! Both coins were in the same CNG auction and each diluted my chances at winning the other! I still think of those coins and how they 'got away'!

Then there was this coin. It was a 'cover coin', with it's reverse featured on the cover of the auction catalog. I couldn't get away from it! I obsessed about the coin for weeks. I finally decided I wouldn't let this one get away like the Tiberius and Alexander... and, as you can see, it didn't!

This coin bewitched me chiefly for reasons of eye appeal. First of all, it's a large coin, with full legends, and on a large flan. Additionally, the portrait of Trajan and depictions of both Athena and Hermes are of very fine style! And, to top all that off, the coin exhibits a lovely array of colors, including purple, copper, olive and gold! Unfortunately, I couldn't capture them all in my photo.

As if that weren't enough, the coin is from the city of Hierapolis in Phrygia, which was thought to be the site of an entrance into the underworld from which an offensive, noxious odor was emitted! Ah, stinky town... my kind of place! It was also known for its hot springs so I imagine the source of this odor was sulfur.

This coin is my new favorite, replacing the 'croc' coin I wish I'd never sold. This one's even sweeter though, as it's one I didn't let get away in auction!

And something from my collection of Greek coins...

Aeolis, Temnus. AE14 (2.24 gm), struck 3rd century BC.

Athena in crested Corinthian helmet right / Warrior standing, wearing crested helmet and cuirass, javelin in right hand, shield on left arm; A in upper left field, Θ in upper right field, T in lower left field and A in lower right field. SNG Cop 4, 259.

Temnus was a little town in Aeolis, near the River Hermus. In early times, the Aeolians’ twelve most important cities were independent and formed a league, including: Temnus, Cyme, Larissae, Neonteichos, Cilla, Notium, Aegirosessa, Pitane, Aegae, Myrina, Gryneia and Smyrna.

Temnus was already in decline under Augustus and was destroyed by an earthquake during the reign of Tiberius. Tacitus’ Annals, ii.47 (AD 16-19) recounts, “That same year twelve famous cities of Asia fell by an earthquake in the night, so that the destruction was all the more unforeseen and fearful. Nor were there the means of escape usual in such a disaster, by rushing out into the open country, for there people were swallowed up by the yawning earth. Vast mountains, it is said, collapsed; what had been level ground seemed to be raised aloft, and fires blazed out amid the ruin.” By this time, the coin you see above was nearly 300 years old.

This tiny little coin was beautiful enough to be noticed first amongst many other, larger coins by someone with very poor eyesight (me). It immediately caught my eye because of its detail and color. The portrait of Athena is spectacular and rich in detail... and the reverse isn't so bad either! The brown-green patina with rubbed brass highlights are a personal favorite.

The level of skill and craftsmanship necessary to produce such a lovely work of art… from the engraving of the dies to the striking of such a small planchet… is remarkable to me! And with this coin I own an example of these extraordinary labors.