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ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WEIGHT
Authority
Philip II, Macedonian king
Mint
Denomination
2 Drachmas
Material
Lead
Manufacture
Cast
Shape
Disc or similar (ellipse, etc.)
Length
1.90 cm
Width
1.90 cm
Height
- cm
Metrology
Mass (g) Mass (grain) Date of measurement Reference fragmented cleaned reference weight
7.41 - - Auction CNG 2011 No No Yes
Iconography
Symbol Technique Direction Position Number Synecdoche
Apollo Relief RIGHT Head
Biga Relief RIGHT
Nike Relief RIGHT
Wear
Corrosion
Handle
No
Suspension hole
No
Recarved mould
No
Recarved weight
No
Intentionally destroyed
No
Archaeological description
Auction CNG 2011: KINGS of MACEDON. Philip II. 359-336 BC. PB ‘Stater’ (19mm, 7.41 g, 11h). Laureate head of Apollo right / Nike driving galloping biga right. VF, scuff on obverse. Unusual.
Autopsy
No
INSCRIPTION
Language Technique Legend type
Greek Relief Authority
Fac simile

. ΙΛΙΠΠΟ .

Edition
[Φ]ιλίππο[υ].
Monogram
ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT
Findspot (region)
Findspot (site)
context
CIRCUMSTANCES OF ACQUISITION
Region
City
Date of first acquisition
Nov. 2, 2011
circumstances
Antiquities trade.
DATING OF THE WEIGHT
Curatorial Section
GREEK
Time frame
FROM -359 TO -336
Comments on Chronology
COLLECTION HISTORY
Collection
Name Date of acquisition Inventory number
Antiquities Trade Nov. 2, 2011 None
Bibliography
Reference Page/Column Reference (number) Plate / Figure Comment
Auction CNG 2011d None 67 None None
VARIA
Additional comment
Auction CNG 2011: Lead coins were issued in several areas of the ancient Greek world. Most prominent among the issuers are Alexander Jannaeus of Judaea and the rulers of the Nabataean kingdom. Yet unique lead objects from other areas are periodically seen as well, sometimes directly copying one or both sides of an official coin, sometimes bearing completely unknown fantasy types (for example, CNG 85, 330 and BCD Thessaly 1305). These enigmatic pieces are frequently identified as distribution tokens or entry tickets, an untenable attribution given the lack of precise provenance. Other possible uses for the objects abound, including: tokens, bullae, weights, contemporary or modern counterfeits, funerary money, test-pieces or strikes, and even circulating coinage. Of these suggestions, a use as a token or test-piece is most likely. As tokens, the objects may have initially served as proof or guarantee of some sort. As test-pieces, the objects would have served to demonstrate coin designs for approval prior to mass striking, as pattern coins do in the modern world.
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