Archaios | Moesia Inferior Nicopolis Commodus / Eagle | RARE | AE | i56.10

Description

Archaios Numismatics
Description:
Roman Provincial Bronze coin of
Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior
from the 2nd Century AD.
Obverse:
Laureate Head of Commodus Right; Legend around: [
ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΜΑΡ Α]ΥΡ ΚΟΜΟΔΟС .
Reverse:
Eagle standing facing, with Head right, (on Thunderbolt); ethnic [
ΝEΙ]ΚΟΠΟΛI ΠΡOC ICTPO
around Retrograde and CCW from lower right.
Mint:
Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior
Size:
16 mm
Weight:
2.66 g
Ref:
RPC Online -- ; AMNG -- (see AMNG 1247 for prototype but different in legend Obverse, Legend Reverse, Eagle head direction and retrograde reverse legend).
cf CNG 240,283 (Est: 0,Hammer: 0) for close match but still different variation.
Condition:
VF. Rare type.
As always, Please use the Pictures as your judge as grading is subjective.
Inventory: 56.10
Notes:
Kallatis (or Callatis)
was an ancient Greek town in Moesia Inferior. The town was founded on the Black Sea as a colony of Heracleia Pontica in the 6th century B.C. and is about twenty-five miles south of Tomis.
.
Greek Kallatis means "the beautiful".
Its first silver coinage was minted approximately 350 B.C. In 72 B.C., Kallatis was conquered by the Roman general Lucullus and was included in the Roman province of Moesia Inferior. Throughout the 2nd century A.D., the city built defensive fortifications. Kallatis suffered multiple invasions in the 3rd century A.D. but recovered in the 4th century A.D. to regain its status as an important trade hub and port city.
The Greek town Callatis existed until the mid 7th century under this name and today it is located in Mangala, Romania a resort town on the south eastern Romanian coast of the Black Sea (and the oldest town in Romania).
Callatis produced Autonomous silver of Attic weight in Octobols, Tetrobols, and Triobols. A common Silver type after death of Lysimachus, B.C. 281 to 72 BC was the Head of Herakles in lion-skin. / ΚΑΛΛΑΤΙ Bow in case, club, and ear of corn. AR 88, 44, and 30 grs. Also gold staters and tetradrachms, copied from the money of Alexander and Lysimachus (or countermarked), which circulated for more than a century and a half in these regions. The portraits on some of the gold staters seem to be of the time of Mithradates.
The symbol of Callatis on coins of regal types is an ear of corn.
Autonomous bronze coins are likewise known with the heads of Herakles or Athena (reverse-types as above); of young Dionysos, rev. Ivy-wreath or Panther with thyrsos; of Apollo, rev. Tripod; of veiled Demeter, rev. Corn-wreath, &c. Magistrates’ names, occasionally, in nom. case or in monogram. Callatis was taken by Lucullus in B.C. 72, when its autonomous coinage comes to an end.
The quasi-autonomous and Imperial coinage of Callatis ranges from Faustina Jun. to Philip Jun. Inscr., ΚΑΛΛΑΤΙΑΝΩΝ. Types. Heads of Herakles as ΚΤΙCΤΗC, Demeter, Athena. Reverses. Labours of Herakles; Dioskuri; Kybele on lion; Eros on lion; City-goddess seated; City gateway, &c. From Sept. Severus to Philip the coins usually bear marks of value, Ε, Δ, Γ, Β (= 5-2 Assaria). See Imhoof, Gr. M., p. 163.
Some Excerpts From Head, Hist. Num., and Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
We Thank You for stopping in and taking time to look at and bid on our listings.
Good Luck Bidding or Buying !
We encourage you to
click the "
See other items
" link
above in the "
Seller Information
" area of the listing as well to check out our other items posted.  We have a variety of great classical and other ancient numismatic items available.
We will be regularly continuing to post for sale and auction a
wide variety of Ancient Roman, Greek, and Eastern coins as well as Medieval, Byzantine, and some Modern coins as well.
We do combine shipping if buying or winning multiple items. Just contact us before you pay and let us know and we will gladly send an updated invoice with the combined shipping amount.
You can also follow us to be notified when new listings are posted.
With over 20 years in the numismatics hobby
we continue to revel in the excitement that comes from holding each new small piece of history in our hands.
We enjoy the enduring sense of history both of the prior uses and users as well as the creativity and necessity that surround the time and place at which these coins were minted and used in circulation.
Our aim is to cater not just to the high end collector but also to the hobbyist and the newly initiated and those on a limited budget.
Everyone starts the hobby somewhere and where we can share our knowledge to help inform or jumpstart your collecting pleasure we will aim to do so.
We want you to love every purchase you make with us and
we always stand by the quality and authenticity of all the coins we are selling
.