All of us here at Stack’s Bowers Galleries hope you had a nice holiday weekend! We are already looking forward to our next major auction event, our official auction at the New York International Numismatic Convention. It will be an exciting sale, so stay tuned for previews between now and the start of the auction on January 9th. Today’s preview comes to us from the ancient trade city of Cyzicus. Located in the Mysia region, which is found on the northwest coast of Anatolia, Cyzicus was ideally situated between the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. In present day terms, Cyzicus would be found in northwest Turkey, at the coast of the Turkish Straits. Due to this advantageous location, Cyzicus flourished as a trade center and its coinage became a commonly accepted currency throughout the Hellenistic world. Coins from Cyzicus maintained their status as a staple currency up until the coinage of Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) superseded it. The Electrum coinage of Cyzicus featured a variety of icons, with an incuse punch on the reverse. Many a mythological creature appeared including sphinxes and griffins, but one rarely seen type surfaced recently with a creature which may not immediately be familiar, even to a purveyor of ancient coins.
The left-facing forepart of a Peryton, a winged stag, adorns the obverse of this Stater. The Peryton is depicted as a stag, complete with antlers, with wings similar to a Pegasus. This intriguing creature provides a stark contrast to the common tunny fish which is found just below. The reverse follows the standard quadripartite incuse square pattern for these electrum staters of Cyzicus. This rare obverse design offers an intriguing addition to any ancient coin collection, and is sure to draw plenty of attention once it reaches the auction podium.
Look for this and other ancient and world numismatic rarities in our upcoming January New York International Numismatic Convention Auction. Preview this impressive coin along with the rest of our auction this December at the Stack’s Bowers Galleries office located in Irvine, California. For details please refer to the Events Calendar link at www.StacksBowers.com. To schedule an appointment, please call 800.458.4646. While our Stack’s Bowers Galleries January New York International Numismatic Convention Auction is no longer open for consignments, we are currently taking consignments of ancient and world coins for our August 2015 ANA World’s Fair of Money Showcase Auction and our April 2015 Hong Kong Showcase Auction of Asian Coins and Currency. If you are interested in consigning your coins and paper currency (whether a whole collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our consignment directors.
