Asia Minor Coins - Photo Gallery

Ancient Greek and Roman coins from Asia Minor

Region Cities/Mints Coins
Bithynia
17 753
Paphlagonia
11 177
Pontos
20 323
Troas
26 907
Mysia
32 1,258
Lesbos
9 513
Aiolis
12 351
Ionia
26 1,850
Lydia
42 1,341
Phrygia
57 1,161
Galatia
6 152
Karia
53 1,241
Lykia
35 495
Pamphylia
7 447
Pisidia
33 655
Lykaonia
11 91
Kappadokia
8 437
Kilikia
49 2,100
Cyprus
8 140
Asia Minor General
7 461

Random coins
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Mytilene (BC 521-478) EL Hekte - B091296 viewsca 521-478 BC. EL Hekte (2.58g). Forepart of a winged lion left / Incuse head of cock left. EF, lightly toned. Very nice.
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Mytilene (BC 521-478) EL Hekte - B131314 viewsca 521-478 BC. EL Hekte (10mm, 2.55g). Head of roaring lion right / Incuse head of cow right; incuse rectangular punch behind. EF, light scuff on reverse.
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Mytilene (BC 377-326) EL Hekte - B1051305 viewsca 377-326 BC. EL Hekte (2.51g, 6h). Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing right, head facing, within linear square. Good VF, tiny flan flaw on cheek, light graze on helmet. Well centered for issue.
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Mytilene (BC 412-378) EL Hekte - B65 var.411 viewsca 412-378 BC. EL Hekte (2.59g, 10mm, 7h). Bearded head of Ares right, wearing crested Attic helmet / Head of Amazon right, her hair drawn up and tied, in linear border within incuse square. gVF. Carr coll.

This emission is a variation of Bodenstedt 65. The reverse usually shows Amazon wearing an ornate helmet with the forepart of a griffin. This coin shows the Amazon without a helmet and her hair drawn up and tied. Bodenstedt does describe this variation for which he records 5 examples from a single die. At auction, only 5 other examples have appeared, thus this appears to be only the 11th example known. The obverse is from a die unrecorded by Bodenstedt and unknown from the examples from auctions.
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Mytilene (BC 412-378) EL Hekte - B72343 viewsca 412-378 BC. EL Hekte (2.6g, 10mm). Head of Athena right, wearing Attic helmet, the side-flap turned up / Lion-scalp facing in thin square frame, the whole in incuse square. Good VF. Carr coll.

Six known to Bodenstedt. A further seven examples have appeared at auction.
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Mytilene (BC 454-427) EL Hekte - B49472 viewsca 454-428/7 BC. EL Hekte (10mm, 2.46g). Head of Persephone right / Head of roaring lion right. Near VF, a few light scratches. Rare.
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Mytilene (BC 377-326) EL Hekte - B95 var.440 viewsca 377-326 BC. EL Hekte (2.54g, 9.5mm, 11h). Laureate head of Apollo (Dionysos?) facing right / Head of female facing right, drapery at neck, within linear square. Good VF. Carr coll.

A variation of the usual B95 type or a distinct new type. The obverse head appears different to that of Apollo and more like Dionysos with a laurel wreath rather than the usual ivy leaves. The female head on the reverse is unusually large. CNG described this coin as: “This is one of the few coins of this type that we have handled where the obverse portrait may actually be Dionysos, as there is what looks like a pinecone at the top of the laurel wreath. Normally, Dionysos would be wreathed with ivy leaves, but the wreath on this coin, and this type, usually looks more like laurel leaves. It is possible that this type is either an engraver’s error, or was meant to be a distinct issue different from the Apollo obverse type”.
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Mytilene (BC 377-326) EL Hekte - B96722 viewsca 377-326 BC. EL Hekte (2.55g, 12h). Laureate head of Zeus right / Forepart of serpent right within linear square. Good VF, a little off center.

Last additions
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Mytilene (BC 454-427) EL Hekte - B45a213 viewsca 454-427 BC. EL Hekte (2.54g, 10mm, 11h). Head of a nymph, (possibly Europa?), three-quarter facing, turned slightly to right, wearing a taenia / Two confronting boars' heads, “A” between the heads. Very Rare. aEF.Jun 11, 2019
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Mytilene (BC 521-478) EL 1/24 Stater - B-359 viewsca 521-478 BC. EL 1/24 Stater (0.62g, 7mm, 1h). Head of calf left / Incuse head of lion left; rectangular punch behind. Unpublished in the standard references. Near Mint State. An excessively rare denomination; one of just three known examples of this type. P.R. coll., United Kingdom.Jul 25, 2018
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Mytilene (BC 377-326) EL Hekte - B-491 viewsca 377-326 BC. EL Hekte (2.57g, 11mm). Laureate head of Apollo right / Female head (Persephone and Hecate) right, wearing triangular earring, within linear square. gVF. Die rust on obverse die and die match for Coin ID# 13789. Carr coll.

This coin is unknown to Bodenstedt, but is the third to appear at auction. One cataloguer thought it to be a “mule” of B100 and B99. However, the reverse is different to B99 with the female wearing triangular earrings. Noting a new emission is important as it adds two extra years to the period of the emissions of hektai from Mytilene. If the emissions did cease with Alexander, then each coin unknown to Bodenstedt supports the view that hektai were issued earlier than he suggests. There are 13 new emissions that have appeared at auction that were unknown to Bodenstedt at the time of his catalogue.
Jul 06, 2018
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Mytilene (BC 521-478) EL Hekte - B12 var282 viewsca 521-478 BC. EL Hekte (2.56g, 10mm). Head of roaring lion left, variant with ‘sun’ and rays above eye / Incuse head of calf left; rectangular punch to right. EF. Carr coll.

19 examples known to Bodenstedt, this is the 106th example to have appeared at auction. The dies for this example are worn and otherwise unknown. This variant with a ‘sun’ and rays above the eye is similar to that on the Trites of Lydia. Some sources suggest that the lion was considered a personification of the sun as they were thought to be able to look directly at the sun.
May 06, 2018
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Mytilene (BC 454-427) EL Hekte - B38383 viewsca 454-428/7 BC. EL Hekte (11mm, 2.48g). Head of Silenos facing slightly left / Head of lion right within linear square border; within incuse square. gVF. Very rare.Feb 10, 2018
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Mytilene (BC 521-478) EL Hekte - B21 var373 viewsca 521-478 BC. EL Hekte (2.56g, 10.5mm, 9h). Head of ram left; below, head of eagle facing right / Incuse head of bearded Herakles wearing lion’s skin headdress facing right. Good VF, toned.

This is a variant of the normal emission with an eagle’s head. This originally appeared in Elsen Auc. 111 (12/2011), lot 131, and appears to be the only example. It is unlisted in any of the standard texts except HGC 6, 947 var, this coin.
Jan 25, 2018
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Mytilene (BC 530-522) EL 1/12 Stater - BE2220 views600-550 BC. EL 1/12 Stater (1.16g, 6mm). Head of calf right / Incuse square punch. VF. Carr coll.; ex Gorny & Mosch 191 (10/2010), lot 1521.

Bodenstedt noted a rare group of fractions having a calf head facing right on the obverse and incuse square punch on the reverse. He attributed this series to Mytilene. After Bodenstedt (1981) was published, some scholars suggested this series of emissions appears to equate to a Lydo-Milesian standard which may indicate it was minted in Ionia, perhaps during the Ionian Revolt - see Kayhan (2002), Plate 28 nos 732-734. Thus far, the series of fractions consists of 1/12 stater (this coin), 1/24 stater (see Coin ID #12959) and 1/48 stater (see Coin ID #12749).
Jan 22, 2018
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Mytilene (BC 454-427) EL Hekte - B-186 viewsca 521-478 BC. EL Hekte (2.51g, 10mm). Head of Persephone right / Lyre or kithara within incuse. VF. Carr coll.

This emission is not recorded in Bodenstedt. This is the 5th example to appear at auction. Reverse is die match to example auctioned by CNG Auc. 105 (5/2017), lot 285.
Oct 24, 2017