25.06.2013 Views

THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

THE COIN COLLECTOR - World eBook Library

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

GREEK <strong>COIN</strong>S<br />

dom, Paphlagonia, and Pontus. There is a plentiful<br />

coinage of cistophori, &c, issued under imperial autho-<br />

rity or licence in the name of the koinon or com-<br />

munity of Bithynia. But of the cities separately there<br />

are ancient autonomous coins from the sixth century<br />

b.c. belonging to Astacus, Calchedon, Cius, and Hera-<br />

cleia. There are gold staters of Cius, only known<br />

from the Sidon find (1865). Some of the religious<br />

indications on the money of the Pontic region allude<br />

to the worship of Antinous, Apollo, and Demeter. The<br />

money of Calchedon resembles that of Byzantium in<br />

the presence of the bull, which here has an ear of corn<br />

under his feet instead of a dolphin. The regal series<br />

extends from b.c. 278 to 74, and consists of six dynasts,<br />

so far as the evidence of coins goes. There are gold<br />

staters of Nicomedes II. Epiphanes, b.c. 149-91.<br />

Mysia.—In this division of Greece there are several<br />

interesting and important considerations to occupy the<br />

attention of the numismatist and collector. We can<br />

only glance at them. Mysia embraced the ancient<br />

and extremely prolific mints of Cyzicus and Lampsacus,<br />

and was the source of that immense volume of con-<br />

vention-money known under the name of cistophori,<br />

of which the Bacchic type appealed to the common<br />

religious sympathies of the population among which<br />

they were intended to pass current. The principal coin-<br />

centres were Apollonia on the Rhyndacus, Cyzicus,<br />

Parium, Lampsacus, and Pergamum. The electrum<br />

coinages of Cyzicus and Lampsacus are well known,<br />

and in the case of the former we have the advantage<br />

85

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!