Akropolis Ancient Coins
                                                 
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5. Septimius Severus; 193-211 A.D.; Hadrianopolis, Thrace; Æ 28. Obv: His laureate and draped bust, r. Rev: To right, Pan, with goat legs, holding lagobolon and facing HERMAPHRODITOS (!!) on the left. Note that Hermaphroditos depicts both male and female attributes. The legend of this mythological figure stems apparently from a single ancient source: Ovid, in his play Metamorphosis. He was said to have been the son of the messenger god Hermes and Aphrodite, the goddess of love. He was born a male and nursed by Naiads in the caves of Mount Ida in Asia Minor. At the age of 15 he wandered through the lands of Lycia and Caria. In his travels, he came upon a beautiful pool of clear water, in which lived the Naiad Salmacis, who was gathering flowers nearby. He decided to refresh himself by bathing in the pool. Salmacis,  struck by his handsomeness, slipped into the pool with him and sang to him of her love. However, the youth rejected her advances. Salmacis embraced him and tried to win him over, and prayed to the gods that they be joined together as one, forever. The gods granted her prayers and the two were joined, displaying both male and female attributes of the two; hence, the name Hermaphroditos (Hermaphrodite). The coin is in VF condition, with a dark green patina. The patina is chipped on the obverse edge, with a small, hard green deposit behind Severus' ear. This is an exceedingly rare coin; the second example of which I have seen in 40 years! It is not listed in the British Museum catalog, SNG Copenhagen, or in Jurukova's corpus on Hadrianopolis, though its obv. die is her V114. See Varbanov II (English), 3392 for a second example, incorrectly identified as Apollo, in my opinion. The referenced source as "WW" is also incorrect....................................................(Image) $4500

6. Septimius Severus; 193-211 A.D.; Anchialos, Thrace; Æ 29. Obv: His laur. hd., r. Rev: Demeter standing l., veiled; holding flaming torch in left arm. She faces a conical wicker basket pointed at both ends (fish trap?), around which is a coiled serpent extending toward Demeter, whose hand is raised toward the serpent, as if to touch it. There is a "Δ" (4 assaria) in the center field, with two pellets above it. This is an enigmatic mythical depiction which has not been explained. Indeed, leading authors disagree as to the nature of the conical object in the left field, with B.V. Head and AMNG (Strack) describing it as a torch, but the British Museum describing it as above. However, the sole known example of this coin available to them was far inferior to this example. The "torch" interpretation seems to be refuted by this coin, which clearly shows the serpent coiled about what Head and Strack would identify as the flame; a highly unlikely scenario. This coin may be the second known example, and the finest by far. BMC Thrace, 84. 6; AMNG (Strack)  II, 1, p.234, no. 467, pl. VI, 27 (referencing the sole example in BMC)..................................................................................(Image) $775

7. Septimius Severus; 193-211 A.D.; Odessos, Thrace; Æ 27. Obv: ΔΙVΩ CΕΥΗΡΩ ΠΕΙΩ (Divus Severus Pius). His bare head, r. Rev: ΟΔΗCCΕΙΤΩΝ. The Great God of Odessos stg.facing, hd. l., holding  cornucopia in left arm and patera over altar to his right. Sear GI 2129, where-in Sear states  "Posthumous types are rarely encountered in the Greek Imperial series, other than the issues for Divus Augustus."

Pick (AMNG) lists the coin at Volume I/II, p. 562, no. 2271, with which this coin has an obverse die link, but a different reverse die. He points out that the die maker spelled out, in Greek, the Latin "Divus" as "ΔΙVΩ", 
instead of using the Greek equivalent "Theos," and adds that this transliteration "otherwise on coins, at least genuine ones, never appears." If that is still true, this legend is unique among Roman Provincial coins. He also observes that "The obverse is an exact replica of certain Rome Consecratio denarii, of such kind that face, hair, and beard seem to have been engraved following it stroke by stroke." He cites two known examples of this coin at the time of publication, but I have learned of at least three more examples. This coin, however, may be the best preserved in existence. 

The coin has been cleaned down to bare metal in all but a few small areas and darkened, but there is one area with a scratch and some bare metal showing and there are several very tiny spots where the toning agent didn't reach. These don't show up in the image. Again, a scarce posthumous provincial issue, and near EF as to metal preservation, notwithstanding the cleaning and darkening........................................................................(Image) $845

8. Septimius Severus; 193-211 A.D.; Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior; Æ 25. Obv: His laur. bust, r. Rev: Nymphaeum. Varbanov__. But see Varbanov I, 2433 for Caracalla similar type Fair/Fine.....................................................(Image) $225

9. Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.) and Clodius Albinus (195-197 A.D.) Caesar; Pautalia, Thrace;  Æ 25. Obv: ΑΛΒΕΙΝ... to l., ΚΛCCΕΥΗ. Their busts facing, Severus' laur. and Albinus' head bare. Rev: Coiled serpent between tree and altar, as with a coin of Albinus alone struck at Pautalia: Varbanov II, #2971. This remarkable coin depicting Septimius Severus and the doomed Clodius Albinus is apparently unique. Varbanov_.(Image) $925

10. Septimius Severus (193-211 A.D.; Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior; Æ25. Obv: His laur. head r. Rev: Mt. Haimos as a young man sitting left on a rock, with a light gown over his shoulder and knees; his head turned to the right. His right arm is raised over his head and his left hand is resting on the rock or a tree stump. A bear at the base of the rock springs right, toward a deer fleeing right. The legend includes the Roman legate Gallus' name. Nice dark green patina. F/VF. Not in Varbanov for Gallus and with bear springing toward deer, but see Varbanov 2186 for a roughly similar type by Tertullus and 2683 for Macrinus with the same reverse as this coin. Possibly unique.......................................................................................................(Image) $225

11. Plautilla, wife of Caracalla; Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior; Æ 25. Her marriage to Caracalla was demanded by his father, the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, since Plautilla's father, Plautianus, was an old friend of Septimius Severus (who had appointed him as his praetorian prefect). Her father fell out of favor in 205 A.D., whereupon she was banished to the Lipari islands. She was murdered by Caracalla's order in 211 A.D. Obv: Her bust, right. Rev: Aphrodite standing nude, facing, and modestly covering herself with her hands. AMNG (Pick)___, BMC___ (a single example for Plautilla), SNG Copenhagen___ (NO examples for Plautilla!). Scrape on Plautilla's face and areas of obverse and reverse patina roughness.  Overall condition: VF+, with fine, dark green patina...................................(Image) $ 575

12. Another excellent bronze of Plautilla; Nicopolis, Moesia inferior; Æ 25. Obv: Her bust, right. Rev: Athena standing facing, head right, and holding spear and shield, the latter on a small base.  Again, AMNG (Pick)___, BMC___ (a single example for Plautilla), SNG Copenhagen___ (NO examples for Plautilla!). Varbanov (engl.) 3189. Superb dark green patina. The condition is about  EF...................................................................(Image) $525 

13. Geta, as caesar; 198-209 A.D.; Nicopolis, Moesia Inferior; Æ 16. Obv: His bare head r. Rev: Eros stg. l., holding downward-pointing torch. AMNG__, Varbanov__ , Hristova/Jekov 8.22.16.4 (this coin illustrated)...... (Image) $125

14. Geta; 209-212 A.D.; Philippopolis, Thrace; Æ 28. Obv: His laur., dr., and cuir. bust right. Rev: Geta (Sep Sev ?) stg. facing, hd. l., to right of a statue on a column, pouring libation over a tripod altar; victimarius to l., bringing bull to r. for sacrifice. Varbanov III, 1412. RARE! .......................(Image) $1245