Friday, November 15, 2019

Cast Uncia Capis Pedum Vecchi ICC 308

Cast Uncia Capis Pedum

Central Italy, 280 - 260 BC


Mint – Uncertain Central Italy, see below.  
Denomination - AE Cast Uncia
Mint date - 280-260 BC
Obv – Pitcher (also called Jug, Jug with handle, Capis, Oinochoe, Oenochoe, kanne mit Henkel1); pellet (mark of value) to left. Notes 1: pot with handle – English translation of German text
Rev – Shephards crook (also called Pedum, Sistrum, curved club); pellet (mark of value) to left.

31.32 grams, this is the heaviest coin I found in web searches. Only two of 44 coins in Haeberline were heavier.
30.5 X 31.2 X 8.1 mm
RR. Very rare. A superb cast in high relief. Dark green patina. Good VF.

Notes:
1.       pot with handle – English translation of German text

References, I do not find this coin in Sear, Crawford or Grueber.
Vecchi ICC 308
Vecchi places this coin under Unknown Mints in Central Italy, Central Itallian Issues not in Recobnisable Series, 3rd century BC.
Thurlow & Vecchi, ICC – 223
Vecchi comments that this coin might logically be ascribed to Asculum. He lists it in Uncertain Central Italy, C. 280 – 260BC.
HN Italy – 386, pg 53, HNI notes there is an example in the Museo Archelogico, Chieti
Uncertain Aes Grave, This series are unattributed and can for the most part be dated in only a general way to the first half of the 3rd centure BC.
Sydenham, Aes Grave – 112
Sydenham notes: This coin is assigned to Latium-Campania and grouped in a series with a Lion’s Head As by the editors of the Cat. Mus. Kirch. The arrangement is conjectural.
                Sale cat – 134 & 135, Different types not groups from Latium-Campania.
Haeb. Page 168, 44 examples; pl. 68,23-25. AE.
Haeberline assigns the coins to indeterminate individual communities in Latium or Campania
Garrucci – Pg 23 #6; Plate XLIII #6; Tibur, Latium
Tivoli is a town twenty miles to the east of Rome (Tibur is the ancient name); a summer resort during the Roman empire; noted for its waterfalls
BMC Italy Pg 59, # 32 – 35;
Uncertain Aes Grave of Central Italy, using an the arrangement of Mommsen, Blacas, I, pg. 332 - 343. This coin is in section C, coins of various classes. These coins cannot all be attributed to Central Italy.
Kirchner – page 23, Tavola XI, N.6; Plate Class I, Tavole XI.
I do not see where mint is mentioned. – Note: there is a coin that looks similar in Table Incerte V #8


eem data Hab data Eq As
Weight 31.32 eem data haeb eem coin
Weight - max 31.32 34.2
Weight - min 16.40 20.3
Weight - avg 23.5 24.8 284 298 376
Weight - st dev 3.8 2.9
Number 20 44
Diameter - max 31.2 8.1 thick
Diameter - min
 30.5
Diameter - max  32.0
Diameter - min 26.0
Diameter - avg 29.9
Diameter - st dev 1.5

I picked up several cast bronze weights, coins and a shell. Clockwise in the picture below are a Semis, Quadrans (sized shell), Seztans and Uncia.


An oenochoe, also spelled oinochoe (Ancient Greek: οἰνοχόη; from Ancient Greek: οἶνος oînos, "wine" and Ancient Greek: χέω khéō, "I pour"; plural oenochoai or oinochoai), is a wine jug and a key form of ancient Greek pottery. See below.
Wikipedia

A pedum is a shepherds staff (crook). The pic below shows David holding a sling and pedum.

David: slinging at Goliath -- David, with pedum in left hand, swings sling in right hand. Stone strikes forehead of Goliath, in mail, wearing broad helmet, removing sword from scabbard.
Pierpont Morgan Library. Manuscript. M.638.
Old Testament Published/Created:
Paris, France, ca. 1244-1254.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

An interesting Roman bronze barrel weight collection

An interesting barrel weight collection arrived this week. I bought the lot because it has a one Roman pound weight with AA. I have a few 1 pound weights, see next post, but this one is probably the oldest.

 top row: 1 As, 1 Semis, 1 Semis (oldest)


Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger's pic

BALANCES AND WEIGHTS
Late antique Byzantine. According to Bendall, two of the weights are Roman and 8 of the weights are late Roman to early Byzantine. The earlier weights indicate denominations in VNCIA (ounces). The later weights use Greek letters and monograms. ૪ = OY in monogram, OY is an abbreviation for ΟΥΝΓΓΙΑ = UNCIA or ounce. When paired with ૪ the weight denominations are:
     ૪A = 1 ounce
     ૪B = 2 ounces
      Γ = 3 ounces
     C = 6 ounces, I do not have the symbol to type here.

Lot of 10 bronze barrel weights, 8 inlaid with silver, denominations: 1/8th uncia (ounce) to one Libra (Roman pound).  
See dimensions below. Height = 7 to 33 mm. Diameter = 9 to 43 mm. 
Most have intact silver 

Since the early 1980s in German private collection.





I bought the lot for this one pound weight. The lettering has good silver and the weight (327.7) is very close to the roman pound standard (327.45).


The lot has two half pound weights. I think the second letter on the left is a lower case Zeta, the 6th letter in the Greek alphabet. It would read 6 ounces.
I bought this half pound weight a few years ago. I think it looks better than the two from this lot that were cleaned and retoned (I think).

#
Denomination
Wt Gr
Eq Ass
Dimension
H X D, mm
On
Weight
Bendall
1
As or Libra,
12 ounce
327.7
32.8 X 43.2
A A
23, 27
2
Semis,
6 ounce
155.4
(311)
26.7 X 34.5
VNC
VNV

3
Semis,
6 ounce
163.0
(326)
28.5 X 33.9
  C
23, 28
= OY in monogram
4
Quadrans,
3 ounce
82.6
(330)
20.5 X 26.5
Γ
23
5
Sextans,
2 ounce
46.9
(281)
18.9 X 22.5
Β
31
6
Uncia,
1 ounce
25.1
(301)
14.5 X 18.3
A
23, 33
7
Uncia,
1 ounce
26.5
(318)
13.0 X 18.7
VNI
VNV

8
Semiuncia,
½ ounce
12.5
(300)
11.3 X 15.1
I B

9
Sicilius,
¼ ounce
6.6
(317)
9.7 X 11.6
C
1.5 Solidus
10
?,
1/8 ounce
3.3
(317)
7.2 X 9.4
Γ
Half Solidus
3 Grammata

Greek alphabet

3 ounce

2 ounce, note the odd shaped B

two 1 ounce weights
I read the right one: VN I.

I do not know the symbols on the left.

Two semis weights and a semis coin.
One sextans weight and a sextans coin.

Romano - Byzantine One Pound Weight

I have picked up several weights in 2019. This one is large: 1 As = 1 Libra = 323.8 grams, 56 x 56 mm and interesting. It is hard to tell from pictures where silver is still in the lettering and where most if missing. You can see two scrapes that I suspect were used to remove silver from the letters.
My pic shows lots of details. 

CNG's pic.

Romano - Byzantine One Pound Commercial Weight, 4th-6th centuries. Æ
Obv - Cross flanked by ÎA (some say Î is LI in ligature = one Roman pound or Libra); all within wreath
Rev - Blank.
Cf. Bendall 51.
VF, green-brown surfaces, a few scrapes.
323.8 grams
56 x 56 mm

I like to compare size of weights and coins. 

One pound weight and some smaller (3oz, 2oz & 1oz) weights.

One As shown several ways. The four scale weights are close to a Roman pound of 327 grams. The two one As coins weigh 204 grams and 40 grams.


How do we know what one As or one Libra is in grams. The weight below tells us that there are 72 solidi per Libra. If a gold solidus weighs 4.54 grams, then the As is 327 grams. 

I found this weight online at: https://funtofil.livejournal.com/67964.html

Circa 4th-6th century. Weight of 1 libra or 72 solidi (Brass ('orichalcum'), inlaid with silver and copper, 51x51x13mm, 320.44 g), a thick, square coin-weight with plain edges (as MAH B1), solidus of 4.45 g. Engraved on the top with inscription three lines, -Α / SOL / LXXII, within curved arch highlighted in silver; above to left and right, cross filled in silver; all within square frame of engraved lines enclosing a copper border. Rev. Plain. Bendall 152 var. An impressive and rare piece with gold-brown surfaces. Very fine or better.

From the Eparch Collection, acquired from a private collection in London.