Catalog
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| Issuer | Cherronesos (Thrace) |
|---|---|
| Year | 386 BC - 338 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Hemidrachm (1/2) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Forepart of a lion advancing to the right, the head dramatically turned back to the left in a characteristic retrograde pose. The lion's mane is rendered with bold, stylized striations, and the open jaws reveal the tongue, conveying fierce energy typical of Chersonesian coinage. The muscular shoulders and raised forepaw are modeled in high relief against the plain field. The flan is irregular and slightly scyphate in profile, consistent with hand-struck silver coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Chersonesos in Thrace minted hemidrachms in enormous quantities throughout the fourth century BC, functioning as the dominant small silver denomination across the northern Aegean trade network. The city's position on the Thracian Chersonese peninsula gave it control over grain shipments moving through the Hellespont, and its coinage circulated as far as the Black Sea colonies. The specific dot and X monogram pairing alongside the amphora control marks help place this piece within the extensive McClean typology, which distinguishes dozens of subtle symbol combinations used by Chersonesos to track mint output — likely administrative rather than chronological in purpose.