Lucania, Stater, 300-280 BC
Thourioi - Silver - VF(30-35) - HN Italy:1870
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Head of Athena on the right, wearing a single-strand pearl necklace, an earring in the form of an exclamation mark and an helmet adorned with Scylla; Φ on the neck guard.
Bull bending to the right, in sacrificial position with its right foreleg bent and its head bowed to the ground; ΘΕ above its back and two fishes in exergue.
Stater with a gray patina and a few iridescent reflections, showing light graffiti and a few marks. The obverse is off-center at the top, but still reveals a good part of the portrait of Athena. The egrets on her helmet are still well detailed with fine lines, while her face and especially her eyes are delicately depicted. The scales of Scylla can also be seen all along her body, of which only the lower part is visible. Athena is skillfully depicted, making this coin very pleasing to the eye. Overall, the coin is well-centered, revealing all the iconography, including the two fishes in the exergue, which is partially truncated. Thourioi was built on the ruins of Sybaris, destroyed by the city of Kroton. The bull is a reminder of the city's coinage and its wealth from the bovine trade, particularly leather. SNG ANS 1080; HGC 1, 1263 and HN Italy 1870. Faune d'Argent Collection.
ΘΟΥΡΙΩΝ / ΘΕ
7.39 gr
Silver
Silver can fall into your pocket but also falls between copper and gold in group 11 of the periodic table. Three metals frequently used to mint coins. There are two good reasons for using silver: it is a precious metal and oxidizes little upon contact with air. Two advantages not to be taken for granted.
Here is thus a metal that won’t vanish into thin air.
It’s chemical symbol Ag is derived from the Latin word for silver (argentum), compare Ancient Greek ἄργυρος (árgyros). Silver has a white, shiny appearance and, to add a little bit of esotericism or polytheism to the mix, is traditionally dedicated to the Moon or the goddess Artemis (Diana to the Romans).
As a precious metal, just like gold, silver is used to mint coins with an intrinsic value, meaning their value is constituted by the material of which they are made. It should be noted that small quantities of other metals are frequently added to silver to make it harder, as it is naturally very malleable (you can’t have everything) and thus wears away rapidly.
The first silver coins probably date back to the end of the 7th century BC and were struck on the Greek island of Aegina. These little beauties can be recognized by the turtle featured on the reverse.
The patina of silver ranges from gray to black.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of silver included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ silver or 999 parts of silver per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.
