Macedonia, Tyntenoi, Octodrachm
ca. 480-470 BC - Extremely rare - Silver - NGC - Ch
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Divinity standing right between two bullocks.
Wheel with one vertical and two horizontal spokes in incuse square.
A coin of the highest rarity, attributed to the Illyrian tribe of the Tyntenoi (or Tynteni), unknown outside of its coinage bearing the legend "TΥNTENON". This coinage is extremely rare overall, so much so that the octodrachm is not mentioned in standard reference books such as the HGC, which only mentions the staters attributed to them (HGC 3.1, p. 133). It seems to have been struck only for a short period, between the end of the 6th century BC and the first quarter of the 5th century BC. This coinage is almost identical to that of the tribe/city of Ichnai/Ichnae, located in the ancient region of Macedonia, near present-day Koufalia (in present-day Greece), on which we find the same representation of the divinity accompanied by two bulls on the obverse and a spoked wheel within an incuse square on the reverse. The only difference is the ethnic origin mentioned in Greek on the obverse. There were other tribes/cities that struck coins similar to this one, such as the tribal kingdom of the Edonians (or Edoni, Edonides), whose cities were located to the east of the Strymon, not far from Mount Pangaion, in the ancient region of Edonis, or the tribe of the Orrescii (or Orreskians, Orreskioi), neighbours of the Edonians, whose location and coinage are only vaguely known. All these tribes issued superb and very heavy silver octodrachms, all of which are extremely rare as there seem to be very few of them. Finally, we do not know the exact location of the city of the Tynteni, which would have been called "Tynte", and it is not certain whether the tribe grouped together in a city, or whether it existed only through small villages. They are thought to have settled north of Lake Ohrid in what is now northern Macedonia, but we have no information today about their origins.
TΥNTENON
28.82 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.