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Orbis Collectibles

Iolla, bronze coin — Owl standing right (CN type 21490)

DocumentedSupported by at least one credible specialist source.

Record status

Individual type · research required

Period

c. 380–330 BC

Issuing entity

Mysia

Coin in bronze struck at Iolla in Mysia, dated c. 380–330 BC. Corpus Nummorum, the online type corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, records it as CN type 21490 (period: Classical Period; issuing authority type: city).

Obverse: Head of Athena to right with Attic helmet, decorated with laurel wreath. Reverse: Owl standing right, head facing. Legend: ΙΟΛΛΕΩΝ. Measured specimens give a mean weight of 2.98 g (mean of 3 recorded specimens) and a diameter of 12–15 mm (from 3 recorded specimens). Published references cited by the corpus: Plankenhorn, Münzen aus Mysien, München 2022, p. 68, nr. 18.

Evidence at a glance

Linked sources
3
Photograph views
2
Catalogue references
1

Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.

Historical context

Iolla was an ancient city located in Mysia, a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor bordering the south coast of the Sea of Marmara, Propontis, Troad, Aeolis, Lydia, Phrygia, and Bithynia. In antiquity, the broader region was inhabited by populations including Mysians, Phrygians, and Aeolian Greeks. As an autonomous urban centre in Mysia, the city exercised authority to issue its own civic currency during the Classical Period, between c. 380 and 330 BC.

Physical characteristics

Material
bronze
Recorded diameter
12–15 mm (from 3 recorded specimens)
Recorded mean weight
2.98 g (mean of 3 recorded specimens)

Technical characteristics

Mint
Iolla
Region
Mysia
Authority type
City

Design

Obverse type
Head of Athena to right with Attic helmet, decorated with laurel wreath.
Reverse type
Owl standing right, head facing.
Reverse legend
ΙΟΛΛΕΩΝ

Identification

Period
Classical Period
How to identify
Check the mint name or ethnic, the reverse type and the legend together, then compare weight and module; types from the same mint often differ only in legend arrangement, magistrate names or control marks. 1 closely related CN type with the same mint, denomination and design is consolidated into this entry and listed under varieties.
Type corpus record
https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/types/21490
Type corpus identifier
CN type 21490

Documentation checklist

Denomination
Research required
Issue or mint date
Recorded
Material
Recorded
Weight
Recorded
Mint or printer
Recorded
Mint or printer mark
Research required
Catalogue reference
Recorded
Attached photograph (check rights)
Recorded

Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.

Catalogue references

Varieties

  • CN type 23335

    Same mint, denomination and design (reverse legend ΙΟΛΛΕΩΝ); dated c. 380–330 BC. Consolidated into this entry

Research required

  • Photograph reuse terms to be confirmed with the holding institution
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