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Orbis Collectibles

Bisanthe, Bisanthe: nominal A — Ethnic within grain ear wreath (CN type 644)

DocumentedSupported by at least one credible specialist source.

Record status

Individual type · research required

Period

c. 300–200 BC

Issuing entity

Thrace

Bisanthe: nominal A in bronze struck at Bisanthe in Thrace, dated c. 300–200 BC. Corpus Nummorum, the online type corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, records it as CN type 644 (period: Hellenistic Period; issuing authority type: city).

Obverse: Veiled head of Demeter, right, wearing corn wreath. Reverse: Ethnic within grain ear wreath. Legend: ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ. Measured specimens give a mean weight of 6.22 g (mean of 14 recorded specimens) and a diameter of 19–23 mm (from 15 recorded specimens). Published references cited by the corpus: Schönert-Geiß, Die Münzprägung von Bisanthe, Dikaia, Selymbria, Berlin 1975, p. 8, nr. 1-11, pl. 1; Hoover, Handbook of coins of Macedon and its neighbors. Part II: Thrace, Skythia, and Taurike: sixth to first centuries BC, Lancaster, Pa. London 2017, p. 67, nr. 1361.

Evidence at a glance

Linked sources
4
Photograph views
1
Catalogue references
2

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

Historical context

Bisanthe was a major city in ancient Thrace, situated on the coast of the Propontis. Originally founded by Samians, the settlement formed part of the kingdom of the Thracian prince Seuthes II around 400 BCE before being renamed Raedestum in a later era. This bronze piece, dating to circa 300–200 BC, reflects the civic minting traditions of Hellenistic Bisanthe, whose surviving coinage remains documented in the region.

Physical characteristics

Material
bronze
Denomination
Bisanthe: nominal A
Recorded diameter
19–23 mm (from 15 recorded specimens)
Recorded mean weight
6.22 g (mean of 14 recorded specimens)

Technical characteristics

Mint
Bisanthe
Region
Thrace
Authority type
City

Design

Obverse type
Veiled head of Demeter, right, wearing corn wreath.
Reverse type
Ethnic within grain ear wreath.
Reverse legend
ΒΙΣΑΝΘΗΝΩΝ

Identification

Period
Hellenistic 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.
Type corpus record
https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/types/644
Type corpus identifier
CN type 644

Documentation checklist

Denomination
Recorded
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

Research required

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