Drachm Iberia, ca. 300-241 BC, Gallic imitation of Emporion, Silver EF(40-45)

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Female head (Tanit or Persephone) on the left wearing a wreath of wheat ears and a triple pendant earring., Horse standing on the right, crowned by Nike, winged and flying above him., Extremely rare imitation, certainly Gallic, of the drachms of Emporion featuring a standing horse. Emporion was a colony founded by the Phoceans in the 6th century BC, shortly after Massalia (Marseille), on the eastern tip of present-day Spain. Its name comes from the eponymous term for a port or trading post. Between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, Emporion minted fractional coins, but this system was quickly abandoned when drachms appeared.The first drachms of Emporion were inspired by Carthage. On the obverse is the head of a woman, possibly Tanit, wearing a crown of wheat ears and a three-pendant earring, while on the reverse is a horse standing and turned to the right. The influence of Carthage during this period is well known and is known to have extended as far as the northern Spanish coast. However, their defeat at the Aegadian Islands and more generally during the First Punic War (264-241 BC) caused their influence around the Mediterranean to decline. From 241 BC onwards, a change in style can be seen. The female head depicted on the obverse of the coinage now resembles Arethusa more than Tanit, she is turned to the right and dolphins appear around the portrait. Similarly, on the reverse, the Carthaginian horse is gradually replaced by a Pegasus. The presence of Nike on the reverse also recalls the coinage of Sicily, where the goddess is depicted in flight, crowning the horse.Also in the 3rd century BC, Emporion drachms were widely imitated, particularly in Gaul. The differences can be seen in the fineness of the engraving and in the legend. Our drachm is a perfect example of this, as its legend, ΕΝΠΟPΕΙΤΩΝ, is incorrect. The second E should not be there. The style of the imitations evolved at the same time as that of the genuine types. In our case, the coin reproduces the standing horse, which allows us to date it to before 241 BC. The style of our coin is refined and particularly similar to reference 157 in the work by Villaronga and Benages (ACIP 157). As an imitation, our drachm is referenced as No. 238 (ACIP 238) and is one of the first imitations of this type, still very close to the city's originals.Beyond its historical and stylistic interest, our drachm is extremely rare, as fewer than five examples have been found in sales in recent years. A few examples are also present in public collections, including two illustrated in Moneda Iberica: one at the British Museum (RPK, Gre.2), mentioned as an imitation, and another at the Gabinet Numismàtic de Catalunya (ref. 20545). MIB 14777, CNH 5, ACIP 238., ΕΝΠΟPΕΙΤ[ΩΝ]

 

Deutsch abbrev.	Deutsch Erhaltungsgrade	Englisch  Grades der Kühlung	Französisch États de  Erhaltung	Italienisch Stati di  conservazione
PP	Polierte Platte	Proof (PRF)	Flan bruni (FB)	Beweis
st	Stempelglanz, stempelfrisch	Stempelglanz (MS65-MS70)	Fleur de coin (FDC)	Fior di conio
-unz	fast unzirkuliert	Almost uncirculated (AU)
vz	Vorzüglich	Vorzüglich (EF oder XF)	Superbe (SUP)	Splendido
ss	Sehr schön	Sehr fein (VF)	Très Très beau (TTB)	Bellissimo
s	Schön	Fine (F)	Très beau (TB)	Molto bello

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