Kelenderis, Staters – Group 1

Analyzed coins Die analysis Visual catalogue

Analyzed coins

Coin catalogue section:	Kelenderis, Group 1
Coin corpus datasets:	Kelenderis, Group 1

The number of analyzed coins recorded in the Corpus as of 9 May 2025 is presented in Table 1.

Type	Count
1.1	2
1.2	2
1.3a	1
1.3b	9
Total	14

Table 1: Number of analyzed coins

Die analysis

An overview of dies used for known staters of Group 1 is given in Table 2. Coins of Types 1.1 and 1.2 were struck with the same obverse die O1. However, the obverse die O1 is more worn in Type 1.2, as shown by the wider vertical crack in the die in the right field, which is marked by purple ovals in the photographs below. Types 1.1 and 1.2 thus differ only in the reverse dies R1 and R2, with Type 1.1 coins being struck earlier than Type 1.2 coins.

Identification of dies on coins of Type 1.3 is problematic. It seems, that the obverse die O2 used for the only known specimen of variant 1.3a was also used for coins of variant 1.3b. However, this die was reworked twice and the city ethnic was deleted from it for some reason. The photographs below highlight four characteristic details that make it very likely to identify the O2 die on all coins of variant 1.3b:

remains of the inscription and grooves in the outer edge of the die below the inscription and to the right of the horse’s tail (red ovals);
crack in the die between the gaskin and the tail of the horse (blue ovals);
crack in the die to the left of the horse’s muzzle (yellow ovals);
long hair on the fetlock of the left hind leg of the horse (green ovals).

The first stage of the O2 die redesign, designated O2b, can be seen on all coins of variant 1.3b except for specimen no. 8. The city ethnic in the exergue was erased, the rider’s left arm was strengthened (the drapery of the chlamys visible on the rider’s arm on coin 1.3a disappears), the clasp of the chlamys on the rider’s chest was added, the worn parts of the die were modified and the cracks in the die were repaired. The early state of the die modified in this way is represented by specimen no. 4. For specimen no. 8, the O2b die was probably further modified to the form of O2c: the rider’s left foot was turned to the left, the position of the horse’s right foreleg was changed, and the rider’s chest, his left arm, chlamys and whip were redesigned.

The reverse dies used for the coins of Type 1.3 were probably four (R3, R4, R5 and R6). However, for specimens os. 2 and 9, the identification of the reverse dies is very uncertain.

Type	Corpus no.	Specimen	Coin dies
Type	Corpus no.	Specimen	Obverse	Reverse
1.1	1	1	O1	R1
1.1	2	2	O1	R1
1.2	3	1	O1	R2
1.2	4	2	O1	R2
1.3a	5	1	O2	R3
1.3b	6	1	O2b	R5
	7	2	O2b	R5 (?)
	8	3	O2b	R5
	9	4	O2b	R4
	10	5	O2b	R4
	11	6	O2b	R4
	12	7	O2b	R4
	13	8	O2c	R6
	14	9	O2b	R4 (?)