Coin types included in this section are usually attributed to Kelenderis or described as imitations of its coinage. Although the compositions of their obverses and reverses are similar to those of Kelenderis coins, they differ significantly in many respects. They appear to represent short-lived issues of two as-yet-unidentified mints, which used Kelenderis staters only as loose models. These Pseudo-Kelenderis mints were probably located in Cilicia Trachea or possibly elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean. For details and iconographic analysis, see Veselý 2023, pp. 30–35.
A new study of these coins, including their archaeometallurgical analysis, is being prepared for publication.
AR Staters
| Type 1 | |
| Denomination: | AR Stater |
| Obverse: | Nude rider, possibly helmeted, holding the reins in his right hand and a cutlass (makhaira) in his left, dismounting from a horse rearing left on a dotted exergual line; dotted border. | |
| Reverse: | Goat kneeling left on solid exergual line, head turned back to right; in exergue, club. | |
| Variants: | a. | rev.: above the goat, a crescent and an ivy leaf on a long stalk |
| b. | rev.: a serpent attacking the goat from the right; above the goat, OT | |
| c. | rev.: in right field, a lizard; above the goat, OT | |
| References: | a. | SNG Berry 2, 1258 |
| b. | Vismara 1999, p. 162, Fr 39; several specimens on the market, e.g. Warszawskie Centrum Numizmatyczne, Auction 66 (10 September 2016), Lot 1 (acsearch.info URL); Coll. P. Veselý, PKE-AR-01 and PKE-AR-02 | |
| c. | Coll. P. Veselý, PKE-AR-03 | |
| Credits (see the references above): | ||
| a. | SNG Berry 2 | |
| b. | Warszawskie Centrum Numizmatyczne | |
| c. | P. Veselý (PKE-AR-03) | |
| Remarks: | (1) | The object in the rider’s left hand is not a whip, as is usually stated in auction catalogues, but a single-edged sword. See Veselý 2023, pp. 32–3. |
| (2) | Apart from the SNG Berry 2, 1258 coin shown here, I am not aware of any other specimen of variant 1a. The current location of this coin is unknown to me. Most of the coins from the Burton Yost Berry collection were donated to the American Numismatic Society and the Indiana University Museum of Art (now the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University). I have inquired about this coin at both of these institutions, but it is not in their collections. | |
| (3) | The model for variant 1a was probably the Kelenderis Type 2.6e. | |
| (4) | All known specimens of variant 1b are struck from the same obverse and reverse dies, which are reworked versions of the dies used for variant 1a. | |
| (5) |
The legend OT on variant 1b is clearly legible on specimen PKE-AR-02 in the collection of P. Veselý. Variant 1c is so far known from a single specimen. The upper part of the letter T lies at the edge of the obverse field but is still partially visible; this variant therefore most likely also bears the OT monogram. The legend may be an abbreviation of the name of the issuing city, an abbreviated name of the Persian governor who authorised the issue, or the monogram of the responsible mint official. Note that the OT monogram is also found on some Tarsos coins minted under Pharnabazos and perhaps also under Datames (Tarkumuwa), but is probably not related to these Pseudo-Kelenderis coins. See, for example: staters: Heritage Auctions, Inc., Auction 232150 (15 December 2021), Lot 63140 (acsearch.info URL); Numismatik Lanz München, Auction 102 (28 May 2001), Lot 281 (acsearch.info URL); obols: Nomos AG, Auction 26 (21 May 2023), Lot 517 (acsearch.info URL); Classical Numismatic Group, Triton VII (12 January 2004), Lot 316 (acsearch.info URL). |
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| (6) | The animal depicted on the right side of the reverse of variant 1c is most likely some kind of lizard. It has an open mouth, four short legs, and a long tail. Possible candidates include the starred agama (Laudakia stellio), also known as the roughtail rock agama, or the desert monitor (Varanus griseus). Both of these species live in Asia Minor, among other areas. | |
| Type 2 | |
| Denomination: | AR Stater |
| Obverse: | Nude rider, holding the reins in his right hand and a whip in his left, dismounting from a horse rearing left. |
| Reverse: | Goat kneeling left on a dotted exergual line, head turned back to right; all within a deep incuse. |
| References: | Savoca Coins, Live Online Auction 4 (30 August 2015), Lot 322 (acsearch.info URL) |
| Credit: | Savoca Coins (see the reference above) |
| Remark: | The depiction of the rider on the obverse and the deep incuse on the reverse are strongly reminiscent of early Holmoi staters; see the catalogue of Holmoi, Group 1, Type 1.1 (variant 1.1a is likewise anepigraphic). On Type 1.1 staters, the obverse scene is oriented to the right, whereas on Type 1.2 staters it is oriented to the left. The kneeling goat on the reverse, however, evokes the coinage of Kelenderis. The mint of origin is uncertain, but the coin was most likely struck at neither Holmoi nor Kelenderis. See Veselý 2023, pp. 34–5. |
Non-silver Staters
| Denomination: | 1: | AR fourrée stater (?) |
| 2: | Bronze core of a fourrée stater (?) | |
| Prototype: | Type 1b | |
| Weight: | 1: | 10.71 g |
| 2: | 8.41 g | |
| Diameter: | 1: | unknown |
| 2: | 17–20 mm | |
| Obverse: | Nude rider, possibly helmeted, holding the reins in his right hand and a cutlass (makhaira) in his left, dismounting from a horse rearing left on a dotted exergual line; dotted border. | |
| Reverse: | Goat kneeling left on a solid exergual line, looking back at a serpent entwined around it; above the goat, OT; in exergue, a club. | |
| References: | 1: | Stack’s Bowers Galleries, January 2023 NYINC Auction (13 January 2023), Lot 40076 (acsearch.info URL) = NGC Ancients, Cert # 5873943-003 |
| 2: | Coll. P. Veselý, PKE-AE-01 | |
| Credits (see the references above): | ||
| 1: | Stack’s Bowers Galleries | |
| 2: | P. Veselý | |
| Remarks: | (1) | NGC Ancients identifies Specimen 1 as an AR stater, consistent with its weight of 10.71 g. The Stack’s Bowers Galleries catalogue, however, describes it as an AR fourrée stater, an identification supported by its appearance in the photograph. Without physically examining the coin, it is impossible to determine this with certainty. |
| (2) | Specimen 1 was struck from the same dies as all known coins of Type 1b. This is probably also true for Specimen 2, but it is not certain. If Specimen 1 is indeed a fourrée, it must therefore have been an official issue. | |
29 August 2021 – 4 September 2026