PLANCHET

The

Victoria’s Children in
Canadian Numismatics
PAGE 7

From a Tyrant
to a King
PAGE 13

The End
of the Line
PAGE 25

Edmonton Numismatic Society November 2023

Volume 70 · Issue 6
 The

PLANCHET
V OLUME 70 · IS S U E 6

1 Message from
the President
Feature Articles
2 Next Meeting 7 Victoria’s Children in Canadian Numismatics
3 Coming Events by Wayne Jacobs

4 Monthly Meeting
13 From a Tyrant to a King
Minutes
Tyrant Agathokles added two interesting tetradrachms to the
29 Spring 2024 numismatic legacy of ancient Syracuse – just before the city’s
Coin Show and Sale power began to decline.
Amid the Ruins by Wayne Hansen

The Planchet Team 25 The End of the Line

The story of Syracuse’s late coinage continues under a series
Editor-In-Chief
of successors through the Second Punic War, but without the
Joe Kennedy city’s familiar tetradrachms.
Graphic Design Ancients by Terence Cheesman
Joe Kennedy
Proofreading
Wayne Hansen
Editing
Wayne Hansen
Marc Bink
On-Line Distribution
Henry Nagtegaal
Printing and Mailing
Howard Gilbey DISCLAIMER
The opinions herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Edmonton
Advertising Numismatic Society. The editors, at their sole discretion, reserve the right to accept or refuse any
Tom Woznow material submitted for publication.

ii THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023

Message from the President
Andy Bailes
November, 2023
Hello and welcome to another
fantastic issue of The Planchet.
Thanks to our editorial team and
club members for their time and
effort to produce this issue.
As you may be aware, I am on
a leave of absence from the
club meetings and the executive
meetings to take on a university
course. I would like to thank the
Message from the Past President
Marc Bink
November, 2023
It’s been 8 months since I gave
up the presidency. Since then
we’ve had a summer and a coin
show go by. The summer wasn’t
too bad, and the coin show
was excellent. The Edmonton
Numismatic Society really knows
how to put on a good solid show,
and this one was no exception.
To all the people who stepped
up to volunteer and put in the
hours, thank you!
At the September coin show
I managed to remind myself
that I am a serious coin collec-
tor. I picked up a nice Bavarian
Gulden and a couple of nice
Confederate banknotes. These
are welcome new additions to
my collection which has long
been neglected. I also saw a lot
of familiar faces at the show,
which was great. It’s a good
thing to catch up with people
you haven’t seen in a while.
We get more volunteers for a
show set up than some clubs get
for members at a general meet-
ing. A club is usually the sum
THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023
executive and also to the past
president and the vice president
for stepping up and making
things run smoothly. I am not at
the meetings but I am kept up
to date with the goings on and
how things are progressing.
I wish everyone a Merry
Christmas and a very Happy
New Year.
of its parts; in other words, its
people, and it can only progress
if that group of people remain
motivated.
Recently, a number of club mem-
bers have stepped back in order
refresh things and generate a
positive and progressive spirit.
We’ve all made a good effort,
but we are still pushing a few of
our volunteers to the limit and
they need more help. So I have
to ask you – is there a way you
can help out and give back to
your club? There are many ways
you can devote a few minutes
of your time to help out during
meetings, shows, and events.
Any little bit will help out. Our
current executive and board
members are available to train
you in learning new skills and to
help connect you with others.
We encourage you to become
more involved in your hobby!
Together, with your help, we can
all make it work and build a bet-
ter and stronger club.
Edmonton Numismatic
Society 2023 Executive
Andrew Bailes – President
Tom Woznow – Vice President
Henry Nagtegaal – Treasurer
Mitch Goudreau – Secretary
Joe Kennedy – Editor-In-Chief
Marc Bink – Past President
Directors
Jeremy Martin
Mirko Dumanovic
Milan Stojanovic
Ted Abbott
Alvero Rodrigues
Wayne Hansen
Terence Cheesman
Howard Gilbey
Dan Gosling
Milos Cerny
Youth Director: Dillon Rodriguez
Webmaster: Henry Nagtegaal
Social Media: Henry Nagtegaal
Bourse Chairs: Andy Bailes
Milan Stojanovic
Jeremy Martin
PRIVA CY POLICY
The Edmonton Numismatic Society (ENS) does
not engage in the sale nor distribution of personal
information to third parties for commercial
purposes. All information collected is strictly for
ENS internal use and purposes, to permit the ENS
Executive and its agents to communicate with
you about ENS related matters and to provide
you with the full benefits of ENS membership.
THE PLANCHET COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© Copyright 2023. All information herein, the
design, style and format are the property of the
Edmonton Numismatic Society (ENS). All rights
reserved. No part hereof may be reproduced in
any form or medium, electronic or otherwise,
without the express written consent of the ENS
Executive Committee. Current members of the
ENS are entitled to make one (1) printed copy of
this issue and to store one (1) copy in electronic
format as part of their membership privileges,
further distribution is strictly prohibited.
The Planchet is a registered trademark of
the Edmonton Numismatic Society in the
United States of America and other countries.
1
@ the Next Meeting
Edmonton Numismatic Society
SUBS CR I BE TO
T HE PL A NC H E T

Wednesday, December 6, 2023 7 issues a year

for only $20
Queen Mary Park Community Hall
10844 – 117 Street NW. Edmonton
+ a one-year member-
ship in the Edmonton
Numismatic Society

Meeting Starts at 7:00 pm

(Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
• Refreshments – coffee, tea, water, pop and cookies
• Introduction of new members and guests Connect with ENS
• ENS Society matters Edmonton Numismatic Society
• Mini Auction
• Show and Tell – bring your numismatic treasures
Website
• Presentation EdmontonCoinClub.com
• Raffle Draws

Email

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Mailing Address
The physical mailing address for Edmonton Numismatic Society
the Edmonton Numismatic Society PO Box 71544, RPO Oxford Park
has changed to: Edmonton, AB T6V 0E3

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2 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023

C L U B A C T I VI TI ES

Coming Events 2024

EDMONTON NUMISMATIC SOCIETY BECOME A
November 24: Deadline for edited article submissions for 2023 Planchet Issue 7 MEMBER OF
December 6: ENS Meeting at Queen Mary Park Community Hall; 7:00 pm start THE CLUB!
December 15: Issue 7 of the 2023 Planchet
A very affordable annual
March 9 & 10, 2024: ENS Spring Show at Central Lions Centre
membership, $20.00 for
a single adult or $25.00
for a family.
We accept cash,
CLUB PRESENTATIONS: cheques, and PayPal.
The ENS encourages members to prepare and schedule presentations on any
Fill out the membership
numismatic topics of your choosing for upcoming Fall or Winter meetings. Please
use the Club contact portal on the ENS Website for further information. form on our website:
EdmontonCoinClub.com

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 3

C L U B A C T I VI TI ES – A BO U T YOUR SOCIETY
by Terence Cheesman
October 4, ENS General Meeting Minutes
In the absence of Andy Bailes,
Marc Bink (Past President) con-
ducted the meeting. In the
absence of Mitch Goudreau,
Terry Cheesman acted as
Secretary.
Message from the
President
Marc passed along Andy’s com-
ments, to again thank all the
Coin Show Volunteers, Co-
ordinators and the Co-chair.
Also, a big thanks to Henry for
all the work on helping to make
the September show a success.
As we now begin the plan-
ning for the March Coin Show,
I would like to ask you all to
consider volunteering as much
as you can.
Andy will be away in England
during December; while there,
he’ll be visiting the Tyne
Numismatic Society. Andy is
requesting permission to repre-
sent the ENS during his visit. To
clarify, he is not requesting any
financial assistance
Minutes of the Last
Meeting:
These are available on the web-
site under Members/Members
Portal/Meeting Minutes. A link
was provided to you in the
October meeting email an-
nouncement, we trust you’ve
all had a chance to read them.
There did not seem to be any er-
rors or omissions.
• Moved to accept the minutes:
Danny Kachkan
• Seconded the minutes:
Bernie Fuchs
• All those in favour: vast ma-
jority. None opposed.
4 THE PLANCHET
Report from the
Executive meeting
The last Executive meeting was
held on August 23. The next
Executive/Directors meeting will
be held October 18. Topics to
be discussed by the Executive:
Coin Show results, ENS Logo
submissions, and planning for
December year-end meeting.
Fall 2023 Coin Show
From the Treasurer, regarding
the Sept Coin Show: Overall, it
appears to have been a success-
ful show with a full bourse floor
consisting of 58 dealer/vendor
tables sold. Door admission was
down approximately 20% as
compared to our March show.
The results for the September
Coin Show indicate the ENS
made a net profit after expenses
of $8,053.18. This includes a
$500 donation to Edmonton’s
Food Bank. To all those who
volunteered their time for the
set-up, the show itself, as well
as teardown: enormous thanks!
When many people co-operate,
tasks become much easier.
It should be noted that changes
made to the dealer application
now require a 50% deposit to
reserve a table, with the bal-
ance due 60 days before each
show. Currently 43 of 59 dealer
tables are confirmed for next
March (73% of the tables) while
current show deposits total
$12,275.
For those who had submitted
items for the silent auction at
the coin show, consignors can
pickup their unsold lots from
Howard and see Henry to receive
a cheque for those lots that sold.
November’s Special
“Show & Tell” Meeting
After being encouraged to bring
something from your hobbies
other than coin collecting, ap-
proximately eight members
responded that they would do so.
Submissions for the ENS Logo
redesign competition are now
closed! We would like to thank
the several members who sub-
mitted their designs over the
Summer. The Executive and
Directors will review the sub-
missions at the October 18
executive meeting. The topic will
then be brought to the general
membership at the November
meeting for discussion.
Show and Tell
Marv Berger showed several
specimen debentures from AGT.
Dan Gosling mentioned that he
had purchased a book called
“The Hundred Greatest Ancient
Coins”.
Break for ~15 min
Mini auction
20 items were auctioned off.
Feature Presentation
“Byzantine coins” by: Mirko
Dumanovic. Mirko gave a brief
presentation of the coins of the
Byzantine Empire.
Conclusion
The door prizes were drawn be-
fore the meeting was adjourned.
• N O VE M BE R 2023
C L U B A C T I VI TI ES – A BO U T YOUR SOCIETY

Volunteers from the September 2023 Coin Show

At the October 4 meeting, Dan Gosling arranged to have a picture taken of all the club members
present who volunteered for the 2023 ENS Fall Coin Show and Sale. (Photo by Dan Gosling)

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 5

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C A NA D I A N CO I N S

Victoria’s Children in Canadian Numismatics

by Wayne Jacobs

Victoria was born Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent

on 24 May 1819, the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke
of Kent (fourth son of George III) and Princess Victoria of
Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Following the deaths of her two
uncles and father, Victoria – having completely dropped
the “Alexandrina” name – ascended the throne of Great
Britain on 20 June 1837. This was less than a month
after her 18th birthday and, in so doing, she avoided
being under the regency of her mother.

In 1840, Victoria married a

cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-
Coburg-Gotha, and had nine
children by him over the next
17 years. Highly unusual for the
19th century, all of them sur-
vived into adulthood.

Through their marriages,

Victoria became known as the
“Grandmother of Europe” and,
unfortunately, spread hemophil-
ia throughout the royal families.

In chronological order of their

births, Victoria’s children were
as follows:

1) Victoria Adelaide
Mary Louise

Born late 1840, barely nine

months after her mother’s
wedding. She would marry
Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm
of Prussia, later Emperor of
Germany. Their son would be Queen Victoria on Obverse
Wilhelm II, the “Kaiser Bill” of of Canadian 50¢ (1870)
WWI fame, and their daughter (Photo: Heritage Auctions)
Sophie would later be Queen of
Greece. “Vicky” died in 1901.

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 7

2) Albert Edward Wettin
Albert Edward Wettin was born over the years. An exasperated reign (George V), until it was
in 1841. Because of the rules of Victoria assigned him few royal replaced in 1914. This was the
succession at the time, he was functions but upon his ascension $2 note that first appeared in
designated heir to the throne. to the throne in 1901, but he did the summer of 1897. Signatures
Edward was difficult from the better. aside (Courtney followed by
beginning and his enforced re- Boville), there was only one
strictive lifestyle exploded in Royalty on Canadian bank notes change in the design of this
1860. It had very much to do was not the rule in the 19th note: until June 1898, the color
with Canada. Century as it would be later. of these note backs was the red-
With the exception of some brown later familiar as that of a
Considered to be an engineering chartered notes such as the typical $2 note but after that
wonder of the age, the railway Bank of Hamilton, Edward ap- date, the color was changed to
bridge crossing the St. Lawrence pears only once, although that a dark brown. The early red-
River at Montreal was also a appearance extended from brown backs are very scarce
very expensive project – $7-mil- when he was Prince of Wales, today, all of which are signed by
lion in total. The city fathers and through his reign into his son’s J.M. Courtney (“For the Minister
Canada invited the Queen to
open the bridge but she sent
Edward as her representative.
From the time he landed in
Halifax, Edward showed him-
self a free spirit. The opening
of Montreal’s Crystal Palace and
the Victoria Bridge was only part
of an extended tour, which very
much chagrined his appointed
chaperone but delighted the
younger element.

Perhaps fearing another young

George IV, pressure was applied
to “settle” him by marriage.
In 1863, he wed Princess
Alexandra of Denmark, with
Medal Commemorating the Opening
whom he was less than faithful
of the Victoria Bridge, Montreal, in 1860
Issued in four metals, the most common being “white metal”.
Issued by Montreal silversmith Alfred Hoffnung.

Wedding Photo of Edward Official Coronation Medal, 1902, Edward VII and Alexandra
and Alexandra, 1863 Design by George.W. de Saulles
8 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023
of Finance”) with a total original
issue of only 700,000 notes.
The dark brown backs are much
more common: those with the
Courtney signature having
been printed in a quantity of
15,300,000 while those with the
T.C. Boville signature (shown
at left) had an original issue of
close to 21-million notes.

Victoria had become Empress

of India in 1876 and the title
was resumed by Edward.
Strictly speaking, Edward was
Emperor only of India and King
of Canada. As a self-governing
dominion, Canada was entitled
to the King’s bareheaded por-
trait on her coinage, the same
as Britain. But all possessions
except the Home Islands end-
ed up bearing the portrait of
Edward wearing the Imperial
crown and Imperial titles, with
only one exception. That single
exception is the gold sovereign $2 Dominion of Canada Note (1897)
which, no matter if struck in
Britain, Australia, South Africa
or Canada, was of the “Home”
bare-headed portrait.

Not many sovereigns were

struck at the Ottawa Mint for
Edward VII: just 636 specimens
in 1908, 16,273 circulation coins
in 1909 and 28,012 in 1910.

Edward died in 1910.

3) Alice Maud Mary

(1843–1878)
Alice Maud Mary married Prince Newfoundland. 50-cents, 1909
Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt in Obverse identical with that of Canada
1862. Her daughter, Alexandra,
married Nicholas, the last czar of
Russia. Alice was also the great-
grandmother of Prince Phillip.

4) Alfred Ernest Albert

(1844–1900)
Alfred Ernest Albert married
Grand Duchess Marie, daughter
of Czar Alexander of Russia. His
descendants became part of the
Romanian royal family as well as
Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

Canada. Gold Sovereign, 1910-C

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 9
5) Helena Augusta The issue is notable in one re- characteristics of the contempo-
Victoria (1846–1923) spect in that it was the first rary notes.
Dominion note to be payable
Helena Augusta Victoria married anywhere in Canada without The marriage, unfortunately,
Prince Frederick Christian of discount since it was no longer was not a particularly happy one
Schleswig-Holstein. domiciled to a specific province. and while only the Marquis ap-
It was also the first Dominion pears on the Dominion currency,
6) Louise Caroline note to be watermarked, an Louise is certainly not forgotten.
Alberta (1848–1939) unfortunate experiment since Both the Province of Alberta and
the thin paper tended to break its Lake Louise are named in her
Alone of all of Victoria’s children, at the folds. Its denominational honour.
Louise married a commoner in replacement in 1900 had all the
1871: John Douglas Sutherland
Campbell, a marriage that was
much approved by the British
people. Campbell didn’t stay a
“commoner” for long but was
made the Marquis of Lorne –
and when he later succeeded to
his father’s estates, the Duke
of Argyll.

Victoria’s son-in-law, the

Marquis served as the Governor
General of Canada 1878-1883
and appeared on the Dominion
of Canada $4 note with the Issue
Date of May 1, 1882. The issue
was in use until 1900, during
which time 1,200,000 of them Marriage Medal of Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lorne (1871)
had been produced.

Louise Caroline Alberta $4 Dominion of Canada Note, Issue of 1882, Marquis of Lorne

10 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023

7) Arthur William Patrick,
Duke of Connaught and
Stratheran, (1850-1942).

Prince Arthur was the only

professional soldier of the lot,
becoming early acquainted with
Canada by serving here dur-
ing the Red River Rebellion. By
1902, he was a Field Marshal
and was afterwards attached to
the British Embassy of his wife’s
family in Berlin. Being a bluff,
blunt soldier by nature, he was
something of a diplomatic em- Marriage medal, of Prince Arthur and
barrassment in the increasingly Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (1871)
hostile Prussian court after the
death of Edward VII in 1910.
Edward of Britain had completely
dominated his nephew – a kind
of bully, actually – referring to
the Emperor of Germany openly
as “Willy”. His influence now re-
moved; Kaiser Wilhelm became
increasingly bellicose.

Arthur, a second British uncle,

was removed from the scene
by being appointed Governor
General of Canada in 1911. He
served until 1916, sometimes
making controversial military
pronouncements. Prince Arthur,
now the Duke of Connaught, was
not a diplomat, yet he served
with distinction, organized the
Canadian Patriotic Fund to as-
sist dependents of servicemen
and had Port Arthur (now part
of Thunder Bay) named for him.

$2 Dominion of Canada Note (1914)

Duke and Duchess of Connaught

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 11

The $2 issue of January 2nd
1914 was in use until 1923, long
after the Duke of Connaught
had relinquished his post. About
63-million notes were produced
in all, divided into several vari-
eties, the major ones being:
a) WILL PAY TO BEARER ON
DEMAND is printed in a
curve over the “2” counter
(as above). Manuscript sig-
nature to the left, engraved
“T.C. Boville” to the right.
b) WILL PAY & is printed as a
straight line above the coun-
ter; signatures as before.
c) As last but engraved “J. C.
Saunders” signature to the
right.
d) B l a c k    D E PA RT M E N T    O F
FINANCE seal printed over
the right TWO. Signatures
n o w    t y p e d    “ G e o .    W.
Hyndman” to the left, en-
graved “J.C. Saunders” to
the right.
e) As last but the black seal is
now alone, no longer over-
printed on a TWO.
12
8) Leopold George
Duncan, (1853–1884)
Leopold, the Duke of Albany,
married the Princess Helena
F r e d e r i k a o f    Wa l d e c k .    O f
Victoria’s children, he died the
youngest at just 30 years old –
of hemophilia.
9) Beatrice Mary
Victoria (1857–1944)
She married Prince Henry of
Battenburg but became a widow
fairly soon. Nevertheless she
passed on the curse of hemo-
philia to the Spanish royal family
through her daughter, Victoria.
“Baby”, as she was affectionate-
ly called within the royal family,
was companion to the old Queen
during her final years. Beatrice,
the youngest of her mother’s
children, was also the last survi-
vor, dying in 1944.
Lady Patricia Ramsay
By stretching a point, we might
also include the $1 notes depict-
ing the Duke of Connaught’s
daughter, Patricia (1886–1974),
who appeared on the 1917
$1 Dominion of Canada note
(dated March 17, 1917 to coin-
cide with her birthday). She was
extremely popular in Canada,
assisting in raising and being
named Colonel-in-Chief of the
“Princess Patricia’s Canadian
Light Infantry”, a regiment cov-
ered with honours and still very
much in existence. She became
Lady Patricia Ramsay upon her
marriage to Admiral Sir Arthur
Ramsay. The issue requires a
treatment all by itself.
The above has merely touched
on highlights of Victortia’s chil-
dren and their numismatic
connection. A complete collec-
tion of just their Canadian items
would require much more than
shown here.
THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023
AM I D T H E RUI N S

From a Tyrant to a King

Two Expialidocious Tetradrachms of Agathokles
by Wayne Hansen

Syracuse occupies an easy pre-eminence

in the classy world of ancient Greek coins.
The city produced an outstanding
sequence of silver tetradrachms and
dekadrachms in the 5th century BC
as it fluctuated between tyrannical
and democratic rule. The heavy pace
of coin production was obviously a
response to internal and external
threats to the city’s survival; but the
volume and quality of issues can also
be attributed to both civic wealth and
the presence of very talented, innovative
Head of Kore
master celators. Artistic advances adopted (Young Persephone)
in Syracuse were then transposed to other Obverse of Fine Styled Agathokles
Tetradrachm (310 BC)
coin producing cities within the Greek sphere
of the Mediterranean and beyond – likely
leading the way to the transformation of all
coinages through to the Hellenistic Age.
After a lengthy hiatus in mint that allowed him to attach his
activity, Agathokles appeared in own name, ‘AΓAΘOKΛEO’. Let’s
the late 4th century to strike the have a look.
last of Syracuse’s traditional, full-
weight Syracusian tetradrachms, I will present here an example
one of which was the first to show of each of his two tetradrachms
a ruler’s name. He ordered two from my collection. It took a
distinctly separate tetradrachm while to obtain both since they
issues in succession – his first, don’t put them in cornflakes
as tyrant, was a fairly typical, boxes anymore and I only
retro-style civic issue recreating started collecting 25 years ago.
the city’s iconic early coin types; The cost and vast scope of other
while the second, as king, was Greek coinages also tended to
a more modern, triumphal issue get in the way.

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 13

Early Syracuse History

Figure 1 – Syracuse Location

Figure 1 – Map of Magna Graecia showing where rival Greek cities established
new colonies as individual city-states, along with their areas of influence. Local
tribes were displaced inland.

A few years ago, I wrote an ar-
ticle about a Classic Syracusian
tetradrachm of the 5th centu-
ry BC (ENS archives: ‘Syracusian
Rhapsody’, The Planchet, June
2016), that covered a fair
amount of background on the
city and its rapidly evolving early
coinage. Some of it is repeated
here. Syracuse was the greatest
and most prominent city-state
in Sicily and, in turn, Sicily was
a prominent part of the south
Italian region known as Magna
Graecia. In the 8th to 7th cen-
tury BC, the coastal areas of
southern Italy and Sicily were
colonized by various cities in
Greece proper that were looking
for new opportunities (Figure 1).
The volcanic soil of Sicily
was especially productive for
agriculture, and the surround-
ing sea was well stocked. Native
Sicilian groups were generally
pushed inland in this process,
into the island’s less productive
nether-lands which tended to
be hilly or fully mountainous.
The combined area controlled
by these western Greek colo-
nies, from Neapolis (Naples)
in the north to the south coast
of Sicily, was known as Magna
Graecia (Greater Greece).
Each of the new Greek cit-
ies functioned independently,
except that they would have
maintained their affinity with sis-
ter colonies of the same parent
city and of course maintained
an active maritime trading link
to the parent city itself. It was
Dorian colonists, from the Greek
parent city of Corinth, that
founded Syracuse in 733 BC –
see Figure 2 for the layout of
the city. The colony first became
established on the small island
of Ortygia, only a few hundred
feet from the main island, then
it spread across to the adjacent
land as its population and sta-
tus grew. Extensive surrounding
walls were erected to protect it
from attack by rival Sicilian city-
states and foreign forces. The
Spring of Arethusa and the main
temples for Athena and Apollo
were located in Ortygia, while
the city’s main quarry, Greek
theatre, Altar of Hieron II,
Roman amphitheater and the
Cave of Dionysios were built in
the expanded area.

14 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023

 Figure 2 – Ancient Syracuse Layout

Figure 2 – Top: Ancient Syracuse looking north at Ortygia and beyond – to the two
harbours, the expanded city and defensive walls, plus the archeological zone in the upper
left corner. Bottom Left: Local geography. Bottom Right: Current street layout with
the Fountain of Arethusa on the left of Ortygia; the Greek theater, Roman amphitheater,
Hieron II sacrificial altar, Ear of Dionysios and stone quarries above left and the regional
archeological museum (black triangle) above right.

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 15

It is important to note that
Syracuse’s power related to the
wealth it generated from the
export of grain and from the
advantage of its magnificent
harbor. The harbor accom-
modated both trading vessels
and the city’s large war fleet.
Throughout the 5th century,
internal and external rivalries
caused political machinations
at home plus outright war with
other cities. These ongoing con-
flicts, and the need to refine its
wealth, seemed to spur innova-
tion and a quest for numismatic
beauty – which would not have
happened without secure ac-
cess to a pool of very talented
mint artisans. Syracuse had to
produce a great deal of new
coinage to support its efforts, so
there was a constant need for
new coin dies.
At the beginning of the conse-
quential 5th century, Syracuse
was ruled by an oligarchy of
aristocrats, but a democratic
faction invited the nearby tyrant,
Gelon I, to help liberate them
in 486 BC. Gelon instead sub-
jugated the city and moved his
administrative center from his
home city of Gela. This initiated
a period of tyranny in Syracuse,
called the Deinomenid Dynasty,
which included the takeover by
Hieron I in 479 BC. Hieron was
powerful, and he used the city’s
riches to develop many public
projects and extend the city’s
(Photo by the author taken from the Spring of Arethusa)
16
dominance to other cities (Gela,
Kamarina, Katane, Leontinoi,
Megara Hyblaia and Naxos). After
considerable discontent arose,
Hieron was ousted in 466 BC,
in favor of a lengthy era of
civic freedom called the Second
Democracy (465–405 BC). The
changeover was immediately
reflected in Syracuse’s coinage,
since archaic restrictions were
dropped. Along the way, howev-
er, as a result of both the sheer
power of the early tyrants and
the city’s historic rivalries with
other Greek colonies, Syracuse
became involved in several wars
and lesser conflicts.
The litany of 5th century
Syracusian confrontations is
extensive. The two Deinomenid
tyrants were victorious against
the barbarian forces of the
Carthagians at the Battle of
Himera in 480 BC and against
the Etruscans at the Sea Battle
of Kyme in 474 BC. Under the
new democracy, they fought
Katane and the native Sikel
tribe in 460 BC, then joined with
Akragas to defeat the Sikels
again in 450 BC. Almost imme-
diately, Syracuse engaged in a
new war with Akragas, a tradi-
tional rival. Leontinoi and some
northern Greek cities resisted
Syracuse’s re-expanded power
in the war of 427–424 BC, which
brought intervention from pow-
erful Athens. That conflict was
soon settled by negotiation, but
Great Harbor of Syracuse
it was a harbinger of a larger in-
tervention by Athens a few years
later. In 416, Syracuse came to
the aid of the western Sicilian
city of Selinos when it became
embroiled with Segesta, but
Segesta called again on Athens
for help, and Athens used the
pretext to directly challenge
Syracuse itself. A great battle
and siege of Syracuse ensued
in 415–413 BC, centered on the
Great Harbor and the plains sur-
rounding. Sparta urgently came
to Syracuse’s assistance when
the situation became desperate,
resulting in a complete loss of
land and naval forces for Athens
in 413 – a big factor in its crush-
ing defeat in the last phase of
the Peloponnesian War soon af-
ter. With Athens gone, Syracuse
quickly returned to the unfin-
ished business in Segesta, but
Segesta then called on another
ally, Carthage, to help. This led
to a lengthy and destructive
Carthaginian campaign where it
conquered and destroyed many
Sicilian Greek cities – in the end,
Carthage controlled most west-
ern and central areas, plus some
of eastern Sicily. It narrowly
missed conquering Syracuse
when Syracuse basically sued
for peace in 405 BC. Syracuse
then continued its attempts to
oust Carthage from Sicily and
Italy through the entire next
century, but Carthage always
managed to retain its western
Sicilian territories.
THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023
 Figure 3 – Views of Original Syracuse Site on Ortygia Island

Figure 3 – Top: Plaza with ancient Temple of Athena converted to ornate church
and narrow Ortygia side street. Middle: Artifacts in the city’s archeological
museum. Bottom: View of east-facing side of Ortygia waterfront and site of the
original west-facing Spring of Arethusa. (Photos by the author)

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 17

Agathokles – Tyrant and King
Agathokles, or AΓAΘOKΛEO was
an adventurer and a late ruler
of Syracuse in its heyday. He
was born in Himera in 361 BC,
moved to Syracuse with citizen-
ship in 343 BC and eventually
became a decorated Syracusian
army commander (all armies
at the time were manned by
foreign mercenaries and paid
only when they worked). He
was popular but he had designs
on over-throwing the city’s oli-
garchy, the Six Hundred, so he
was banished for his actions
in 330. He raised a mercenary
army and arbitrated his return
to Syracuse in 319/18 after
promising he would respect the
constitution. He was appointed
strategos autokrator or head
general with full power in Sicily.
Then two years later, in 317, he
mounted a coup to oust the oli-
garchy, murdering or banishing
all his opponents and using their
wealth to reward his soldiers.
This was when Agathokles be-
came Tyrant and struck his first
tetradrachm issue (Figure 5).
His first coins were very similar
to the city’s classic Persephone/
Dolphin coin type from the 5th
century except he added a
three-legged triskeles symbol
above the quadriga, belying his
intent to conquer all of Sicily.
His ambition got him in trouble.
With his new found power,
Agathokles first conquered
a few other Greek cities, in-
cluding Messana and Gela,
and initially made peace with
Hamilcar of Carthage – splitting
Sicily in-two at Halikos River.
But Carthage leaders objected
and Agathokles invaded the
Carthaginian region in 311, only
to be defeated at Himera River.
When he withdrew to Syracuse
in 310, Carthage turned around
18
and besieged the city on both
land and sea. One night,
Agathokles left his brother,
Antander, in charge and slipped
the naval blockade, taking 60
ships to invade the Carthaginian
homeland in Libya – he burned
his ships so there could be no
retreat. He took Megalopolis
and Tunis, plus a couple of
armies, then pressed further.
Sketch of Agathokles
from Vatican Museum
Meanwhile, his brother defeated
Hamilcar at Syracuse, forcing
the Carthaginians to retreat. As
things were going well in Africa,
Agathokles returned to Sicily
in 308/7 but one of the Six
Hundred, Deinokrates, raised
an army to challenge him,
declaring the freedom of all
Sicilian cities. The war in Libya
then turned worse in 307 when
his army mutinied over pay and
he lost battles. The end came
when 5,000 Libyan mercenaries
deserted at night and arrived at
a Carthaginian camp that was
burning (after an accident with
a human sacrifice); but when
they tried to return, they were
mistaken for Carthaginians
and wiped out by the Sicilians.
Agathokles gave up and left for
Sicily, leaving his remaining
mercenaries to join Carthage
forces heading for Sicily.
Agathokles tried to negotiate
with the Six Hundred leader but
then met him at the Battle of
Torgion in 305, where the rebel
was defeated. Both Carthage
and Agathokles were tired and
agreed to sign a peace treaty
in 306 BC, taking things back
to the way things were. In 304,
Agathokles won more local
battles to restore control of his
Sicilian cities and decided he
would become the self-styled
King of Sicily. This led him to
marry the step-daughter of
Ptolemy I in Egypt and issue
his new ‘Kore’ tetradrachms
honoring the goddess of Spring
harvests (Figure 6) – it also al-
lowed him to replace the city’s
name with his own and remove
the traditional circling dolphins
from the obverse. The new
coin’s Nike/Trophy reverse cele-
brated his victory over Carthage
at Syracuse in 310 BC.
Agathokles spent much of the
290s trying to create an em-
pire by uniting the Greek cities
of South Italy and Sicily, get-
ting involved in conflicts and
hiring mercenaries like the
Mamertines. After he died from
ill health or poison in 289 BC,
Syracusians banished his whole
family and set up a democracy.
THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023
Earliest Tetradrachms of Syracuse (5th Century BC)
Below is a small sampling of later, Carthage. The much re- best in the World. So important
tetradrachms from the 5th produced, ‘Arethusa surrounded was the flow of coinage that the
century BC, highlighting the by dolphins’ motif was a badge city also issued a variety of sim-
important role that this denomi- of the city. Vast numbers were ilarly-designed, but much rarer,
nation played during the city’s minted to pay the military; while dekadrachms before 400 BC.
extended conflict with its own at the same time, the celators
oligarchs, other city states and, of Syracuse became about the

Figure 4 – Sequence of Iconic Early Civic Tetradrachms (500–400 BC)

Figure 4 – These few examples show the evolution of Syracusian style –

progressing from rigid, to late Archaic, to high Classical by the late 5th century BC
(Arethusa’s portrait became increasingly realistic). Agathokles inherited this
earlier tradition of fine coinages after the city’s long tetradrachm hiatus in the
4th century. His first was a similar ‘Arethusa’/dolphin type, though Arethusa now
became Persephone).

My Two Agathokles Tetradrachms (Late 4th Century BC)

Following are Figures 5 and
6 showing my examples of
Agathokles’ two main tet-
radrachms. He needed coinage
to support his ongoing conflicts
with other cities and Carthage,
and he kept his production qual-
ity about equal to Syracuse’s
output in the previous century.
There are two types because he
THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023
changed mid-stream from the
tyrannical, Persephone/quadri-
ga-type, to his own types with
the Kore obverse and the Nike
crowning trophy. The second
issue used his own name and cel-
ebrated his pivotal victory over
Carthage at Syracuse in 310,
portending his transition to King
of Sicily. What a Guy. Note that
his first coin’s ‘Arethusa’ portrait
with grain ears (still named for
the city) is called ‘Persephone’
(goddess of land and fertil-
ity), even though Syracuse
used the same grain-eared im-
age, with the same dolphins,
much earlier on its ‘Arethusa’/
dolphin dekadrachms.
19
 Figure 5 – First Coin: ‘Tyrant of Syracuse’ Agathokles Tet (317 BC)

Obverse: Head of Persephone left, wreathed with grain, wearing triple pendant
earring and necklace; three dolphins around; magistrate ΦI below.
Reverse: ΣΥΡAKOΣIΩN; Fast quadriga left, driver with whip; triskeles above;
AI monogram below civic legend in exergue.
Mint/Issue: Syracuse, Sicily; 317 – 311/0 BC.
Data: 16.93g; 25.8 x 24.7 mm; 5h. (Attic standard).
Reference: Ierardi AJN 7-8, 1995-6, 84 (O16/R55); ANS 640; HGC 2, 1348.
Acquired: Private Treaty (July 2019 – Cdn$2,800). Ex J Boyle Collection.
Ex Pegasi Numismatics circa 2001 (private sale).
(Collection of the author and photo by the author).

Figure 5 – I could not specifically track the early sales of
this coin as they were apparently private. I encountered it
as a matter of happenstance and thought its bright metal,
classic style and good detail were attractive. There are
quite a few around and they are popular because they
imitate the types of the iconic, but expensive, Syracusian
dekadrachms many decades earlier (only here the obverse/
reverse types are reversed making these the first with a
Persephone/Arethusa obverse). For this reason, they are
called the ‘Poor Man’s Dek’ and are given special status;
but their classical, dished style was dated at this point
and they tout the traditional name of Syracuse rather
than his name as the tyrant ruler. However, this is still a
pleasant, solid, chunky coin with nice horse details and it
looks even better in hand. His added triskeles above the
reverse quadriga (belying his expansionist intentions) is
still the symbol of Sicily. When Agathokles later declared
himself King of Sicily, he changed to an all-new, Kore-type
tetradrachm around 310 BC (Figure 6).
The coin does have problems with the flan, reverse
roughness and off-center strike. The unexplained reverse
roughness around the quadriga driver is not as much
problem as the rough metal flange (something found
occasionally on other coins) and the accidental deep-
sixing of the two front dolphins during the strike. The mint
was usually good at containing these dolphins even when
there was a short flan, so this is a visible compromise
– the rear dolphin is perfect however. My coin is Ierardi
obverse die 16, the last of this issue before the Kore type
began, which could indicate (aside from other political or
military pressures) that less care was taken at the end of
the series. Nonetheless, the dies themselves are equal to
any of the previous versions.

20 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023

 Figure 6 – Second Coin: ‘King of Sicily’ Agathokles Tet (310 BC)

Obverse: KOΡAΣ in left field; Head of Kore (Young Persephone) with pendant
earring and necklace right, wreathed in grain.
Reverse: AΓAΘOKΛE(O) in exergue; Nike standing right erecting trophy with
left hand, hammer in right hand; triskeles to right; AI monogram in left field.
Mint/Issue: Syracuse, Sicily; 310 – 306/5 BC.
Data: 16.73g, 25.7 x 24.4 mm; 1h. (Attic standard).
Reference: Ierardi AJN 7-8, 1995-6, 102 (O21/R63); ANS 664; Cop 764.
Acquired: VCoins – Den of Antiquity, UK (April 2016 – Cdn$1,850);
Ex Spink Auctions 16004 (March 2016) & 15007 (Dec 2015).
(Collection of the author and photo by the author).

Figure 6 – As they used to say in the trade, Sex Sells.
It’s entirely possible that the almost naked Nike here might
help drive current sales of these tetradrachms, not that
I’m suggesting collectors are shallow. It’s clear, however,
that these interesting coins are also very pretty, so the
issue does have that advantage: Pretty+Sex = Winner.
My Kore (named as KOΡAΣ) has an almost perfect
obverse – perfectly centered, nice die, little wear, some
toning, plus fine detail in her legend and elaborate hair
in a more Hellenistic style. This young Persephone’s face
is fairly plain, perhaps more realistic than her hair – so
she is slightly later in the die progression. Her image first
appeared on Ierardi obverse die 17, right after Agathokles
changed from the classic Persephone issue to the Kore
and added his regnal name; but her face was more mature
on the earlier dies. This youthful obverse came from die
number 21 while other fine-styled obverses continued
until die 32. Another issue of these exists in degraded style
that may have been struck at a mobile mint on campaign.
I won’t even apologize for the unusual, off-center state of
the reverse. Unfortunately, right where Nike’s prominent
breast faces us, the coin is under-struck or maybe just
worn (what were the designers thinking?). The consolation,
however, is that there is a good amount of detail in Nike’s
wings and on the trophy – the trophied armor is particularly
mangled on many coins. This is among the first coins to
show Agathokles’ kingly name but it’s the last of the ones
that placed it in the exergue rather than along the left side.
The toned reverse scene is still cute. Taken together with
the perfect obverse, I thought it was a good deal.

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 21

Other Agathokles Precious Coins
Below are Agathokles’ most
commonly encountered coins
aside from my two featured
tetradrachms. He maintained
the ΣΥΡAKOΣIΩN legend during
the first part of his rule, along
with Timoleon’s Corinthian
styled, Pegasos staters. He
later introduced small elec-
trum coins and reduced the
weight of his Corinthian staters
(without legend) as the self-
appointed King of Sicily.

Figure 7 – Other Agathokles Precious Coins

Tyrant Period 317–306 BC

AV 50 Litrai/Dekadrachm – 16mm/4.24g AR Corinthian Stater – 21mm/8.57g

EL 50 Litrai/Reduced Dekadrachm – 15.5mm/4.39g EL 25 Litrae 1.84g / EL 10 Litrae 0.73g

King Period 306–289 BC

AV 100 Litrae Double Dekadrachm – 16mm/5.70g AR Reduced Corinthian Stater – 18mm/6.88g

22 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023

 Quotes on Style and Stylish
My grandmother was probably the first person
who I thought was beautiful. She was incredibly
stylish, she had big hair, big cars. I was
probably 3 years old, but she was like a cartoon
character. She’d swoop into our lives with
presents and boxes, and she always smelled
great and looked great.
– Tom Ford
Style is knowing who you are, what you want to
say, and not giving a damn.
– Gore Vidal
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to
thrive; and to do so with some passion, some
compassion, some humor, and some style.
– Maya Angelou
As human beings, we are addicted to novelty.
Part of being stylish is surprisingness. Part
of being an artist is surprisingness. If there
are ingredients of beauty, it certainly is one
of them. Surprise is like a spice on the meal,
it makes you say: ‘woo’.
– Grayson Perry
Style is the image of character.
– Edward Gibbon
I feel like my style’s always been influenced
by ‘less is more.’ The coolest styles are kind
of simple and classic, like a white T-shirt and
jeans. Maybe you have a cool belt and cool
shoes, but everything else you keep simple.
– Chris Evans

A stylish person, for me, is one who draws
your eye without necessarily being showy; they
wear clothes that are beautifully cut, flatter the
wearer, and show that they are not impervious
to fashion, but not a slave to it either.
– Jojo Moyes
Style is a way to say who you are without
having to speak.
– Rachel Zoe
God is really only another artist. He invented the
giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real
style, He just goes on trying other things.
– Pablo Picasso
One is never over-dressed or under-dressed
with a Little Black Dress.
– Karl Lagerfeld
We only live once, but once is enough if we
do it right. Live your life with class, dignity,
and style so that an exclamation, rather than
a question mark signifies it!
– Gary Ryan Blair
I guess if you can’t sing, you better have a style!
– Willie Nelson

In Closing…
We now see Agathokles as a
notable ruler, not only for his
energy and ambition, but also
for his dramatic numismatic
transition from a traditional
Syracusian tyrant to a Hellenistic
king. He was obviously in-
fluenced by his Macedonian
Diodochi contemporaries to the
east, like Ptolemy, who declared
themselves kings of their own
realms and issued new coinage
types in recognition.
Fortunately for us, Agathokles
continued the Syracusian habit
of issuing impressive coins dur-
ing the city’s crucial times of
need – in this case, just before
the city lost its powerhouse sta-
tus. However, such pretty coins
unfortunately create an impos-
sible demand that often raises
prices and reduces prospects
for acquisition. I persevered and
eventually found these two nice
examples of Agathokles’ main
coin types. Though not perfect,
the two coins have enough of
the Right Stuff to impress even
jaded viewers with a degree of
numismatic eloquence – notably
their variety, lovely style, bold-
ness, detail, even-strike and
generally clean, smooth metal.
Not surprisingly, they are in my
keeper pile. Until they aren’t.

THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023 23

Addendum – Contemporary Pair of Carthaginian Tetradrachms
Agathokles became caught in
a conflict with Carthage from
the latter part of his rule until
his death in 289 BC. I already
wrote about the following two
Carthaginian  tetradrachms
that were struck about the
same time as my two fea-
tured Agathokles coins – at the
Entella military camp in Western
Sicily (‘War Horses of Entella’,
The Planchet, June 2019).
Entella used the same stylish,
Syracusian Persephone/dolphin
obverse device as Agathokles on
its first issue because Carthage
had to pay its Greekish mer-
cenaries, but they also would
have revered Syracusian
artistry (possibly using the
same celators). Carthage de-
feated Agathokles in 307 BC and
Syracuse signed a peace treaty
in 306, but continued threats
led to Entella’s second, more
spirited, Herakles/Melqart issue
beginning in 300 BC. (Collection
of the author and photos by
the author.)

Entella – Persephone/Dolphin Obverse 320–305 BC (17.16g; 26.0 x 25.5mm)

Entella – Herakles/Melqart Obverse 300–289 BC (16.88g; 24.9 x 23.5mm)

24 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023
AN C I E NT S
The End of the Line
Syracuse and the Second Punic War
by Terence Cheesman
Without a doubt, some of the most
beautiful coins ever made were
struck by the ancient Greeks and
some of their most impressive issues
were struck on the island of Sicily. The
mint at Syracuse took a leading role in
the production of such masterpieces,
starting in the sixth century BC.
We should bear in mind that
almost all of these highly val-
ued coins, including those from
Syracuse, were struck to pay
for war. Since the First Battle
of Himera in 480 BC, the city
of Syracuse had been the bas-
tion that had prevented the
Carthaginian Empire from tak-
ing over all of Sicily. During
the fourth century BC, these
two regional powers fought
for control of the island many
times. However, in 264 BC this
private dance was interrupted
by a new player, the Romans,
who insisted on cutting in. After
recently subduing many local
tribes, they had become the
masters of the Italian peninsula
– which led them to develop an
interest in neighboring Sicily.
They immediately got embroiled
in a conflict with both Syracuse
and Carthage which became
known as the First Punic War.
It started with the Mamertines.
One of the byproducts of the
incessant wars on Sicily was
the proliferation of mercenary
units; but when these men be-
came unemployed, they found
ways to get into trouble. The
Mamertines (loosely translated
THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023
to be the ‘sons of Mars’) were
one such group that took over
the city of Messana and con-
verted it into a pirate state. This
went way too far and could not
be tolerated, so they had to go.
Both the Syracusans and the
Carthaginians declared war and
attacked them. The Mamertines
then asked Rome for help; Rome
agreed, but it was this that es-
calated the conflict. Long story
short, the Romans marched onto
the island, defeated Syracuse,
forced them to be an ally and
then drove the Carthaginians
out of Sicily. So, by 241 BC, the
First Punic War was over and
the situation stayed the same
for another 20 years. Hieron II
remained King of Syracuse, the
Romans held most of Sicily and
the Carthaginians were confined
in Africa plotting their revenge.
At this point, I should introduce
Hannibal Barca. His father was
pretty well the last Carthaginian
to hold out in Sicily. When he
returned to Carthage, he took
his son, Hannibal, to the temple
of the chief god of Carthage
where he had to swear, by his
father, to have eternal enmity
for the Romans. Soon after, in
218 BC, Hannibal managed to
get himself into a little war with
the Romans – which is now,
of course, called the Second
Punic War. He proved to be a
brilliant general and defeated
the Romans in three separate
battles, cumulating with his mil-
itary masterpiece at the Battle
of Cannae in 216 BC. Rome cer-
tainly looked like it was on the
ropes, especially since a number
of cities in Italy, most notably
Capua and Taras, defected from
the Roman alliance and went
over to the Carthaginian side.
It should be noted, however,
that Hieron II remained loyal
to the Roman alliance – provid-
ing troops and supplies for its
army – but in 215 BC, Hieron
died. His son, Gelon, had pre-
deceased him, so the throne
was given to his fifteen-year-old
grandson, Hieronymos. Hieron
had left a regency council, but
it very quickly fell apart since
most of the members had delu-
sions of adequacy. Very quickly,
they decided to leave the Roman
alliance and throw in their lot
with Carthage, declaring war
circa 214 BC.
25

I should introduce my coin.
Hieronymos minted his coins in
gold, silver and bronze. He mint-
ed Drachms and Hemi-drachms
in gold; 24, 10 and 5 Litra coins
in silver; and a single Unit in
bronze. Most denominations
are excessively rare, however
the 10 Litra coin presented
here is frequently encountered.
Its obverse features the head
of Hieronymos facing left with
short curly hair that is bound in
a diadem. He is depicted as a
young man with full cheeks, a
thick neck and a small mouth.
The overall impression from the
portrait is that we are looking at
an indulgent, somewhat affable
26
Ten Litrai of Hieronymos (215–214 BC)
(Photo by W Hansen)
young man. The reverse fea-
tures a winged thunderbolt with
the legend BAΣIΛEOΣ above
and and IEPΩNYMOY below.
Translated, this would read ‘King
Hieronymos’. A monogram con-
taining the letters AΦ, or ‘APH’,
is found just above the thunder-
bolt. AΦ would be the start of
the magistrate’s name who was
responsible for the production of
this coinage, a job shared by a
number of others. All the silver
coins minted by Hieronymos
share this obverse and reverse
design so it is only by style, size
and weight that various issues
can be distinguished from each
other. The Handbook on Greek
coins, by Oliver Hoover, suggests
that the weight standard for
these coins is 9.4 grams. Mine
weighs 8.51 grams, which would
be concerning, however a quick
perusal of online sources sug-
gests that the weight standard
might be closer to 8.5 grams.
If so, that would probably mean
that the coin was meant to circu-
late as an Attic weight didrachm.
The composition of the Syracusan
army at that time is largely un-
known; however, it is likely that
a large number of mercenaries
would have been hired. They
would have been happiest with a
coin whose weight was similar to
familiar Attic coins.
THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023
The change of alliance does
not appear to have helped
Hieronymos all that much. A few
months later, while he was visit-
ing the city of Leontini, he was
assassinated by a group led by
his bodyguard. Hieronymos re-
ally does not get good press:
Roman historians were espe-
cially hostile towards him. He
is described as being brutal and
excessive, and some of usual
stories that are used to exem-
plify tyrannical behavior are
ascribed to him.
However, the sudden regime
change did nothing to change
the foreign policy of the
Syracusans. After Hieronymos,
they declared themselves to
be a Republic in 214 BC, and
reaffirmed the previous alli-
ance forged with Carthage. The
city’s coinage obviously had
to change: denominations in-
troduced by Hieronymus were
replaced by range of silver
THE P LANCHET • N OVEMB ER 2023
denominations, including 16,
12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2½ Litra.
There were at least two bronze
denominations as well. Of all
these denominations, only the
12 and 10 Litra are encountered
frequently with the rest being
very scarce or rare. My coin is
a 12 litra. The obverse features
the head of Athena facing left.
She is wearing a Corinthian
style helmet. This obverse was
inspired by coins minted at
Syracuse minted during the
fourth century BC, themselves
copying coins minted by Corinth.
The obverse might allude to the
activities of Timoleon who had
restored democracy in Syracuse
during the 340’s BC and had
minted Corinthian style coins
at Syracuse. But if the obverse
harkened back to the past, the
reverse was new. It features
the image of Artemis standing
left caught in the act of releas-
ing an arrow from a bow. Beside
her is a hound running forward.
The connection of the goddess
Artemis to the city of Syracuse
is an old one; however, it is nei-
ther well known nor understood.
It may have something to do
with the foundation of Syracuse
as a Dorian Greek colony. On
the reverse right, is the leg-
end ΣYPAKOΣIΩN. This would
translate to ‘of the Syracusans’
denoting the minting authority.
On the left are the letters ΔI, or
‘DI’. Again, this most likely rep-
resents the magistrate in charge
of the mint. Something like ten
individuals have been recorded
as being responsible for striking
these 12 Litra coins, attesting
to the rather large numbers of
those coins struck. Only about
five are known for the 10 Litra
coin and one for each of the rest.
The 12 Litra weight standard
appears to somewhere between
10.1 to 10.2 grams. Mine weighs
10.05 grams, which is at the low
end of the group.
27
 Twelve Litrai of the Fifth Republic (214–212 BC)
The one thing that no one had
counted on was the resilience of
the Romans. They just would not
quit. They proceeded to replen-
ish their shattered Legions and
enrolled many new fresh ones.
The Romans showed a greater
strategic sense than Hannibal
when they began to take the
war to Spain and also to Sicily
in order to lash out at Hannibal’s
Italian allies – in effect, taking
the war to anywhere he wasn’t.
In 213 BC, a Roman army un-
der the command of Marcus
Claudius Marcellus marched on
Syracuse and put the city under
siege. Rome’s new province of
Sicily was important since it was
an abundant supplier of grain.
Having an entrenched hostile
power that could contest their
control would put that food
28
(Photo by W Hansen)
supply at risk. The siege became
something of an epic struggle:
the mathematician, Archimedes,
developed a number of ingenious
weapons to keep the Romans at
bay, while the Carthaginians at-
tempted to provide support for
the defenders. Carthage’s first
attempt failed, and their second
attempt had to divert to Spain in
an effort to restore its collaps-
ing position there. The situation
at Syracuse resulted in a stale-
mate. Neither side could defeat
the other, however that could
not last. Early in 212 BC, the
Romans managed to seize the
outer city and killed anyone who
stood in their way. It was at this
point that Archimedes lost his
life. The survivors were forced to
retreat to the citadel where they
endured another eight months
of siege. Eventually, the Romans
broke into the last remaining
positions and, frustrated by the
long and very costly effort, put
most of the remaining citizens
to the sword. Those they didn’t
kill were enslaved and the city
was thoroughly plundered.
The destruction of Syracuse
squashed any likelihood that
Carthage would hold any terri-
tory that it had gained on Sicily
while the Romans were preoc-
cupied with Syracuse. In fact,
Carthage was quickly driven off
the island. The Roman triumph
also halted further production
of Syracuse’s spectacular cata-
logue of coinages – coins that
had been issued continuously
for almost 300 years. Its coins
are still considered some of the
most beautiful ever created, but
the end had come.
THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023
Spring 2024 Coin Show & Sale
Saturday March 9, 2024
10:00am – 4:30pm
CENTRAL LIONS CENTRE
11113 – 113 Street NW,
Edmonton, Alberta. T5G 0E9
• Admission: $5 at door
(free for youth up to 16 years of age)
• Free parking
• Families welcome!
• Restaurant on premesis
• ATM on premises & bank nearby
Special Events
• Free Market Evaluations of your coins,
medals, paper money, tokens, watches
and other time pieces
• Educational displays of coins and medals
• Coin Minting – strike your very own
coin show memento coin
Sponsored by the Edmonton Numismatic Society
Sunday March 10, 2024
10:00am – 4:30pm
Something for
every collector:
Canada, US, world, modern,
medieval, ancient coins,
paper money, tokens,
medals, watches, bullion
and collecting supplies.
Youth Coin Auction
Hosted by Edmonton Numismatic Society
and the Edmonton Coin Show
Saturday, March 11, 2023
11:30 am to 1:30 pm (arrive by 11:00 am)
• for youth up to 16 years of age
• participation is free, and parents are welcome
– register at the club table prior to the event
• an excellent and fun introduction to coin collecting
and auctions, in a non-pressure setting
• all material for participation will be provided,
including a catalogue and play money for bidding!
• youth keep the items they win by being the
highest bidder
Silent Auction for Adults
• bidding open to everyone
• auction items are provided by club members
30 THE PLANCHET • N O VE M BE R 2023