Production and Distribution of Imitation Coins of the Type ‘Two Young Male Heads/Eagle Above Dolphin’ of Istros during the Hellenistic Era in Northeastern Thrace

Abstract

Of the city coins, the silver issues of Istros were the most widespread in Northeastern Thra­ce during the Hellenistic era. The Thracians also used their imitations made of silver, bronze, and lead. Among the silver imitations, there is a fourré (subaeratus) (Figs. 1–3). It is possible that, through the issue to which it belonged, substandard coins were distributed outside Istros in the second half of the 4th century BC. The bronze imitations (Figs. 4–8), most of which were found in the Thracian city in Sbo­ryanovo Archaeological Reserve (Helis?), were produced there between the last quarter of the 4th cen­tury BC and mid-3rd century BC. It is assumed that they were crisis coins, replacing the Istros drachms in the local circulation, or that they were used to compensate for some shortage of low-value coins for everyday needs. The lead imitations (Figs. 9–12) were found in Razgrad District. They seem to have had a monetary function because they are of three denominations. In Northeastern Thrace, lead coins hav­ing as their prototype coins from various times and issuers were produced by Thracians or Celts. The ceramic tools (Figs. 13–14) were found in a Hellenistic settlement in the Cheshmite locality near the village of Voynovo, Silistra District. One of these is designed for making poansons. By means of the other one, negative images could be imprinted in clay molds. Modern-day cast bronze imitations (Figs. 15–17) are coin-shaped objects made at the end of the 19th century or the earliest years of the 20th century.