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Panticapaeum Pan / Griffin and Sturgeon Bronze

Specimen · panticapaeum-pan-griffin-bronze-001

The Coin

Obverse
Obverse — head of bearded Pan right, the hair combed back in long waves with the horn and the pointed ear in it; dark brown patina with traces of green in the hair.
Image source & licence

Image: Heritage Auctions (HA.com), lot 232641-62034.

Reverse
Reverse — forepart of a griffin left, forepaw raised and wing spread; a sturgeon swimming left below, its snout, back scutes and tail all clear. Π at the left, A above, N at the right.
Image source & licence

Image: Heritage Auctions (HA.com), lot 232641-62034.

Grading Label

Grading Label
The NGC holder, front — label and obverse. BOSPORUS, PANTICAPAEUM · 4th Century BC · AE22 (7.44g) · obv Pan or Silenus(?) · rv griffin forepart; fish · XF, Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5, Fine Style, lt. smoothing · certification 8748197-003. The question mark is NGC's own and marks the real dispute over the head — see the type page. Image: Heritage Auctions (HA.com).
Grading Label Reverse
The NGC holder, back — the reverse through the plastic, with the holder's hologram and verification panel. Image: Heritage Auctions (HA.com).

Attribution: Black Sea (Cimmerian Bosporus). Panticapaeum. The city of Panticapaeum, under the Spartocid rulers of the Bosporus. c. 310–304/3 BC (MacDonald); the older catalogues say only '4th century BC'. AE. AE unit.

Obverse: Head of bearded Pan right: the hair in long combed waves swept back from the brow, a small horn hidden in it and a pointed animal ear at the side; heavy brow, snub nose, open mouth, the beard in thick pointed locks. Traditionally called Pan; a strong school reads it as a satyr — see the essay.

Reverse: Forepart of a griffin to the left, the right forepaw raised, the wing spread upward in a fan of feathers, the beak open; below, a sturgeon swimming left. The letters Π, A and N stand one at each side of the design — Π left, A above, N right.

Weight: 7.44 g (slab label) (The NGC label's figure, repeated in Heritage's cataloguing. The coin is sealed in its holder and under the slab policy of 2026-08-11 it stays sealed, so this is the permanent weight — not a placeholder for a weighing to come.) · 22 mm · axis 330°  Reference: MacDonald 69

Type-level historical context, attribution detail, and references → Panticapaeum Pan / Griffin and Sturgeon Bronze

John's Ancient Coin Collection · Specimen · panticapaeum-pan-griffin-bronze-001

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