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Thracian tetradrachms (yes, I know the title says Thasos tetradrachms – it will become clear) are some of the cheapest ancient silver coins you can get. Coming in somewhere between 10g and 19g (15g to 17g being the most common), and 24mm to 39mm in diameter (with 30mm to 36mm being the most common), these are impressive coins to collect.
The wide range in size and weight, coupled with the vast number of designs and styles unfortunately makes them an easy target for modern counterfeiters. Despite their low value and small audience, counterfeits do exist, so if you are going to collect these coins you should probably stick to the major dealers and auction houses at first.
Thasos Tetradrachms
Photo Copyright Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Thasos tetradrachms are large silver coins which were minted on the island of Thasos. They are quite distinctive, featuring head of Dionysus on the obverse, and a naked Herakles on the reverse. Being the god of the grape-harvest, wine making, wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre made Dionysus one of the more interesting ancient gods.
Thasos-type Tetradrachms
Photo Copyright Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Thasos-type tetradrachms are the first derivatives of the original coins, and were minted on the Thracian mainland, Dacia and Macedonia by various authorities, including the Romans. Thasos-type tetradrachms are cruder than the original Thasos tetradrachms, but close enough to them in style and imagery that they still mistakenly get categorised as Thasos tetradrachms.
Thracian Tetradrachms
Photo Copyright Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Thracian tetradrachms are the coins we are really interested in here. These were minted on the Thracian mainland, as far north as Transylvania and as far west as Eastern Hungary, by local tribes who were rebelling against the fact that Rome had replaced their Thasos-type tetradrachms with denarii. It is thought that the increasingly abstract designs were used to assert their individuality.
There’s a great deal of debate about who minted them. Reid Goldsborough believes they were minted by the Thracians and not the Celts. Ilya Prokopov on the other hand believes they were minted by the Celts who remained in the area after their invasion of 270 BC. Regardless of who actually minted them, they are found in the Celtic sections of auctions and dealer web-sites.
Dating the Coins
Quite when the various types of coins were minted, or the order they were minted, is presently unknown, although there are a number of different theories. I’d recommend visiting Reid Goldsborough’s excellent page on the subject to get an in-depth look at the possible dates. His conclusions are:
| Thasos tetradrachms | 168 – 140 BC (approximately) |
| Thasos-type tetradrachms | 140 – 72 BC (approximately) |
| Thracian tetradrachms | 72 – 31 BC (approximately) |
Organising the Coins
Robert Göbl developed a class based reference system for these coins in his book “Ostkeltischer Typen Atlas”. The first two classes cover Thasos-type tetradrachms, and the rest cover Thracian tetradrachms. The classes are mainly based on the rendering of the legend.
Göbl Class I
Coins of Class I are Thasos-type tetradrachms, with Dionysos still well engraved. The legends are good, and there’s normally an M-like Monogram
Göbl Class II
Coins of Class II are Thasos-type tetradrachms, but the quality of Dionysos has degraded. The legends are still recognisable, but the M-like Monogram is not always present
Göbl Class III “Disintegration of the Legend”
Coins of Class III are Thracian tetradrachms where the legend has dissolved into illiterate imitations of the original letters.
Göbl Class III/A “With Ο or Θ”
Coins of Class III/A are Thracian tetradrachms where the legend has dissolved into illiterate imitations of the original letters. Ο (omicron) and Θ (theta) appear at the corners of the legend, which can also curve, sometimes forming a second line
Göbl Class IV “Ribbed Legend”
Coins of Class IV are Thracian tetradrachms where the legend is formed from “ribs” rather than letters.
Göbl Class V “Point Legend”
Coins of Class V are Thracian tetradrachms where the legend is formed using dots.
Göbl Class V/A “With Ο or Θ”
Coins of Class V/A are Thracian tetradrachms where the legend is formed using dots.
Ο (omicron) and Θ (theta) appear in the legend.
Göbl Class V/B “Left Head”
Coins of Class V/B are Thracian tetradrachms where the legend is reduced to dots.
Dionysos’ head faces left.
Göbl Class VI “Unusual types”
Coins of Class VI are Thracian tetradrachms which don’t fit into any of the other classes.
Further reading
Many of the reference books on these coins are in German, French and Bulgarian, making these coins difficult for those who don’t speak these languages. The references below are mainly in English, with Reid Goldsborough’s pages being particularly detailed.
- Reid Goldsborough parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
- Reid Goldsborough “Thracian Tetradrachms Abstraction Progression“
- The imitations of Late Thasian Tetradrachms: Chronology, classification and dating
- From Gods To Matchstick Men – The Art of the Scordisci Wars
- “Die Silberprägung der Insel Thasos und die Tetradrachmen des "thasischen Typs" vom 2.-1. Jh. v. Chr. (Griechisches Munzwerk)” by Ilya Prokopov
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