Other Medusa
Pseudonumia

Ancient coins replicas, tokens, and other "pseudonumia" can be very collectible, though some people look down at them. The best of them represent the depiction of ancient numismatic artwork at its finest, without the history. Collecting a replica of an expensive ancient coin is similar to hanging on your wall a poster of an expensive oil painting. Modern medals and tokens can also pay homage to ancient themes.

The following include replicas, counterfeits, and tokens of ancient Greek Medusa coins from Neapolis and Athens, two of the most ferocious Medusa coin designs, plus an interesting modern military medal with an original Medusa design.

Antiquanova replica of an archaic Neapolis Medusa stater (9.9g). Pressed replica, .999 fine silver, "S" countermark on reverse for Petr Sousek, the engraver. Made in the Czech Republic by Antiquanova. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1304.

Bulgarian School replica of an archaic Neapolis Medusa stater (9.6g). Pressed replica, silver, "COPY" countermark on reverse. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1304.

British Petroleum token archaic Neapolis Gorgon stater (5.2g). Lightweight, undersized pewter token. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1304. The reverse inscription translates into "The Treasure of Ancient Money, BP Collection, Neapolis Stater, Sixth Century BC." This piece was given away along with similar ancient coin tokens as premiums at petrol (gas) stations in France in the early 1970s.

Bulgarian School forgery of an archaic Neapolis Medusa drachm (4.9g). Modern struck silver counterfeit with convincing design, flan, toning, diameter, and weight. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1305.

Bulgarian School replica of an archaic Neapolis Medusa drachm (4.7g). This curious piece is an obverse and reverse die match of the previous forgery illustrated here, with the differences being that it's countermarked with "COPY" on the edge, the flan is wider and thinner, the fabric doesn't show the same cracks that make the forgery convincing, and the toning is less convincing as well. It appears to have been pressed rather than struck.

Slavey replica of an Athenian wappenmünzen Medusa and bull tetradrachm (17.1g). Pressed copy, .950 fine silver, "SL COPY" and "956" countermarks on edge (not visible in this photo). Made in Bulgaria. Copy of coin from Athens, c. 515-510 BC, Sear Greek 1835. Notice the uniform, overflat fields on the reverse, common to pressed, rather than struck, coins. More on Slavey replicas.

Slavey replica of an Athenian wappenmünzen Medusa and lion tetradrachm (17.1g), a similar piece as the previous one illustrated here but instead of a bull on the reverse there's a lion (sometimes described as a panther). Pressed copy, .950 fine silver, "SL COPY" and "956" countermarks on edge (not visible in this photo). Made in Bulgaria. Copy of coin from Athens, c. 515-510 BC, Sear Greek 1836.

Task Force Aegis military medal (36.4g, 45mm). Spun cast zinc alloy and plastic medal issued by Task Force Aegis in Afghanistan. The obverse depicts an image of Medusa. Task Force Aegis is a multinational effort made up of Canadians, British, Dutch, Estonians, Romanians, and Americans and was created to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Regional Command South, a region in the south and east of Afghanistan that includes Kandahar. The word "aegis" more narrowly means mask of Medusa worn on a shield or breastplate and more broadly means protection or sponsorship. The reverse depicts, under plastic and in color, a map of Afghanistan and buttons for Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name used by the U.S. government for its military response to the September 11, 2001, attacks, and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), an international stabilization force in Kabul consisting of about 9,000 personnel authorized by the U.N. Security Council. "SEMPER VIGILANS" means "Ever watchful" in Latin and is a popular motto used for military and other purposes. The bottom reverse motto on this piece, "REGIONAL COMMANDER'S COIN OF EXCELLENCE," refers to the type of medal this is.

This type of medal is often called a military "challenge coin," also called a military coin, unit coin, memorial coin, unit challenge coin, or commander's coin. They're typically given by officers to military personnel in recognition of good work. According to the blog of CPT NightHawk, soldiers often use these medals when drinking. "Let's say you decide to pop into the Officers or NCO Club, the Regimental Mess, or any off-post drinking establishment. Let's say you run into someone who you served with on a previous deployment or you both were in the same unit in the past. If your buddy puts his coin on the table and you don't have yours, the next round is on you. If you were prudent enough to have your coin on your person, the challenger buys!" According to GlobalSecurity.org and MilitaryCoins.com, challenge coins may have originated as early as World War One or as late as the Vietnam War, "depending on whom you talk to or where you get your information from."

The serial number on this medal is 000, indicating it's a sample rather than a piece previously owned by a soldier, according to the manufacturer, AFPP-International (formerly Armed Forces Pride Programme), a division of Stampede Graphic Services of Calgary, Canada. The manufacturer told me he made 200 of these medals that are sequentially numbered and about 20 with the 000 serial number. I bought the above piece on eBay from a seller in England in September 2006. The United States made it illegal to purchase, sell, mail, ship, import, or export U.S. military medals as of December 20, 2006, with the passage of the Stolen Valor Act.

Other glomworthy coins:

Oldest Coins

Athenian Owls

Alexander the Great Coins

Medusa Coins

Thracian Tetradrachms

House of Constantine

Draped Bust Coins

Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles

Coin sites:
Coin Collecting: Consumer Protection Guide
Glomming: Coin Connoisseurship
Bogos: Counterfeit Coins
Pre-coins

Note: Any of the items illustrated on these pages that are in my possession are stored off site.

		Ancient coins replicas, tokens, and other "pseudonumia" can be very collectible, though some people look down at them. The best of them represent the depiction of ancient numismatic artwork at its finest, without the history. Collecting a replica of an expensive ancient coin is similar to hanging on your wall a poster of an expensive oil painting. Modern medals and tokens can also pay homage to ancient themes. The following include replicas, counterfeits, and tokens of ancient Greek Medusa coins from Neapolis and Athens, two of the most ferocious Medusa coin designs, plus an interesting modern military medal with an original Medusa design.


		Antiquanova replica of an archaic Neapolis Medusa stater (9.9g). Pressed replica, .999 fine silver, "S" countermark on reverse for Petr Sousek, the engraver. Made in the Czech Republic by Antiquanova. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1304.


		Bulgarian School replica of an archaic Neapolis Medusa stater (9.6g). Pressed replica, silver, "COPY" countermark on reverse. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1304.


		British Petroleum token archaic Neapolis Gorgon stater (5.2g). Lightweight, undersized pewter token. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1304. The reverse inscription translates into "The Treasure of Ancient Money, BP Collection, Neapolis Stater, Sixth Century BC." This piece was given away along with similar ancient coin tokens as premiums at petrol (gas) stations in France in the early 1970s.


		Bulgarian School forgery of an archaic Neapolis Medusa drachm (4.9g). Modern struck silver counterfeit with convincing design, flan, toning, diameter, and weight. Copy of coin from Neapolis, Macedonia, c. 510-480 BC, Sear Greek 1305.


		Bulgarian School replica of an archaic Neapolis Medusa drachm (4.7g). This curious piece is an obverse and reverse die match of the previous forgery illustrated here, with the differences being that it's countermarked with "COPY" on the edge, the flan is wider and thinner, the fabric doesn't show the same cracks that make the forgery convincing, and the toning is less convincing as well. It appears to have been pressed rather than struck.


		Slavey replica of an Athenian wappenmünzen Medusa and bull tetradrachm (17.1g). Pressed copy, .950 fine silver, "SL COPY" and "956" countermarks on edge (not visible in this photo). Made in Bulgaria. Copy of coin from Athens, c. 515-510 BC, Sear Greek 1835. Notice the uniform, overflat fields on the reverse, common to pressed, rather than struck, coins. More on Slavey replicas.


		Slavey replica of an Athenian wappenmünzen Medusa and lion tetradrachm (17.1g), a similar piece as the previous one illustrated here but instead of a bull on the reverse there's a lion (sometimes described as a panther). Pressed copy, .950 fine silver, "SL COPY" and "956" countermarks on edge (not visible in this photo). Made in Bulgaria. Copy of coin from Athens, c. 515-510 BC, Sear Greek 1836.



		Task Force Aegis military medal (36.4g, 45mm). Spun cast zinc alloy and plastic medal issued by Task Force Aegis in Afghanistan. The obverse depicts an image of Medusa. Task Force Aegis is a multinational effort made up of Canadians, British, Dutch, Estonians, Romanians, and Americans and was created to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Regional Command South, a region in the south and east of Afghanistan that includes Kandahar. The word "aegis" more narrowly means mask of Medusa worn on a shield or breastplate and more broadly means protection or sponsorship. The reverse depicts, under plastic and in color, a map of Afghanistan and buttons for Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name used by the U.S. government for its military response to the September 11, 2001, attacks, and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), an international stabilization force in Kabul consisting of about 9,000 personnel authorized by the U.N. Security Council. "SEMPER VIGILANS" means "Ever watchful" in Latin and is a popular motto used for military and other purposes. The bottom reverse motto on this piece, "REGIONAL COMMANDER'S COIN OF EXCELLENCE," refers to the type of medal this is. This type of medal is often called a military "challenge coin," also called a military coin, unit coin, memorial coin, unit challenge coin, or commander's coin. They're typically given by officers to military personnel in recognition of good work. According to the blog of CPT NightHawk, soldiers often use these medals when drinking. "Let's say you decide to pop into the Officers or NCO Club, the Regimental Mess, or any off-post drinking establishment. Let's say you run into someone who you served with on a previous deployment or you both were in the same unit in the past. If your buddy puts his coin on the table and you don't have yours, the next round is on you. If you were prudent enough to have your coin on your person, the challenger buys!" According to GlobalSecurity.org and MilitaryCoins.com, challenge coins may have originated as early as World War One or as late as the Vietnam War, "depending on whom you talk to or where you get your information from." The serial number on this medal is 000, indicating it's a sample rather than a piece previously owned by a soldier, according to the manufacturer, AFPP-International (formerly Armed Forces Pride Programme), a division of Stampede Graphic Services of Calgary, Canada. The manufacturer told me he made 200 of these medals that are sequentially numbered and about 20 with the 000 serial number. I bought the above piece on eBay from a seller in England in September 2006. The United States made it illegal to purchase, sell, mail, ship, import, or export U.S. military medals as of December 20, 2006, with the passage of the Stolen Valor Act.

Other MedusaPseudonumia

Other Medusa
Pseudonumia