Obverse: The Nymph Messana Driving a Biga
Drawn by Mules
Reverse: Hare Jumping to the Right, Dolphin
Swimming Below
The ancient city of Messana (modern Messina) is
situated on the Strait of Messina, opposite the
Italian mainland on the island of Sicily. The city
has remained an important Mediterranean
seaport since its founding in the late eighth
century B.C. by Greek colonists. Originally
named Zancle, the city was captured in the 5th
century B.C. by Anaxilas of Rhegium, another
Sicilian stronghold, and renamed Messana. It
became involved in several wars, fighting over
maritime domination against Syracuse and
Carthage, and was taken in 282 B.C. by
mercenaries called Mamertines. The Romans
answered an appeal for help from the
Mamertines and intervened in Sicily, thus
precipitating the first of the Punic Wars. Messina
was subsequently allied with Rome, and it shared
the history of the rest of Sicily.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether currency in
the age we live or an artifact of a long forgotten
empire. This stunning hand-struck coin reveals
an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate
sculptural detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies. This
coin is more than an artifact; it is a memorial to
an ancient culture passed down from the hands
of one generation to another, from one
civilization to another.
- (C.2041)
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