Description: Pontos, 1st century BC. Comet / Horse's head with star below.

Diameter: AE13 mm

Weight: 1,68 g

Grade: gF/VF

Attribution: SNG British Museum, Black Sea 984

Commentary: olive -green patina, minor roughness, good comet

History: This is the first depiction of comet on a coin in pre-Augustan times; traditionally attributed to Pontos, though very similar to Cappadocian coins with horse and stock of grain, where adding of a star would result in the depicted coin; as for the celestial body depicted, it could be the comet of 134 BC, who announced the birth of Mithridates VI or Halley's comet of 87 BC.

Article Number: 035-10-07-41652