Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/12/16

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Subject: [Leica] IMG: Croesus stater
From: john.nebel at csdco.com (John Nebel)
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2012 19:22:53 -0700
References: <CCF3E500.20F6%mark@rabinergroup.com>

Rabs,

Thanks for looking and your kind comment!

The coin was photographed with an ancient Sinar digital back with a 
strobe on the side lighting the coin with a half-silvered mirror between 
the lens and coin.

Best,

John




On 12/16/12 6:52 PM, Mark Rabiner wrote:
> Gorgeous! And as on a scale of one to 100 my interested coins is 1 while my
> interest in photography is 100 and this is a photography list may I ask HOW
> you photographed it?
>
>
> On 12/16/12 5:15 PM, "John D. Nebel" <john.nebel at csdco.com> wrote:
>
>> <http://photos.csd.net/croesus_stater.html>
>>
>> mouse over the image to view the reverse, click on the image for a
>> enlargement
>>
>> The coin is 16.6 mm diameter, 8 gm mass, struck in the 6th century BC
>>
>> According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to strike
>> coins of silver and of gold.  This coin is not quite the first issue of
>> gold coins, by one brief preceding issue.
>>
>> Croesus was undecided about whether or not to go to war with the
>> Persians as their king Cyrus was becoming a threat.  As a test, he sent
>> an envoy to each of the known oracles instructing the envoys on a
>> certain date to all ask the same question, what he was doing at that
>> time.  The envoys did not know the answer, so this was a good test.  The
>> Delphic oracle and one other answered correctly, that Croesus was making
>> turtle and lamb soup in a bronze cauldron.  He bestowed lavish gifts on
>> the successful oracles and then had asked the important question,
>> whether or not he should go to war with Cyrus.  The answer was that a
>> great kingdom would fall if he did.  He did go to war and a great
>> kingdom fell, however, one must be careful of the phrasing of questions
>> to oracles, and how to interpret their pronouncements.
>>
>> comments, etc welcome.
>>
>> John
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
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>
>
>
>


Replies: Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] IMG: Croesus stater)
In reply to: Message from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] IMG: Croesus stater)