279 – 255 BCE
AE 4.477g, 16.5mm, 0h
Rec Gen I-2 p.
A long, long time ago (roughly 2300 years) in a kingdom far, far away (Bithynia in modern day Turkey), lived a king named Nikomedes I. He is pictured on this coin, and had a problem.
His issue was with his brother Zipoetes II. You see, for some reason Zipoetes felt that Nikomedes had bad intentions. This hurt Nikomedes’ feelings, as just because he killed their other two brothers, didn’t necessarily mean he’d do the same to Zipoetes.
Family gatherings were tense, and when a holiday party resulted in Zipoetes taking a good portion of Bithynia, Nikomedes was at a loss on what to do. Then, one night while he was watching TV, an ad appeared.
“Do you have an insurrection in your kingdom? Is your capital under siege? Do you have the means to transport tens of thousands over the Bosphorus? Then we’re you’re answer. We’re the Gauls.”
Back then, the Gauls were a marauding group of people reknowned for their copy arts. You wanted copy-handbags, immitation silphium, or knock-off Tyre purple, the Gauls were your source. They even copied coinage, such as this type, originally minted by Philip II, resumed under Kassander, and copied by the Gauls.
Nikomedes couldn’t call the number fast enough, and soon his brother was running for his life from the masses of Gauls. Zipoetes II was executed, and Nikomedes repaid the Gauls by transporting them over the Bosphorus, and he lived happily ever after.
circa 280-250 BCE
AE Bronze, 23 mm, 8.75 g, 6 h
Diademed head of Nikomedes I to right.
Rev. BAΣIΛE – NIKOMH Horse prancing right; above, wreath; below foreleg, spearhead.
RG 7. SNG von Aulock 242