Expert: Maria - 5/28/2008

Question
please could you help identify an old coin my father found about thirty years ago. it's about the size of a two pence piece, on one side it has a figure and the lettering neptvnvs the figure is astride what looks to be a big fish on the other side there are two figures and the lettering hercvles et pallas above and at the bottom there are two letters the first is a and the other i think is a k.
i look forward to your reply

Answer
Hello,

The big  fish could  be a dolphin with which Neptunus, the Roman god of sea, i.e. the counterpart of the Greek Poseidon, was often associated.

As for Hercules (Greek, Herakles) and Pallas (Greek, Athena Pallas), the first is the greatest of the heroes who was famed for his twelve labours, while the second is the goddess of wisdom and  war, named Athena Pallas from a Greek verb  just  meaning "to brandish (a spear)" as she was represented armed with shield and spear.

That being stated, I’m sorry, but I cannot help you more since  numismatics is not my field of expertise and then I cannot tell you more about your old bronze coin.

Best regards,
Maria