Table of Contents Table of Contents
Previous Page  21 / 128 Next Page
Information
Show Menu
Previous Page 21 / 128 Next Page
Page Background

19

is not in Seltman, thus making it an unpublished

type. EF/VF

$10,000

Ex Evans Sale, Lucerne 1934 according to the coin’s

old French ticket, but not in the printed catalogue

of that sale, Ars Classica XVII, so presumably sold

privately

.

54.

Peloponnesus, Achaean League, Elis.

Kallippos,

magistrate, c. 40-30 BC. Hemidrachm, 2.38g (2h).

Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right; KAΛΛIΠΠOY

behind. Rx: Large Achaian League monogram; Φ

above, FA monogram to left, XE monogram to right,

thunderbolt below; all within wreath. Benner 42.

BCD Peloponnesos 691. Toned EF

$750

Ex CNG 102, 18 May 2016, lot 311. Ex Roma 7, 22

March 2014, lot 227

.

Unique Obol of Psophis from BCD Collection

55.

Arcadia, Psophis.

Third quarter of 4th century BC.

Obol, 0.77g (2h). Obv: Head of Artemis Erykine

right. Rx: Antlers of the Keryneian Hind; ΨΟΦ ver-

tically between them. Unpublished and unique. VF/

EF

$1,000

“The archaic silver of this city was known until

recently in four denominations: the unique British

Museum tetrobol (BMC Peloponnesos pl. XXXVI,

18), the very rare trihemiobols (BCD Peloponnesos

1669), the more plentiful obols (BCD 1661 ff.) and

the rare hemiobols (BCD 1673, 1674 and 1678).

Some years ago another denomination made its

appearance, the tetartemorion or quarter obol

(BCD Peloponnesos 1682). This tiny fraction, con-

temporary with the later, mid fourth century silver

fractions (BCD 1680 and 1681), retained the hind

and fish iconography of the archaic coins. Up to

now, the only known iconographical departure from

the above subjects was the unique Berlin hemiobol

(Traité, pl. CCXXVI, 7) featuring the helmeted

head of Athena Polias on its obverse and the club

of Herakles on the reverse. The full circular legend

of the city’s ethnic on this coin’s reverse was the

reason for which Alan Walker, in his introduction to

this city’s coinage in BCD Peloponnesos, assumed,

quite rightly at the time, that this coin was ‘the last

silver issue of Psophis’. To the above coins we can

now add this unique obol of an equally late date,

probably about the third quarter of the fourth cen-

tury. The obverse features a profile of the patron

divinity of Psophis, Artemis Erykine, whereas the

charming design of the reverse confirms the identity

of the goddess by depicting in faithful and delicate

detail the antlers of her forest companion, the deer.

The Greeks loved ambivalence in their coin iconog-

raphy so an alternate, mythological interpretation

of the coin’s reverse would be alluding to Herakles’

third Labor, capturing the Keryneian Hind ‘whose

antlers were of gold, hooves were of brass and was

so fast that it could outrun an arrow’”.--BCD

.

56.

Crete, Gortyna.

c. 350-320 BC. Stater, 11.77g

(10h). Obv: Europa seated right amid the branches

of a tree, her head lowered and resting on her left

hand. Rx: Zeus as bull standing right, head left;

countermark between bull’s legs. Svoronos 51, pl.

XIII, 22. Le Rider pl. XVI, 12. SNG Copenhagen

441. Wonderful types, rare in this condition. Price

reduction. VF

$2,200

From a private UK collection

.

Enlargement

Enlargement