Apparently Unique and Unpublished

Islands off Troas, Tenedos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 160-70 BC. Janiform head of laureate bearded male to left and female to right, wearing stephanos / Labrys; TENEΔIΩN above, handle flanked by monogram and grape bunch to left, small figure of Hermes with kerykeion to right; all within laurel wreath. Callataÿ, Tenedos -, cf. 49-55 (drachms) corr. (monogram); BMC -, cf. 33 (drachm); HGC 6, 390 var. (this control not listed). 16.13g, 31mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine; fine style, well centred with a beautiful even cabinet tone. Apparently unpublished with this control in this denomination.

From a private European collection.

15,000

Tenedos was an island of strategic importance throughout antiquity due to its location at the entrance to the Hellespont, which ensured every ship sailing to or from the Propontis and the Black Sea would pass by. It is referenced in both Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid, in the latter as the place where the Greek fleet was concealed towards the end of their siege of Troy in order to trick the Trojans into taking the fateful Trojan horse within the walls of the city. During the fifth century, Athens used the island as a stronghold to protect their vital shipping routes, but it came under the influence of successive Hellenistic dynasties from the third century onwards: controlled first by the Seleukids, then the Attalids and eventually by Mithridates VI Eupator, who used the island as a naval base in the Third Mithridatic War against the Roman general Lucullus in 73-63 BC. It was during the latter’s long reign that this type and other stephanophoric (wreath-bearing) Tenedian tetradrachms were first minted.

The labrys on the reverse of this coin is a reference to the Tenedian foundational myth, in which the hero Tenes used an axe to sever the mooring lines of his father’s ship when he attempted to land on the island to reconcile with his son. In Pausanias’ version of the myth, he concludes “for this reason a by-word has arisen, which is used of those who make a stern refusal: so and so has cut whatever it may be with an axe of Tenedos” (Paus. 10.14.4). Indeed, Cicero, writing less than half a century from the time of this coin’s issue jokes to his brother Quintus about Tenedos’ unsuccessful request to the Roman senate to be made a free city: “well then, the liberty of the Tenedians has been chopped by the Tenedian axe” (Letters to his brother Quintus, 2.9).

258.

Extremely Rare Variety

259.

Islands off Troas, Tenedos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 160-70 BC. Janiform head of a laureate bearded male to left and female to right, wearing stephanos / Labrys; TENEΔIΩN above, handle flanked by monogram and grape bunch to left, small figure of Marsyas to right; all within laurel wreath. Callataÿ, Tenedos 69 (D13/R3); BMC -, cf. 28-29 for similar types with different controls; HGC 6, 390. 15.81g, 31mm, 12h.

Near Extremely Fine; beautiful even tone. Extremely rare variety with Marsyas control; only 4 others offered at auction in the past 20 years.

From a private European collection.

6,000

Islands off Troas, Tenedos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 100-80 BC. Janiform head of a laureate bearded male to left and female to right, wearing stephanos / Labrys; TENEΔIΩN above, handle flanked by monogram and grape bunch to left and palm branch and Athena Promachos to right; all within laurel wreath. Callataÿ, Tenedos 63-4 (D13/R-, [unrecorded rev. die]); HGC 6, 390. 16.83g, 37mm, 12h.

Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare; no other examples on CoinArchives and only two known to Callataÿ.

From a private European collection.

3,000

260. 600

261.

Aiolis, Kyme AR Tetradrachm. Circa 165-140 BC. Metrophanes, magistrate. Head of the Amazon Kyme to right, wearing tainia / Horse prancing to right; one-handled cup below raised foreleg, KYMAIΩN to right, MHTPOΦANHΣ below; all within wreath, figure of 8 symbol above. Oakley pl.2, 9.a; SNG Copenhagen 104; Jameson 1460. 16.77g, 31mm, 12h.

Extremely Fine; rev. in exceptional condition.

From the Arethusa Collection; Ex iNumis, Mail Bid Sale 28, 10 March 2015, lot 17.

Only Two Recorded by Sacks

262.

Aiolis, Myrina AR Tetradrachm. Circa 155-145 BC. Stephanophoric type. Laureate head of Apollo to right / Apollo Grynios standing to right, holding phiale in right hand, filleted laurel branch in left; monogram and MYPINAIΩN to left, omphalos and amphora at feet; all within laurel wreath. Sacks Issue 34, obv. die 59 (die unlisted for issue); Hunterian 5; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -. 16.82g, 31mm, 11h.

Extremely Fine. Very Rare; only two specimens recorded by Sacks.

From a private UK collection.

900

Aiolis, Myrina AR Tetradrachm. Circa 155-145 BC. Stephanophoric type. Laureate head of Apollo to right / Apollo Grynios standing to right, holding phiale in right hand, filleted laurel branch in left; monogram and MYPINAIΩN to left, omphalos and amphora at feet; all within laurel wreath. Sacks Issue 31; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -. 16.64g, 32mm, 11h.

Good Extremely Fine; a high relief portrait of fine style.

From a private UK collection.

900

LESBOS

3x 3x

263.

Lesbos, Mytilene EL 1/48 Stater. Circa 560-545 BC. Ram’s head to left; seal below / Quadripartite incuse square. Cf. Bodenstedt 20a/α (1/24 stater); cf. Boston MFA 1897 = Warren 1679 (same); cf. BMC 29 (same). SNG von Aulock -; SNG Kayhan -; Rosen -; Klein -; von Fritze -. 0.31g, 5mm.

Near Extremely Fine; a charming specimen. Seemingly unique and unpublished in this denomination.

Extremely Rare

Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte. Circa 377-326 BC. Nymph head to right, hair in sphendone / Amphora flanked by two ivy leaves, all within linear square frame; all within incuse square. SNG von Aulock 7733; Bodenstedt Em. 84 = HGC 6, 1010; Roma XXV, 373 (hammer: 3,800 GBP); CNG 114, 263 (hammer: 4,500 USD). 2.54g, 11mm, 5h.

Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; only three examples cited in Bodenstedt and a further four found on CoinArchives.

From a private European collection.

600

Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte. Circa 377-326 BC. Diademed head of youthful river-god to right, small horn over forehead / Head of nymph to right, hair bound in sakkos, within linear square frame; all within incuse square. Bodenstedt 85b/b; SNG von Aulock 7732; Boston MFA 1712. 2.55g, 10mm, 6h.

About Extremely Fine; well-centered.

From the Arethusa Collection; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., E-Sale 14, 27 December 2014, lot 123. 300

Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte. Circa 375-326 BC. Laureate head of Apollo to right / Female head to right within linear square. Bodenstedt 95; Boston MFA 1726; SNG von Aulock 1716-7; HGC 6, 1021. 2.56g, 11mm, 12h.

Near Extremely Fine; well-centered.

From the Arethusa collection.

300

Mysia

267. 600

268.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 600-550 BC. Sphinx, with ornamental tendril on her head and with her right fore-paw raised, standing to left, tunny fish to left below / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 26; SNG BnF 201-202. 2.71g, 11mm.

Good Very Fine.

From a private European collection.

269.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Head of roaring lioness to left; tunny fish upward behind / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 39; Greenwell 115; Boston MFA 1414 = Warren 1537; SNG BnF 178. 16.19g, 22mm.

Very Fine; edge splits.

Ex Savoca Numismatik GmbH & Co. KG, Online Auction 36, 31 August 2019, lot 56.

270.

1,500

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Sow standing to left; tunny fish to left below / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 45; Greenwell 136; cf. SNG BnF 164 (hekte); cf. Boston MFA 1465 (same). 16.22g, 22mm.

Good Very Fine.

Acquired from Harmers of London.

Very Rare

2,400

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-550 BC. Griffin seated to left; tunny fish to left below / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 58; Boston MFA 1453. 16.07g, 20mm.

Good Very Fine. Very Rare.

From a private North European collection.

6,000

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Helmeted head of Athena to left; tunny fish downward to right / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 63; Greenwell 26; Boston MFA 1432 = Warren 1445; SNG BnF -; BMC 18; Gillet 1058; Gulbenkian 608; Jameson 2168 = Weber 4970; Myrmekion 9; Rosen 445 = SNG von Aulock 7282. 16.11g, 20mm.

271. 2,700

Near Extremely Fine; wonderfully detailed for the issue. Rare.

Acquired from Harmers of London; Ex collection of an antiquarian, Bavaria c. 1960s-90s, Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XVI, 26 September 2018, lot 269.

272. 1,500

274.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 500-450 BC. Lion at bay to left, head facing and seen from above; tunny fish to left below / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 83; SNG BnF 212; SNG von Aulock 1187-8; Boston MFA 1443.

NGC graded XF 4/5-5/5 (#2080858-001).

Acquired from Vilmar Numismatics; Ex Editions V. Gadoury, Auction 2018, 16 November 2018, lot 11.

276.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 500-450 BC. Panther or lioness advancing to left with tail curled over back; tunny fish to left below / Quadripartite incuse. Von Fritze I 86; SNG BnF 219-20; Boston MFA 1472; Rosen 464. 2.72g, 12mm.

Extremely Fine.

From a private European collection.

Among The Finest on CoinArchives

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 500-450 BC. Head of ephebos to left on disk; tunny fish to left below / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 105; Greenwell 77; cf. Boston MFA 1476 = Warren 1496; SNG BN 248; BMC 21; Gulbenkian -; Jameson 2566. 2.67g, 14mm.

Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; among the finest of only a handful of examples on CoinArchives.

From a private UK collection.

1,800

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 500-450 BC. Nude youth kneeling to left, holding [tunny by its tail] / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 112; SNG BnF 253 var. (stater); Boston MFA 1488; Rosen 488. 2.71g, 11mm.

Good Extremely Fine.

From a private European collection.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 500-450 BC. Nude youth kneeling to left, holding tunny by its tail / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 112; SNG BnF 253 var. (stater); Boston MFA 1488; Rosen 488. 2.68g, 11mm.

Near Extremely Fine.

From a private European collection.

278.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Warrior, nude but for crested helmet, kneeling to right, bow hanging from arm, testing arrow; tunny fish downwards behind / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 117; Greenwell 93; Boston MFA 1490 = Warren 1511; SNG BnF 263-4; BMC 79-80. 15.95g, 20mm.

Extremely Fine. Very Rare.

From a private North European collection.

15,000

This coin, from a short series of warrior/hero types, was thought by W. Greenwell (The Electrum Coinage of Cyzicus, NC 1887) to represent either Jason or one of his Argonaut companions; given their appearance in the mythical history of Kyzikos it is not an unfair proposition.

There was a strong tradition in the ancient Greek world of relating larger, pre-existent myths to particular localities - as evidently happened with this story of Kyzikos. Many of the major early Greek myths and associated texts were particularly conducive to such secondary myth-making - the Iliad, for instance, is encyclopaedic in its incorporation of different localities in the Greek world (many seemingly added by later editors), while the stories of Odysseus’ voyage home and the Argonauts’ quest for the Golden Fleece were particularly convenient in that they could be made to stop off in any number of places on their journeys. Often, these connections would have been suggested by particular features of the landscape (e.g. a large hill being named as a burial ground for a hero) and verbal ‘clues’ in the oral and written sources of the larger myth, and we might suppose that the underlying motivation was to connect one’s homeland to a famous legend in order to glorify it, or even just to bring the story ‘home’ and make it relevant to one’s own locale - or perhaps a combination of both, for bards who were travelling and wanted to integrate the world of their audience into the legends they were reciting. Later historians and other writers repeated and refuted such stories, often having to weigh up between conflicting accounts. Apollonius Rhodius, scholar and poet in the library of Alexandria, for instance, incorporated the story of the Argonauts in Kyzikos into book one of his retelling of Jason’s adventure, the Argonautica, several centuries after the minting of the present coin and when such a mythical ‘history’ had long since solidified.

Only Two Other Examples on CoinArchives

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 500-460 BC. Nike in kneeling-running stance to left, head to right, holding tunny fish by tail / Incuse mill-sail pattern. Cf. Von Fritze I 121 (pl. IV, 7, stater); cf. BMC 21, 81; Boston MFA -; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -; Rauch 105, 84; Tkalec Auction Oct 2003, 101 (hammer: 9,200 CHF). 2.62g, 12mm.

Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; seemingly only two other examples on CoinArchives.

From a private European collection.

1,800

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 450-330 BC. Zeus kneeling to right, holding sceptre and extending arm, upon which eagle stands to right, open wings; tunny fish to right below / Quadripartite incuse square. Cf. Von Fritze I 145 (unlisted denomination); cf. Boston MFA 1530 = Warren 1422 (stater); cf. SNG BnF 296 (stater); CNG e503, 9; NFA 1, 148. 2.67g, 11mm.

Good Extremely Fine. Very Rare in this denomination.

From a private European collection.

Thetis, Mother of Achilles

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 450-330 BC. Thetis, holding wreath and wearing shield, riding dolphin to left; below, tunny to left below / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 159; Greenwell 48; Boston MFA 1501 = Warren 1467; SNG BnF 307; BMC 69; Gulbenkian 634; Jameson -; Weber 4994. 16.10g, 16mm.

Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare.

Acquired from Harmers of London.

The goddess Thetis was the mother of Achilles and wife to Peleus, king of Phthia. She had been forced into marriage with Peleus by the gods after a prophecy foretold that she would bear a son who would be mightier than his father, something greatly feared by Zeus, who had overthrown his own father to rule the pantheon. Afraid of the strength of a potential divine child, the gods chose the mortal Peleus to be Thetis’ husband. All the gods attended their wedding, except for Eris (goddess of discord), who, furious at not being invited, threw an apple into the gathering upon which it was written ‘To the Fairest’, thus setting into motion the events that led to the Trojan War. The aforementioned apple played a central part in the judgement of Paris, the outcome of which in turn resulted in his abduction of Helen and the sailing of the Greeks to Troy in retribution.

Thetis was cursed to know that her son would die young due to another prophecy that foretold his death at Troy. In a desperate attempt to spare him from his fate, she hid Achilles on the island of Skyros, disguised as a girl amongst the daughters of king Lycomedes, but he was later discovered there by Odysseus and forced to join the Greek campaign at Troy. During the war Thetis instructed Hephaestos, the blacksmith to the gods, to forge new armour for her son, after his had been lost to the Trojans when Patroclus was killed wearing it. The shield Hephaestos created was a masterpiece of weaponry and is carried by Thetis on this coin. It was a bittersweet gift since, despite this divine armour, Achilles was killed near the end of the Trojan War as had been prophesied.

Very Rare

Mysia, Kyzikos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 390-340 BC. Head of Kore Soteira to left, two grain ears in hair, wearing sphendone covered with veil; ΣOTEIPA above / Head of roaring lion to left, tongue protruding; KYΞI around, grape bunch in right field, tunny fish to left below. Pixodarus Type 2, Group B; Von Fritze I pl. V, 26; SNG BnF 398; SNG von Aulock -. 15.07g, 25mm, 6h. Near Extremely Fine; beautiful old cabinet tone. Very rare with this symbol on rev. From the Arethusa Collection; Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd., Auction XI, 7 April 2016, lot 423.

150

Mysia, Kyzikos AR Hemiobol. Circa 450-400 BC. Forepart of boar to left; tunny fish upwards behind / Head of roaring lion to left; star to upper left; all within incuse square. Von Fritze II 14; SNG BnF 375; Klein 265. 0.34g, 9mm, 3h. Good Extremely Fine; a highly attractive example with wonderfully fine details. Acquired from Bucephalus Numismatic.

3,000

Extremely Rare

Mysia, Lampsakos AV Stater. Circa 370-350 BC. Head of Apollo to left, wearing laurel wreath and knotted fillet which hangs down his neck / Forepart of Pegasos to right with curved wing; within incuse square. Gulbenkian 685 = Baldwin, Lampsakos 14b (II/β), pl. I, 28 = Traité II, 2543, pl. CLXXI, 10 = Jameson 1440 = Warren 1010 (same dies); SNG BnF -; BMC -; Boston MFA -. 8.43g, 18mm, 12h.

Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; only one other example of this type present on CoinArchives (struck when the obv. die was quite worn). There are just two examples published in the standard references and none in the major museum collections.

30,000

From a private European collection.

Baldwin: Type 14, the Apollo head with fillets, is an unusual type. When only the Munich specimen (PI. I, 27) was known, the head was variously described as Aphrodite (the laurel wreath being supposed to be myrtle, and the fillets a string of pearls woven in the hair), as Demeter, and sometimes as Apollo. The Jameson specimen, pl. I, 28, makes it clear that the head is not feminine and that it is a bandelette of wool terminating in a triple fringe which is woven in the hair.

Lampsakos was the first Greek city to make regular issues of gold coinage which enjoyed an international circulation. Struck on the standard of the Persian daric, Lampsakos’ use of the Pegasos protome as its invariable reverse type led to widespread recognition of its gold abroad, such that like the cities of Kyzikos and Phokaia who respectively employed tunny fish and seal badges, it was unnecessary to identify the mint by an inscription upon the coin. Indeed, the esteem in which Lampsakene staters were held was due in significant part to the regularity of their issue. Whereas most civic gold coinages of the Greeks were struck only in times of emergency, Lampsakos appears to have issued 41 series of gold staters over a period of 50 or 60 years, evidently for the purpose of facilitating commerce. Deriving its wealth from the traffic passing between the Aegean and the Black Sea, on account of possessing an excellent harbour in a strategic position guarding the eastern entrance to the Hellespont, Lampsakos appears to have enjoyed significant commercial ties with the northern Black Sea lands, which were likely the primary source of its gold.

284.

Kingdom of Pergamon, Eumenes I AR Tetradrachm. Struck in the name of Philetairos. Pergamon, circa 255-241 BC. Laureate head of Philetairos to right / Athena seated to left, resting elbow on shield, holding transverse spear, and crowning ΦIΛETAIPOY to left with wreath; ivy leaf in outer left field, monogram to inner left, bow to outer right. Westermark Group IVA; SNG BnF 1610 (same dies); SNG von Aulock 1356 (same obv. die - Attalos I); Boston MFA 1611-2. 17.03g, 31mm, 1h.

Mint State; attractively toned with an impressive portrait.

From a private European collection.

285.

1,800

Kingdom of Pergamon, Eumenes I AR Tetradrachm. Struck in the name of Philetairos. Pergamon, circa 255-241 BC. Laureate head of Philetairos to right / Athena seated to left, resting elbow on shield, holding transverse spear and crowning ΦIΛETAIPOY to left with wreath; ivy leaf in outer left field, monogram in inner left, bow to outer right. Westermark Group IVA, (V.XLVIII:B/-); SNG BnF 1610-5; SNG von Aulock 1356-7 (Attalos I); Boston MFA 1611-2. 17.19g, 30mm, 12h.

Mint State; attractive, light cabinet tone over lustrous metal.

From a private European collection.

1,800

286. 900

Kingdom of Pergamon, Attalos I AR Tetradrachm. Struck in the name of Philetairos. Pergamon, circa 241-197 BC. Laureate head of Philetairos to right / Athena seated to left, resting elbow on shield, holding transverse spear and crowning ΦIΛETAIPOY to left with wreath; palm branch to outer left, monogram to inner left, bow to outer right. Westermark Group VIA; BMC 40 (Eumenes II); SNG BnF 1621. 16.91g, 29mm, 12h.

Good Extremely Fine; subtly toned and boasting a striking portrait.

From a private European collection.