Lot 3251

Description

Thrace, Byzantion, silver siglos or drachm (Persian standard), (416-357 B.C.), (5.29 grams), obv. cow standing to left on dolphin, **PU*, above, foreleg raised, rev. quadripartite incuse square of 'mill-sail' pattern, the surfaces granulated, (S.1579, BMC 1-8, SNG Cop. 476, SNG BMC Black Sea 21ff.). Granular porous surface, but attractive, good very fine and very scarce.

Ex Noble Numismatics Sale 58 (lot 3482). A similar example in our Sale 72 realised $850. The scarce drachms of this weight was issued at a weight standard to correspond to coincide with that of the Persian siglos. This is in contrast to the next issue of drachms, where a large weight reduction took place to correspond to the Philip II standard of 15.3 grams for a tetradrachm, (Philip besieged the city in 340-339 B.C). Other authors believe the issue was later and not contemporary with the control by Philip II of Macedon.