Lot 4393

Description

Sicily, Syracuse, (c.485-478 B.C. revised date 467-461), silver tetradrachm, (17.064 grams), obv. fast walking quadriga driven to right by bearded male charioteer, Nike flying right crowning horses, rev. **SUPAKOSI O N* around to right, head of Artemis-Arethusa to right, hair slightly waved and turned up behind under diadem of beads, four dolphins around, (cf.S.914, Boehringer 126 same dies (obverse 58/reverse 86 dies), SNG Cop. 620 [same dies]). Toned, good very fine/very fine and very rare.

Boehringer notes only 3 specimens from these dies. The lower dating of this tetradrachm follows D. Knoepfler (SNR 72 [1993] pp.12-27), who argued that four of the Boehringer's series were minted concurrently, using several anvils, until 461 or a bit later, when production decreased dramatically and only one anvil was required.