Lot 3111

Description

Sicily, Syracuse, (c.485-478 B.C., revised date 467-461 B.C.), silver tetradrachm, (16.994 grams), obv. fast walking quadriga driven to right by bearded male charioteer, Nike flying right crowning horses, rev. traces of **SUPAKOSION* around, head of Artemis-Arethusa to right, hair slightly waved and turned up behind under diadem of beads, four dolphins around, (cf.S.914, Boehringer 39 same dies (obverse 26/reverse 23 dies), Nanteuil 319, SNG Cop. -, SNG ANS -). Toned, good fine/fine and very rare.

Boehringer notes only 3 specimens from these dies. The lower dating of this tetradrachm follows D. Knoepfler (SNR 71 [1992] 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.