Lot 3112

Description

Sicily, Syracuse, (c.485-478 B.C. revised date 467-461), silver tetradrachm, (16.954 grams), obv. fast walking quadriga driven to right by bearded male charioteer, Nike flying right crowning horses, rev. **SUPA KO SIO 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 108 same dies (obverse 49/reverse 74 dies), Hunter 7, SNG ANS 28 [same dies]). Toned, good fine/nearly very fine and very rare.

Boehringer notes only 4 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. This example comes from a recent hoard.