Lot 3205

Description

Italy, Lucania, Metapontum, (c.540-520 B.C.), silver nomos or stater, (7.89 grams) on broad thin flan, obv. ear of corn in high relief, to left MET downwards, circled border with dots, rev. ear of corn incuse, lined incused border, (cf.S.235, Noe [NN&M 32] Class II, No.46, Paris Collection [Illustrated, Revue Numismatique 1912, Plate IV, 6, same dies], SNG Munich 931 [same dies, that ex Spink & Son and the Taranto Hoard]). With small metal flaw and die break on the obverse, otherwise nearly very fine/extremely fine and very rare.

Noe reports only three examples known. A detailed discussion occurs in Ann Johnston's additions and corrections to Sydney P. Noe's work on the Coinage of Metapontum Parts I & 2, New York, 1984, pps. 1-6 and pps. 35-49. This example in the early group of dies in the series. The coinage is still considered to begin c.550-540 B.C. This example comes shortly after the beginning.