Lot 1448

Description

Lesbos, Island of, (late 6th century B.C.), billon stater, (11.100 grams), obv. confronted calves' heads face to face, rev. incuse small square punch, of rough form, (S.3486 [£550]; BMC 46 [p.154], SNG Cop. 285, SNG von Aulock 1682, Rosen 540). Very fine or better and rare.

Ex Walter Holt through M.R. Roberts with their ticket. Same reverse die as CNG 54 (lot 652). 3543). This type, previously known from a single example in the Paris BN, has came from a very small hoard found in 1991 in Greece; (Coin Hoards VIII, No.8, of which six with the same patination as our coin are illustrated on Plate I of that publication). That hoard is claimed to have been buried c. 525 B.C. making the issue earlier than that date. It was struck on the earliest weight standard (Phoenician) rather than the lighter Persic standard used for the later billon issues. Waddell also described this coin as extremely rare and an important discovery. An alternative view is that the coin was struck at the time of the ill-fated Ionian Revolt against the Persians (c. 499-494 B.C.). The actual period of issue can only be determined by the discovery of further examples in a hoard associated with other different coin types, establishing a more accurate burial date.