Lot 3583

Description

Sicily, Syracuse, (c. 485-478 B.C. revised date 467-461), silver tetradrachm, (16.50 grams), obv. fast walking quadriga driven to right by bearded male charioteer, Nike flying right crowning horses, rev. **SUPAKO S IO N* around to right, head of Artemis-Arethusa to right, hair slightly waved and hanging below neck under diadem of beads, four dolphins around, (cf.S.914, Boehringer 117 same dies (obverse 53/reverse 42 dies), BMC 26 [same dies], Weber l555 [same dies]). Lightly toned, nearly very fine and very rare.

Boehringer notes only seven 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 little later, when production decreased dramatically and only one anvil was required.