Lot 5020

Description

Sicily, Syracuse, (c.485-479 B.C., revised date 467-461 B.C.), silver tetradrachm, (17.02 grams), obv. slow quadriga driven to right by male charioteer, Nike flying right crowning horses, rev. **SU*R**A K OS IO N around to right, head of Artemis-Arethusa to right, diadem of beads, four dolphins around, (cf.S.914, Boehringer 235 same dies [obverse 106/reverse 160 dies], Randazzo -). Some surface pitting and roughness, otherwise very fine and a rare die combination.

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 B.C. or a little later, when production decreased dramatically and only one anvil was required.