Lot 5017

Description

Italy, Campania, Nola, (c.400-390 B.C.), silver stater or nomos, (7.132 grams), obv. crested helmeted head of Athena to right, ornamented with an owl and wreath, rev. man-headed bull walking to left, above **[NIW]IALWN*, below bull reversed **LE* monogram, double exergue line, (S.312 [£275], Rutter 11 [obv. die 3, reverse die 8], BMC 9). Nearly very fine/good and very rare.

Four examples are known for this die combination and all of these are at present in various Museum collections. Rutter in his 1979 definitive die study knew of only 194 examples of this mint in all the public and private collections.