Lot 5089

Description

Attica, Aegina, (510-500 B.C.), silver stater, (12.244 grams), obv. segmented shell of sea turtle with scalloped shell or segmented carapace known as 'Proto-tortoise' type, with uncertain countermark in centre, rev. 'Rough incuse developed early Union Jack pattern', (cf.S.1849, Asyut Group V 'proto-tortoise with trefoil collar', cf.509-513, Milbank (NN&M No.24) Plate 1, 12, page 25; BMC 3 [p.11], Selinus Hoard Nos. 123-124). Oblong shape, nearly very fine/very fine and very rare.

The Asyut hoard suggests the chronology to be 500/490-480 B.C. Much has been written on this early coinage since Samuel Millbank published ’The Coinage of Aegina’ in 1924. Since then various numismatic scholars endeavoured to establish the order of issue and the chronolgy of this series, usually by employing data from a relevant hoard. They include W.L. Brown ’Pheidons Alleged Aeginetan Coinage’ (NC 1950, pp.177-204); R. Ross Holloway, ’An Archaic Hoard From Crete and the Early Aeginetan Coinage’ in ANS Museum Notes 17 (1971, pp.1-21, (based on his doctoral dissertation [The Elder Turtles of Aegina, 1960, Princeton University]); Price and Waggoner, ’Archaic Greek Silver Coinage, The ’Asyut’ Hoard’, pp.69-76; Carmen Arnold-Biucchi et al., ’A Greek Archaic Silver Hoard from Selinus’ (ANS Museum Notes 33 pp.14-22). They place this proto-tortoise type between the earliest and later strikings. That they belong to Group 2 which is assured by the Union Jack reverses. The chronology is still under review and new hoards when published will all contribute to finally resolving the matter. eg. Colin Kraay in ACGC (p.43-4) places the small skew reverse coinage (Asyut Group VII) to around 500 B.C. in contrast to Asyut dating of 490-475 B.C. Reference can be made also to SNG Delepierre as that publication illustrates 298 staters from Aegina, (known as the Megalopolis Hoard [Paris Cabinet since 1966]). That hoard was buried about 431 B.C.