Lot 3250

Description

Lydia, Persian Imperial Coinage, Kingdom of, Kroisos (Croesus), (c.564/563-550/539 B.C.), silver one twentyfourth (1/24) stater, (0.37 g), Sardes mint?, obv. confronting foreparts of lion, facing right, and bull facing left, rev. two incuse punches of unequal size, side by side, (cf.S.3422, Berk -, SNG Kayhan 1022, Klein 562, I. Carradice, Coinage of the Persian Empire BAR Inter. Ser. 343, [1987], -, cf.CNG eSale 277 [lot 72]) and Triton XII [lot 319] near EF realised $625). Toned, very fine and a very rare denomination.

Ex London Ancient Coins with descriptive ticket.
The 'Kroisos' type coinage is one of the most recognizable of all ancient Greek coinage. All the issues in gold and silver feature the same confronted lion and bull foreparts on the obverse, and the two incuse punches (or single punch on the smaller denominations) on the reverse. The series of the heavy issue in gold or silver are of equal weight 10.6-10.7 g and reduced according to half, third, sixth and twelfth stater. The first bimetallic series by weight with gold to silver ratio of 10:1. According to Herodotus, Kroisos was the first monarch to mint gold and silver coins. This coin the lightest in the series and one of the rarest is fixed at 1/24th of the stater in weight should be about 0.44 g.