Lot 2458

Description

Spain, The Barcids in Spain, Gages?, (c.213-210 B.C.), silver half shekel, (3.484 grams), obv. laureate head of Melkart with African features (or Mago, youngest brother of Hannibal?) to left, dotted border, rev. elephant walking to right, line border, Punic 'A' (aleph) below, (S.6577 [p.608], Burnett SNR 62, No.116, Robinson [Essays Mattingly] No.8 (b) [p.53, Plate III], SNG Munich 260, SNG Cop. 383). Near extremely fine/extremely fine, very scarce.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group Mail Bid Sale 49, March 17, 1999 (lot 144 illustrated). Robinson intially attributed this coin to the Spanish mint but the discovery of examples in the Enna hoard and other Sicilian hoards (Burnett, 'The Enna Hoard' SNR 62 p.11) makes it more likely that this coin was struck in Carthage for use in the Sicilian campaign of 213-210 B.C. The obverse head representation is still unresolved.