Greek Silver & Bronze

Lot 3450       Greek Silver & Bronze

Estimate $3,500
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $3,000

ITALY, Bruttium, Rhegion, (c.450 B.C. [Arnold-Biucchi chronology]), silver tetradrachm, (16.944 grams), obv. lion's head facing, within dotted border, rev. Iokastos the traditional founder of the city naked to waist and seated to left, holding staff and resting left hand on hip, all within laurel wreath, legend around anti-clockwise, [R]ECI NOS, (S.498 [£1250], Herzfelder, H., 'Catalogue des Tetradrachmes et Drachmes de Rhegion' No.1i [This Coin], [obv.D1, rev.R1 same dies], Pl.XX 1q for reverse die break illustration, [Revue Numismatique (RN) 1956], Munzhundlung Basel Sale 4 (390) [this Coin], cf.Arnold Biucchi 7-10 [Same Dies], SNG ANS 635). Some light scratches in the region of the interesting die crack on the reverse, original obverse die somewhat rusted, otherwise good very fine/very fine and very rare.

Ex Collection of Prince W. sold at Munzhandlung Basel Sale No.4 1st October 1935 (lot 390, illustrated). ANS Numismatic Studies 18 'The Randazzo Hoard 1980 and Sicilian Chronology in the Early Fifth Century B.C.' illustrates similar examples (see p.17-9, 48). These coin dies are the first dies used at Rhegion for this type. Some four tetradrachms of this city from these dies were present in the Randazzo Hoard, and Herzfelder cites a further 19 others from this same pair of dies (including this coin). The reverse die shows a breaking up and a similar example with the same degree of die-breaking occurs on Plate XX No.1q in RN 1956. Herzfelder in his extensive study on this coinage knew of only 19 examples of this coin from these dies of which 9 were from the same state of die deteriation. The two additional examples from the Randazzo Hoard makes 21 known pieces (Herzfelder lists the references of all the known examples). Many of the examples known are in public collections. For all dies Herzfelder was only able to find 46 coins of this type together with the four from Randazzo make only 50 surviving examples today. A most important coin with a superb pedigree. A similar example (No.9) from the Randazzo hoard realised $4180 in our Sale 59 (lot 1801).