Greek Silver & Bronze Coins

  PrevNext  

Lot 3395    SESSION 11 - 9.30AM Thursday 31 July    Greek Silver & Bronze Coins

Estimate $400
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $280

ATTICA, Aegina, (510-500 B.C.), silver stater, (12.24 g), 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, Millbank (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 have 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 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.

Estimate / sale price does not include buyer's premium (currently 22% including GST) which is added to hammer price. All bids are executed on the understanding that the Terms & Conditions of sale have been read and accepted. For information on grading and estimates please refer to the Buying at Auction advice.

Quick find

View a lot by number and sale.

Adjacent lots

  • Lot 3393  

    ATTICA, Athens, probably an Egyptian or Eastern copy of the Athenian silver tetradrachm, (15.37 g), ...

    Estimate $160

  • Lot 3394  

    ATTICA, Athens, (c.264-267 A.D.), AE 21, (5.19 g), obv. helmeted head of Athena to right, ...

    Estimate $120

  • Lot 3395   This lot

    ATTICA, Aegina, (510-500 B.C.), silver stater, (12.24 g), obv. segmented shell of sea turtle with ...

    Estimate $400

  • Lot 3396  

    ATTICA, Aegina, (445-431 B.C.), silver stater, (12.34 g), obv. land tortoise with segmented shell, dolphin ...

    Estimate $1,500

  • Lot 3397  

    PELOPONNESOS, Arkadian League, Megalopolis, (320's-c.275 B.C.), silver triobol or hemi-drachm, (2.37 g), obv. laureate head ...

    Estimate $140