Greek Silver & Bronze
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Lot 4646 Session 15 (7.30pm Friday) Greek Silver & Bronze
Estimate $500
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $500
LYDIA, Sardeis, time of King Croesus or later, (c.550-520 B.C.), silver half stater or siglos, (5.030 grams), obv. confronting foreparts of lion, facing right, and bull facing left, rev. two incuse punches of unequal size, side by side, (S.3420 [£450], BMC 41, Traite pl.10, 9, SNG von Aulock 2877, I. Carradice, Coinage of the Persian Empire BAR Inter. Ser. 343, [1987], Pl.10, 3). Fine and rare.
This coin is normally known as being issued by the Lydian king Croesus. Throughout the ancient world he was known for his legendary wealth, and it is therefore not surprising to find these most ancient of silver coins associated with this king. The lion is the paramount symbol of royality and as such is appropriate for his Lydian kingdom. According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first to strike gold and silver coins, but the numismatic evidence is not easily compatable with this statement. Carradice study suggests that this coin is unlikely to have been minted in the lifetime of king Croesus but is of the type he calls early croeseid (c.550-520), however Sear assigns them to this ruler c.560-546 B.C. The issue sees the introduction of the world's first bimetallic coinage, gold and silver pieces based on a stater of pure metal weighing about 10.8 grams. This was the intial phase of relatively short duration as shortly after the gold was reduced in weight to about 8.00 grams for a stater and the silver siglos of just over 5 grams replaced the silver stater. This is an historic and important silver coin from the earliest period of beginnings of coinage in the western world.
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.
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Adjacent lots
Lot 4644
IONIA, Miletus, (350-300 B.C.), AE 11, (1.032 grams), obv. head of Apollo laureate to right, ...
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Lot 4645
IONIA, Phygela, (350-300 B.C.), AE 9, (0.778 grams), obv. head of Artemis Munychia three-quarter face ...
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Lot 4646 This lot
LYDIA, Sardeis, time of King Croesus or later, (c.550-520 B.C.), silver half stater or siglos, ...
Estimate $500
Lot 4647
LYDIA, Sardeis, (2nd-1st century B.C.), AE 15, (3.900 grams), obv. laureate head of Apollo to ...
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Lot 4648
CARIA, Alabanda, Caracalla, (198-217), AE 27, (8.548 grams), obv. laureate draped and cuirassed bust of ...
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