Ancient Gold

Lot 4901    Session 16 (9.30am Friday)    Ancient Gold

Estimate $3,800
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $3,500

THRACE, Kingdom of, Lysimachus, (323-281 B.C.), gold stater, (8.312 grams), Calchedon mint, issued 205-195 B.C., probably about 200 B.C., obv. head of Alexander to right, with diadem and horn of Ammon, rev. Athena enthroned to left, supporting Nike, spear behind, **F* to left, to right **BASILEWS*, to left **LUSIMACOU*, butting bull to left in exergue, (cf.S.6813, Thompson -, Seyrig 'Essays in Greek Coinage' to Stanley Robinson, Plate 25, 25 [same dies and in ANS collection], M.358). Of great rarity, nearly extremely fine/extremely fine of fine style and probably only known by several examples.

The butting bull in the exergue Seyrig suggests was struck in Calchedon from 205-195 B.C. It has attributed to Calchedon on the basis of one die having a K on the throne. The occasion of this issue was some special event of the Bouphonia, such as that celebrated at Athens, Magnesia and Kios, when the sacrificial bull of Zeus Poleius was encouraged to freely bend down and 'offer' itself for sacrifice.