| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 83 Price realized: 75,000 USD (Approx. 68,693 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II. 275-215 BC. AR 32 Litrai – Oktadrachm (33.5mm, 28.40 g, 12h). Struck circa 217-215 BC. Diademed head right; trident head to right / Nike, nude to waist, holding kentron in extended right hand and reins in left, driving fast biga right; E below, IEPΩNOΣ in exergue. CCO 3 (D2/R3); BAR Issue 64; HGC 2, 1545; Basel 531 (this coin). Lightly toned, underlying luster, some hairlines. EF. Very rare oktadrachm of Hieron II, one of four known with the trident symbol. From the Hydrologist Collection. Ex A. D. Moretti Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 13, 8 October 1998), lot 531. Hieron II started life as the illegitimate son of a a noble father, allegedly a distant descendant of the Syracusan tyrant Gelon I. Later legends claim Hieron was exposed as an infant, but swarms of bees fed him honey until his father, warned by an astrologer, came and rescued the boy. As a young man, he served as a mercenary soldier in the army of Pyrrhos of Epeiros. When his commander elected to abort his Sicilian expedition in 275 BC, Hieron stayed behind and convinced a cabal of fellow soldiers to choose him as leader and seize power in Syracuse. He went on to rule the city and much of Sicily, first as a military tyrant, later as an enlightened and successful king, for nearly 50 years. He is most famous as the king who patronized the brilliant polymath Archimedes in his "eureka!" discovery, the principle of displacement. Hieron's coinage is widely varied, interesting, and in many ways inspired by that his Hellenistic ally, the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. The widely circulated silver 16-litra pieces depicting his aristocratic wife, Philistis, are clearly modeled on the veiled portraits of Ptolemaic queens. Much rarer is this exceptionally large and impressive silver coin, struck late in his reign, which depicts the diademed head of Hieron himself on the obverse and Nike driving a racing biga on the reverse. Although the type is often denominated as a 32 litra piece, its weight of about 28 grams (and presumed buying power) is the same as that of Ptolemaic oktadrachm. Estimate: 20000 USD |  |
Match 1:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 561 | Auction date: 1 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 32 Price realized: 225 USD (Approx. 210 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II. 275-215 BC. Æ (27.5mm, 17.59 g, 1h). Struck circa 230 or 218-215 BC. Diademed head left; bow and quiver to right / Horseman riding right, holding couched spear; Z below. CNS 195 Ds 9 R1 15; BAR Issue 62; HGC 2, 1548. Glossy dark green patina, some encrustation, pitting. VF. Ex Artemide 49E (7 December 2019), lot 143. Estimate: 100 USD |  |
Match 2:
| Leu Numismatik AG > Web Auction 28 | Auction date: 9 December 2023 |
| Lot number: 664 Price realized: 5,500 CHF (Approx. 6,252 USD / 5,806 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY. Syracuse. Hieron II, 275-215 BC. 60 Litrai or Dekadrachm (Gold, 15 mm, 4.30 g, 6 h), 269-263 or 218/7-215. Head of Persephone to left, wearing wreath of grain ears, pendant earring and pearl necklace; behind, cornucopiae. Rev. IEPΩΝΟΣ Nike driving fast biga to right, holding reins in her left hand and kentron in her right; below, pellet. BMC 508 (same dies). BMFA 474 (same dies). Carroccio 6 (D5/R4). Fresh and lustrous, and of beautiful full Hellenistic style. The usual light die rust and with a few tiny scrapes, otherwise, good extremely fine. Ex Leu Web Auction 18, 19-21 December 2021, 197, and previously from a Swiss collection, formed before 2011. Hieron II was the illegitimate son of a Syracusan aristocrat who assumed power in his home city after Pyrrhos of Epirus withdrew from Sicily in 275 BC. As a skilled politician, he switched sides at the right time early in the 1st Punic War and allied himself with Rome - a clever move that safeguarded his kingship for the rest of his very long life. Hieron was over ninety years old when he passed away in 215 BC, making his reign one of the longest of any ancient king. Impressed by Hannibal's early victories in the 2nd Punic War, the Syracusans broke their long-lasting alliance with Rome soon after, a miscalculation that eventually resulted in the capture and plundering of their city by Roman forces in 212 BC, during which Archimedes, the most famous mathematician of antiquity and a personal friend of Hieron, was slain by a Roman soldier. Starting price: 1500 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 557 | Auction date: 6 March 2024 |
| Lot number: 33 Price realized: 650 USD (Approx. 598 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II. 275-215 BC. Æ Tetralitron (36mm, 31.76 g, 2h). Struck circa 217-215 BC. Diademed head left / Nike driving galloping biga right; AP monogram below. CNS 196 R1 3; BAR Issue 74; CCO pl. XLIII, 9; HGC 2, 1546. Dark brown surfaces, smoothed, details enhanced. VF. Very rare largest bronze of Hieron. From the Wayne Scheible Collection. Estimate: 500 USD |  |
Match 4:
| Oslo Myntgalleri AS > Auction 38 | Auction date: 4 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 760 Price realized: 22,000 NOK (Approx. 1,989 USD / 1,861 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II, circa 275-215 BC. AR 16 litrai/tetradrachm (27 mm; 13,44 g). Struck circa 240-215 BC. Diademed and veiled head of Philistis left; star behind / BAΣIΛIΣΣAΣ / ΦIΛIΣTIΔOΣ, Nike driving slow quadriga right; star above, K to right. A hint of die rust, otherwise, well struck and lightly toned with slight iridescence., Burnett, Enna Hoard 34, SNG ANS 880, HGC 2, 1556, Grade: 01, Privately purchased in 2018 Starting price: 10000 NOK |  |
Match 5:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Electronic Auction 556 | Auction date: 21 February 2024 |
| Lot number: 17 Price realized: 70 USD (Approx. 65 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II. 275-215 BC. Æ Tetras (18mm, 6.25 g, 12h). Struck circa 217-215 BC. Diademed head of Poseidon left / Ornamented trident head flanked by two dolphins; [control mark(s) to left of shaft]. Cf. CNS 197; BAR Issue 60; HGC 2, 1550. Dark green-brown surfaces, a little off center on reverse. VF. Estimate: 100 USD |  |
