| Heritage World Coin Auctions > NYINC Signature Sale 3113 | Auction date: 8 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 31003 Price realized: 9,500 USD (Approx. 8,660 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients SICILY. Messana. Ca. 425-413 BC. AR tetradrachm (27mm, 17.31 gm, 1h). NGC Choice AU 4/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. Nymph Messana driving slow biga of mules right; Nike flying right above crowning mules with wreath, olive leaf right in exergue / ΜΕΣ-Σ-Α-Ν-ΙΟ-Ν, hare springing right, dolphin leaping right below. SNG ANS 357 (same dies). SNG Lloyd 1093 (same dies). Jameson 649 (same dies). Nicely centered with bold devices. Areas of distractions on the obverse, but practically untouched details and icy brilliance shimmering when rotated in hand. The coins of Greek Sicily abound with symbolism, the meaning of which is not always obvious to the modern observer. Messana, located on the northwest corner of Sicily and the third most populous city on the island, chose as its civic badges a chariot pulled by a pair of mules (biga) and a leaping hare. On this pleasing tetradrachm, the mule biga is driven by a woman, most likely the nymph Messana, while the hare springs over a similarly leaping dolphin. As to what it all means, we can surmise as follows: In 484 or 480 BC, a mule team from Messana won the Olympic Games in the event known as the anape (mule biga race); naturally, civic pride prompted the Messenians to advertise the victory on their coinage. The hare is an animal sacred to the god Pan, who had a temple in Messana and was widely worshipped there. The dolphin below the hare harks back to the original name of Messana, Zankle ("sickle"), so named for it's crescent-shaped harbor, of which the leaping dolphin's arched shape became a visual allegory. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-sicily-messana-ca-425-413-bc-ar-tetradrachm-27mm-1731-gm-1h-ngc-choice-au-4-5-4-5-fine-style/a/3113-31003.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3113-01082024 HID02906262019 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 10000-15000 USD |  |
