Astarte S.A. > Web Auction 2Auction date: 9 December 2023
Lot number: 28

Price realized: 26 CHF   (Approx. 30 USD / 27 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description:


SICILY. Syracuse. Time of Hieronymos, 215-214 BC. (Bronze, 21.80 mm, 8.53 g). Diademed head of Hieronymos to left. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ IEPΩNYMOY, winged thunderbolt; above thunderbolt letter T, below letter A. Calciati, CNS II, 412, 204 Rl 3. SNG ANS 1038; Holloway 76a; HGC 2, 1569. Brown patina with green deposits. Very Fine.
From a Swiss collection, formed before 2005.

Starting price: 20 CHF

Match 1:
Noble Numismatics Pty Ltd > Auction 135Auction date: 9 April 2024
Lot number: 4080

Price realized: 1,100 AUD   (Approx. 729 USD / 671 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description:


Sicily, Syracuse, reign of Hieronymos (215-214 B.C.), silver ten litrai, (8.20 g), obv. diademed head of Hieronymos to left beardless, within dotted border, rev. winged thunderbolt above BASILEOS, below IEPWNYMOY, MI above, (S.994, SNG ANS 1033, Ross Holloway 6, Burnett 70, HGC 2, 1567). Scrape on obverse cheek, toned nearly extremely fine and rare.

Ex Antiquarius, New Zealand.

Estimate: 1500 AUD

Match 2:
Nomos AG > obolos 30Auction date: 17 December 2023
Lot number: 122

Price realized: Unsold
Lot description:


SICILY. Syracuse. Hieron II, 275-215 BC. Unit (Bronze, 26.5 mm, 16.90 g, 10 h), circa 230-218/5. Diademed head of Hieron II to left. Rev. ΙΕΡΩΝΟΣ Helmeted cavalryman riding horse prancing to right, holding couched lance with his right hand; below right, monogram of ΑΡ. BAR Issue 62. CNS 195. HGC 2, 1548. Dark brown patina. Surfaces slightly rough, otherwise, very fine.
Ex Obolos 21, 2 January 2022, 76.

Starting price: 50 CHF

Match 3:
Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 146Auction date: 8 May 2024
Lot number: 2121

Price realized: 80,000 CHF   (Approx. 88,096 USD / 81,956 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description:


Syracuse.
24 litrae circa 214-214, AR 30 mm, 20.25 g. Diademed head l.; in r. field, cornucopiae. Rev. BAΣIΛEOΣ – ΙΕΡΩΝYMOY Winged thunderbolt. Jameson 887 (this coin). Holloway 3b (this coin, erroneously illustrated as 3a in the plates). AMB 537 (this coin).
Of the highest rarity, very few specimens known and possibly the only one in private hands.
An issue of tremendous importance and fascination with a delicate portrait of
fine Hellenistic style and a lovely old cabinet tone. Traces of overstriking
and minor marks, otherwise good very fine / about extremely fine

Ex Sotheby's 1886, Montagu, 181; Sotheby's 3 February 1909, Benson, 393; NAC 13, 1998, formerly exhibited at the Antikenmuseum Basel, 537 and Heritage 3089, 2021, 31013 sales. From the Jameson, Wigan, Athos and Dina Moretti and Penn collections.
Hieronymous of Syracuse was the grandson of Hieron II, and ascended to the throne of Syracuse when he was just fifteen years old, in 215 BC. While Hieron II had maintained good relations with both Rome and Carthage, the two superpowers were in the midst of the Second Punic War, and Rome had just recently suffered its greatest defeat by the forces of Hannibal at the Battle of Cannae. This convinced Hieronymous to renounce Syracuse's friendship with Rome in favor of an alliance with Carthage, with disastrous consequences for both Hieronymous and Syracuse. The Romans rebounded from their defeat at Cannae much more quickly than Hieronymous could ever have predicted, and sent troops under Marcellus to chastise the Syracusans. Before the forces of either side ever engaged, however, Hieronymous was assassinated in in the streets of Leontini by a group of his fellow citizens led by his bodyguard, Deiomenes. He had reigned for just thirteen months. Syracuse while still hostile towards Rome, for the time being renounced its tyrants and instituted a democracy. History has not been kind to Hieronymous, perhaps because the sources are Roman. He is painted as a childish tyrant, susceptible to seduction from corrupting influences, of poor temperament and prone to the vilest excesses. Of course, this portrayal may be merely propaganda and inaccurate: the writer Polybius was inclined to doubt the Roman authors on the topic.
For having only reined a short time, Hieronymous issued an extensive series of coinage in all metals. The reverses of all denominations feature a winged thunderbolt with an accompanying Doric legend naming Hieronymous as king. While the gold coins all feature the head of the goddess Persephone on the obverse, customary by this time for Syracusan gold coins for nearly a century, the silver and bronze coins feature the diademed head of Hieronymous himself. The silver was struck in three denominations, based on the litra standard, in multiples of 5, 10, and 24 litrai. This coin, the largest silver denomination of Hieronymous, is the rarest by far, being one of just a few known examples and likely the only specimen held privately, making it a astoundingly unique opportunity for the astute buyer. However, not only is it of the highest rarity, it also features an incredibly fine and attractive portrait of Hieronymous, all of which is amplified by beautiful old toning.

Estimate: 50000 CHF

Match 4:
Chaponnière & Firmenich SA > Auction 17Auction date: 19 November 2023
Lot number: 34

Price realized: 1,400 CHF   (Approx. 1,579 USD / 1,451 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description:


GREECE. Sicily. Hieronymos, 215-214 BC. 10 Litrai. Obv. Diademed head of Hieronymos left ; behind, K. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ - IEPΩNYMOY. Winged thunderbolt, KI above Holloway 41q (this coin, O21/R33) ; SNG ANS 1029 (same dies). AR. 8.40 g. - Nice AU
Ex. J.C.S. Rashleigh collection, Glendining's Co. Ltd, 14 January 1953, lot 317 ; From the Kleinkunst Collection, Ex. Leu Auction 54, 28 April 1992, lot 52 ; Ex. Leu Numismatik Auction 6, 23 October 2020, lot 90. -



Starting price: 1250 CHF

Match 5:
Astarte S.A. > Web Auction 2Auction date: 9 December 2023
Lot number: 23

Price realized: 70 CHF   (Approx. 80 USD / 74 EUR)   Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees.
Lot description:


SICILY. Syracuse. Time of Agathokles, circa 317-310 BC. Bronze (Bronze, 22.10 mm, 8.52 g). ΣΩTEIPA Head of Artemis Soteira to right, holding quiver over the shoulder, wearing earrings and necklace, around border of dots. Rev. AΓAΘOKΛEOΣ BAΣIΛEΩΣ Winged thunderbolt. Calciati, CNS II, 277, 142. SNG Copenhagen 779. SNG ANS 708; HGC 2, 1537. Dark green patina. Extremely Fine.
From a Swiss collection, formed before 2005.

Starting price: 50 CHF