| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31006 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Ancients SICILY. Syracuse. Dionysius I (405-367 BC). AR decadrachm (34mm, 42.81 gm, 11h). NGC Choice VF 4/5 - 3/5, Fine Style. Obverse signed by Kimon, ca. 405-400 BC. Charioteer driving quadriga galloping left, reins in left hand, kentron in right; Nike flying right in field above to crown him, military arms, including aspis (shield), greaves, cuirass, and crested Attic helmet, all joined by horizontal spear, ΑΘΛΑ ("prizes") all below thick exergual line, all within dotted border / ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩN, head of Arethusa left, wearing single-pendant earring and pearl necklace, curly hair confined by ampyx and net sphendone, four dolphins swimming around, KIMΩN signature inscribed on dolphin below neck truncation, all within dotted border. Jongkees 5 (dies A/ε). Gulbenkian 304 (same dies). Hunt III 27 (same obv. die). Jameson 1920 (same dies). Kraay & Hirmer 119 (same obv. die). HGC 2, 1298. This remarkable coin, a signed Kimon masterpiece in Fine Style, is impressive in its size and showcases a magnificent patina of graphite cabinet toning, enhancing its stunning allure. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 133 (21 November 2022), lot 21; Prospero Collection (The New York Sale XXVII, 4 January 2012), lot 176; Pflieger Collection (Vinchon, 13 April 1985), lot 137. Syracuse had been striking its own coins for about a century, when in circa 405 BC it began issuing the stunning series of silver decadrachms by Kimon and Euainetos. These huge, impressive coins were struck in considerable numbers, probably to pay the Greek mercenary soldiers who flooded Sicily to fight the expanding power of Carthage. They stand at the pinnacle of Greek numismatic achievement and served as a paradigm for Hellenistic art in the ages to follow. Kimon's decadrachm design, as exemplified by this impressive piece, features a highly individualized and realistic head of Arethusa, clearly modeled on a real-life Greco-Sicilian woman. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-sicily-syracuse-dionysius-i-405-367-bc-ar-decadrachm-34mm-4281-gm-11h-ngc-choice-vf-4-5-3-5-fi/a/3115-31006.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 50000-70000 USD |  |
