| Heritage World Coin Auctions > CSNS Signature Sale 3115 | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 31020 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 CIMMERIAN BOSPORUS. Panticapaeum. Ca. 340-320 BC. AV stater (22mm, 9.10 gm, 10h). NGC MS 4/5 - 3/5, Fine Style, brushed, die shift, edge marks. Ca. 340-325 BC. Head of bearded Satyr (or Pan) left, wreathed with ivy bough / Π-A-N, griffin standing on grain ear left, head facing, holding spear in its mouth, right forepaw raised. MacDonald 54. Anokhin 1021. HGC 7, 20. SNG BM Black Sea 867. Gulbenkian 590. The captivating coin stands out with its impeccable centering and the remarkable craftsmanship of Fine Style dies, highlighted by its brilliant, blazing luster on this generously-size flan which is two millimeters larger than the example we sold in 2023. Starting out as a Greek trading post on the northern Black Sea coast settled by Milesian pioneers in the 7th century BC, Panticapaeum soon grew into a thriving city and home to the Spartocid kings - dynastic Greek rulers of the Bosporus. The city's fabulous wealth derived from its fertile grain fields and the thriving fishing industry of the northern Black Sea, all leading to a rich trade with the cities of mainland Greece and Asia Minor. This wealth is attested by its gold coins, which are typically larger and weightier than contemporary Greek gold pieces, and depict a wild-eyed satyr thought to represent the city's patron god and namesake, Pan. Here, Pan is shown with an expression evoking his role in sowing discord and fear (hence the term "panic") in enemy armies. While categorized as a mythological creature today, the griffin depicted on the reverse was very real to the Greeks of the Thracian hinterland, where it was thought to live. Griffins were said to be highly covetous of gold, a trait carried over into medieval conceptions of the dragon. https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-cimmerian-bosporus-panticapaeum-ca-340-320-bc-av-stater-22mm-910-gm-10h-ngc-ms-4-5-3-5-fine-sty/a/3115-31020.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3115-05082024 HID02906262019 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved Estimate: 80000-120000 USD |  |
