| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 57 Price realized: 11,000 USD (Approx. 10,075 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Syracuse. The Gamoroi. Circa 500-490/86 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25.5mm, 17.20 g, 5h). Charioteer, holding reins in both hands, driving slow quadriga right; SVRA(koppa)/SION in two lines above / Head of Arethousa left in incuse circle in center of quadripartite incuse square. Boehringer Series I, 10 (V8/R6); HGC 2, 1301 (same obv. die as illustration); SNG ANS 2 (same obv. die); SNG München 918 (same obv. die); Basel 421; Dewing 686; Gillet 524 (same dies); Kraay & Hirmer 72 (same rev. die); Kunstfreund 56 (same rev. die); Rizzo pl. XXXIV, 4–5. Deep find patina, light roughness. Near EF. Well centered. The magnificent artistic flowering in Sicily in the 5th century BC, exemplified by the matchless coinage of Syracuse, originated in times of great strife. When the first colonists from Greece arrived on the fertile island in the 8th century BC, they found competitors in both the aboriginal inhabitants, the Sicels, Sicani, and Elymi, and the Phoenician colonists who established Carthage at about the same time. The social stresses set up by these conflicts prepared the way for the establishment of various tyrannies. Hippokrates of Gela was the first of the well known tyrants, and his son Gelon founded the greatest of the Sicilian courts at Syracuse in 485 BC. By the middle of the century, the situation began to resemble that of Renaissance Italy, where the princes engaged in continual warfare between themselves, while engaging the services of the finest artists and craftsmen of their time. Such fighting required significant amounts of money to hire mercenaries, and the increasing cultural sophistication of the courts encouraged experimentation in the all the arts, including the minor ones- the result was the patronizing of some of the most talented coin engravers in history. In Syracuse and surrounding cities, the anonymous "Demareteion Master" and the "Maestro della foglia" were followed by their students and successors who proudly signed their work, such artists as Choirion, Euainetos, Eumenos, Exakestidas, Herakleidas, and others. These masters developed new ways of viewing the world through art, breaking the static forms of Classic art and developing new methods of portraying motion and life in miniature. The silver tetradrachm was the prefered mode of expression, being large enough for the expression free-ranging talents and also being minted in vast quantities to finance the expensive operations of the Greek hegemons. Even more remarkable were the large silver dekadrachms of Syracuse, which have become universal symbols of Greek numismatic art. Despite the emphasis on the great masterpieces, even the smallest of the silver fractions received the attentions of the masters, and the infrequent issues of gold likewise. Syracuse commenced its silver coinage at the end of the sixth century BC with an issue of tetradrachms on the Attic standard of about 17.2 grams. These coins are attributed to the Gamoroi, an oligarchic body of aristocrats who battled outsiders, and each other, for control of civic and financial affairs. The obverse features charioteer driving a walking quadriga while the reverse originally bore an incuse square divided into four compartments, which quickly gave way to the design seen here, a swastika-pattern incuse with a circle at its center bearing a female head to left. This is certainly the nymph Arethousa, sacred to the spring of Ortygia which provided Syracuse its pure water. These designs set the paradigm for a century of Syracusan coinage, although the head of Arethousa would soon outgrow the confines of the small incuse circle to occupy most of the reverse, surrounded by frolicking dolphins. Estimate: 7500 USD |  |
Match 1:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 104 Price realized: 2,500 USD (Approx. 2,290 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Lilybaion (as 'Cape of Melkart'). Circa 330-305 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25.5mm, 17.10 g, 11h). Charioteer, holding kentron in extended right hand and reins in left, driving fast quadriga right; above, Nike flying left, crowning charioteer with open wreath held in both hands; [RŠM]LQ[RT] ("Raš Melqart" in Punic) in exergue / Head of Arethousa right, wearing wreath of grain ears, triple-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; three dolphins swimming around. Jenkins, Punic 38 (O14/R29); CNP 310; HGC 2, 741; Bement 364 (same dies); Jameson 597 (same obv. die); de Luynes 920 (same obv. die); Sartiges 453 (same obv. die); Weber 1297 (same dies). Attractive cabinet tone, some die rust and a few minor pits on obverse. Good VF. Well centered and struck. Estimate: 3000 USD |  |
Match 2:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 105 Price realized: Unsold | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Lilybaion (as 'Cape of Melkart'). Circa 330-305 BC. AR Tetradrachm (23.5mm, 17.21 g, 7h). Charioteer, holding kentron in extended right hand and reins in left, driving fast quadriga right; above, Nike flying left, crowning charioteer with open wreath held in both hands; [RŠ]ML[QRT] ("Raš Melqart" in Punic) in exergue / Head of Arethousa right, wearing wreath of grain ears, triple-pendant earring, and pearl necklace; four dolphins swimming around. Jenkins, Punic 66 (O22/R50); CNP 312; BAR Issue 1; HGC 2, 741; BMC 10 (same dies); Boston MFA Supp. 23 (same dies). Attractively toned, minor edge split, die rust on obverse, minor flan flaw on reverse. Good VF. Ex Heinrich Rudolf Peter Collection (Künker 347, 22 March 2021), lot 711; Künker 97 (7 March 2005), lot 323; Hagen Tronnier Collection (Künker 94, 27 September 2004), lot 474; Münz Zentrum 51 (28 March 1984), lot 53. Estimate: 2000 USD |  |
Match 3:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 36 Price realized: 10,000 USD (Approx. 9,159 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Gela. Circa 450-440 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29.5mm, 16.64 g, 10h). Charioteer, holding kentron in right hand and reins in left, driving slow quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horses with wreath held in both hands; palmette with long tendrils in exergue / Forepart of man-headed bull right; CEΛAΣ above. Jenkins, Gela, Group IV, 342 (O66/R133); HGC 2, 343; Hermitage Sale I 50 (same dies); de Luynes 952 (same dies); Prospero 124 (this coin). Toned, scratches under tone, a few spots of find patina, edge scrapes. VF. Ex Prospero Collection (New York Sale XXVII, 4 January 2012), lot 124, purchased from Spink & Son, 19 November 1985; Sotheby's (22 April 1970), lot 50. Estimate: 5000 USD |  |
Match 4:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Triton XXVII | Auction date: 9 January 2024 |
| Lot number: 51 Price realized: 7,500 USD (Approx. 6,869 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Messana. 478-476 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26.5mm, 17.33 g, 1h). Charioteer, holding kentron in left hand, reins in both, driving slow biga of mules right; olive leaf and berry in exergue / Hare springing right; MESSE-N-ION around. Caltabiano Series IIB, 75.3 (D41/R38) = Rizzo pl. XXV, 8 (this coin); HGC 2, 779 (this coin illustrated); McClean 2380 (same dies). Old cabinet tone, minor die wear. Good VF. Well centered and struck. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 78 (26 May 2014), lot 2009; Numismatica Ars Classica 46 (2 April 2008), lot 829; Leu 79 (31 October 2000), lot 377; Frankfurter Münzhandlung Button 112 (19 April 1966), lot 309. Estimate: 2500 USD |  |
Match 5:
| Classical Numismatic Group > Auction 126 | Auction date: 28 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 66 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | |
| Lot description: SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25mm, 17.13 g, 9h). Struck circa 450 BC. Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving slow quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horses; in exergue, ketos right / Head of Arethousa right, wearing pearl tainia; four dolphins around. Boehringer Series XV, 515 (V270/R366); HGC 2, 1311; BMC 83 (same dies); Bement 468 (same dies); Jameson 765 (same dies); de Luynes 1174 (same dies); McClean 2660 (same dies); Pozzi 578 (same dies). Old cabinet tone. VF. From the Wild Rose Collection. Ex New York Sale XL (12 January 2017), lot 1020; Goldberg 91 (7 June 2016), lot 1724; Numismatic Fine Arts XXXII (10 June 1993), lot 13; Ars Classica XVII (3 October 1934), lot 199. Estimate: 1500 USD |  |
