| SINCONA AG > Auction 89 | Auction date: 13 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 505 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: THE GARRULUS COLLECTION. SICILY. Akragas. Tetradrachm c. 460 BC. (17.49 g, 4 h) AKPAC - ANTOS Eagle standing left, with closed wings. Rv. Crab, shell resembling human face. Westermark 349.4 (this coin). SNG ANS 973 and Gulbenkian 161 (same dies). Hirmer 171 (same reverse die). Überdurchschnittlich gut ausgeprägt / Extraordinarily well struck. Vorzüglich / Extremely fine. (~€ 5'210/USD 5'680) Akragas, today Agrigento, the second largest city in Greek Sicily after Syracuse, was founded by Gela, the Rhodian settlement, around 600 BC. The inhabitants were Dorians. The city reached its greatest prosperity in the 5th century BC. The tyrant Theron and Gelon of Syracuse defeated the Carthaginians at Himera in 480. At that time, Akragas built its temples on the rocky terrace between the castle hill and the sea, many of which are still preserved today. The largest, dedicated to Zeus Olympios, remained unfinished. Akragas was destroyed by Carthage in 406/5 BC and never regained its former importance in later times. The minting of coins began in the second half of the 6th century BC. A simple symbolism (eagle of Zeus/crab) characterised the coin designs until the High Classical period. Around 430 BC, these were "activated" as in most Greek mints in Sicily: The eagles become a pair eating their prey, a galloping quadruped appears on the obverse, and all kinds of accessories (fish, shells, urchins) are added. The coins of this last period are among the most important masterpieces of classical Greek coinage. From auction Leu 72, Zurich, May 1998, lot 60. • Dieses Los unterliegt bei Auslieferung in der Schweiz der Margenbesteuerung gemäss MWSTG 24a (23% Aufgeld inkl. gesetzlicher Mehrwertsteuer) • When delivered in Switzerland, this lot is subject to the margin taxation scheme in accordance with article 24a of the Federal Act on Value Added Tax (23% buyer's premium incl. statutory VAT). Starting price: 5000 CHF |  |
