| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 23 | Auction date: 2 November 2026 |
| Lot number: 36 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
| Lot description: PHILISTIA. Gaza. Circa 420-350 BCE. Rbʾ Šql = Drachm (Silver, 15 mm, 3.78 g, 6 h). Lion to right, attacking a bull collapsing to left; below, uncertain symbol (shrimp to right?); all within guilloche-pattern circular border. Rev. Forepart of a horse right, forelock tied up with a ribbon into an upright tuft; in upper left field, 𐡏𐡆 (ʿZ in Aramaic); all within dotted square border within incuse square. BMC Palestine pl. XIX, 15 (same dies). Gitler & Tal VI.9Db (this coin). Hendin -. Jeselsohn 132 (same obverse die). Shoshana - Sofaer -. Extremely rare, arguably the finest of just five known examples of this wonderful issue. Beautifully toned and with highly interesting iconography. Struck from the usual worn obverse die, otherwise, extremely fine. From the collection of Alan Irvin Casden, privately acquired from him in 2003. Finds such as the famous Asyut Hoard show that large quantities of northern Greek and Thraco-Macedonian silver reached the eastern Mediterranean. This movement of silver should probably be seen, at least in part, in connection with Achaemenid control over Thrace and northern Greece from the reign of Dareios I onward; tribute payments, military requirements, and trade relations are also likely to have played an important role. The gravitational pull of the vast Achaemenid Empire was undoubtedly considerable in this respect. For the present coin, this is significant because the obverse, showing a lion bringing down a bull, clearly draws on Akanthian prototypes, examples of which were also prominently represented in the Asyut Hoard (153-193). This supports a dating to the late 5th century BCE and at the same time points to the close connections of the Philistian coastal cities with the Aegean world. It is more difficult to determine the source of inspiration for the horse protome on the reverse. In Greek coinage, the horse-protome motif is widespread, occurring from Thessaly through Thrace to Asia Minor. At the same time, the rendering of the forelock tied up into a topknot finds particularly close parallels in Achaemenid art, for example on the reliefs of the Apadana at Persepolis and on Achaemenid horse-protome rhyta (see Gitler, Achaemenid, pl. III, 16). The coin thus combines elements from different pictorial traditions in a manner characteristic of early Philistian silver coinage. This lot can be shipped to a US address. When delivered in Switzerland, this item is subjected to margin taxation in accordance with Art. 24a MWSTG (Swiss VAT Act), provided that the buyer is not registered for VAT. Estimate: 3500 CHF |
| Leu Numismatik AG > Auction 23 | Auction date: 2 November 2026 |
| Lot number: 63 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot | |
| Lot description: PHILISTIA. Central Mint. Athenian-styled, circa 420-350 BCE. Half Mʿh = Hemiobol (Silver, 9 mm, 0.34 g, 6 h). Horned head of a griffin to left. Rev. Owl standing right, head facing; to left, olive sprig; to right, AOE; all within incuse square. Gitler & Tal XIV.23HOa corr. (same dies, obverse described as a 'monster'). Hendin -. Jeselsohn -. Kraay, Abu Shusheh, 16 and pl. 29, E = Lambert, Palestine, 16 and pl. I, 16 corr. (same dies, obverse described as an 'elephant's head r. (? or helmet)'). Shoshana -. Sofaer -. Extremely rare and in spectacular condition. A true gem, beautifully toned and sharply struck on excellent silver, with exceptional detail and remarkable iconography. Very minor weakness on the griffin's horn, otherwise, good extremely fine. Ex Leu 75, 25 October 1999, 1315 (with original ticket), and previously from the so-called 'Abu Shusheh hoard' of 1930 (IGCH 1507). This magnificent hemiobol, or half-ma'ah, surely ranks among the most impressive and beautiful Philistian coins known. On tiny dies, the artist has compressed a wealth of detail that stands comparison with the work of the finest Greek die-engravers. The reverse in particular, with its beautifully struck complete incuse square and exceptionally fine owl, immediately evokes the classical Athenian tetradrachms, which exerted such a profound influence on the numismatic iconography of the Levant. The obverse, by contrast, shows a left-facing animal head with horns and beak, which Lambert completely misunderstood and misidentified as an 'elephant's head r. (? or helmet)'. Kraay had already pointed out this error and at the same time offered a new interpretation, identifying the head as that of a griffin. Gitler and Tal were more cautious, describing it as a 'horned monster's head'. In this case, however, Kraay's interpretation should be preferred: comparison with the magnificent gilded Achaemenid rhyton in the British Museum (BM 124081) reveals a striking resemblance. The beak, wide-open eyes, horns, pointed ears, and the suggested plumage above and behind the eye all closely recall the depiction on our coin. Kraay's identification of the head as that of a griffin therefore seems highly plausible. This lot can be shipped to a US address. When delivered in Switzerland, this item is subjected to margin taxation in accordance with Art. 24a MWSTG (Swiss VAT Act), provided that the buyer is not registered for VAT. Estimate: 7500 CHF |