Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 43. Estimate CHF2500.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011.  Sold For CHF5000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos. Circa 168/7-148 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 16.98 g 12). Head of a youthful Dionysos to right, wearing elaborate ivy wreath with leaves and berries. Rev. ΘΑΣΙΩΝ ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ Youthful Herakles, nude but for drapery over his shoulder and let arm, standing facing, his head to left, holding a club in his right hand and resting his left at his waist; in field to left, Μ. Dewing 1338. SNG Lockett 1240 (this coin). Of unusually fine style and with attractive toning, rare thus. Extremely fine.

From the Spina collection, ex Leu 83, 6 May 2002, 145 and SBV Zurich, 20 September 1993, 201, and from the collections of R. C. Lockett, VI, Glendining & Co., 12 February 1958, 1157 and S. Pozzi, Naville I, 21 April 1921, 1126.

The late Hellenistic tetradrachms of Thasos are very common, and their imitations are legion, but original issues from Thasos that are both of fine style and well struck are quite another matter. Coins like the present piece are actually quite scarce; in fact, they are very hard to find as pretty as this. Perhaps that is why both Pozzi and Lockett chose it!