Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 1395. Estimate CHF150.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011.  Sold For CHF1300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Thessalian League. Augustus. 27 BC - 14 AD. Hemiassarion (Bronze, 17mm, 4.35 g 4), Sosandros, circa 23/22 BC. ΣΩΣΑΝ-ΔΡΟΥ Helmeted head of Athena to right. Rev. ΘΕΣ / ΣΑΛΩΝ Horse trotting to right. Burrer 33. RPC S-1425A. Rare. Light green, glossy patina. Good very fine.

From the reign of Augustus through that of Hadrian many of the denominations given for the coins here differ from those given by Burrer: most have been halved (as with the present coin, which Burrer termed an Assarion) This is based on RPC II, p. 68, which is surely correct. The coins themselves, except for the largest denominations, are simply too small in size to have had the value Burrer assigned to them.
A note from BCD: Perhaps ASW underestimates the fact that this was an era of standardized fiduciary coinage and what really mattered was the type (iconography) of the coin (and later, the mark of value on it) rather than size and weight that, for a multitude of reasons, could vary widely (see my note after lot 1402).