Among the Earliest Representations of a Ship on Coinage

CNG 93, Lot: 426. Estimate $2000. Sold for $2400. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LYCIA, Phaselis. Circa 550 BC. AR Stater (19mm, 10.88 g). Prow of galley left, terminating in a forepart of a boar / Rough incuse punch. Cf. Heipp-Tamer series 1. EF, toned. Apparently unique.

Ex Property of Princeton Economics acquired by Martin Armstrong (Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 271, 11 January 2012), lot 21 (sold for hammer $6000, but not paid); Triton II (1 December 1998), lot 448.

This piece, with the prow in schematic style and a plain, rough incuse, clearly belongs to Heipp-Tamer’s first series. Only right-facing prow types had been previously known for this earliest phase of the mint (and Heipp-Tamer only knew of two coins - a stater and a drachm - for the entire series!).