Hercules’ Sixth Labor - The Stymphalian Birds

Sale: Triton XI, Lot: 530. Estimate $2000.  Closing Date: Monday, 7 January 2008.  Sold For $12000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (34mm, 23.96 g, 12h). Labor of Hercules type. Dated RY 5 (AD 141/2). AVT K T AIL ADR ANTwNINOC EVCEB, laureate head right / Hercules, wearing lion skin and quiver, standing right, drawing bow to shoot as Stymphalian Birds fall to right; [club to right]; [L] E (date) across field. Köln -; Ramage 121 (this coin); Voegtli type 9b and 12 i var. (date); BMC 1048 = Emmett 1543.5; Dattari (Savio) 8479 (same rev. die); Milne -. VF, green and brown patina, light overall roughness. Extremely rare for this date.

From the James E. Cain Collection. Ex David Simpson Collection (Triton V, 15 January 2002), lot 1777; Spink Numismatic Circular LXXXXIX.12 (December, 1981), no. 8364.

The Stymphalian Birds were man-eating birds that had claws of brass, sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims, and highly toxic dung. Driven to the heavily wooded area around Lake Stymphalia, by a pack of wolves, they bred quickly and took over the countryside, destroying local crops and fruit trees. They were also favorites of Ares. To complete this Labor, Athena and Hephaestus assisted Hercules by forging crotala, or large bronze clappers, by which the birds could be frightened into flight; then, Hercules shot them down with his arrows.