Sale: CNG 79, Lot: 366. Estimate $2000.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 17 September 2008.  Sold For $6500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of LYDIA. Alyattes. Circa 610-560 BC. EL 1/6 Stater – Hekte (2.38 g). Branch/subsidiary mint. Head of roaring lion left; retrograde Lydian [WA]LW[ET] downward on left / Double incuse square punch. Weidauer 100 and 101 (same dies); Boston MFA 1771 (same dies); Triton VI, lot 401 (same dies). Good VF, minor die wear.

Struck from the same dies as the previous lot. Current research on the hektes of Weidauer groups XV and XVII have identified two distinct groups, which are tentatively assigned to two mints, one at Sardes, the other at a branch or subsidiary mint. Weidauer group XVII, 99-102 and 112, comprise one of these groups, that assigned to the latter mint. What is distinct about these coins, all hektes, is that their obverse dies have two opposing lion heads separated by the legend WALWET, although they were used on flans only large enough accommodate one lion head, and perhaps the tip of the nose of the other. It is uncertain whether the dies were originally intended to be used for a larger denomination, or whether the dies were designed so that hektes could be struck with either facing lion head. What is special about these two lots is that both coins are struck from the same obverse die, but using the opposing sides. Furthermore, both use the same pair of reverse punch dies. These same dies were used for Wiedauer 100 and 101, although they are not oriented in the plates to clearly display this.