From the Jameson, Evans, and Boyne Collections

Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 92. Estimate $3000.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $9500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SICILY, Messana. 412-408 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.35 g, 10h). The nymph Messana, holding kentron in right hand and reins in both, driving slow biga of mules left; in exergue, two dolphins confronted / Hare springing left; above, traces of signature(?) (ANAΛ or ANAN[?]) and bird flying left; below, grain ear left; MEΣΣANIOΣ in exergue. Caltabiano 615.2 (D220/R242) = Rizzo pl. XXVII, 6 = Jameson 657 = L. Forrer, Notes sur les signatures de graveurs sur les monnaies grecques (Brussels, 1906), p. 23 = A.J. Evans, "Contributions to Sicilian Numismatics -II" in NC 1896, p. 123 (this coin); SNG ANS 378 (same obv. die); SNG Lloyd 1104 (same dies); SNG Copenhagen 404 (same obv. die). VF, attractively toned. The only die on which the name of the city is given in this form, a nominative adjective.

From the Paul H. Gerrie Collection. Ex Triton VII (13 January 2004), lot 71; R.C. Jameson Collection, 657; Arthur J. Evans Collection; William Boyne Collection (Sotheby, 21 January 1896), lot 119.

Rizzo, Jameson, Forrer, and Evans mention the appearance of small letters, ANAΛ or ANAN, visible to the left of the bird on the reverse. Caltabiano does not note this “signature” in her corpus, nor is it mentioned in SNG Lloyd, whose example is of the same die.