Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 93. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $4000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SICILY, Messana. 317-311 BC. Æ Litra (10.34 g, 7h). Head of the nymph Messana left, hair in band, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; MEΣΣANA before, shell and dolphin behind / Charioteer, holding goad in extended right hand, reins in left, driving biga right; ME-ΣΣANIΩN above. Unpublished, but cf. Caltabiano 783-6 for obverse die. Superb EF, wonderful brown patina. Exceptional.

This reverse type, with the charioteer holding a goad rather than palm branch, is otherwise unknown. However, the obverse die link with the first die of Caltabiano’s Series XVIII, suggests it is a transitional issue at the beginning of this series.