Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 324. Estimate $1000.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $1300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CARIA, Uncertain. Circa 520-490 BC. AR Tetrobol (2.60 g). Head of roaring lion left / Quadripartite incuse square. Cf. SNG Kayhan 933, otherwise unpublished. Good VF, toned, minor porosity.

Ex Freeman & Sear FPL 8 (Fall 2003), no. 1; Leu 77 (11 May 2000), lot 145.

Both previous sales attributed this coin to an uncertain Thraco-Macedonian tribe, while referencing cf. SNG Copenhagen (vol. 8) 344 and cf. SNG Delepierre 1091. The style of the Copenhagen piece is completely different, more akin to classical period representations with lifelike features than the clearly archaic style of the present piece. Similarly, all of the lion head types attributed to the Thraco-Macedonian region in the references have a more classical period style. In contrast, the style of the present coin is more like the early lion heads found on the coinage of western Asia Minor, such as Knidos and Lindos. While the Delepierre piece is more consistent with this style, K. Konuk has reassigned that coin type to an uncertain mint in Caria (SNG Kayhan 932), where he also places the Kayhan coin that is almost a perfect match to the present coin (SNG Kayhan 933).