Sale: Triton XII, Lot: 329. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Monday, 5 January 2009.  Sold For $15000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ISLANDS off CARIA, Kos. Circa 345 BC. AR Tetradrachm (15.31 g, 12h). Her-, magistrate. Bearded head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin / Draped bust of female left, wearing triple pendant earring and necklace; KOIΩ[N] below, HP monogram behind. Cf. Pixodarus p. 232, 3 (obv. die A2); SNG Keckman -; SNG von Aulock -; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC -; SNG Kayhan -; Traité II -. EF, toned. Unpublished reverse type for series.

The coins of Kos in the Hekatomnus and Pixodarus Hoards has enabled a nearly complete reconstruction of the emissions of Kos in the early to mid 4th century BC. Four primary phases of coinage have been noted, all of which have an obverse with a bearded head of Herakles wearing a lion skin. The reverses of the first three phases have a crab as reverse type, which was changed to a veiled female bust in the fourth phase. The evidence of the Pixodarus hoard also illuminates the placement of this new coin. Although the bust type on the reverse is unpublished, the obverse die is known from an issue of the fourth phase (fourth phase, die A2). The fact that the obverse has a left-facing Herakles, which was later changed to right-facing, clearly shows that this coin belongs near the beginning of the fourth phase, rather than later. Die links from the hoard also indicate that this obverse die was used at or near the beginning of the phase. Such a novel reverse as this, then, suggests that it was either a trial type or special issue from the beginning of the fourth phase that was discontinued in favor of the veiled female type.