Sale: Nomos 1, Lot: 41. Estimate CHF12500.  Closing Date: Tuesday, 5 May 2009.  Sold For CHF12000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MACEDON, Chalkidian League. Circa 410. Tetradrachm (Silver, 14.61 g 6), Olynthos. Laureate head of Apollo to left Rev. ΧΛΚΙΔΕΩΝ Kithara with seven strings. Robinson & Clement Group H, 18bis. SNG ANS -. Very rare. A particularly nice example of one of the earlier tetradrachms of the Chalkidian League. Extremely fine.

This fine head of Apollo is a superb example of late 5th century die cutting. Olynthos was the capital of a confederation of Greek cities in the Chalkidike in the second half of the 5th century BC. It was at the height of its power in the late 5th century; in the late 380s the league was defeated by Sparta but soon regained power. Frightened of his expansionism, Olynthos became the enemy of Philip II of Macedon who ultimately destroyed the city in 348. The modern excavations of the site are particularly important both for the history of Greek city planning and for the coin finds that are vital for the chronology of many issues of the 4th century BC. The head of Apollo on this coin should be compared with that on the nearly contemporary issue of Rhegion, lot 12 above: the difference in style and treatment is remarkable.