Sale: CNG 81, Lot: 548. Estimate $500.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2009.  Sold For $1020. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

DYNASTS of LYCIA. Kherêi(?). Circa 440/30-410 BC. AR Half Stater(?) (3.45 g). Lion, right, attacking bull crouching left / Forepart of lion right within dotted square. Unpublished, but cf. S. Hurter, "A New Lycian Coin Type: Kherêi, Not Kuperlis," INJ 14 (2000-2), pp. 15-8, for obverse type under Kherêi. Near EF, toned, some porosity, minor delamination on reverse.

This obverse type is known on staters of Kuprilli and Kherêi, and a sixth-stater of Perikles. The depiction of the scene, however, is quite different to that on the staters of Kuprilli, but is an exact match for the coins of the other two dynasts. The reverse type is problematic. Lions are a tangential symbol on the coins of Perikles, but are a major theme on many issues of Kherêi. This alone suggests an attribution to Kherêi is most attractive, though the lions on his issues usually depict a wing, even when just the lion forepart is present. The most pressing issue, though, is the weight of this piece. At 3.45g, it is a bit too light for a half stater, but also too heavy for a third. Although it may have some weight loss due to the porosity and delamination, these defects are not sufficiently significant. In any event, an attribution to Kherêi is the most likely in light of the evidence, albeit tentative.