Sale: CNG 81, Lot: 2484. Estimate $200.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2009.  Sold For $150. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ARGOLIS, Argos. Circa 90-50 BC. AR Triobol (2.44 g, 9h). Hieron, magistrate. Forepart of wolf at bay left / Large A; I-E/P-Ω/NO-Σ in three lines around; below crossbar, eagle standing right on thunderbolt; all within incuse square. BCD Peloponnesos 1177-8. Good VF, lightly toned, area of flat strike on reverse.

Ex BCD Collection (not in LHS sale); Numismatic Fine Arts Winter MBS (14 December 1989), lot 213 (part of).

The LHS sale notes: “It would be interesting to suggest that the eagle on thunderbolt on the reverse of this coin refers to Cleopatra and that this issue, and others similar to it (with the massive wolf on the obverse), ought to be down-dated to the 30s. The fact that this issue definitely seems to have been struck in haste (many of the specimens known to us are mis-struck), might be evidence for this theory, but it unfortunately does not seem to be compelling at this time.”