The Early-Mid 5th Century Coinage of Psophis

Sale: CNG 81, Lot: 2716. Estimate $300.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2009.  Sold For $265. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ARKADIA, Psophis. Circa 490-460 BC. AR Obol (0.60 g, 5h). Forepart of the Keryneian Hind right / Fish right; acorn above, archaic ΨO below; all transversely within incuse square with rayed sides. BCD Peloponnesos 1664 (same dies). VF, toned, minor porosity. Extremely rare.

Ex BCD Collection (not in LHS sale).

The early coinage of Psophis remains an unusually difficult subject, and, even in light of the BCD collection it is not likely that this coinage will be understood until a die study is conducted. For one, the LHS arrangement of the rayed-sided incuses preceding the plain-sided incuses is less likely in light of a new die link (see lot 2718, below). At the same time, the addition of subsidiary symbols, such as the acorn, to the reverse type was apparently done from the very beginning. The first four lots below are all struck from the same obverse die as the first four lots in the LHS sale, 1661-1664. If these coins are arranged according to the die wear evident on their obverses, it is clear that the issue with the acorn must be placed first, followed by the two issues with no acorn, and finally by the issue with the long ethnic (not noted by LHS, see lot 2719, below). The correct order, based on die wear, for the LHS coins is: 1664, 1663, 1661, and 1662. The discovery of the new die link mentioned earlier also necessitates moving LHS 1679 to just before 1662. The die wear on our lots below confirms this new order. This new arrangement, with the acorn issue placed first, also makes one wonder if the other acorn issues, struck from different obverse dies, should precede the issues without it? We know that the later issues, with circular incuse, do not have subsidiary symbols, only the ethnic. In any event, the presence of the antlers is probably not a good indicator of relative chronology in this series.

The reverse type also poses problems. Contrary to the schema laid out in LHS 96, it is nearly impossible to distinguish with absolute certainty which fins are the dorsal and which are the pelvic, and any orientation based solely on the fish itself is a matter of conjecture. On most coins, the body of the fish is symmetrical; on those examples where the fish is asymmetrical, it appears to be more the result of poor engraving than an attempt to indicate the orientation of the fish. It is noteworthy, however, that when the fish are oriented to the right, the first two letters of the ethnic are nearly always properly oriented archaic ΨO, whether it be from left to right or top to bottom. The sole exceptions appear to be BCD 1680 and its noted die identities in Traité. Those coins, however, are from a later series with circular incuse, and clearly have a symmetrical fish that would permit orientation to the left, allowing the ethnic to appear archaic Ψ above O. Consequently, we have chosen to orient all of these coins based on the ethnic rather than the appearance of the fish.