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Research Coins: Feature Auction

 

An Artistic Kimon Dekadrachm

Sale: CNG 82, Lot: 305. Estimate $30000. 
Closing Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2009. 
Sold For $27000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SICILY, Syracuse. Dionysios I. 405-367 BC. AR Dekadrachm (42.51 g, 12h). Dies engraved by Kimon. Struck circa 405-400 BC. Charioteer driving fast quadriga left, holding kentron in right hand, reins in left; above, Nike flying right, crowning charioteer; in exergue, a military harness, shield, greaves, cuirass, and Attic helmet, all connected by a horizontal spear; [AΘΛA below] / Head of Arethusa left, wearing single-pendant earring and necklace, hair restrained in an open-weave sakkos and ampyx, KI (Kimon’s signature) on ampyx; surrounded by four swimming dolphins. Jongkees 6 (same dies); Dewing 870 (same dies); Kraay & Hirmer 121 (same dies). Good VF, toned, usual obverse die rust. The reverse finely centered and struck. A masterpiece of the die engraver’s art.


Ex Gorny & Mosch 151 (9 October 2006), lot 90.

Dionysios assumed power in 405 BC and immediately set out to make Syracuse the greatest and best fortified city in all of Greece. He was defending against the renewed imperialistic expansion of Carthage. Three times he defeated the Carthaginians bringing further prestige and wealth to Syracuse. During his reign the Syracuse navy became the most powerful in the Mediterranean, allowing Syracuse to expand her territorial control over much of southern Italy.

Dionysios reintroduced the large and ostentatious silver dekadrachms, a denomination that had not been used in Syracuse since the issue of the Demareteion decades earlier. Dionysios entrusted two of the greatest local numismatic artists, Kimon and Euainetos to design these impressive pieces. The regard for this coin in modern times is reflected by the fact that it is considered a must for any first rank collection of Greek coins.