Sale: Triton XIII, Lot: 18. Estimate $5000.  Closing Date: Monday, 4 January 2010.  Sold For $7000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LUCANIA, Herakleia. Circa 340-330 BC. AR Nomos (7.78 g, 4h). Head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet decorated with Skylla hurling a stone and palmette on the neck guard, and single-pendant earring; Δ, K, and Φ before / Herakles wrestling the Nemean Lion; club and KAΛ to left, [|-HPAKΛHIΩN to right]; between legs, owl standing right, head facing. Van Keuren 50; HN Italy 1377; SNG ANS 64; cf. SNG Lloyd 272; Basel 109 (same obv. die); Gulbenkian 54. Good VF, toned. Well centered and struck.

From the J. Olphin Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 36 (5 December 1995), lot 1689.

Herakleia was founded relatively late compared to the other cities in the region. Diodorus gives the founding to 432 BC, by the Tarentines. Under the care of their mother city, the people of Herakleia quickly became wealthy and prosperous. The city became very involved with the affairs of Tarentum, often aiding the mother city in its frequent wars with the Massapians and Lucanians. We know that right around the striking of this coin, Tarentum became engaged in a major war with the Massapians. In fact, the Tarentines sent out for help, inviting the Spartan king Archidamos to their city to fight the Massapians. A few years after Archidamos was killed in battle, the Tarentines invited Alexander, king of Epiros, to come and fight alongside them as well, and he was finally able to convince the Massapians to make peace.