Second Known – Only One in Private Hands – Ex A.D.M. Collection

Sale: Triton XIII, Lot: 76. Estimate $100000.  Closing Date: Monday, 4 January 2010.  Sold For $97500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SICILY, Syracuse. Fifth Democracy. 214-212 BC. AV 60 Litrai (4.31 g, 8h). Head of female left, wearing ornate diadem; AΓ monogram behind / Charioteer, holding kentron in right hand, reins in left, driving slow quadriga right; ΣΩ above, ΣYPAKOΣIΩ[N] in exergue. BAR issue 82; Carroccio pl. XVII, L = Burnett 1 = de Luynes 1390 (same rev. die). Superb EF, light cleaning marks, a couple minor deposits, slight die shift on obverse. Extremely rare, the second known, and the only one in private hands (the other is in the Bibliothèue Nationale).

Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 27 (12 May 2004), lot 131; A.D.M. Collection.

The Syracusan ruler Hieron II, a loyal ally of Rome, died in 215 BC while the Romans were locked in a life-and-death struggle with Hannibal of Carthage. Hieron’s son, Gelon, had predeceased him so the throne of Syracuse passed to his grandson, Hieronymos, a youth of only fifteen. The Carthaginian faction in Syracuse persuaded the new ruler to renounce the Roman alliance which his grandfather had so steadfastly maintained, but this soon resulted in a revolution at Syracuse in which Hieronymos and all the members of his family perished. The young king had reigned for a mere thirteen months. Democratic government was reestablished, but the following year the Romans laid siege to the city, and it was sacked following its fall in 211, thus bringing to an end almost three centuries of Syracusan preeminence in the affairs of Greek Sicily.

The three-year period of the restored democracy saw a surprisingly large and varied output of coinage, all the more remarkable as the city was under siege by the Romans throughout most of this episode. The coinage was quite diverse in its denominations, and used all metals: gold, silver, and bronze. Gold is only known in 60 litrai (represented by the present coin), an extremely rare issue, which is only known today from two examples that share a common reverse die. In contrast, the Fifth Democracy silver is exceptionally diverse, with multiples of 2½, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 litrai. The bronze also has multiple denominations, with average weights of 1.69, 2.30, 6.66, and 11.28 grams. Throughout the series, the types featured nearly all of the deities who ever graced a Syracusan coin, perhaps in an attempt to appeal to as many of the Olympian gods as possible while the city was imperiled.