From the Niggeler and Jameson Collections

Sale: Triton XIII, Lot: 191. Estimate $1000.  Closing Date: Monday, 4 January 2010.  Sold For $4250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

IONIA, Uncertain. Circa 450-400 BC. AR Hemidrachm (1.78 g). Head of ram right; below, lizard right / Forepart of bull right within incuse square. SNG von Aulock -; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC -; SNG Kayhan -; Boston MFA 1957; Jameson 2295 (this coin). Good VF, toned. Well struck on good metal.

Ex Triton VI (14 January 2003), lot 390; Leu 42 (12 May 1987), lot 294; Walter Niggeler Collection (Leu/Münzen und Medaillen, 3 December 1965), lot 396; Robert Jameson Collection, 2295.

The Boston and Jameson catalogs attributed this type to Samos, although Barron did not include this coinage in his corpus of Samian coinage. Presumably, the earlier catalogs’ attribution was based on the parallel of the reverse type to various issues at Samos. The obverse type, however, with its small lizard control device, stands in contrast to such an attribution, and without further evidence, an attribution to Samos must be viewed as speculative.