Sale: Nomos 2, Lot: 63. Estimate CHF1800.  Closing Date: Monday, 17 May 2010.  Sold For CHF4000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of PAEONIA. Patraos. Circa 335-315 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 12.77 g 5). Laureate head of Apollo to right. Rev. ΠΑ-ΤΡΑΟΥ (retrograde) Paeonian horseman, wearing crested helmet and full armor, galloping right and spearing fallen Macedonian soldier; below horse’s tail, conical helmet; below horse’s hooves, harpa. Paeonian Hoard 221 (same dies). A particularly fine and unusually well-centered example. Extremely fine.

This coin differs from the vast majority of the known tetradrachms of Patraos by having an unusually detailed reverse representation. The cavalryman seems to be seated on a cloth that is above a form of chain mail armor protecting the sides and front of his horse: as such this is one of the few numismatic representations of ancient horse armor.