Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 1032. Estimate CHF125.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011.  Sold For CHF300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Atrax. 3rd century, after circa 300. Tetrachalkon (Bronze, 20mm, 7.29 g 6). Laureate head of Apollo to right; behind his neck, Φ. Rev. ΑΤΡΑ - Γ Ι - ΩΝ Horseman, in military dress with his right hand raised in salute, riding horse trotting to right. BMC 2. Rogers 169 ff. var. A bold, well-struck example with a dark, blackish-green patina. About extremely fine.

The standard date for coins of this type is c. 300-196, based primarily on the assumption that they were introduced in the time of Demetrios Poliorketes, and that the head on obverse is based on the Apollo found on the gold coinage of Philip II. This may well be true, but the coinage itself was an extensive one with numerous stylistic variants and must have continued over a considerable length of time.