Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 1291. Estimate CHF650.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011.  Sold For CHF9500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Pharsalos. Late 5th-mid 4th century BC. Drachm (Silver, 5.75 g 12). Head of Athena to right, wearing pearl necklace and a crested Attic helmet adorned with a tendril and a griffin bounding to right, and with lowered cheek pieces; behind neck, Ε. Rev. Φ-Α / Ρ-Σ (last two letters retrograde) Thessalian cavalryman riding horse galloping to right, wearing Thessalian helmet, chlamys and chiton, and brandishing a lagobolon with his right hand. Lavva 163 c, O76/R96 (this coin). Very rare and of fine style. Minor scrape on the obverse and rough surfaces, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

The Ε that appears on the reverse of this coin probably stands for the abbreviated name ΕΠΙ, which appears on the reverse of a number of coins, unknown to Lavva, that share this obverse die (as Gorny & Mosch 117, 2002, 212).