Gyrton. Lot of 13 coins.

Triton XV, Lot: 83. Estimate $400. Sold for $2250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Lot of 13 coins.

(83.1) THESSALY, Gyrton. Circa 340s BC. Æ Chalkous (14.5mm, 2.71 g, 4h). Bare youthful male head to r., behind (very faint) small Π / ΓΥΡ r. down, head of the nymph Gyrtone r., wearing pendant earring and necklace. See Nomos 4, 1049 ( different rev. die but same hand; obverse die very close, if not the same and retouched then surely by the same hand). Good VF, smooth dark green patina with touches of dark red.

Ex Lanz ebay, no. 370133598085 (27 December 2008), hammer € 45.50.

The letter Π on the obverse of this coin and on Nomos 4, 1048 and 1049 cannot be other than the mark of the same individual. It is interesting to observe the stylistic change from silver to bronze; it was either a deliberate change in the “handwriting” of the artist or, perhaps, in the case of the bronze coin dies, the area available for engraving was smaller and the engraver was limited as to the amount of detail he could incorporate in his design. To these we should add a possible chronological gap of some years that could translate to a natural change in the style of the die cutter. Finally, we cannot be sure if he had the same model when he crafted the dies for the bronze coins or, for that matter, if he had a model at all. On the other hand, the work of the engraver who fashioned the dies for the reverse of these coins extended to other non-signed dies. Compare the reverse of this coin with the reverse of Münzen und Medaillen Deutschland 27 (28 May 2008) 2060. They are surely from the same hand. This means that the chronological gap between the type with the horse protome and this smaller coin with the two heads cannot be significant.

(83.2) THESSALY, Gyrton. Circa 340s BC. Æ Chalkous (15mm, 2.48 g, 6h). Bare male head to r. / ΓΥΡΤΩИΙΩИ starting at the top, l. down circular, head of the nymph Gyrtone r. This style not in Rogers or any of the references consulted. Good VF, reddish green patina.

Dies sculpted by a different artist; his portraits depict more mature individuals.

(83.3) THESSALY, Gyrton. Circa 340s - 330s BC. Æ Dichalkon (18mm, 4.36 g, 12h). Bare male head of the hero Gyrton r. in front of and next to the head and neck of a bridled horse r., border of dots / ΓΥΡΤΩИΙΩИ from top r., down circular, the Ρ reversed, head of the nymph Gyrtone r., her hair bound up in a roll and wearing pendant earring and beaded necklace. See Nomos 4, 1051 (same dies). Good VF, smooth dark green patina, small die flaw on nymph’s chin.


(83.4) THESSALY, Gyrton. Circa 340s - 330s BC. Æ Dichalkon (18mm, 4.82 g, 9h). Bare male head of the hero Gyrton r. in front of and next to the head and neck of a bridled horse r., linear border / ΓΥΡΤΟΝΙΟΝ from bottom r., l. up circular, head of the nymph Gyrtone l., her hair bound up in a roll and wearing pendant earring. Rogers 228, fig. 102; SNG Cop. 57; see also Nomos 4, 1052 but from different dies. Good VF, dark green patina with some red areas.

Clearly the work of different hand(s), both for the obverse where hair curls appear again above the forehead of the hero, and on the reverse where the nymph becomes serious and serene at the same time.

(83.5) THESSALY, Gyrton. Late 4th - early 3rd centuries BC. Æ Trichalkon (20mm, 8.08 g, 9h). Head of hero Gyrton l. as a young man / ΓΥΡΤΩΝΙΩΝ from bottom l., l. up circular, head of the nymph Gyrtone l., her hair bound with a band (wide fillet) and wearing pendant drop earring. Rogers 231, fig. 107 var. [smaller heads of different style, monogram on reverse]. VF, dark brown patina, obv. profile double struck.

A very unusual pair of dies for the series, possibly the earliest issue. The ethnic though is written with omegas rather than omicrons which would point to a later date and this is the reason it is dated to the turn of the century; the later (smaller) dies for this type (see next lot 83.6) may belong to the first quarter of the third century. The heads on this coin are at first glance too large for it to be the same denomination as lot 83.6; however, the types being the same, the value was probably established by the initial issue and, regardless of the subsequent reduction in size, coins of this type retained the same value.

(83.6) THESSALY, Gyrton. Early 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (18mm, 7.45 g, 11h). Head of hero Gyrton l. as a young man / [Γ]ΥΡΤΩΝΙΩΝ from bottom l., l. up circular, head of the nymph Gyrtone l., her hair bound with a decorated band and wearing pendant drop earring. Rogers 231, fig. 107; SNG Cop. 58; BMC p. 20, 2, pl. III, 5. VF, dark green patina with a few minor surface marks.


(83.7) THESSALY, Gyrton. Early 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (19.5mm, 8.40 g, 6h). Laureate head of Zeus r., border of dots / ΓΥΡΤ above, Ω to r., ΝΙΩΝ in exergue, bridled horse trotting r. on exergue line, on which a wheat ear to r. Rogers 232, fig. 108; see also Nomos 4, 1054.2 corr. [the wheat ear on the rev. was omitted in the description]. Good VF, minor roughness, nice olive green patina.

Ex Münzen und Medaillen 85 (11 April 1997) 63, hammer CHF 360.


(83.8) THESSALY, Gyrton. Early 3rd century BC. Æ Chalkous or Dichalkon (16mm, 4.12 g, 11h). Laureate head of Apollo (or hero Gyrton?) r. / ΓΥΡΤ above, Ω to r., ΝΙΩΝ in exergue, bridled horse trotting r. on exergue line. Rogers 237, fig., 111. Good VF, reddish green patina, rare.

If we assume that by the time Gyrton’s coinage adopted the head / horse types the economy had started its decline and inflation was setting in, this rare small denomination is more likely to have been a Dichalkon than a Chalkous.

(83.9) THESSALY, Gyrton. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 7.05 g, 7h). Laureate and bearded head of Zeus l., border of dots / [Γ]ΥΡΤ above, Ω to r., ΝΙΩΝ in exergue, bridled horse trotting r. on exergue line; to r. bunch of grapes, above the exergue, monogram. Rogers 234; McClean 4573, pl. 172, 2. VF, green patina.


(83.10) THESSALY, Gyrton. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 8.16 g, 1h). Laureate and bearded head of Zeus l., border of dots / [Γ]ΥΡΤ above, [ΩΝΙΩ]Ν below, bridled horse trotting r., to r. bunch of grapes; below horse, monogram. Rogers 234 var. [different monogram]. Good VF, reddish brown patina, rev. seems to have been mis-struck or overstruck, or both.


(83.11) THESSALY, Gyrton. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 8.42 g, 9h). Laureate and bearded head of Zeus l. / ΓΥΡΤΩ above, ΝΙΩΝ below, bridled horse trotting l., below horse’s belly, monogram. Rogers 236; see also CNG e-sale 219 (30 September 2009) 240 (same dies). Good VF, two-tone brown patina, the high relief areas in lighter colour.


(83.12) THESSALY, Gyrton. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 7.76 g, 6h). Laureate and bearded head of Zeus l., border of dots / ΓΥΡΤ above, the Ρ reversed, И-ΩΙ-ИΩ below, bridled horse trotting l., below horse’s belly, Μ. Rogers 236 var. [differences in the rev. letter order; monogram instead of M]; see also CNG e-sale 244 (10 November 2010) 61 (same rev. die). Good VF, smooth dark green patina, a few minor cleaning marks.


(83.13) THESSALY, Gyrton. 3rd century BC (the countermark 1st or 2nd centuries AD). Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 6.07 g, 12h). Laureate and bearded head of Zeus l., countermark wheat ear in oval incuse / ΓΥΡΤ above, Ω r., [ΝΙΩΝ] below, bridled horse trotting r. McClean 4573, pl. 172, 2 (undertype only). Fair, olive green patina; countermark is VF.

See above, lot 72.2 that has the same countermark below an owl countermark and note after lot 72.1 for a possible explanation of these interesting countermarks.