Homolion

Triton XV, Lot: 91. Estimate $150. Sold for $300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Homolion (IACP 448)

Homolion was located in the region of Magnesia, and at the site of Palaiokastro Karitsas, rather than at modern Omolio near the Vale of Tempe. There are a few archaeological remains but the most important of the city’s ancient monuments is its coinage, bearing a superb portrait of the hero Philoktetes and dating to the mid 4th century BC.

THESSALY, Homolion. Circa 350 BC. Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 10.47 g, 8h). Bearded head of Philoktetes to l., wearing conical pilos; border of dots / ΟΜΟΛ l. up, ΙΕΩΝ r. down, serpent coiled to r., behind its head, bunch of grapes. Rogers 259, fig. 128 var. [this obverse and Rogers obverse of fig. 128 are from the same die; the reverse of this coin is a die match for Rogers fig. 126]; Traité IV, 755, pl. CCCI, 4 (but with a smaller obverse head when compared to this coin). Apparently this combination of obv. and rev. dies not published. VF, green patina with some bronze showing at the edges from flaking, rare.

The big denominations of Homolion are extremely difficult to obtain in nice quality.