Larissa. Lot of 3 coins.

Triton XV, Lot: 368. Estimate $400. Sold for $4500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Lot of 3 coins.

(368.1) THESSALY, Larissa. Early to mid 4th century BC. AR Drachm (20.5mm, 5.76 g, 12h). Thessalos to r., naked but for chlamys over his shoulders and petasos hanging from a cord around his neck, holding a band with both hands around the forehead of a bull leaping r., border of dots / Λ-ΑΡΙ above, ΣΑΙΑ below, bridled horse with trailing rein, galloping l. past riding pole seen in the background; all in an incuse square. Obolos 7, p. 20 (plate 1) 12 (this coin); see also R. Ratto, 8 February 1928, 374 (same dies). VF, lightly toned with some die rust and edge flatness on obverse.

Same reverse die as lot 368.2 below. The riding pole on this reverse die suggests that the taurokathapsia were an organized series of games with precise rules and judges to evaluate the performance of the participants.

(368.2) THESSALY, Larissa. Early to mid 4th century BC. AR Drachm (18.5mm, 5.83 g, 6h). ΤΟ in exergue, Thessalos to l., naked but for chlamys over his shoulders and petasos hanging from a cord around his neck, holding a band with both hands around the forehead of a bull rushing l., in front of the bull, branch or small tree, below, small plant growing from the ground line; all within a dotted circle / Λ-ΑΡΙ above, ΣΑΙΑ below, bridled horse with trailing rein, galloping l. past riding pole seen in the background; all in an incuse square. This die combination probably unrecorded. VF, lightly toned with some double striking to the l. of the reverse.

Same reverse die as lot 368.1 above. The unrecorded die combination of this coin indicates that around the turn of the century and a little later, the mint struck coins as dies became available and without preferentially selecting specific die styles. These transitional dies ranged from the most conservative renderings with rigid postures to sophisticated compositions incorporating additional captivating details, undoubtedly the products of gifted and inspired die cutters that became available at the time (see the BCD note after lot 1121 in Nomos 4).

(368.3) THESSALY, Larissa. Early to mid 4th century BC. AR Drachm (19mm, 6.18 g, 7h). Thessalos to r., naked but for chlamys over his shoulders and petasos hanging from a cord around his neck, holding a band with both hands around the forehead of a bull rushing r., all within a dotted circle / Λ-ΑΡΙ above, ΣΑΙΑ below, bridled horse with trailing rein, galloping l., tree or tall bush in field l., all in an incuse square. Obolos 7, p. 21 (plate 2) 13 (this coin). Good VF, has been cleaned, bright, obverse weakly struck, some die rust in parts of the reverse field.

Ex Christie’s (New York) 2 May 1989, 659, hammer $2200.

The reverse die from the same hand that engraved the reverse die of lots 368.1 and 368.2 above.