Methylion

Triton XV, Lot: 462. Estimate $300. Sold for $1000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Methylion (IACP 402)

The site of this city is probably to be located at the modern village of Myrina where a few tiles inscribed with the city name have been found. Otherwise, as is often the case, the primary evidence for the city comes from its coinage.

There is a very small issue of League silver coinage in the 460s BC; then come some equally rare silver and bronze coins from the first half of the 4th century (though probably produced in separate, short-lived issues).

THESSALY, Methylion. Circa 450’s BC. AR Hemidrachm (15mm, 2.56 g, 2h). Forepart of horse l., emerging from rock / ΜΕ-ΘV, wheat grain in incuse square. Unpublished but see CNG 73 (13 September 2006) 189 = Nomos 4, 1200 (same dies). Good Fine, lightly toned; minor porosity, mostly on the reverse; one of three known.

The rock out of which the horse emerges is not visible on the CNG/Nomos coin and therefore was not mentioned by the cataloguers. This coin is a die duplicate of the above and we can therefore correct their description. However, the next lot (463.1) is from a different obverse die on which we can clearly see that there is no rock; also, the horse’s forepart is enclosed in a circle of dots that seems to be missing from the other two known specimens.