Triton XV, Lot: 542. Estimate $150. Sold for $1200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Perrhaiboi. Mid to late 5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm (17mm, 2.96 g, 6h). Hero to r., with chlamys draped over his shoulders, holding with both his hands a band passing around the head of a bull’s forepart leaping to right; all in dotted circle / Π above l., E in field r., forepart of bridled horse to r., all within incuse square. SNG Fitzwilliam 2429 (same dies). Near VF, lightly toned with traces of crystallization in the fields, mostly on the rev. and a flan striking split at 5 o’clock obverse.

EJP, the sharpest eye in Thessalian numismatics, brought to the attention of this writer that the bull wrestler on this coin is not bearded. To this we can add the unusual detail, or rather, deviation from the norm, that there is no petasos in sight. Could it be that the die cutter had in mind an actual individual or was it just one more attempt to produce coins with subtly different iconography to that of the other poleis?