Triton XV, Lot: 560. Estimate $200. Sold for $2000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Perrhaiboi. Late 2nd to early 1st century BC. AR Drachm (21.5mm, 4.16 g, 12h). Head of Zeus to r. with a wreath of oak leaves, border of dots / ΠEPPAI l. up, BΩN r. down, Hera, diademed, draped and veiled, seated r. on backless throne, holding long sceptre with her r. and resting her l. on her knee; in field r., monogram. McClean 4665, pl. 175, 1 (same dies); see also Rauch 82 (23 April 2008) 83 and G. Hirsch 169 (20 February 1991) 312 (both from the same pair of dies as this coin); Nomos 4, 1246 (same rev. die). VF, nice old toning, an attractive specimen.

Hera is here seated on a throne without back, like a stool. What appears to be a back to that stool is in fact her long veil falling behind her back and on which she is actually sitting. An interesting detail of this coin is the partly visible very faint circle that encloses the reverse type. It was drawn so that the die engraver would know the design size limits within which he was allowed to operate. The reverse monogram connects this piece with similarly styled bronzes and confirms that they were issued at the same time (see below lots 562.2, 562.3, 563.1, and 563.2).