Triton XV, Lot: 602. Estimate $200. Sold for $300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Pharkadon. Mid 5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm (15.5mm, 2.66 g, 1h). Thessalos to r., naked, petasos hanging from a cord around his neck, behind a bull’s forepart springing r., holding a band with both hands around the animal’s forehead; border of dots / ΘARKA from top l., r. down circular, retrograde, some letters upside down, forepart of bridled horse r., its rein trailing below; in l. foreground, trident downwards. See Nomos 4, 1266 and CNG 57 (4 April 2001) 295 (both from the same pair of dies). Near VF, toned, minor porosity of the obverse fields.

The coin appears to have been clipped in antiquity or struck from a non-circular flan. This and the next two coins share an obverse die and close examination will reveal not only the striking order of the reverse dies but also that the relatively more valuable obverse die was constantly cleaned and retouched or even repaired during the course of its life.