Pharsalos. Lot of 4 coins.

Triton XV, Lot: 671. Estimate $150. Sold for $350. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Lot of 4 coins.

(671.1) THESSALY, Pharsalos. 4th century BC. Æ Trichalkon (22mm, 8.56 g, 6h). Helmeted head of Athena facing, turned slightly to l., border of dots / Φ-A-P-Σ from lower r., anticlockwise and retrograde, armoured Thessalian horseman wearing Boiotian helmet and short chiton, brandishing flail, bird perched r. on his helmet or on the flail, riding r. on prancing horse decorated with double beaded necklace and with A branded on its haunch. Lavva -, but see her group B.IV.3; see also Nomos 4, 1294 for same type but different dies and letter arrangement. Good Fine, dark green patina; soft obv. strike but very clear and detailed reverse.

The bird on the lagobolon (or flail) at about the level of the helmet probably has some significance and is not one of those subtle details embellishing the work of the Greek die cutters for no apparent reason. It appears on a number of dies, including the reverse die of the trihemiobol, lot 1293 in Nomos 4, (but not noticed there). Here it looks as if it is an integral part of the helmet and it is quite possible that it was the standard decoration on the Boiotian (or Thessalian) helmets of the Pharsalos cavalrymen. See below lot 673.2 for a similar embellishment, this time on the rider’s petasos.

(671.2) THESSALY, Pharsalos. 4th century BC. Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 8.89 g, 5h). Helmeted head of Athena facing, turned slightly to l., border of dots / ΦA above l., P in field r., ΣA below, armoured Thessalian horseman wearing Boiotian helmet, short chiton and brandishing flail, riding r. on prancing horse. Lavva -, but see her group B.IV.3. Near VF, dark brown patina with a few green areas and corrosion pits; hairline striking crack at 8 o’clock obv. and die breaks developing on horse’s chest and rider’s foot.


(671.3) THESSALY, Pharsalos. 4th century BC. Æ Trichalkon (22mm, 8.56 g, 12h). Helmeted head of Athena facing, turned slightly to l. / ΦAP below, Σ in field r., armoured Thessalian horseman wearing Boiotian helmet, short chiton and brandishing bifurcate flail above which bird r., riding r. on prancing horse branded with A on its haunch; behind him, his attendant walking r. carrying a spare flail on his shoulder. Lavva -, but see her group B.IV.4. Near VF, brown patina with lighter areas on the obverse, die flaw on horse’s tail; the lower part of the reverse softly struck.


(671.4) THESSALY, Pharsalos. 4th century BC. Æ Trichalkon (22.5mm, 9.31 g, 11h). Helmeted head of Athena facing, turned slightly to l. / ΦAP below, Σ in field r., armoured Thessalian horseman wearing Boiotian helmet, short chiton and brandishing bifurcate flail above which bird r., riding r. on prancing horse decorated with two strands of a bead necklace; behind him, his attendant walking r. carrying a spare flail on his shoulder. Rogers 504, fig. 271; Lavva 295 a (V160/R207) (this coin). Near VF, dark green patina with minor roughness in parts.

Acquired at Baldwin’s, June 1971, for £ 1.