Trikka. Lot of 4 coins.

Triton XV, Lot: 781. Estimate $300. Sold for $1000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Lot of 4 coins.

(781.1) THESSALY, Trikka. 2nd half of the 5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm (17.5mm, 2.78 g, 9h). Youthful hero, Thessalos, naked but for cloak and petasos over his shoulders, holding a band with both hands below the horns of the forepart of a bull leaping r., border of dots / T-P-I-K from above l., to r., down and circular, forepart of bridled horse prancing r., all in shallow incuse square with concave field. Traité IV, 538 and pl. CCXCI, 9 (same obv. die, the rev. from the same hand). VF, lightly toned; the obverse surface with some minor marks.


(781.2) THESSALY, Trikka. Last quarter of the 5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm (18mm, 2.76 g, 9h). Youthful hero, Thessalos, naked but for cloak and petasos over his shoulders, holding a band with both hands below the horns of the forepart of a bull leaping r., both his and the bull’s heads are turned to face the viewer; border of dots / TRIKK-AI-OИ from above l., to r. and down, forepart of bridled horse prancing r., his doubled rein flying in the air; all in an incuse square. See Lanz 151 (30 June 2011) 74 = J. Hirsch XXV (29 November 1909) Philipsen 7168 (same dies). VF, lightly toned; minor die breaks and rusty die showing mostly on the obverse.


(781.3) THESSALY, Trikka. Last quarter of the 5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm (16.5mm, 2.91 g, 9h). Youthful hero, Thessalos, naked but for cloak and petasos over his shoulders, holding a band with both hands below the horns of the forepart of a bull leaping r., both his and the bull’s heads are turned to face the viewer; border of dots / T-PI-KK-A-I-ΩИ from above l., to r. and down circular, forepart of horse prancing r., all in an incuse square. Boston MFA 933 (same dies); Traité IV, 547 and pl. CCXCI, 19 (same obv. die). VF, toned; die flaws on rev. at 12 o’clock and at the horse’s truncation.

Ex Elsen 26 (12 September 1992) 215, hammer BFR 18000.


(781.4) THESSALY, Trikka. Last quarter of the 5th century BC. AR Hemidrachm (18mm, 2.65 g, 5h). Bearded hero, Thessalos, naked but for cloak over his shoulders, his petasos fallen on the ground below him, holding a band with both hands below the horns of the forepart of a bull leaping r., forcing the animal to turn his head to face the viewer, as he also does; border of dots / T-PI-K-[K]-AI-O-N from above l., to r. and down circular, forepart of horse cantering r., below, Jason’s sandal to r., all in shallow incuse square. See Nomos 4, 1352 (same obv. die). VF, lightly toned; lower part of rev. double struck.

The sandal on the rev. of this coin is not as clear as on lot 777.6, an ancient forgery (fourrée), but the obverse dies of the two coins seem to have been cut by the same hand. A die cutter employed by the mint offering his services to an illegal operation or simply a case of a “borrowed” die?