Sale: Nomos 6, Lot: 31. Estimate CHF17500.  Closing Date: Monday, 7 May 2012.  Sold For CHF16000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THRACE, Abdera. Circa 450-425 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 14.47 g 5), magistrate Pythinnes. Griffin seated to left, right foreleg raised; to left, bee, moving downwards to right, seen from above. Rev. ΕΠΙ ΠΥΟΙΝΝΕΩ (sic !) around a linear quadripartite square; all within shallow incuse square. Cf. May 151 (struck from the same reverse die but with the bee on the obverse seen in profile). Extremely rare, if not unique. Nicely toned and very well struck in high relief. Extremely fine.

From the Star Collection, LHS 102, 29 April 2008, 103, ex Leu 77, 11 May 2000, 134 and Bank Leu 28, 5 May 1981, 56.

The insect on the reverse of this coin has often been called a fly, but it has a stinger in its tail... The coinage of Abdera is well known for the naturalistic vigor of the animals that accompany the magistrates’ names that appear on it; this is an excellent example.