The Sandal of Jason Series

CNG 90, Lot: 27. Estimate $150. Sold for $750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 479-460 BC. AR Obol (10mm, 0.85 g, 3h). Head of the nymph Larissa right / Sandal of Jason left within incuse square. BCD Thessaly II 348.3. Good VF, toned, some porosity.

From the BCD Collection.

The Sandal of Jason series is the earliest coinage at Larissa, consisting of all denominations from drachms to tetartemoria. The series is characterized by the depiction of a sandal in incuse on the reverse of the drachms, hemidrachms, and obols, while the hemiobols and tetartemoria only have the city ethnic. For a recent survey of this coinage, and its connection to the mythological Jason, son of Aison, king of Thessaly, see J. Kagan, “The so-called Persian weight coins of Larissa” in Obolos 7.