Attractive Amphictionic Stater

CNG 90, Lot: 525. Estimate $15000. Sold for $9000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

PHOKIS, Delphi. Circa 338/6-334/3 BC. AR Stater (22mm, 12.02 g, 8h). Amphiktionic issue. Head of Demeter left, wearing veil and wreath of grain ears / Apollo seated left on omphalos, right elbow resting on top of large kithara to left, left hand holding long laurel branch that rests on his left shoulder; tripod to left, AMФI-KTIO-NΩN around. Kinns, Amphictionic 19 var. (O4/R9 - before rev. die was recut); BCD Lokris 388 (same dies, but before rev. die was recut); Svoronos, Delphi 32; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC 22; Boston MFA 977-8; Gulbenkian 487; Pozzi 1368 (same obv. die); Kraay & Hirmer 462. VF, toned, die shift, a few very light marks, minor die break on reverse (in O of legend—diagnostic for this die).

The left side of Kinns’ reverse die 9 apparently broke in striking, requiring a re-engraving of the details on that side of the coin. A remnant of the break is visible in the left field, running from the bottom of the I in the legend to the top of the left side of the kithara, then down through the kithara and exiting diagonally from its bottom left edge. The small die break in the O of the legend confirms that this is reverse die 9 (the break is visible on the illustration of coin 19 in Kinns’ article).