Triton XVI, Lot: 22. Estimate $1500. Sold for $1300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SKYTHIA, Olbia. Circa 470-460 BC. Cast Æ (45mm, 75.74 g). Head of Athena left, wearing Attic helmet; to left, dolphin upward; all within incuse circle / Wheel with four spokes (‘solar disk’). Anokhin 157; Karyshkovskij –; Frolova & Abramzon 139 corr. (no letters on rev.); SNG BM Black Sea –; SNG Pushkin –; SNG Stancomb –; Sutzu II –. Fine, dark green patina. Extremely rare, approximately only 4 of this type known, 2 of which are in museums.

From the Alex Shubs Collection.

Anokhin 155–7 lists a multi-denominational issue of these “wheel” coins that have no magistrate’s name. It is questionable, however, whether the absence of the name is not due to the poor condition of the coins listed. All of the other authors do not list any coins without a magistrate’s name (the Frolova & Abramzon coin is also of poor quality), and the coarse condition of the patina on this and the previous coin could easily be obscuring a name.