Sale: Nomos 8, Lot: 39. Estimate CHF12500.  Closing Date: Monday, 21 October 2013.  Sold For CHF17000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SICILY, Katane. c. 420. Tetradrachm (Silver, 29mm, 17.18 g 7), with a reverse die signed by the “Maestro della foglia”. Quadriga moving slowly to the right; above, Nike flying left to crown the charioteer. Rev. ΚΑΤΑΝΑΙΟΣ Laureate head of Apollo to right, his hair short but still somewhat more luxuriant than on the previous coin; behind head, leaf. Basel 331. BMFA 263 = Rizzo pl. XI, 15 (both from the same dies as this piece). Very rare and with a head of Apollo of very fine style. Obverse struck from a slightly rusty die, otherwise, extremely fine.

From the B. in B. Collection, ex Bank Leu 33, 3 May 1983, 224.

This coin was struck with a reverse die engraved by an artist who was identified as “the Leaf Master” by Rizzo because of his use of leaves (laurel, plane and others) as a form of signature. This is not at all unlikely, especially since the leaves often have nothing to do with the types with which they appear. In any case, this engraver’s great talent is obvious: he is the clear precursor to the engravers who signed their days in the following decades (for other examples of this engraver’s work see lots 43 and 44).