Two Extremely Rare Carian Silver Coins

CNG 96, Lot: 500. Estimate $5000. Sold for $7000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CARIA, Uncertain. Circa 500-490 BC. AR Stater (19mm, 14.54 g). Two dolphins right within linear square border / Two rectangular incuses. Cahn, Poseidion –; cf. HGC 6, 1350–1; SNG von Aulock 2744 (same die and punches). VF, toned, light porosity. Extremely rare issue with both dolphins right, only the von Aulock specimen published.

This coinage had originally been attributed to Poseidion on Karpathos, but Cahn’s analysis of the issues bearing an inscription, πos, has conclusively shown that this legend is not an ethnic and cannot point to a mint in Poseidion. It is most likely struck from a mint on the coast of Caria or one of the other mints that used this form of double rectangular incuse: Ialysos, Kamiros, or Lindos.