Sale: Nomos 9, Lot: 194. Estimate CHF650.  Closing Date: Monday, 20 October 2014.  Sold For CHF1700. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KYRENAICA, Kyrene. c. 500-480 BC. Drachm (Silver, 12mm, 4.08 g). Silphium fruit (seed pod?) with point downwards; die fault (?) runs diagonally to left. Rev. Incuse square with irregular interior (a bird?). Cf. BMC 5b = Traité II, 1, 1989, or possibly BMC 21b = Traité 2021 but probably an unpublished variant. A curious crude coin coin, uncleaned as found. Nearly very fine.

From the Battos Collection.

The earliest coinage from Kyrene is particularly crudely produced, with designs that are carefully but roughly made. This meant that earlier cataloguers placed their issue around the middle of the 6th century, rather than at least 50 years later, now believed to be correct. Not only does this piece have a very rudimentary obverse, but it cannot be determined whether its reverse was meant to have a type or not.