342, Lot: 30. Estimate $300. Sold for $525. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LUCANIA, Poseidonia. Circa 470-445 BC. AR Nomos (18mm, 7.93 g, 10h). Poseidon advancing right, wielding trident overhead / Bull standing left in circular incuse. HN Italy 1114; SNG ANS –; SNG Copenhagen 1280 (same obv. die). VF, struck with a cracked obverse die, die break in center of reverse. Extremely rare variety with ethnic on the left on the obverse.

From the collection of a Southern Pathologist. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 72 (14 June 2006), lot 114.

There are only six known specimens of this rare variety. The Copenhagen specimen is the sole example in a published collection. Another appeared as lot 111 in Naville V (1923). There were also four in the South Italian hoard that Dr. Kraay had been working on at the time of his death (subsequently published by C.E. King, “A mid-fifth century hoard from South Italy” in SNR 1987). All six are struck from the same obverse die as the present coin.