Reconstructing the Complete Dies

CNG 99, Lot: 249. Estimate $50000. Sold for $32500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of LYDIA. Alyattes. Circa 620/10-564/53 BC. Lot of four (4) EL Trites. KINGS of LYDIA. Alyattes. Circa 620/10-564/53 BC. EL Trite (12mm, 4.73 g). Sardes mint. Head of roaring lion right, “sun” on forehead; WALWEL (in Lydian) downward on right, read from outside-in; all on plain background / Two square punches. Weidauer Group XVII, 91–2. Good VF, a little die rust. Very rare, especially with full type and legend clearly visible.

KINGS of LYDIA. Alyattes. Circa 620/10-564/53 BC. EL Trite (12mm, 4.73 g). Sardes mint. Head of roaring lion left, “sun” on forehead; WALWEL (in Lydian) downward on left, read from inside-out; all on plain background / Two square punches. Weidauer Group XVII, 93–4. Good VF, a little die rust. Very rare, especially with full type and legend clearly visible.

KINGS of LYDIA. Alyattes. Circa 620/10-564/53 BC. EL Trite (12mm, 4.65 g). Sardes mint. Head of roaring lion right, “sun” on forehead; WALWEL (in retrograde Lydian) downward on right, read from inside-out; all on stippled background / Two square punches. Weidauer Group XVII, 91–2 var. (plain background and different legend orientation). Near EF. Extremely rare with stippled background.

KINGS of LYDIA. Alyattes. Circa 620/10-564/53 BC. EL Trite (12mm, 4.71 g). Sardes mint. Head of roaring lion left, “sun” on forehead; WALWEL (in retrograde Lydian) downward on left, read from outside-in; all on stippled background / Two square punches. Weidauer Group XVII, 93–4 var. (plain background and different legend orientation). Good VF, a touch of die rust. Extremely rare with stippled background. . .

Four (4) coins in lot.

The lion head/incuse coinage is among the earliest firmly attributed to the Lydian kingdom, and its origins date to the time of Alyattes, who ruled circa 620/10-564/53 BC. While most of the coins are anepigraphic, a small number of them bear the inscription Walwel or Kukalim in Lydian. Although these names likely equate to Alyattes and Gyges, respectively, hoard studies have shown that these coins were not only contemprary with one another, but also with the anepigraphic issues. Thus, while Walwel may refer to the king, Kukalim most likely refers to another member of the royal family or some other high official.

All trites and hektes with the inscription Walwel or Kukalim are struck from obverse dies that are much larger than the respective denominations require. These dies contain two opposing lion heads with the Lydian inscription between, and the coin blanks were struck off-center, in such a way that only one of the lion heads would be visible with the inscription. The coins above are examples of this method, with each pair being struck from the same die, but on opposite sides. It is uncertain whether the dies were originally intended for a larger denomination, or whether the dies were designed so that coins could be struck with either facing lion head.