Very Rare Memnon Bronze

351, Lot: 242. Estimate $200. Sold for $270. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MYSIA, Lampsakos. Memnon of Rhodes. Mid 4th century BC. Æ Chalkous (9mm, 0.77 g, 6h). Radiate youthful head of Helios right / Rose in profile; M E flanking. Ashton, Memnon 1 (A1/P1); SNG France –; SNG Copenhagen (Caria) 914. VF, dark green patina, a few tiny deposits. Very rare, only 14 examples known to Ashton.

This very rare issue of chalkoi is the only known bronze coinage that accompanied the rare silver drachms featuring a similar obverse portrait set on a radiate disk. The series of “solar disk” drachms have been variably attributed to Megiste, Nisyros, and Euthana. Recent hoard evidence, as well as single finds, particularly regarding this bronze issue, has prompted a reattribution of the coinage to a single location in the Troad, probably Lampsakos (See Ashton, Memnon, pp. 11-15). Ashton suggests that these coins were struck by Memnon of Rhodes at a time when he controlled the city, and that the coins with ME specifically refer to him, while those inscribed EY and NI are possibly his subordinates.