Unique Apollonia Pontika Stater

CNG 100, Lot: 38. Estimate $5000. Sold for $16000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THRACE, Apollonia Pontika. Mid 4th century BC. AV Stater (15.5mm, 8.53 g, 6h). Po–, magistrate. Head of Apollo left, wearing laurel wreath / Upright anchor; A and crayfish flanking, ΠO to left; all within shallow incuse square. Topalov, Apollonia p. 367, 1; p. 590, 48; p. 772; and front cover of Volume I = I. Karayotov, “Монетосеченето на Аполония в светлината на последните открития” [The coinage of Apollonia in light of recent discoveries] in Балкански древности 2 (1992), p. 72 (this coin); otherwise unpublished. Good VF, die rust and scrape on obverse, a couple die breaks on reverse. Unique.

From the collection of Dr. Lawrence A. Adams. Ex George & Robert Stevenson Collection (Classical Numismatic Group XXVI, 11 June 1993), lot 52; "Distinguished American Collection" (Leu 52, 15 May 1991), lot 40; Leu 42 (12 May 1987) lot 146.

The letters in the left field of the reverse typically represent the name of a magistrate on the tetradrachms of this type, but Topalov notes that there are examples of bronze issues where the name of Apollonia is abbreviated with A-ΠO, with the ΠO separated from the initial A. Thus, the ΠO here may not be a magistrate, but the continuation of the city ethnic.