Extremely Rare Samos Alexander

CNG 103, Lot: 291. Estimate $500. Sold for $1300. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ISLANDS off IONIA, Samos. Circa 280s-250 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 16.87 g, 1h). In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; in left field, monogram above prow left. Barron –; Price 2446A; HGC 6, 1235; Black Sea Hoard 349 (this coin). Good VF, toned, slight die shift on obverse, graffito (Θ) in field on reverse. Extremely rare, unknown to Barron, Price only noted an example “In trade, 1991”; there are none in CoinArchives, other online databases, nor the ANS photofile.

From the collection of Will Gordon. Ex Freeman & Sear MBS 16 (5 June 2009), lot 61; “Black Sea” hoard, 349.

Price does not note his criteria for dating this issue, and an illustration of the single piece he saw is not available. Nonetheless, the obverse style of this example is nearly identical to many of the issues at Miletos that are now dated to the 280s-250 BC (Price 2149–63, which he dated to 295-275 BC).