Triton XX, Lot: 29. Estimate $5000. Sold for $9500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LUCANIA, Metapontion. temp. Pyrrhos of Epeiros. Circa 280-279 BC. AV Tetrobol – Third Stater (13mm, 2.85 g, 9h). Attic standard. Bearded head of Leukippos right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet decorated with Skylla hurling a stone; [Λ]EYKIΠΠOΣ above / Two six-grained barley ears, each with a curly leaf to outside; M-E across outer fields, ΣI between. Johnston G5.1 (same dies); HN Italy 1630; SNG ANS 397–8; SNG Copenhagen Supp. 43; SNG Lloyd –; SNG Lockett 404 (same rev. die); Basel 153 = Gillet 202 (same obv. die); Dewing 378; Gulbenkian 72; Jameson 1867. EF, lustrous, slight die shift on reverse, overstruck on uncertain issue (the letter Σ or M is visible at the top of the reverse). Well centered on a broad flan.

Demonstrating the usual flare shown by the die engravers in the service of Pyrrhos during his military expedition in Italy and Sicily, the small gold issues of 280/279 depicting Nike and Leukippos (HN Italy 1629-1631) are of a refinement second to none. The traditional city founder is rendered in exquisite detail with the added novelty of his helmet being decorated with Skylla hurling a stone, the very embodiment of aggressive violence before the enemy in time of war.

The overstrike on this particular coin is interesting in that the undertype is likely not a coin of Metapontion, due to the orientation of the letter if it were an M in relation to the edge of the coin. Johnston does not note any overstrikes for any of the gold of Metapontion.