CNG 105, Lot: 27. Estimate $3000. Sold for $3000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SICILY, Syracuse. Second Democracy. 466-405 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25.5mm, 17.04 g, 1h). Reverse die in the style of Eukleidas. Struck circa 413-405 BC. Charioteer, raising right hand and holding kentron and reins in left, driving fast quadriga left; above, Nike flying right, crowning charioteer with wreath; [in exergue, grain ear left] / Head of Arethousa right, hair in ornate sphendone, wearing hoop earring and linear necklace with three pendants; ΣYPAKOΣI-[ΩN] above; four dolphins around. Tudeer 76 (dies 27/52); HGC 2, 1343; SNG ANS 285 (same dies); Du Chastel 115 (same dies). VF, lightly toned, minor double strike on reverse. Very rare die combination, only one recorded by Tudeer, one additional in CoinArchives.

From the Olympians Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 82 (16 September 2009), lot 303; New York Sale V (16 January 2003), lot 50.

Tudeer places this die combination among the issues either signed by, or in the style of, Parmenides. Indeed, the obverse die here is linked to a reverse signed by Parmenides (Tudeer 77, see next lot). However, the style of the Parmenides-signed reverses is quite different from the style of this die. In particular, Arethousa is always depicted with a triple-pendant earring, and one of the dolphins is emanating from the truncation of Arethousa’s neck. The hoop earring and general style of Arethousa on the present die are most similar to the work of Eukleidas (see, e.g., Kreutzer pl. II).