CNG 105, Lot: 260. Estimate $750. Sold for $1500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LESBOS, Mytilene. Circa 454-428/7 BC. EL Hekte – Sixth Stater (9.5mm, 2.55 g, 9h). Diademed female head facing slightly right; A to upper left / Confronted boars’ heads; A between; all within incuse square. Bodenstedt Em. 45 var. (no letter on obv.); HGC 6, 971 var. (same). Good VF. Extremely rare with letter on obverse.

Bodenstedt’s Emission 45 contains two varieties, with and without a small letter A between the boars’ heads, though he does not differentiate them. Both are very rare. The newly recognized variety here, with a A also appearing on the obverse, is particularly interesting since this obverse die was also used for Bodenstedt’s emission 44 (see Triton XIX, lot 188, where the letter was not noticed). Interestingly, this die exhibited much rust when it was used to strike the Em. 44 coin, which suggests that Em. 45 actually preceded Em. 44. [CNG thanks Dr. Adrian Carr for providing this new information.]