Ex Williams, Ashmolean Museum, Evans, and Lloyd Collections
Obverse Die Signed by Philistion

409, Lot: 26. Estimate $1000. Sold for $3012. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LUCANIA, Velia. Circa 300-280 BC. AR Nomos (21.5mm, 7.29 g, 5h). Philistion group. Obverse die signed by Philistion. Head of Athena right, wearing helmet decorated on the bowl with Nike driving quadriga right, on the neck guard with griffin flying left, and ΦIΛIΣTIΩ[NOΣ] in tiny letters at base of crest; Θ to left, E to right / Lion crouching left, biting into sword; above, Φ-I flanking the Dioskouroi riding left. Williams 409c (O203/R289) = SNG Ashmoelan (Evans) 320 (this coin); HN Italy 1304 corr. (griffin, not horseman, on neck guard, and Θ, not O, to left on obverse). VF, toned.

Ex Roderick T. Williams Collection (Baldwin’s 75, 26 September 2012), lot 2262 (part of); Ashmolean Museum Collection (deaccessioned before 1969); Sir Arthur J.E. Evans Collection; A.H. & M.E.H. Lloyd Collection (Helbing, 8 November 1928), lot 3412.

The circumstances of the deaccessioning of this coin from the Ashmolean is uncertain, but must have been before 1969, since it does not appear in the fascicle covering Velia in the full Ashmolean sylloge, which incorporated the Evans coins. The collection does contain two other examples of this issue in slightly better condition, so it is not surprising that this piece would have been deaccessioned. Other Evans coins are also absent in the full museum sylloge.