Extremely Rare Amphipolis Mint Stater

Triton XXI, Lot: 382. Estimate $5000. Sold for $17000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

KINGS of THRACE, Macedonian. Lysimachos. 305-281 BC. AV Stater (19mm, 8.57 g, 8h). Amphipolis mint. Struck 288/7-282/1 BC. Diademed head of the deified Alexander right, with horn of Ammon / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΛYΣIMAXOY, Athena Nikephoros seated left, left arm resting on shield, transverse spear in background; kerykeion to inner left, monogram to outer right. Thompson –; Müller 109 corr. (monogram); HGC 3, 1743 var. (unlisted mint); Anadol 22–3; G. F. Hill, “Greek Coins Acquired by the British Museum in 1927” in NC 1928, 23 = BM 1927,0506.6 (same dies); De Luynes 1809 (same dies); Mărăşeşti –; Goldberg 72, lot 4058 = Stack’s Bowers Ponterio 168, lot 20415 (same dies); Heritage 3033, lot 23021 = Gorny & Mosch 204, lot 1231 (same dies). Choice EF, underlying luster. Extremely rare, only six examples previously published.

No staters are listed in the standard references for Lysimachos from the mint of Amphipolis. The earliest sources, Müller, de Luynes, and Anadol, attributed this issue to Ainos, while the BM database places it at Amphipolis. The style of the portrait is extremely similar to Lysimachos’ tetradrachms struck at Amphipolis that have, as here, the kerykeion symbol in the inner left field (Thompson 188–91). Also, this particular monogram was used on issues of Demetrios Poliorketes at Amphipolis (Newell 123–4) shortly after the end of Lysimachos’ reign. Surely, this issue must be from Amphipolis, rather than Ainos.

There actually may only be five examples previously published, since the BM piece was acquired from the collection of Grand Duke Alexandre Michaïlovitch (via Archer Huntington), who may have acquired one of the two Anadol pieces.