Fourth Known ‘ΠΛEI’ Obol

435, Lot: 27. Estimate $75. Sold for $85. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 365-356 BC. AR Obol (10mm, 0.72 g, 1h). Head of the nymph Larissa right / [ΛΑPI above], bull charging right; ΠΛE[I] in exergue. BCD Thessaly II 275; HGC 4, 508. Fine, toned, porous and some roughness. Extremely rare, the fourth known.

From the BCD Collection.

A note from BCD from the Triton sale: “Mr. ΠΛΕΙ (if we can call him that) made sure that the whole range of the most popular silver denominations was struck in his name; it would be nice if a ΠΛΕΙ stater turned up (although the assumed chronology for this fascinating series is a little too early for staters). This writer does not expect a hemiobol either as there would be no room for both the ethnic and ΠΛΕΙ on the reverse.”