Very Rare Transitional Issue

564361.

Sold For $19500

ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 456/45-431 BC. AR Stater (21mm, 12.36 g, 9h). Land tortoise, head in profile, with segmented shell / Large square incuse with heavy skew pattern. Meadows, Aegina, Group IIIb; Milbank pl. II, 13; HGC 6, 437 var. (head not in profile); SNG Copenhagen 517 var. (same); Dewing 1683 var. (same); Gillet 948 var. (same); Jameson 1200 var. (same); Pozzi 1635 var. (same). Attractive iridescent tone, light scratch on obverse. Good VF. Well centered on a broad flan. Very rare with head in profile.

The head of the land tortoise on this massive coinage is typically engraved shown from above, with the tortoise looking forward. Very rarely are they encountered with the head shown in profile. The profile head was canonical on the earlier, sea turtle coinage, thus the land tortoise coins of this variety may represent a short transitional issue at the beginning of this period.