Sale: Triton VII, Lot: 13. Estimate $4000.  Closing Date: Monday, 12 January 2004.  Sold For $4200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

CALABRIA, Tarentum. Time of Acrotatus. Circa 314 BC. AV Half-Stater (4.24 gm). TAPA (retrograde), head of Satyra(?) left, wearing bead necklace and triple pendant earring, hair bound with two crossing cords; small dolphin downward beneath chin, SA behind neck / Taras, wearing chlamys, astride dolphin left, holding a small Nike who crowns him in his extended right hand, an upright trident in his left, |- H and line of waves below. Vlasto 25-26 (same dies); SNG ANS 1033 (same dies); SNG Lloyd 183 (same dies); SNG Copenhagen -; Jameson 150 (same dies); Gulbenkian -; Pozzi 325 (same dies); Weber 549 (same dies); HN Italy 950. VF. Rare. [See color enlargement on plate 1] ($4000)

From the James A. Ferrendelli Collection. Ex George & Robert Stevenson Collection (Classical Numismatic Group XXVI, 11 June 1993), lot 10; Numismatic Fine Arts II (26 March 1976), lot 12.

This issue is believed to coincide with the expedition of Acrotatus of Sparta, who persuaded the Tarentines to ally with him against Agathokles of Syracuse. The obverse type of this coin has traditionally been described as the nymph Satyra, mother of Taras, though the evidence is lacking for certain identification. This rendition of Satyra is stylistically similar to that of another local water nymph, Peirene, as she appears on Corinthian drachms. The cascading hair style is the obvious attribute for a water nymph interpretation. The reverse bears the standard Tarentine silver nomos type depicting Taras astride a dolphin, while the addition of Nike has special relevance to this military donative issue.