Sale: Triton VIII, Lot: 768. Estimate $6000.  Closing Date: Monday, 10 January 2005.  Sold For $6250. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LYDIA, Thyatira. Severus Alexander. 222-235 AD. Æ Medallion (47mm, 45.53 gm, 6h). Mar. Pollianus, magistrate. AVT K M AVP CE ALEXANDPOC C, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / EPI CTPA MAP POLLIANOV, QUATEIRH NWN in exergue, nude Heracles standing facing right, holding club in his right hand, and with his left lifts up the hind leg of the Nemean Lion lying dead on the ground before him. BMC Lydia -; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -; SNG Hunterian -; Mionnet -; Imhoof-Blumer -. Good VF, smooth dark brown patina with splashes of brick-red. Very rare. An impressive third century medallion. ($6000)

Although this coin is unpublished, there is one other known coin with a similar variation of the slaying of the Nemean lion, from Germe in Lydia under Elagabalus (Voegtli 2f). There Hercules grabs the fleeing lion by its hind leg, but on this coin the lion is quite clearly already dead, and the hero is preparing to hoist it over his shoulder.