Sale: Triton IX, Lot: 24. Estimate $200.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 January 2006.  Sold For $200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

BOIOTIA, Federal Coinage. Circa 395-340 BC. AR Hemidrachm (2.33 g). Boiotian shield / Kantharos; above, club left (engraved in die over club right); BO-I across lower field; all within incuse square. SNG Blackburn 721 (same dies). Good VF, even grey tone, slight die shift on reverse. Unusual, perhaps unique engraving "fault". ($200)

The highly unusual shape of the shield on the obverse of this coin makes it stand out as an exceptional, probably unofficial issue. See also note after lot 40. The die-cutter of the reverse die was not very competent either. One wonders why the change of mind half-way into engraving the club above the kantharos. Probably he thought that he was cutting a die with the club pointing the wrong way and changed the direction so that the coins would not be suspect when they circulated. The result though ended up being even less credible. The weight is on the light side but the metal seems of good composition: perhaps another attempt at coin production by a team of amateurs.