Sale: Triton IX, Lot: 491. Estimate $500.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 January 2006.  Sold For $800. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

BOIOTIA, Thebes. Circa 395-338 BC. AR Stater (12.26 g). Damo-, magistrate. Struck circa 390-382 BC. Boiotian shield / Amphora, three ivy leaves and berry hanging from left handle; above, club left; DA-MO across field; all within incuse concave circle. Hepworth 22 corr. (O engraved over W in die, not W over O; same rev. die); Head, Boeotia p. 64; BMC p. 81, 128; Traité III 267, pl. CCI, 15 (same rev. die); McClean 5598, pl. 202, 2 (same rev. die). EF, attractive grey cabinet tone, red and blue iridescence around the devices. ($500)

Ex Chicago International Coin Fair Auction (Rare Coin Company of America and Superior Stamp & Coin 30 May 1980), lot 2137.

On the reverse die used to strike this coin, the O in the ethnic has been engraved over an W. One wonders what could be the reason for such a change on the die if we are dealing with the same magistrate. It would be understandable to produce dies with the same magistrate's name spelled in two or more different ways (and as just one example of this see for instance lots 482 as against 483/4/5 above), but if there is a change on the die from one way of spelling to another it means that it was necessary to separate the coins produced into clearly identifiable different lots and that this system, being quicker and more economical to apply, was preferred over the other option of engraving a totally new die.