Sale: Triton IX, Lot: 726. Estimate $500.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 January 2006.  Sold For $325. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MACEDON, Siris. Circa 525-480 BC. AR Eighth Stater (0.69 g). Satyr crouching right; two pellets flanking / Quadripartite incuse square divided diagonally. Smith Group 7; AMNG III -; SNG ANS 971-973; SNG Copenhagen 190. EF, lightly toned. Exceptional strike from fresh dies on good metal. ($500)

The original attribution of this series to Lete was based on an incorrect reading in the 19th century of a late, inscribed issue. Svoronos later identified an example he read as CIRINON (in retrograde), for the town of Siris (modern Serres). Later numismatists doubted his reading, most thinking the faint “letters” were actually die breaks. An exceptional, obviously inscribed, example in Leu 81 (lot 147), clearly shows that Svoronos’ reading was correct.