CARTHAGE, First Punic War. Circa 264-241 BC. EL 1½ Shekels – Tridrachm (23mm, 10.54 g, 12h). Carthage mint. VF.

CNG Feature Auction 127
Lot: 66.
Closing Date: Sep 18 2024 11:00 ET

Greek, 12h, Electrum

Estimate: $ 3 000

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CARTHAGE, First Punic War. Circa 264-241 BC. EL 1½ Shekels – Tridrachm (23mm, 10.54 g, 12h). Carthage mint. Wreathed head of Tanit left, wearing necklace with nine pendants / Horse standing right; ouraios above; pellet behind forward hind hoof. Jenkins & Lewis Group Xb, 428; CNP 41i; MAA 32; SNG Copenhagen 996. Hairline flan crack, edge marks. VF.

From the Ramrodivs Collection. Ex Harlan J. Berk inventory cc79881 (ND). Lot also includes an old Berk ticket from the 1980s (referenced on later Berk ticket).

Carthage, a Phoenician colony on the coast of North Africa, became a maritime powerhouse in the fifth century BC and challenged the Greek cities of Sicily and Southern Italy for control of the western Mediterranean. By the early third century, much of Sicily had fallen under Carthaginian control and mints were established on the island to produce coins used to pay the largely mercenary army. The stage was now set for the collision with Rome, newly dominant in Italy. Starting in 265 BC, Carthage and Rome fought three titanic wars that produced more death and destruction than any other conflict before the 20th century. This electrum piece, struck at the mother city of Carthage, was produced early in the First Punic War with Rome, which raged for more than 20 years and ended with a humiliating defeat for Carthage and the loss of Sicily to the Romans. Still, Carthage’s empire remained otherwise intact and the loss only laid the groundwork for the similarly destructive Second Punic War. The use of electrum points to the need to stretch Carthage’s gold supply while striking a coinage that would have special appeal to the mercenary soldiers that made up most of its army. A head of the Phoenician goddess Tanit adorns the obverse, while the “Punic horse” symbolic of Carthaginian cavalry stands on the reverse.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 127 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 17-18 September 2024. This lot is in Session One, which will begin 17 September at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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