ATTICA, Athens. Circa 465/2-454 BC. AR Diobol (8mm, 1.13 g, 11h). VF.

Electronic Auction 583
Lot: 110. Estimated: $ 200

Greek, Silver

Sold For $ 1 200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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ATTICA, Athens. Circa 465/2-454 BC. AR Diobol (8mm, 1.13 g, 11h). Helmeted head of Athena right, with frontal eye / Owl standing right, head facing, spread tail feathers; olive spray to left; [all within incuse square]. Cf. Starr Group V, pl. XXIV, t-v (obols of same style); Gorny & Mosch 251, lot 4366 (same dies); Hess-Divo AG e-Live 1, lot 36 (same dies); otherwise, unpublished. Toned, some find patina, compact flan, a little off center on obverse. VF. Extremely rare early diobol, only two in CoinArchives.

The example in the Gorny sale was considered an eastern imitation, but the style here is a perfect match for the Starr Group V fractions. In all fairness, the spread tail feathers were not visible on that example, nor the helmet of Athena, which displays a well-formed ornament and feathers on the bowl (these features are also not visible on the Hess-Divo coins). While the weight of the present coin is slightly low for a diobol, the weight of the other two (1.24 and 1.39 grams) are spot on.

Closing Date and Time: 19 March 2025 at 10:36:20 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.