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MACEDON, Akanthos. Circa 525-470 BC. AR Tetradrachm (29mm, 17.19 g). Lion right, attacking bull crouching left, head right, biting into its hindquarter; Θ above; floral ornament in exergue / Quadripartite incuse square. Desneux 69–79 (unlisted dies); AMNG III/2, 5; HGC 3, 383. Faintly toned, minor double strike and small mark on obverse, trace deposits on reverse. Good VF.
Ex G. Hirsch 371 (9 February 2022), lot 1050; Nomos Obolos 12 (31 March 2019), lot 182.
Akanthos was founded on the easternmost “finger” of the Chalcidice in the seventh century BC. Huge silver deposits were discovered in close proximity during the sixth century BC, leading to Akanthos becoming a prolific mint, with its coinage circulating widely in northern and mainland Greece. Of the Archaic Greek coinages, the imagery of Akanthos is one of the most influential, depicting a lion attacking a bull. Lions still prowled the hinterlands of Thrace and Macedon in this era. Herodotus recounts an episode in The Histories when the baggage camels of the army of the Persian King Xerxes was set upon by lions during its march from Asia Minor into Greece proper (Herodotus 7.125-126).
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 129 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 13-14 May 2025. This lot is in Session One, which will begin 13 May 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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