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Feature Auction
CNG Feature Auction 120

Lot nuber 513

KYRENAICA, Kyrene. temp. Magas. Circa 294-275 BC. AR Didrachm (19mm, 7.62 g, 6h).


CNG Feature Auction 120
Lot: 513.
 Estimated: $ 500

Greek, Silver

Sold For $ 425. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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KYRENAICA, Kyrene. temp. Magas. Circa 294-275 BC. AR Didrachm (19mm, 7.62 g, 6h). Head of Zeus Karneios left / Silphion plant; no control marks. BMC 227; SNG Copenhagen –. Lightly toned, some roughness, tiny flan flaw on obverse. Near VF.

The didrachm coinage of Kyrene is arguably the largest series ever produced by the mint, which is known for a diverse multi-denominational coinage that began late in the sixth century BC. The types are standardized, featuring the head of Zeus Karenios, the civic deity, facing left or right on the obverse, and the ubiquitous silphion plant, the source of the city's great wealth, on the reverse. A diversity of subsidiary symbols and monograms appeared in the fields on the reverse, along with the first four letters of the ethnic, which were either written across the field in one line, or separated into two lines of two letters across the field.

The purpose and length of the coinage has been debated among scholars, with the most authoritative to date being that of O. Mørkholm, in Chiron 10 (1980). Mørkholm placed the issues in the late fourth century BC, and attributed various issues to the reigns of Ptolemy I and/or his governor, Magas, as well as to the second revolt of the Kyrenaikans. W. Fischer-Bossert has undertaken a die study of the entire coinage of Kyrene, which is still forthcoming, but has published his preliminary conclusions (W. Fischer-Bossert, "The Didrachm Coinage of Magas" in M. Asolati, ed., Le monete di Cirene e della Cirenaica nel Mediterraneo. Problemi e prospettive. Atti del V Congresso Internationale di Numismatica e di Storia Monetaria Padova, 17-19 marzo 2016 [Padova: Esedra, 2016]). His analysis of the weight standard used clearly identified it as being compatible with the reduced Ptolemaic standard that C. Lorber dated to 294 BC. With this in mind, it is clear that the entirety of the coinage belongs to the reign of Magas, and, based on a quantitative analysis of the dies, likely lasted for about two decades. Undoubtedly, the coinage was massive in scale; at the time of his article, Fischer-Bossert's die study contained 966 coins, with 254 separate die combinations. He calculated that the actual output for the series was roughly equivalent to 6.75 tons of silver, or 265 Attic talents. The purpose of this enormous coinage, however, remains elusive, and perhaps the most enigmatic aspect of the question is the fact that none of these coins has ever been found in Kyrenaika. The only hoards containing any have been found solely on Crete, but Crete was well known for providing mercenaries, so perhaps that is key to unlocking the answer to the origin of the series (in his 1966 book on hoards from Crete, G. Le Rider speculated the coins were tied to Cretan mercenaries in Magas's service). We anxiously await the publication of Fischer-Bossert's study.

The final winners of all CNG 120 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 11-12 May 2022. CNG 120 – Session Two – Greek Coinage (Part 2) through Roman Provincial Coinage will be held Wednesday afternoon, 11 May 2022 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 22.50% for all others.

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