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Hungarian 1892 gold 20 franc coin

A Third Reich Schutzstaffel or SS building banner or flag, 140cm x 400cm (approximately) in black cotton with sewn on white SS Runes in cotton to both sides, mismatched suspension clips and some small minor repairs. Provenance: Liberated by RSM H. H. Bennett of the Essex Yeomanry. Upon entering a building, possibly in Hannover, Bennett and an accompanying Officer spotted both this flag and an NSDAP example, whereupon the Officer suggested they toss a coin, the Officer won and selected the NSDAP flag. The flag has passed through the family and is accompanied by some copy photographs and documents.

A late 18th century silver 8 reales (piece of eight) coin, Ferdinand VI of Mexico, dated 1790, 4cm diameter, together with a cased 186 year old shipwreck coin, taken from the wreck of the "Admiral Gardner", sunk 1809

Liberty Head 1909 $2.50 Gold Coin, 3.4g

LARGE QUANTITY OF ENGLISH AND FOREIGN COINS INCLUDING A ROMAN COIN, A MAX PAX TOKEN, TWO £1 NOTES AND A METAL MONEY BOX

A Victorian Coromandel Jewellery Box & Contents. The box inlaid with brass stringing and having a recessed brass handle to the lid engraved with scrolling foliage, 5 ins x 7 ins x 10 ins (13 cms x 18 cms x 25 cms). The jewellery including a 1817 gold coin set in a bar brooch, a 9 carat gold chain link bracelet with gold heart shaped locket, a cameo brooch, lady's rings, earrings, a silver dolphin brooch, an engraved silver bangle, a silver Albert chain with engraved shield fob, other chain and charms, a pretty pendant necklace and diamond studs, three strings of spinach jade beads and a lapis lazuli chip necklace.

A Small Collection of Costume Jewellery & Bijouterie to include a leather coin purse, a pair of silver salt spoons, a Victorian 9 carat rose gold brooch, etc.

A 1985 1oz Gold Canadian 50 Dollar Coin.

9ct coin ring, broken, a pair of broken 9ct gold earrings and a small 9ct gold chain with Amethyst pendant total weight 7 grams

Etruria, Populonia AR Tridrachm. 5th century BC. Boar stepping to right on rocky ground; dotted border around / Blank. EC I, 2.8 (this coin): HN Italy 112; Sambon 19. 16.56g, 28mm. Good Very Fine, minor porosity on edge. Extremely Rare; one of only eight known specimens, and among the finest. From the VCV Collection. The earliest struck silver Etruscan tridrachms (as well as didrachms and drachms) seem to be those of Populonia and Vulci, and are attributed to the 5th century BC. They seem to be struck on the 'Chalkidian' silver drachm standard of nominally about 5.8g, a model provided by Etruria's nearest Greek neighbour, Cumae in circa 475-470 BC. This weight standard is also found at other Greek cities important to Etruscan seaborne commerce in the early 5th century such as Himera, Naxos and Zankle-Messana. The coins, of which this type is certainly no exception, are of Greek style with an Etruscan flavour and display a predilection for apotropaic (demon-dispelling) images of exotic animals and monsters.

Lucania, Metapontion AR Stater. Circa 340-330 BC. Head of Athena Tharragoras right, wearing Corinthian helmet, Σ behind / Ear of barley with stalk and leaf to right upon which, trophy; Π below, META to left. Johnston A 7.13 (obverse) – A 7.15 (reverse); HN Italy 1567. 7.85g, 22mm, 6h. Extremely Fine. Very Rare (only one example recorded by Johnston), particularly so in this condition, and an apparently unrecorded die coupling. Ex Dr. Roland Maly Collection, LHS 100, 23 April 2007, lot 115. The obverse portrait of this coin is traditionally identified as the unknown hero Tharragoras, following the attribution by Imhoof-Blumer. In studying the available specimens of the type (of which there were then five), he noted two with visible legends, one reading 'ΘAPPAΓOPAΣ', which he illustrated in his 'Monnaies grecques' (pl. A,2). Noting also that the portrait on this coin was 'slightly bearded', Imhoof-Blumer concluded that it therefore was not Athena, but rather an unknown hero whose name was given on the coin, and who must have been a companion or relation of Leukippos, given the contemporary nature of the two issues and the importance of the Leukippos type. That the name Tharragoras is nowhere else attested, neither in literature, sculpture nor on other coins, makes Imhoof-Blumer's identification of this portrait as an unknown hero by that name very difficult to support indeed. Strabo, who does acknowledge Leukippos (6.1), makes no mention of a Tharragoras; the 'slight beard' seen by Imhoof-Blumer is almost certainly in fact locks of hair that fall from beneath the helmet. No trace of a beard can be discerned meanwhile around the chin or jaw. Where Imhoof-Blumer inferred a connection with Ἄρρα, or Ares, we should perhaps more properly see a connection with a 'dialectic form of Θάρσω, a more ancient name for the goddess Athena (schol.IL.5.2).' 'Θάρρά' itself has connotations of 'courage', 'boldness' or 'confidence' - the intended meaning here must have been clear to the people of Metapontion and fitting for the circumstances of its issue. The companion issue (Johnston A6.11 = HN Italy 1561) allows us to positively identify the portrait as that of Athena, on account of the long feminine eyelashes that would certainly be out of place on a male hero.

Etruria, Populonia (or Pisae) AR 20 Units. Early 5th century BC. Amphora with blunt base set in elaborate stand, from the top of which emerges an Octopus, tentacles spread to either side, XX below, all within linear border. EC I, Pisae 1.5 (this coin): HN Italy 104 (Pisae?); Sambon 20. 22.55g, 29mm. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare; one of just five recorded examples, of which it is among the finest and the only one in private hands. From the VCV Collection. The tentative attribution to Pisae of the octopus/amphora series is based on Garrucci's statement (p. 49, 18) that two examples, first published by Bompois 1879, pl. 18, come from Pisa and that the name teuthìs or teuthòs, Greek for octopus, is similar to the ethnic Teuta-Teutones recorded by Pliny and Cato as the name of the first inhabitants of Italian Pisa. Subsequent provenances attested for in and around Pisa including Toscanelli 1933 (p. 369 note 2 ), Neppi-Modona 1953 (p. 30h and p. 42 k), Bruni 1993 (pp. 81-82), ASAT (p. 63), Tesei 1992 (p. 196), BTCGI XIII (pp. 597-598) and HN Italy (p. 30) only tentatively imply a Pisan provenance for the series. The tentative attribution to Pisae of the octopus/amphora series is based on Garrucci’s statement (p. 49, 18) that two examples, first published by Bompois 1879, pl. 18, come from Pisa and that the name teuthìs or teuthòs, Greek for octopus, is similar to the ethnic Teuta-Teutones recorded by Pliny and Cato as the name of the first inhabitants of Italian Pisa. Subsequent provenances attested for in and around Pisa include Toscanelli 1933 (p. 369 note 2 ), Neppi-Modona 1953 (p, 30h and p. 42 k), Bruni 1993 (pp. 81-82), ASAT (p. 63), Tesei 1992 (p. 196), BTCGI XIII (pp. 597-598) and HN Italy (p. 30) only tentatively imply a Pisan provenance for the series. The design on this coin is impressive for its boldness and novelty, and at the same time highly enigmatic. Depicting an amphora on an elaborate (and probably weighted) stand intended to keep it upright when dropped from a boat into the sea, along with the top of the head of an octopus emerging from the opening with its tentacles splayed outwards on all sides, a quotidian fishing tool is transformed into a powerful sigil for the issuing authority. Along with the ubiquitous Gorgoneion, this type is emblematic of the Etruscan coinage series, though because of its extreme rarity few have ever seen one in hand and so it has for the most part been considered unobtainable by collectors and institutions alike. The elusive nature of the coin is matched by the obscurity of its significance; why the octopus motif occurs repeatedly on the coinage of Populonia is not known. It seems unlikely to be apotropaic in nature despite the qualities (some real, some imagined), attributed to octopodes by the ancients, since though it was known to be a dangerous, crafty and venomous animal, it was evidently also prized as a food source by the coastal Etruscans. The portrayal of the octopus in an amphora therefore suggests a usage similar to that of the crab of Akragas or the barley grain of Metapontum, which represented a prime local produce. As a powerful marine predator it is tempting to visualise a connection between the recurrent octopus theme and Etruscan naval prowess. Aside from their extensive maritime trade connections, the Etruscans were also renowned for possessing a formidable navy - something which only the richest states could afford to construct, equip and maintain. Indeed, Herodotus credits the Etruscans with the invention of the rostrum - the bronze beak affixed to the prow of warships to ram enemy vessels. Until the 5th century BC the Etruscans had effectively dominated the Tyrrhenian Sea, and at the Battle of Alalia were strong enough to form a combined fleet of 120 warships with the Carthaginians to resist Greek encroachment and piracy. The other principal types of the period - the Chimaera, the lion, the boar, and a marine lion-serpent monster - are clearly carefully chosen for their connotations of strength and intimidatory qualities. A simply mundane significance to this particular issue would therefore seem particularly incongruous. It thus seems highly likely that the ancient observer was intended to infer some deeper level of meaning from this motif, perhaps related to guile and ferocity in a marine context.

Etruria, Populonia (or Pisae) PB 20 Units. Early 5th century BC. Octopus emerging from amphora, [X below, linear border], rectangular countermark with Punic letters: mem sad ? / Blank. EC I, Pisae 2.11 (this coin); cf. HN Italy 105 (Pisae ?); Sambon 21. 13.52g, 24mm. Fine. Unique. From the VCV Collection.

Etruria, Populonia (or Pisae) AR Diobol. Early 5th century BC. Octopus, linear border / Blank. EC I, Pisae 5.29 (this coin); HN Italy 227; Sambon 28-29. 1.08g, 10mm. Good Very Fine. Very Rare. From the VCV Collection; Ex Ratto List 10, 1933, no. 181.

Sicily, Akragas AR Tetradrachm. Circa 460-446 BC. Sea eagle standing left on Ionic capital, AKRACANTOΣ around / Crab; spiralled tendril ornament with floral terminals below; all within shallow incuse circle. SNG ANS 982 var.; Lee Group II; cf. SNG Lockett 695 for same obverse die, 696 for reverse type but different die. 17.54g, 25mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Ex James Howard Collection, Roma Numismatics VIII, 28 September 2014, lot 56 (sold for £42,000 but not paid). Published in Roma Numismatics VII was the first of the Howard collection's two truly spectacular Akragas tetradrachms (lot 85), which bore an inverted dolphin as the reverse adjunct symbol. A comparison between these two exemplars of Akragantine coinage is extremely difficult, for both are of a quality that collectors have seldom, if ever, been offered the chance to acquire. Although this coin's reverse symbol may be considered somewhat less exotic than that of its above mentioned brother, the eagle's head is undeniably more detailed, and its plumage sharper - indicative of an overall slightly greater state of preservation. Indeed, the freshness of the metal and the lightly toned, satin finish are quite remarkable; this coin should certainly be considered to be amongst the very finest of its type.

Etruria, Populonia AR Didrachm of 10 Units (or Litrai?). Late 5th century BC. Head of Metus facing, hair bound with diadem, X below, dotted border / Blank. EC I, 8.10 (this coin); HN Italy 117; Sambon 35-56. 8.07g, 22mm. Extremely Fine, beautifully toned. Very Rare; exceptionally well struck, centred, and preserved for the type. One of the finest known. From the VCV Collection. The second coinage - the first silver Metus group and its fractions - is dated by hoard evidence to the late fifth century. The principal denominations are 10 ‘units’ (EC I, 7-8), close to the silver Attic didrachm or Corinthian stater, theoretically of 8.6g, and 5 ‘units’ (EC I, 9).

Sicily, Syracuse Æ Onkia. Time of Dionysios I, circa 405-400. Octopus / Two dolphins around scallop shell, pellet between their tail fins. Unpublished in the standard references. 0.86g, 10mm, 4h. Extremely Fine. Unpublished in the standard references, one of three known examples. Although unpublished in the standard references, two other examples are noted in the D’Arpa archive, attributed there as the smallest denomination of the 357-354 BC Zeus Eleutherios series on the grounds of similarity to the Zeus Eleutherios / Three dolphins around scallop shell series (CNS II, 76; HGC 2, 1484). However, another unpublished coin from the former Moretti collection with exactly the same reverse two dolphins and scallop shell type, but with a characteristic Kimon style head of Arethusa on the obverse, dates the issue to the late 5th century period of master engraver signed issues.

Etruria, Populonia AR Drachm of 5 Units (or Litrai ?). Late 5th century BC. Head of Metus facing, Λ below, dotted border / Blank. EC I, 9.2 (this coin); HN Italy 118; Sambon 38. 3.41g, 16mm. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, one of just four known examples, and the only one in private hands. From the VCV Collection.

Thessaly, Larissa AR Drachm. Circa 420-400. Head of the nymph Larissa right wearing pearl earring, her hair raised and bound in a sakkos; border of dots / ΛΑΡΙ (left to right) - ΣΑΙΑ (right to left), free horse cantering left. F. Herrmann. “Die Silbermünzen von Larissa in Thessalien” in ZfN 35, 1925, pl. 4, 5 (same dies); C. Lorber. “Thessalian Hoards and the Coinage of Larissa” in AJN 20 (2008), pl. 43, 62 (same dies); BCD collection, Triton 15, 2012, 376.4 (same obverse die); Cf. BCD collection, Nomos 4, 2011, 1130 (same obverse die). 6.04g, 19mm, 12h. Near Extremely Fine. Very Rare. A note by BCD in Nomos 4, 2011, 1130: “Many years ago, Herbert Cahn, speaking to a circle of collector friends, described this obverse die as his favourite die in the entire Larissa series. He went on to prove that he really meant it by bidding and buying for himself the de Sartiges coin of these dies, lot 113 at M+M auction 64 of 30 January 1984. The hammer price was CHF 5000, double the already high estimate. It was not often that the professor wanted a coin from one of this own sales but when he did it always was for a good reason (I will never forget the speed with which he knocked to his name lot 150 at the Kunstfreund auction during a moment’s hesitation in the bidding and after the coin had climbed up to CHF 11,500 from an estimate of just 4500)”.

Arkadia, Stymphalos AR Obol. Circa 350 BC. Head of Herakles to right wearing lion skin headdress / Head of water bird to right, ΣΤΥΜΦΑΛΙΟΝ (retrograde) around. BCD 1703 (but from different dies); SNG Copenhagen 286; Nomos 2, 18 May 2010, 100 (same dies). 0.95g, 12mm, 6h. Fleur De Coin. Very Rare. Superb metal quality; this coin is among the very finest known obols of Stymphalos. From the Gutekunst Collection; Acquired privately before 2009.

Corinthia, Corinth AR Drachm. Circa 350-300 BC. Pegasus flying to left, Q below / Head of Aphrodite to left, wearing pendant earring and pearl necklace; Δ before, omphalos phiale behind. BCD -; BMC 304. 2.72g, 17mm, 4h. Good Extremely Fine. An exceptionally beautiful coin. Ex Höher Collection.

Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. Circa 510-490 BC. Archaic head of Athena to right, wearing crested helmet decorated with chevron pattern and spiral / Owl standing to right, head facing, olive sprig behind, ΑΘΕ before; all within incuse square. Seltman group L; Cf. Asyut pl. 14, 261-265; cf. Svoronos pl. 6, 8-10. 16.80g, 24mm, 11h. Extremely Fine. Engraved in very fine style, well struck and lustrous. An exceptionally beautiful example of one of Athens' earliest owl tetradrachms. Privately purchased from Gorny & Mosch. The famous Athenian 'owl' tetradrachm, unquestionably one of the most influential coins of all time, was introduced by the tyrant Hippias sometime between c.525 and c.510 BC, with van Alfen offering a date of about 515 as the most current view. The basic design would remain unchanged for nearly five hundred years, be extensively copied throughout the Mediterranean, and is today, as it was then, emblematic of Greek culture. The quality of the engraving on the early owl tetradrachms varies greatly, from the sublime to some which are very crude indeed. This disparity led Seltman to propose that those tetradrachms of fine style, such as the present piece, were issues from a 'civic' mint in Athens, while those exhibiting little talent on the part of the engravers emanated from an 'imperial' mint in the Attic or Thracian hinterlands. The dies of this particular specimen are exceptionally charming, and the engraving of the owl is especially noteworthy for its elegance. This coin is certainly one of the very best early archaic Athenian owl tetradrachms to have come to the market in the past fifteen years.

Attica, Athens AR Tetradrachm. Circa 500-490 BC. Archaic head of Athena right, wearing crested helmet decorated with chevron and dot pattern / Owl standing right, head facing, olive sprig behind, ΑΘΕ before. Cf. Svoronos Pl. 4, 15. 17.05g, 24mm, 4h. Extremely Fine. In particularly good condition for the issue, with a full crest; struck and preserved on sound and lustrous metal. Athens was one of the few Greek cities with significant silver deposits in their immediate territory, a remarkable stroke of fortune upon which Xenophon reflected: 'The Divine Bounty has bestowed upon us inexhaustible mines of silver, and advantages which we enjoy above all our neighbouring cities, who never yet could discover one vein of silver ore in all their dominions.' The mines at Laurion had been worked since the bronze age, but it would be only later in 483 that a massive new vein of ore would be discovered that enabled Athens to finance grand new schemes such as the construction of a fleet of 200 triremes, a fleet that would later prove decisive in defending Greece at the Battle of Salamis. This coin was produced in the period before the discovery of the new deposits at Laurion, around the time of the Ionian Revolt and the subsequent first Persian invasion of Greece. Athens aided the Ionian Greeks in their rebellion against Persian tyranny with both coin and soldiers, participating in the 498 BC march on Sardes which resulted in the capture and sack of that city – the only significant offensive action taken by the Ionians, who were pushed back onto the defensive and eventually subjugated once more. Vowing to punish Athens for their support of the doomed rebellion, the Persian king Darius launched an invasion of Greece, landing at Marathon in 490 BC. Just twenty five miles from Athens, a vastly outnumbered Athenian hoplite army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persians, who after suffering horrendous casualties turned to their ships and fled.

Etruria, Populonia AV 10 Units. 3rd century BC. Male head right, X behind / Blank. EC I, 31.19 (this coin); HN Italy 136; Sambon 7. 0.68g, 8mm. Extremely Fine. Very Rare. From the VCV Collection; Ex Artemide 37, 8 December 2012, lot 4.

Kingdom of Macedon, Philip II AR Tetradrachm. Lifetime issue. Amphipolis, circa 355-348 BC. Laureate head of Zeus right / The king, wearing kausia and chlamys, raising his right hand in salute and riding a horse walking to the left; ΦIΛIΠΠOY above; a bow below the horse´s foreleg. Le Rider 167a (076/R137); SNG ANS 487. 14.24g, 24mm, 3h. Extremely Fine. Beautifully toned; a splendid, perfectly centred example of very fine style. Struck in exceptionally high relief; crystal-like metal. Rare. Ex Roma Numismatics VII, 22 March 2014, lot 384. This is an exceptional example of classical Greek art, where the skill of the die cutter is obviously superior to that of other coins of the same series. The overall image of the reverse side of the coin is characterised by a harmony which is derived from the proportionality of the rider and the horse. Even the small letters of the inscription indicate the skill of the artist. The head of Zeus renders this skill even more visible and its proportionality and expression make it delightful to look at. The style of the horse was adopted from the previous coins of the Bisaltai and of Alexander I, whilst the style of the king was adopted later on by the Romans mainly in ADVENTVS reverse types.

Kingdom of Macedon, Alexander III 'the Great' AR Tetradrachm. Civic issue of Miletos, circa 295-270 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros enthroned left, holding eagle in right hand and sceptre in left; AΛEΞANΔPOY to right, MI monogram in left field. Price 2150. 17.19g, 31mm, 1h. Fleur De Coin. From the Ambrose Collection; Ex Stack's Bowers and Ponterio 164, 6 January 2012, lot 155.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with granulated diadem, X X below / Octopus. EC I, 44.14 (O11/R14, this coin); HN Italy 148; Sambon 58. 7.81g, 24mm. Very Fine. Very Rare. Scratch across obverse. From the VCV Collection.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with diadem, X X below / Two caducei, head to tail. EC I, 48.44 (O14/R18, this coin) HN Italy 150; Sambon 52. 8.04g, 20mm. Very Fine. Rare, only three examples offered at auction since online records began. From the VCV Collection.

Thrace, Apollonia Pontika AR Tetradrachm. Circa 400-350 BC. Laureate head of Apollo to right / Anchor, crayfish to right, A and ΠOΛYANAΞ (magistral name) to right. Traité -; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG BM -; SNG Stancomb -; SNG Berry -; Helios 8, lot 3 (this coin); Winterthur I. 1159 (same obverse die); Bunbury collection part II, Sotheby, Wilkison & Hodge 7 October 1896, lot 119. 16.97g, 23mm, 7h. Extremely Fine. An extremely rare variety, apparently only the second known. Ex Helios 8, 13 October 2012, lot 3. This coin is struck from an obverse die which is arguably the most sensitively and delicately engraved of the whole series. The artist has paid particularly close attention to the hair and laurel wreath of Apollo, and has created a composition of rare beauty among what are all too often functional portraits of parochial style. Founded in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletos, from its earliest days Apollonia possessed an important extra-urban sanctuary of Apollo from which the city took its name. The temple contained a famous colossal statue of Apollo by Calamis which stood forty five feet high, though this would in 72 BC be captured and transported to Rome by the general Lucullus, and placed in the Capitol. The earliest coinage of Apollonia seems to have been cast bronze arrow-head ‘proto-money’, which soon gave way to the familiar Apollo and anchor with crayfish types. The presence of the crayfish (astakos) on its coinage may be a punning reference to the name of the region, Astike.

Islands off Thrace, Thasos AR Stater. Circa 412-404 BC. Bald headed and nude Satyr in kneeling-running stance to right, carrying off a protesting nymph; Α in right field / Quadripartite incuse square. Kraay-Hirmer 437; Gulbenkian 464; Le Rider, Thasiennes, 6; SNG Copenhagen Suppl. 103. 8.50g, 21mm. Good Extremely Fine, excellent high classical style. Ex A. Tkalec, 7 May 2009, lot 29. Thasos, a large island off the western coastal region of Thrace, gained its enormous wealth by virtue of its local silver mines as well as mines it controlled on the Thracian mainland opposite the island city-state. According to Herodotos (VI, 46), the city derived 200-300 talents annually from her exploitation of this mineral wealth. Additionally, Thasos gained much material wealth as a producer and exporter of high quality wines, which was tightly regulated by the government, and it was perhaps due to this trade in wine that her coinage spread throughout the Aegean making it a widely recognized and accepted coinage in distant lands. The artistry of this coin is exceptional, and belongs to the very end of the 5th century BC before the end of the Peloponnesian War. Earlier didrachm staters struck to a local Thracian standard originally of 9.8g and subsequently to 8.7g are quite crude in style, portraying a vigorous and beastly satyr forcibly abducting a very unwilling nymph. By contrast the nymph on this coin seems to barely protest the abduction, and the satyr is imbued with almost wholly human qualities. The engraving is by a superior artist and is in a very lovely style, the head of the satyr reminding us of the miniature masterpieces from Katane in Sicily depicting a satyr's head facing, while the head of the nymph here is strongly reminiscent of the head of the nymph found on the coins of nearby Neapolis in Macedon. There is no explanation in the relevant literature of the letters A, Σ, or Φ which sometimes appear in the obverse field of these later staters (they never appear on the earlier staters). They cannot be the signatures of the artists as the staters with the same letter often show a markedly different hand at work, so they most probably simply identify the magistrate responsible for the issue, a commonplace feature on other coinages from a number of mints during this and subsequent times.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with diadem, X X below / Two caducei, head to tail. EC I, 48.43 (O14/R18, this coin); HN Italy 150; Sambon 52. 7.69g, 20mm. Very Fine. Rare, only three examples offered at auction since online records began. From the VCV Collection.

Kings of Thrace, Lysimachos AR Drachm. Ephesos, circa 294-287 BC. Diademed head of the deified Alexander the Great right, wearing horn of Ammon / Athena Nikephoros seated left, left arm resting on rim of shield, transverse spear in background, E-Φ with bee between to inner left; BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right, ΛYΣIMAXOY to left. Thompson 168; Müller 421. 4.33g, 19mm, 12h. Fleur De Coin. A specimen of remarkable quality and style possessing radiant golden tones around the obverse portrait, and deep violet hues on the reverse. This high relief coin easily ranks among the finest known drachms of Lysimachos. From the Ambrose Collection.

Crete, Aptera AR Stater. Signed by Pythodoros. Circa 4th century BC. Α[ΠΤAΡΑΙΩΝ] around head of Artemis Aptera to right, with hair elaborately curled upwards around a stephane ornamented with palmettes; she wears an elaborate crescent and solar-disk pendant earring with three drops and a pearl necklace; to right in smaller letters the artist's signature: ΠΥΘΟΔΟΡΟΥ / Warrior hero Apteros, called Ptolioikos, standing facing, his bearded head left, wearing crested helmet and cuirass, holding in his left hand a spear and shield decorated with a sunburst, his right is raised towards a sacred fir tree in left field; ΠΤΟΛΙΟΙΚΟΣ around. Le Rider, Monnaies crétoises, p. 36, 269-70, pl. 9, 11-12; Svoronos, Crète, p. 15, pl. 1, 10 (same dies); BMC 1, pl. 2, 3 (same dies); BMFA Suppl. 108 (same dies); LIMC VII/1, p. 588, VII/2, sv. Ptolioikos 2 (same rev. die); for the engraver's signature see L. Forrer, Notes sur les signatures de graveurs sur les monnaies grecques, Bruxelles 1906, pp. 277-284. 11.41g, 14mm, 12. Good Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Of exceptionally fine style and quality, and very well preserved for the type, which is mostly found in lamentably poor condition. From a private American collection. The stunningly beautiful obverse female portrait is that of Artemis Aptera (or Aptara as inscribed on the coins, a local form of the Cretan Artemis Diktynna), the patron goddess of the city. Before her image in small characters proudly appears the name of the artist Pythodoros, a master die-engraver who also worked at Polyrherion on the equally beautifully styled female head which has been defined as that of Britomartis, 'sweet maiden' in the Cretan dialect. Also identified as Artemis Diktynna, Britomartis in Cretan myth was caught in a fisherman's net (diktyon) while trying to escape the advances of Poseidon, and was the subject of several Cretan coin types inspired by a statue then attributed to Daedalos, who was reputed to be the father of Cretan art (cf. Le Rider pp. 114-6, 3-6 pl. 28, 19-38; Svoronos 15-16, pl. 26, 4-5; Traité pl. 261, 25; BMC 1-2). Both images are very much influenced by the Sicilian school of die engraving as epitomised by the celebrated artists such as Kimon, Phrygillos, Eukleidas, Euainetos and Eumenes. The reverse type is of no less mythological and historic interest; the warrior in question is Apteros, called Ptolioikos, a title literally meaning 'dweller in the city'. He is shown saluting a tree, a scene which can be interpreted as a rendering of what must surely be a now lost myth concerning the oiktistes or founder of the city. The fine remains of the ancient polis of Aptera or Aptara (IACP 947), the modern Palaiokastro, are situated near the Minoan site of Megala Chorapia on the south side of Suda Bay, the safest anchorage in Crete throughout Greek, Venetian and Ottoman times, and which is today an important NATO naval base. Eusebius informs us that the city was founded by an eponymous hero, Apteros in the year 1503 BC (Chronicon 44c). The first historical mention of Aptera dates from the 7th century BC when a contingent of archers is reported to have fought along with Spartans in the war against Messene (Pausanius, Description of Greece IV 20, 8). Various attemps in antiquity were made to explain the city's name: notably, that it was the site of the song contest of the Muses and Sirens. In this story the latter lost their wings in a fight that ensued after their defeat (Stephen of Byzantium sv. Aptera; 'aptera' = 'wingless'). The city's name most likely derives from one of the epithets of Artemis, Aπτερα (cf. Inscriptionis Cretae 2), similar to that of the statue in the temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis at Athens, which later took on the name of Nike Apteros, meaning 'wingless' Nike. From the fourth century BC Aptera produced coins on the Aiginetan weight standard, but by later Hellenistic times it gradually declined in favour of its powerful neighbour Kydonia and was finally absorbed by Rome in 67 BC.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with diadem, X X below / Uncertain protuberances. EC I, 48.42 (O14/R18, this coin); HN Italy 150; Sambon 52. 7.69g, 20mm. Good Very Fine. Rare. From the VCV Collection.

Ionia, Ephesos (?) EL Stater. Circa 575-560 BC. Forepart of bridled horse left, sunburst before; lotus flower on its back / Rectangular incuse punch between two square incuse punches, all with roughly patterned surfaces. Weidauer 138 (these dies); Mitchiner 135; ACGC 56. 14.30g, 21mm. Extremely Fine. Very Rare. The lotus flower that appears upon the horse's back is an element common to several electrum staters from uncertain mints attributed to Lydia or Ionia, all struck on the Milesian standard: the recumbent lion type (Rosen 245; NAC 72, 16 May 2013, 369), bull kneeling with its head reverted (Rosen 148), and two rampant lions upright on their hind legs with heads reverted and paws extended (Rosen 149). On all of these coins the lotus flower may initially appear incidental, though its commonality to all types indicates otherwise – it is evidently to be seen as the key element of the obverse type that links the different animal designs together. The lotus flower appears only sporadically in Greek mythology, though it had a deep rooted use in Egyptian art and legend, where it was taken as a symbolic representation of the sun on account of its physical behaviour: it closes at night time and descends into the water, rising and flowering again at dawn. In Egyptian creation myth, the lotus was the first thing to spontaneously form from chaos, and it was from the lotus that the sun itself was born on the first day. The eastern coastal areas of the Mediterranean in the sixth century BC had been for a long time familiar with Egyptian religious beliefs that spread as a consequence of trade and population dispersal; the lotus' insinuation in its Egyptian meaning into Greek culture is evident in the lotus-tipped sceptre carried by Zeus on the coinages of Karia, Mysia and Kilikia (among others), being a legacy of the assimilation of an attribute of the major Egyptian solar deity Ra with the principal god of the Greek pantheon Zeus. The lotus' appearance here as a polyvalent symbol can best be understood then in the context of assimilated Egyptian beliefs, representing at once both a solar and divine aspect, as well as a clear allusion to the minting city's location. Interestingly however, the lotus is not the only solar element present on this coin – immediately before the horse's chest we can discern the presence of a sunburst similar in depiction to those found on the contemporary coinage of Alyattes. This element may have been included on account of its being more universally familiar, being well understood to signify what we now refer to as Anatolia, which comes from the Greek Aνατολή (Anatolē) meaning the 'East' or more literally 'sunrise', used to refer to the Ionian colonies on the west coast of Asia Minor. Moreover the horse was itself considered a solar symbol, not only throughout the East, but also among Celtic and Germanic tribes, suggesting a common ancient root to this association. Such preponderance of solar symbology is indeed only fitting for this metal, and is in fact an overt statement of the coin's composition: ἤλεκτρον, the Greek word for electrum, is derived from the word ἠλέκτωρ (ēlektōr) - 'shining sun'.

Stag kneeling left, head reverted, E- Φ across fields, CΚωΠΙ below / ΚΗΡΙΛΙC ωΔΕ ΠΡΟC ΠΑΛVPΙΝ, bee. BMC Ionia p, 70, 186; Barclay Head, “Ephesian Tesserae,” in NC 1908, pp. 281-286; SNG Copenhagen 355; SNG von Aulock 1875; SNG München 98. 3.46g, 22mm, 6h. Very Fine. A plausible theory put foreword after a discussion with the eminent Cambridge classical scholar and coin collector Arthur Bernard Cook, by H.M. Ransome in her excellent study on bees in antiquity: The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore, Mineola 1937, reprinted 2004, pp. 59-60, where Cook gives a possible interpretation to the legend as: ‘This is how Mistress Beeswax looked at the Hive-shaker’, suggesting that these tesserae were druggists’ for the purpose of advertising the sale of beeswax, connected to the secret rites of Artemis. Another theory links the obverse legend CΚωΠΙ to the Greek noun σκοπός (‘view, look’) an allusion to the 'evil eye' against which many amulets were intended in ancient and modern times, a possible interpretation being; 'This, as a coating toward the disease,' with ΠΑΛVΡΙΝ being a corruption of palurion, some type of disease.

Ionia, Lebedos AR Tetradrachm. Circa 160-140 BC. Stephanophoric type. Apollodotos, magistrate. Head of Athena right, wearing triple-crested Attic helmet with laurel branch above visor / Owl standing right, head facing, on club between two filleted cornucopiae; ΛEBEΔIΩN above, AΠOΛΛ-OΔOTOΣ below; all within wreath. Amandry, Tétradrachmes, Group IV, 17f (D2/R13); Kinns 30; SNG von Aulock –; SNG Copenhagen –; BMC 1; Boston MFA Sup. 170. 33mm, 16.31 g, 1h. Extremely Fine. Attractively toned. From the Ambrose Collection; Ex Coin Galleries, 19 August 1987, lot 71.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with diadem, X:X below / Blank. EC I, 52.123 (O20, this coin); HN Italy 142; Sambon 59. 8.50g, 21mm. Good Very Fine, obverse die-break. From the VCV Collection.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with diadem, X X below / Blank. EC I, 58.7 (O31, this coin); HN Italy 152; Sambon 42. 5.33g, 22mm. Good Very Fine. From the VCV Collection.

Ionia, Phokaia EL Hekte. Circa 478-387 BC. Bearded head of Tissaphernes to left, wearing satrapal headdress / Quadripartite incuse square punch. Bodenstedt 86; SNG von Aulock –; Boston MFA –; BMC –; Pozzi –; Traité –; Winzer 6.6; CNG e342, lot 287; CNG e210, lot 43; Gemini VI, lot 192; Peus 361, lot 184. 2.55g, 11mm. Mint State. Extremely Rare, only one example recorded by Bodenstedt, and apparently only the fifth known. From the Kleines Meisterwerk Collection. Since it is known that satraps issued coins in their own name with their own portraits, both Bodenstedt and Winzer named the satrap depicted on this coin as Tissaphernes on the basis of parallels between the portrait as seen here and those on other coinages. Indeed there are distinct physical similarities (the shape of the nose, brow and eye sockets) between the present type and the portrait of Tissaphernes on the Kyzikene-issued tetradrachms of Athenian owl reverse type struck c.420-395. Tissaphernes was born in 445 into an important Persian family; his grandfather was Hydarnes, who was a general under Xerxes, and commander of the Immortals during the invasion of Greece in 480. He rose to the position of commander in chief of the Persian armies in Asia Minor, and was appointed satrap of Lydia and Karia. Yet because Tissaphernes preferred duplicitous negotiation to open warfare, in 408 he was replaced in his position as general by the King’s second son, Cyrus the Younger. When King Darius II died in 404, his eldest son Artaxerxes II was crowned. Cyrus, seeking the throne for himself, attempted to have his brother assassinated, though Tissaphernes learned of the plot and informed Artaxerxes. Imprisoned, but soon pardoned through the intercession of their mother, Cyrus was sent back to his command, where he now gathered an army which included Xenophon’s ‘Ten Thousand’ Greek mercenaries. Tissaphernes was instrumental in warning Artaxerxes of his perfidious brother’s intentions, and in gathering an army to oppose Cyrus. Cyrus was undone at the Battle of Cunaxa in 401, through the disobedience of the Greek commander Klearchos of Sparta, who refused to move his troops to the centre of the line (wary of his undefended right flank) in order to directly attack Artaxerxes. The Greeks instead charged and scatted the loyal Persian left wing, but meanwhile Cyrus died in his assault on the centre while attempting to kill or capture his brother. Tissaphernes was then able to rout all of Cyrus’ leaderless and demoralised forces, except the Greek mercenaries who steadfastly maintained their discipline, and were unassailable by frontal assault. Tissaphernes therefore dealt with the Greeks by supplying them with food and leading them northwards for home. He invited the senior Greek commanders to attend a feast, whereupon he took them prisoner, led them before Artaxerxes, and had them decapitated. As a reward for his loyalty, Artaxerxes gave Tissaphernes one of his own daughters in marriage and restored him as governor of Lydia and commander in chief of the Persian armies in Asia Minor. Xenophon, until then a middle ranking officer, was hereupon elected one of the leaders of the Ten Thousand. In his Anabasis, he describes Tissaphernes as lacking in all honour, the supreme example of faithlessness and oath-breaking, for he used his hospitality to delude and decoy his victims before having them executed - a treachery of the most heinous kind.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with diadem, [X:X] below / X. EC I, 58.62 (O32, this coin); HN Italy 152; Sambon 42. 8.50g, 21mm. Very Fine, slightly off centre. From the VCV Collection.

Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte. Circa 521-478 BC. Facing gorgoneion with protruding tongue / Incuse head of Herakles left, wearing lion skin headdress; small incuse square behind, incuse club below. Bodenstedt 19.2; BMC -; Boston MFA -; SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -. 2.52g, 10mm, 6h. Mint State. Extremely Rare, apparently only the second known after one example recorded by Bodenstedt in the National Museum, Athens. From the Kleines Meisterwerk Collection. This exceptionally rare variety with the incuse head of Herakles facing left also displays an intricately detailed gorgon. Aside from the careful attention the engraver has lavished on such details as the gorgon's teeth and serpent heads, we also see the scaly skin the gorgon has been given between her hair and eyebrows. Even on a larger coin this would be impressive - that this fine work has been accomplished on such a small flan is nothing short of astounding.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing head of Metus, tongue protruding, hair bound with diadem, X X below / Blank. EC I, 60.72 (O38, this coin); HN Italy 152; Sambon 42-49. 8.67g, 22mm. Good Very Fine. From the VCV Collection.

Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte. Circa 454-427 BC. Head of Athena wearing crested Corinthian helmet to right / Two confronted female heads, their faces overlapping; all within incuse square. Bodenstedt 55; HGC 6, 981; Boston MFA 1693; de Luynes 2555. 2.53g, 11mm, 1h. Near Mint State. Very Rare, Bodenstedt lists only 8 examples; CoinArchives records six, of which this is the finest by far. From the Kleines Meisterwerk Collection. This coin seems like a perfectly ordinary hekte when the obverse is first viewed; it is only when the coin is flipped to reveal its highly unusual reverse does the importance and novelty of the type become apparent. Employing a simple but effective form of optical illusion, the reverse appears to show the same female portrait both to the left and to the right. The design is deliberately intended to confound the eye and engage the viewer’s attention in attempting to resolve both portraits independently of the other, which is of course impossible, thus presenting the viewer with a visual paradox. The image works by confusing the brain’s figure-ground perceptual grouping process by giving it contradictory cues, thus preventing it from assigning definitive edges to the observed shapes. As a result, the human visual system will settle on one of the portraits, facing either left or right, and alternate between them. The importance of this type, both in terms of numismatic art and in the wider context of Greek art in general, cannot be understated. It is a thoroughly novel, and never to be repeated experiment in paradoxical illusion on the coinage of a Greek city-state. The Greeks were certainly familiar with the concept of a visual paradox - Plato describes the ourobouros ‘tail-devouring snake’ as the first living thing; a self-eating, circular being: the universe as an immortal, mythologically constructed entity. They were also aware of the power of illusions - Greek architects would apply a technique known as entasis in the construction of their temple columns. Columns formed with straight sides would appear to the observer to have an attenuated appearance, and their outlines would seem concave rather than straight. Therefore a slight convex curve would be built into the shaft of the column, resulting in a swelling in the middle parts, in order to correct this disagreeable trick of the eye. Why then, when they were clearly aware of the power of illusion and paradox, did Greek artists not employ such techniques? The answer most likely lies in the cultural shift away from the static representational art of the archaic period driven by new realistic and idealistic paradigms; artists now sought to demonstrate their skill through attempting to attain aesthetic perfection based on both observational study, and occasionally improvement of nature through idealisation of the subject’s features. Thus non-practical forms of optical illusion were most likely dismissed as curious, but unlikely to earn an artist everlasting fame. It was therefore left to relatively modern artists such as Oscar Reutersvärd, who created the Penrose Stairs (also dubbed the impossible staircase), and psychologists such as Edgar Rubin, who developed the familiar Rubin’s vase (sometimes known as the Rubin face or the figure–ground vase), to explore the visual and psychological implications of these images which trick the brain. The significance of this coin therefore is that it predates the work of both of the aforementioned celebrated ‘illusionists’ by well over two milennia, and demonstrates an appreciation and understanding of optical illusions as an art form, not just a necessary practical expedience.

Lesbos, Mytilene EL Hekte. Circa 357-326 BC. Laureate head of youthful Apollo three-quarters facing / Head of an Amazon to right wearing ornamented helmet with cheek guards up. Bodenstedt 64.3; Traité II, pl. 160, 38; BMC 94, pl. 34, 8. 2.55g, 10mm, 12h. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare, apparently the sixth known, and in exceptional state of preservation. From the Kleines Meisterwerk Collection. The obverse of this beautiful coin was inspired by the remarkable and widely praised ‘Parthenon Group’ tetradrachms of Amphipolis issued during that city’s short-lived war with Philip II of Macedon (see Kurt Regling, ZfN 33 (1922), p. 48, Anm. 2 and p. 60). It is a direct stylistic copy of this brief issue, which has been described as ‘the most beautiful of all the facing-head tetradrachms of Amphipolis and one of the prettiest of all ancient Greek coins’.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Facing youthful head of Hercle, wearing lion skin knotted at neck, X X below / Blank. EC I, 65.43 (O1, this coin); HN Italy 155; Sambon 61. 8.12g, 22mm. Very Fine. From the VCV Collection.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Head of Menvra facing three-quarter left, wearing three-crested helmet, earring and necklace, X either side of head / Etruscan legend 'pvplvna' around star of four rays and crescent. EC I, 67.16 (O1/R1, this coin); HN Italy 157-158; Sambon 65. 8.47g, 25mm. Very Fine. Very Rare; one of only eleven examples in private hands. From the VCV Collection.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Hekte. Circa 550-500 BC. Bearded head of Poseidon to left, wearing a helmet in the form of the head of a sea monster; below, tunny fish to right / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze -; cf. Hurter & Liewald, SNR 81 (2002), p. 28, no. 17; SNG Aulock 7291. 2.63g, 11mm. Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. The male head on this coin has been variously identified as a nameless hero, Perseus wearing a griffin skin helmet, or Herakles wearing a lion skin. Other specimens of the type have revealed that the helmet in fact bears a fin-like crest and pointed ears (which on the present coin are off the flan). It has therefore seems that the headdress is actually in the form of a ketos, one of the familiar sea monsters of Greek myth which is most frequently seen on Sicilian coinage, in particular that of Katane and Syracuse. Given that the bearded head is less likely to represent Perseus (who appears beardless, as on von Fritze 65) it could well be Herakles, who killed a ketos in the course of rescuing the Trojan princess Hesione, daughter of Laomedon and sister of Priam. According to some versions of the myth, Herakles was swallowed whole by the monster, and slew it by hacking at its innards for three days until it died, by which time he had lost all his hair. Perhaps during the course of this contest, Herakles temporarily misplaced his trademark lion skin headdress, and resorted to covering his baldness with a nice ketos skin hat. We must bear in mind however that Kyzikene electrum is more frequently influenced by religion (and, it has been supposed, by cult images in particular) than by myth, and so we must look elsewhere for a positive identification - given the marine monster, Poseidon is a prime candidate. Although the god is more frequently encountered with a trident attribute to facilitate identification, a ketos headdress attribute is also appropriate. F. Catalli (Monete Etrusche, Roma 1990, p. 90) included in his work an image of the remarkable Volterra kelebe which depicts a very similar god head wearing a ketos, which though formally identified as Hades, must in fact be Poseidon due to the presence on the one side of a marine monster, and on the other of a bridled horse – both symbols of the God of the Sea. This identification is confirmed by the Etruscan coinage – see Vecchi, Etruscan Coinage I, part 1 pp. 319-321, nos. 2-4 – on these coins we find an identical head identified as Nethuns (Neptune-Poseidon), paired with a reverse showing a hippocamp and border of waves.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 550-500 BC. Half-length bust of a winged female deity to left, wearing kekryphalos headdress, round earring and long-sleeved chiton, in her right hand holding a tunny fish by the tail, and raising a flower to her chin; bust truncation indicated by dotted line between parallel lines / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 75; SNG France 205; Boston MFA 1448 = Warren 1519. 16.15g, 19mm. Near Extremely Fine, struck on a vast, elongated flan. Very Rare, and in excellent condition for the type. The winged figure on this coin of Kyzikos is most frequently simply described as a 'winged female', though on occasion numismatists have ventured to suggest that the depiction is that of a harpy, one of the mythical ‘snatchers’ who were sent by the gods to torment Phineos, the blind seer-king of Thrace, for his transgressions. Though in the Homeric poems the harpies are nothing more than the personifications of storm winds, Hesiod (c. 750-650 BC) described them as the daughters of Thaumas by the Oceanid Electra; fair-haired and winged maidens, who surpassed the winds and birds in the rapidity of their flight. Archaic pottery depicts them thus, in a manner that closely resembles the winged figures on the coins of Kaunos in Karia - see in particular Wagner Museum L164 – black figure clay vase. It was only later tradition that portrayed the harpies as hideous half-woman, half-bird creatures - a development resulting from a confusion of harpies with sirens. By the time of Aeschylus (c. 525-455 BC), this transformation was largely complete, though the harpy’s ‘beautiful’ image is still occasionally seen as late as 480 BC - see the J. Paul Getty Museum hydria/kalpis by Kleophrades, on which the harpies are rendered as young winged girls. The identification of the winged figure on this stater as a harpy is therefore possible, though other identifications are equally plausible. Iris, goddess of the rainbow, was depicted as a winged woman with a herald’s staff, as likewise was Nike, though the latter usually carried a wreath or palm. However, none of these beings was associated with flowers, which above all were an attribute of Aphrodite and Kore-Persephone. Only one parallel for the present type exists in surviving Greek art: the 5th century BC funerary stele now known as ‘The Exaltation of the Flower’, held in the Louvre. Carved in a similarly severe archaic style, the stele depicts two female figures holding up flowers; the left figure in a pose very similar to that shown on this coin. Those figures have been identified either as unknown mortals, or as Demeter and her daughter Persephone - the view favoured by its discoverer Léon Heuzey. The wings on our figure clearly identify her as a goddess though, and the flower is most likely the key to understanding her identity. Kore-Persephone, daughter of Demeter, therefore seems to be a logical choice: she was gathering flowers when Hades came to abduct her, and her return to earth each year was heralded by the blossoming of the meadows. Her overwhelming prominence on the later coinage of Kyzikos further strengthens the case for her depiction here. Regardless of her identity, the winged deity on this coin is rendered in exquisite detail, from her ornamented cap to her expressive face and crinkly chiton. The same treatment of the chiton can be observed in major art of the archaic period, for example in the east frieze of the Siphnian treasury at Delphi.

Etruria, Populonia AR 20 Asses. 3rd century BC. Bearded head of Tinia facing three-quarters right, open wreath (of ivy?) suspended above, ties hanging loose to either side; X on either side of forehead; thunderbolt with arrow-head shaped tip to right / Large winged thunderbolt within a circle of smaller thunderbolts. EC I, 69.2 (O1/R2, this coin); HN Italy 160; Sambon -; Vicari -. 7.00g, 23mm, 12h. Extremely Fine. Of the Highest Rarity - one of only two known examples, and easily the finest and most complete (the other being the ADM specimen sold in NAC 2, 17 = NAC 7, 46, which lacked most of the reverse design). From the VCV Collection. Tinia, the local equivalent of Zeus and Jupiter, was the supreme Etruscan thunder-god who wielded three of the eleven types of thunderbolts known to what the Romans called the Etrusca disciplina - the Etruscan systematic teachings about how to divine the will of the gods and act in accordance with it. Inscriptions and representations in art confirm beyond doubt that Tinia was the head of the Etruscan pantheon, though unlike his Greek and Roman counterparts he stood at the centre of a council or circle of gods and was bound by their will in a way that seems irreconcilable with the temperamental and unruly Zeus/Jupiter. According to Etruscan lore preserved by the Romans, the three types of bolts Tinia might throw were: a benign bolt that served as a warning; a bolt that could do either good or harm, for which he needed the approval of the Twelve Gods; a completely destructive bolt, for which he had to have permission from a group called the Shrouded Gods (Dii Involuti). The Etruscan belief in a wide variety of lightning bolts is reflected in the many different sizes and shapes of such bolts depicted with Tinia in Etruscan art. A bronze mirror c. 470 BC in the Vatican Museums illustrates the entreaties of Thethis (Thetis) and Thesan (Eos) to spare their sons, Achilles and Memnon. Tinia is shown holding two types of thunderbolts; in his left hand are three undulating serpent-like bolts; in his right hand is a single pointed bolt, the other end appearing not unlike the feathered end of an arrow. The bolts he is shown with in other artistic depictions vary wildly from each other, quite unlike the Hellenic Zeus or Roman Jupiter, whose bolts are regularly symmetrical. The Etruscan belief in a rich and widely varying lightning repertoire is therefore quite consistent with its representations alongside Tinia in their artworks, and indeed on this particular coin we can observe several very different types of thunderbolt.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Roaring griffin standing to left on tunny fish, right foreleg raised and tongue protruding / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 99; Boston MFA 1455; Gulbenkian 623. 16.12g, 20mm. Near Mint State. Very Rare. An electrum stater of superlative quality, certainly the finest known of the type, and by quality one of the very best of all known Kyzikene staters. An extremely impressive coin. A mythical creature of great antiquity, griffins are represented in Egyptian and Persian art from as early as the fourth millennium BC; from the middle bronze age (c.1950-1550 BC) they begin appearing in Syria, the Levant and Anatolia, and they can be found in 15th century BC frescoes in the throne room of the bronze age palace at Knossos. Closely associated with guarding precious possessions and treasure, and so frequently utilised as a motif in such capacities, the griffin came also to be a symbol of divine power and so a guardian of the divine. Half lion and half eagle, and so possessing the power and dignity of both of these majestic animals, these fearsome creatures in time came to be associated with the vast quantities of gold that flowed south out of the vast northern wildernesses into Greek and Persian lands. This seemingly endless source of gold caused a great deal of speculation among the Greeks as to its origin; the myths and fables eventually found form in the idea of a land they called Hyperborea (‘beyond the north wind’). Homer, Pindar, Hesiod and Strabo all make reference to this legendary place, and Herodotus writes of it: “But in the north of Europe there is by far the most gold. In this matter again I cannot say with assurance how the gold is produced, but it is said that one-eyed men called Arimaspians steal it from griffins. But I do not believe this, that there are one-eyed men who have a nature otherwise the same as other men. The most outlying lands, though, as they enclose and wholly surround all the rest of the world, are likely to have those things which we think the finest and the rarest. (The Histories, 3.116) Though it is generally agreed that Hyperborea never actually existed as any single place, but was rather an amalgam of various fragments of truth and flights of fancy, one possible source for the northern gold may be found in the Altai Mountains of Skythia (straddling modern day Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and Russia), whose name ‘Altai’ in Mongolian literally means ‘Gold Mountain’. It has been further suggested (Mayor, 1991) that this region, rich in gold run-off from the mountains, and which is also holds a great many Protoceratops fossils, may have been the ultimate source of the Greek myth of griffin-guarded gold. The sandstone rock formations skirting the gold deposits continually reveal through erosion bleached white, fully articulated skeletons of these prominently beaked quadruped dinosaurs, and being conspicuous against the red sediment would have been noticed by early inhabitants and travellers. Indeed, 5th century BC human remains in the Altai Mountains have been found bearing griffin tattoos, occasionally accompanied by gold griffin artefacts. That this symbol of power should be adopted by Kyzikos for its coinage again and again is hardly surprising then, given that the city possessed a virtual monopoly on gold coinage in the area from Troy to Ionia, in the Propontis, in Bithynia and in the Black Sea regions, and the animal’s fabled reputation as a guardian of the precious metal.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Circa 500-450 BC. Europa, hair tied up in bun and wearing short-sleeved garment, seated on the back of Zeus in the form of a white bull who charges to left, her right hand holding on to a horn, the left resting on his rump; below, tunny fish to left / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 108, pl. III, 27; Boston MFA 1477; SNG France 250. 16.07g, 19mm. Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare. This issue appears to have been fairly uniformly struck on flans that were just a little too short - both the von Fritze and Boston specimens are missing the top part of Europa's head. The design is nevertheless charming and well executed, at least insofar as the die engraving is concerned. The reverse design of this coin is almost identical to one featured on a unique tetradrachm of Abdera (Roma IV, lot 242), which shows Europa in the same pose on the back of the bull. Both follow a well established artistic and literary tradition that can be traced back as far as the 8th century BC, according to Herodotus’ dating of Homer, though the myth itself is certainly much older than its earliest known literary appearance (in the Iliad), and its earliest securely dateable visual appearance, which is not seen until the mid-7th century BC. We find the same treatment of the scene in Ovid’s Metamorphoses many centuries later: “And gradually she lost her fear, and he offered his breast for her virgin caresses, his horns for her to wind with chains of flowers until the princess dared to mount his back, her pet bull’s back, unwitting whom she rode. Then - slowly, slowly down the broad, dry beach - first in the shallow waves the great god set his spurious hooves, then sauntered further out ‘til in the open sea he bore his prize. Fear filled her heart as, gazing back, she saw the fast receding sands. Her right hand grasped a horn, the other lent upon his back; her fluttering tunic floated in the breeze.”

Etruria, Populonia AR 10 Asses. 3rd century BC. Laureate male head left, X behind / Blank, but with traces of border and inscription. EC I, 70.269 (O6, this coin); HN Italy 168; Sambon 73-74. 3.14g, 18mm. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. From the VCV Collection.

Mysia, Kyzikos EL Stater. Mid 4th century BC. Large race horse rearing up to right, ridden by Phillip II of Macedon, bearded, wearing kausia, diadem and chlamys; tunny fish to right below / Speckled quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze 168, pl. 5, 16; Greenwell -; SNG France 315; Boston MFA Supp. 151; Lanz 157, lot 137. 16.00g, 19mm. Near Mint State. A splendid coin, bright and sharply struck. Extremely Rare, and by far the finest known of very few examples. The early Milesian foundation of Kyzikos on the isthmus of the Arktouros peninsula, protruding from the south-west coast of the Propontis, was ideally sited for its role as commercial intermediary par excellence at the centre of east-west trade. The earliest electrum coinage of Kyzikos with its characteristic ‘tunny fish’ emblem dates from about 550, and was based on the Phokaic weight standard of about 16.1g, the equivalent value to a Persian gold daric of 8.4g. They were contemporarily called Kyzikenes and the distribution of hoard finds makes it clear that it was the acceptable currency for trade between Thrace and the northern coasts of the Black Sea, and from Athens to Ionia, so much so that Kyzikenes are mentioned in Athenian inventories (cf. ACGC p. 261-2). This electrum coinage bears a wide variety of types, many of which are mythological or historical and types copied from contemporary Greek poleis from Magna Graecia to the Levant. Before one can identify the obverse type of this splendid Kyzikene, it is important to first secure a date for the issue. The celebrated Prinkipo Hoard of over 200 Kyzikenes, 16 Pantikapaion and 4 Lampsakos gold staters (IGCH 1239; Regling ZfN 1931, pp. 1-46) places the burial date to about 335-4 BC, a chronology followed by most modern studies (see Hurter and Liewald SNR 81, 83 and 85). Even if in 1974 the Philip II gold staters were discovered to be a separate hoard (AJA 1974, 308; CH 2, 1976, 41), this low chronology is confirmed by the presence of three specific copied types: the Alexander the Great young Herakles head type derived from his imperial tetradrachms (von Fritze 194; ACGC 964); a young jockey with raised hand on horse derived from Philip II’s later tetradrachms (von Fritze 214; SNG France 344); the present type with a bearded figure wearing kausia and chlamys riding a horse derived from Philip II’s early tetradrachms which celebrate his victory at the Olympic Games in 356 (cf. Le Rider p. 5, 1; Kraay-Hirmer 562), the same year that Alexander was born. Added to these examples are the Philip II bearded portraits types identified by M. R. Kaiser-Raiss (SNR 63, 1983, Philip II. Und Kyzikos, pp. 27-53; von Fritze 197 and 199). Together these types paint a picture of the last issues of Kyzikene electrum, deriving their types directly from the coinage of the liberating Greek forces led by Alexander. The suggestion that the reverse figure should be identified as Kyzikos, the eponymous founder of the city who was accidentally killed by the Argonauts, lacks any credible supporting arguments, and falls down when the dating of the issue is taken into consideration. With no identifying features besides a kausia, it would be highly illogical to suppose that such an issue, struck at this late period, would represent the mythical founder of the city. Given the evidence presented by the Prinkipo Hoard, and the clear stylistic similarities, an identification of the rider as Philip II of Macedon seems secure.

Kingdom of Lydia, Kroisos AV Stater. Sardes, circa 564/53-550/39 BC. Light standard. mint. Confronted foreparts of lion and bull / Two incuse squares. Berk 3; Traité I 401–3; SNG von Aulock 2875; SNG Lockett 2983 = Pozzi 2726; Athena Fund I 60; BMC 31; Boston MFA 2073; Gulbenkian 757; Zhuyuetang 11. 8.08g, 16mm. Fleur De Coin. Superbly lustrous, exceptionally rare in such quality. Kroisos is credited with issuing the first true gold coins with a standardised purity for general circulation. His kingdom represented the last bastion against Persian expansion westwards into Greek lands; encouraged by a prediction of the Delphic Oracle that if he attacked Persia he would destroy a great empire, Kroisos made his preparations for war with Cyrus the Great. The war resulted in defeat for Kroisos; his numerically superior army was smashed, and the capital Sardes was captured along with Kroisos and his family, who were immolated on the orders of Cyrus. Lydia became a satrapy of the Persian Empire, though it continued to mint coins in the traditional types, and indeed the legendary wealth of Kroisos was used by Cyrus to form the basis of a new Persian gold standard currency.

Dynasts of Lycia, Kherei AR Stater. Uncertain mint, circa 410-390 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right, wearing crested Attic helmet decorated with three olive leaves and spiral / Forepart of Lamassu to right; ẼERẼI (sic, in Lycian) before; all within incuse square. Mørkholm & Zahle II -; Falghera -; Traité -; BMC Lycia -; SNG Copenhagen Suppl. 453 (same dies); SNG von Aulock -. 8.46g, 19mm, 11h. Struck from a worn obv. die, but otherwise Extremely Fine. Rare. This coin bears a very attractive depiction of the forepart of a lamassu, an ancient Assyrian protective deity with the head of a man, the body of an ox (sometimes a lion), and the wings of a bird. First appearing in Assyria during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser I (circa 1114–1076 BC) as a symbol of power, the lamassu motif was used extensively by the Assyrians; typically, lamassu were prominently placed as guardians at the entrances of cities and palaces.

Dynasts of Lycia, Kherei AR Stater. Uncertain mint, circa 410-390 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right / Forepart of bull to right, ẼERẼI (sic, in Lycian) above; all within incuse square. Cf. Mørkholm & Zahle II 33 (quarter stater); S. Hurter, 'A New Lycian Coin Type: Kherêi, Not Kuperlis,' INJ 14 (2000-2), pl. 2, 8; Triton XVI, lot 508 = Triton VII, lot 283. 8.56g, 19mm, 6h. Good Very Fine. Very Rare.

Etruria, Populonia AR 5 Asses. 3rd century BC. Head of Turms right, wearing winged petasos, › behind / Blank. EC I, 84.10 (O4, this coin); HN Italy 163; Sambon 93. 1.42g, 15mm. Very Fine. Very Rare. From the VCV Collection.

Kingdom of Pontos and Cimmerian Bosporos, Pharnakes II AV Stater. Pantikapaion, 53/52 BC. Diademed bust of Pharnakes right, with luxuriant hair falling behind neck / Apollo, semi-draped, seated to left on lion-footed throne, holding laurel branch over tripod, left elbow resting on kithara at his side; BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN above, MEΓAΛOY ΦAPNAKOY below, date ΣMΣ to right, three pellets to left. K.V. Golenko and J.P. Karyszkowski, 'The Gold Coinage of King Pharnaces of the Bosporus,' in Numismatic Chronicle 1972, p. 38, fig. 3 (same dies); MacDonald 185/3; HGC 7, 198. 8.25g, 20mm, 12h. Minor die break on reverse, otherwise Mint State. Extremely Rare – the second known specimen. The three pellets symbol depicted on the reverse of this rare coin is known on Sasanian coins where it held great significance as an old Iranian sacral symbol of power (cf. Ardashir I, SNS I Type IV/3a). Such pellets apparently with the same meaning, and are also found on the debased late staters of the Sarmatian king Thothorses of the Bosporos (cf. MacDonald 647/1). Born the youngest son of Mithradates VI, he nonetheless became the sole heir after the deaths of his brothers Arkathios and Machares – the former died while on campaign in Macedonia in 86, the latter committed suicide after rebelling against Mithradates. After his father's final defeat and escape to Pantikapaion, Pharnakes had no desire to support his father's continued wish to wage war with the Romans. He therefore began a plot to remove Mithradates from power. Though his plans were discovered, the army supported him, not wishing to engage Pompey and the Roman armies again. So in 63 BC, surrounded, Mithradates VI was forced to take his own life. Pharnakes II quickly sent an embassy to Pompey with the body of his father, to be at the disposal of Pompey. Pompey granted Pharnakes the Bosporan Kingdom, and named him friend and ally of Rome. Like his father, he could not resist taking advantage of the war between Caesar and Pompey, thinking Rome to be too distracted to prevent his conquests of Colchis and Lesser Armenia. He defeated Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus and a Roman army, and proceeded to overrun Pontos. Caesar however made haste to give battle himself, and at Zela in 47 BC Pharnakes was routed, escaping with only a small detachment of cavalry. Thus, this parricide would-be 'Great King of Kings' was soundly defeated by the might of Rome in the person of Julius Caesar, who reported this victory to the Senate with the famous phrase: 'veni, vidi, vici' (Plutarch, Caesar. 50; Suetonius, Iulius Caesar, 37).

Kyrenaika, Kyrene AV Stater. Circa 322-313 BC. Polianthes, magistrate. Quadriga trotting to right, driven by a three-quarter facing charioteer; KYPANAION behind / Zeus Ammon standing left, holding phiale over thymiaterion with his right hand and long sceptre with his left; ΠOΛIANΘEYΣ to right. BMC 117. Naville 85k (this coin). 8.66g, 20mm, 11h. A few minor marks, otherwise, about Extremely Fine. Very Rare. Ex LHS 95, 25 October 2005, lot 757; Ex L. Naville and H. Vogel collections, Hess 194, 25 March 1929, 482.