Nomos AG
Auction 11 9 October 2015
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ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos. Circa 148-90/80 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 30mm, 16.57 g 12), a very early imitation. Head of the young Dionysos to right, wearing ivy wreath. Rev. ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ / ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ / ΘΑΣΙΩΝ Herakles standing left, nude but for lion skin over his shoulder and left arm; resting right hand on club; to left, Μ. Le Rider 52. Cf. SNG Copenhagen 1042. Bold and very attractively toned. With a somewhat 'cup-shaped' flan with a very slight bend, otherwise, good extremely fine.
From a Czech collection, sold by Karel Chaura, Prague (1869-1945).
This must be a very early imitation: Balkan imitations of Thasian tetradrachms were produced in enormous numbers in a style that became increasingly bizarre and disjointed. This piece can only be described as an imitation because of its obverse, which, when compared to the previous lot, shows too many departures from canonical style to have been made by an official engraver. However, while the reverse is of exceptionally fine quality stylistically, the strongly convex/concave flan argues an irregular mint.
From a Czech collection, sold by Karel Chaura, Prague (1869-1945).
This must be a very early imitation: Balkan imitations of Thasian tetradrachms were produced in enormous numbers in a style that became increasingly bizarre and disjointed. This piece can only be described as an imitation because of its obverse, which, when compared to the previous lot, shows too many departures from canonical style to have been made by an official engraver. However, while the reverse is of exceptionally fine quality stylistically, the strongly convex/concave flan argues an irregular mint.