Numismatica Genevensis SA
Auction 9 14 December 2015
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The Cyclades, Paros. Drachm, c. 500 - 497/5 BC. (Silver, 5.88g., 16.8mm). Goat kneeling to right, his head raised / Quadripartite incuse square. P. Lederer, Neue Beiträge zur antiken Münzkunde, SNR 30 (1943), 29 (this coin). Sheedy 72a (this coin).
A lovely, toned coin with a powerful looking goat. Extremely fine.
Provenance: Collection of R. Wehrli, Frauenfeld. Paros Hoard of 1937 (IGCH 13).
These goat drachms were first attributed to Paros by Imhoof-Blumer in 1902 but this became a certainty after the discovery of the Paros Hoard of 1937. Paros was, in the 5th century, the most prosperous of the Cycladic islands. Its wealth came from agriculture and the marble trade; Parian marble was not only the preferred stone for Greek sculptors, but also for architectural use. Paros also seems to have shared in the output of the silver mines of Thasos. This coin must be one of the most impressive of all surviving Parian drachms. The beautifully rounded and high relief representation of the goat is reminiscent of those that appear on Achaemenid gems and, even, on Minoan and Mycenaean ones.
A lovely, toned coin with a powerful looking goat. Extremely fine.
Provenance: Collection of R. Wehrli, Frauenfeld. Paros Hoard of 1937 (IGCH 13).
These goat drachms were first attributed to Paros by Imhoof-Blumer in 1902 but this became a certainty after the discovery of the Paros Hoard of 1937. Paros was, in the 5th century, the most prosperous of the Cycladic islands. Its wealth came from agriculture and the marble trade; Parian marble was not only the preferred stone for Greek sculptors, but also for architectural use. Paros also seems to have shared in the output of the silver mines of Thasos. This coin must be one of the most impressive of all surviving Parian drachms. The beautifully rounded and high relief representation of the goat is reminiscent of those that appear on Achaemenid gems and, even, on Minoan and Mycenaean ones.