Watch List notes:

Thrace. Abdera. AR Oktadrachm, ca. 500-475 BC. 29.96 gms. Griffin seated left, forepaw raised, wings curled and raised, (A)PX before, rev. Quadripartite incuse square. May 51 (A43/P46), Dewing 1250 (same dies). In 541 BC, citizens of Teos fleeing the Persian yoke that had fallen on Ionia, came to the site of Abdera, opposite the island of Thasos. The refugees’ settlement efforts were successful (unlike the earlier attempt by the Klazomenians which failed in 656 BC), and Abdera was founded. The coinage of their homeland, Teos used the griffin as a symbol. Now, that would be adapted here. At the beginning of the 6th Century, the prolific Thracian silver mines were firing up, and the city of Abdera like its’ island neighbor Thasos was well positioned to enjoy the benefits. Production of the chunky silver Oktadrachm began within a decade of Abdera’s founding. Oktadrachm and Tetradrachm became the staple coins of Abdera. Not coins for everyday transactions, they were for large scale trade and large scale payments. Very Fine.
Ex Triton III, December 1999, lot 406
Estimate: - $2,000.00