The New York Sale
Auction 40 11 January 2017
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ANCIENT COINS, ANCIENT GREEK COINS, Lesbos, Unattributed early mint. BI Stater (11.00 g), 5th century BC. Persic standard. Olive tree between confronted cow heads. Rev. Small incuse square punch. (SNG von Aulock 1682; SNG Copenhagen 285; HGC 6, 1076). Darkly toned. Very fine.
The obverse type of this coin is perhaps the most celebrated and iconic of the early billon coinage series of Lesbos. The confronted profile cow heads, when read as a composite image give the impression that a single facing head is depicted. This sort of type has been described as an "elusive motif" and seems more familiar from artistic trends of the twentieth century than from the Archaic period. In terms of design composition, this type was far ahead of its time.
Estimate: $ 1,900
The obverse type of this coin is perhaps the most celebrated and iconic of the early billon coinage series of Lesbos. The confronted profile cow heads, when read as a composite image give the impression that a single facing head is depicted. This sort of type has been described as an "elusive motif" and seems more familiar from artistic trends of the twentieth century than from the Archaic period. In terms of design composition, this type was far ahead of its time.
Estimate: $ 1,900