Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers
Auction 96 14-15 February 2017
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Islands off Attica, Aegina. Silver Stater (12.14 g), ca. 550-530/25 BC. Sea turtle, head in profile, with 'proto-heavy' collar and row of dots down carapace. Reverse: Incuse square of 'proto-Union Jack' device. Meadows grp Ib; Milbank pl. I, 12; HGC 6, 425. Lightly toned. Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $2,500 - 3,000
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from NFA in 1986.
The Aeginetan "turtle" - the popular name given to the stater on account of its obverse type - was a staple of trade throughout the Aegean during the Archaic and early Classical periods. The simple and graceful outline of the turtle's shell is attractive and inspired imitation and modification at other cities, most notably at Orchomenos in Boiotia, where the turtle became a sprouting barleycorn with the hard kernel of the grain taking the place of the turtle shell. The wide circulation of Aeginetan coinage in Greece led to the adoption of the Aeginetan standard in much of the Peloponnesos, Central, and Northern Greece. This standard continued to be employed in many places even after 431 BC, when the Athenians expelled the Aeginetans from their island home and turtle production ended.
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from NFA in 1986.
The Aeginetan "turtle" - the popular name given to the stater on account of its obverse type - was a staple of trade throughout the Aegean during the Archaic and early Classical periods. The simple and graceful outline of the turtle's shell is attractive and inspired imitation and modification at other cities, most notably at Orchomenos in Boiotia, where the turtle became a sprouting barleycorn with the hard kernel of the grain taking the place of the turtle shell. The wide circulation of Aeginetan coinage in Greece led to the adoption of the Aeginetan standard in much of the Peloponnesos, Central, and Northern Greece. This standard continued to be employed in many places even after 431 BC, when the Athenians expelled the Aeginetans from their island home and turtle production ended.