Watch List notes:

Sicily, Syracuse, silver tetradrachm, c. 420 BC, by the die engraver "A", quadriga driven right by charioteer who is crowned with wreath by Nike flying above, rev., ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙ-ΟΝ, head of Arethusa right wearing double-hook earring and necklace with lion-head pendant, ampyx ornamented with olive branch, her hair confined in sakkos decorated with maeander pattern above chevrons and signed with the letter A; four dolphins around, 18.02g, die axis 9.00, slight traces of overstriking on the reverse, good extremely fine and very rare so well preserved, possibly the finest known from these dies. References: Boehinger 699; SNG ANS 234, same dies. Provenance: David Freedman Collection; Roma Numismatics II, London, 2 October 2011, lot 106 (and illustrated on the front cover of the Roma Numismatics I sale, 15 October 2010, lot 24). Note: Boehringer recorded three dies signed by "A", one signed on the sakkos (V. 479) and two signed on the neck of Arethusa (V. 478 and V. 480). To these can be added his V. 477, the obverse die of the present coin where the examples seen by him were too worn to read the artist's initial letter so clearly rendered here, making it almost certainly the finest known specimen. Whoever the artist was, he was the first at Syracuse to sign coin dies some ten to fifteen years before coin engravers such as Kimon and Euainetos made it fashionable to add their signatures to their works. (6000 - 9000 GBP)