Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3056 3 Aug 2017
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SICULO-PUNIC. Entella. Ca. 350-320 BC. AR tetradrachm (25mm, 17.11 gm, 1h). NGC AU 4/5 - 4/5. Wreathed head of Arethusa right, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; in right field, thymiaterion / Horse standing right, foreleg raised; to right, Nike flying left above caduceus, crowning horse with wreath; below, Punic HB; in background, palm tree with fruit clusters. Jenkins 98 (this coin cited). HCG 2, 273 (R1). Jameson 910 (this coin). Sharply struck in sound metal from dies of lovely style.
From the Northern California Collection. Ex Hess-Leu 49 (27 April 1971), lot 77; Hess-Leu (27 March 1956), 231 and the Collection of R. Jameson.
After an abortive attempt to seize control of all Sicily in 480 BC, the Carthaginians invaded again in 410 BC and were successful in maintaining a large permanent Punic (a Latin term for Phoenician) presence on the island. Entella, a fortress city in the interior of western Sicily, became one of the main strongholds and has recently been identified as the site for the Carthaginian mint named simply "the camp" on silver tetradrachms struck there starting in 410 BC. The first Siculo-Punic coins from Entella bore an entirely Carthaginian design, depicting a palm tree (phonix, likely a canting pun on Phoenician) on the obverse and the forepart of a horse, sometimes crowned by Nike, on the reverse. As more cities came under their control, the Carthaginians employed Greek die engravers to create new coins modeled on Greco-Sicilian designs, including this superb piece, with an obverse based on contemporary coins of Syracuse coupled with a reverse bearing the Punic horse and palm tree.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 6000-8000 USD
SICULO-PUNIC. Entella. Ca. 350-320 BC. AR tetradrachm (25mm, 17.11 gm, 1h). NGC AU 4/5 - 4/5. Wreathed head of Arethusa right, wearing triple-pendant earring and necklace; in right field, thymiaterion / Horse standing right, foreleg raised; to right, Nike flying left above caduceus, crowning horse with wreath; below, Punic HB; in background, palm tree with fruit clusters. Jenkins 98 (this coin cited). HCG 2, 273 (R1). Jameson 910 (this coin). Sharply struck in sound metal from dies of lovely style.
From the Northern California Collection. Ex Hess-Leu 49 (27 April 1971), lot 77; Hess-Leu (27 March 1956), 231 and the Collection of R. Jameson.
After an abortive attempt to seize control of all Sicily in 480 BC, the Carthaginians invaded again in 410 BC and were successful in maintaining a large permanent Punic (a Latin term for Phoenician) presence on the island. Entella, a fortress city in the interior of western Sicily, became one of the main strongholds and has recently been identified as the site for the Carthaginian mint named simply "the camp" on silver tetradrachms struck there starting in 410 BC. The first Siculo-Punic coins from Entella bore an entirely Carthaginian design, depicting a palm tree (phonix, likely a canting pun on Phoenician) on the obverse and the forepart of a horse, sometimes crowned by Nike, on the reverse. As more cities came under their control, the Carthaginians employed Greek die engravers to create new coins modeled on Greco-Sicilian designs, including this superb piece, with an obverse based on contemporary coins of Syracuse coupled with a reverse bearing the Punic horse and palm tree.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 6000-8000 USD