Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Triton XXI Sessions 1 & 2 9 Jan 2018
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THRACO-MACEDONIAN REGION, Siris. Circa 525-480 BC. AR Stater (19.5mm, 9.25 g). Ithyphallic satyr running right, chasing nymph who is fleeing right, her head turned back to view satyr / Rough incuse square divided diagonally. Smith Group 9, unlisted obv. die; Peykov –; HPM pl. VII, 1; HGC 3, –; AMNG –; SNG ANS 951; Traité I 1561 (Lete); R. Myers FPL (March 1981), no. 34. VF, toned, lightly granular surfaces. Extremely rare Group 9 stater, only three examples noted by Smith (all in lower grade than the present piece), two of which are in public collections (ANS and BN).
The coins of Smith's Group 9 are among the rarest of the entire series of Siris. Unlike the other groups, where the satyr is confronting the nymph, here the satyr is actively chasing the nymph. Both figures have their arms positioned as if sprinting, and are depicted in naturalistic postures. It almost appears as though the scene were being viewed with a stop-motion camera.
The coins of Smith's Group 9 are among the rarest of the entire series of Siris. Unlike the other groups, where the satyr is confronting the nymph, here the satyr is actively chasing the nymph. Both figures have their arms positioned as if sprinting, and are depicted in naturalistic postures. It almost appears as though the scene were being viewed with a stop-motion camera.