Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 116 1 Oct 2019
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Etruria, Populonia
10 Units circa 300-250, AV 0.71 g. Male head r., wearing necklace; behind, X. Rev. Blank. Sambon 7. Vecchi I 64 (this obverse die). EC 31.10 (this coin but wrongly illustrated as 31.09). SNG ANS 9 (this obverse die). Historia Numorum Italy 136.
Very rare and in fine condition for the issue. A portrait of unusually pleasant style.
Light reddish tone and about extremely fine
Ex Stack's sale 10 January 2011, 1. From the Querendon collection.
Populonia was an old Etruscan settlement frequently thought to have been named in honor of Fufluns, an Etruscan wine-god equivalent to Greek Dionysos. However, recent study has shown that this derivation is based on a misreading of Etruscan inscriptions (indeed, Etruscan is still an ancient language that is imperfectly understood) and that the name of the city is most probably related to the Latin word populus meaning "the people." Although Populonia and the other cities of Etruria were first exposed to Greek style coinage through contact with the Greek colonies of western Italy, Etruscan coinage regularly involves features not usually found in mainstream Greek coinage. For example, the present coin includes a value mark, something usually lacking on Greek precious metal coins, although it sometimes occurs on bronzes, particularly those struck in Sicily. It is thought that the denomination mark here values the gold piece in terms of a local Etruscan bronze denomination like the Roman as. Whereas silver was the standard metal of account in the Greek world, in Italy bronze was king. Also notable here is the fact that the coin is uniface whereas contemporary Greek coins universally feature full reverse types.
10 Units circa 300-250, AV 0.71 g. Male head r., wearing necklace; behind, X. Rev. Blank. Sambon 7. Vecchi I 64 (this obverse die). EC 31.10 (this coin but wrongly illustrated as 31.09). SNG ANS 9 (this obverse die). Historia Numorum Italy 136.
Very rare and in fine condition for the issue. A portrait of unusually pleasant style.
Light reddish tone and about extremely fine
Ex Stack's sale 10 January 2011, 1. From the Querendon collection.
Populonia was an old Etruscan settlement frequently thought to have been named in honor of Fufluns, an Etruscan wine-god equivalent to Greek Dionysos. However, recent study has shown that this derivation is based on a misreading of Etruscan inscriptions (indeed, Etruscan is still an ancient language that is imperfectly understood) and that the name of the city is most probably related to the Latin word populus meaning "the people." Although Populonia and the other cities of Etruria were first exposed to Greek style coinage through contact with the Greek colonies of western Italy, Etruscan coinage regularly involves features not usually found in mainstream Greek coinage. For example, the present coin includes a value mark, something usually lacking on Greek precious metal coins, although it sometimes occurs on bronzes, particularly those struck in Sicily. It is thought that the denomination mark here values the gold piece in terms of a local Etruscan bronze denomination like the Roman as. Whereas silver was the standard metal of account in the Greek world, in Italy bronze was king. Also notable here is the fact that the coin is uniface whereas contemporary Greek coins universally feature full reverse types.