Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XX 29-30 Oct 2020
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Islands off Attica, Aegina AR Stater. Circa 456/45-431 BC. Land tortoise with segmented shell seen from above, head in profile to left / Large square incuse with heavy skew pattern. Meadows, Aegina, Group IIIb; Milbank pl. II, 13 var. (head in profile right); SNG Copenhagen 517 var. (same); Dewing 1683 var. (same); Gillet 948 var. (same); Jameson 1200 var. (same); Pozzi 1635 var. (same); Caramessini-Oeconomides, Myrina Hoard pl. 28, 135 (same obv. die); CNG 112, 203 (same obv. die); HGC 6, 437 var. (head not in profile). 12.38g, 21mm.
Good Extremely Fine; magnificent old cabinet tone with aquamarine iridescence. Extremely Rare.
From the Long Valley River Collection;
Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 193, 26 September 2011, lot 190.
While the head of the sea turtle employed on the archaic coinage of Aegina was displayed in profile as the prescribed orthodox, by contrast the heads of the land tortoises on the classical coinage of Aegina are always seen from above, with the notable exception of a few extremely rare coins that may represent a short-lived transitional issue struck at the beginning of the main land tortoise series. These profile head issues have traditionally commanded high prices; in particular cf. Triton XXII, 2019, lot 223 (USD 30,000) = Manhattan Sale IV, 2013, lot 46 (USD 24,000) = A. Tkalec, 2011, lot 90 (CHF 22,000) for a beautiful example of the less rare right-facing profile, and cf. NGSA 6, 2010, lot 73 for a considerably inferior example of the left-facing profile.
Good Extremely Fine; magnificent old cabinet tone with aquamarine iridescence. Extremely Rare.
From the Long Valley River Collection;
Ex Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, Auction 193, 26 September 2011, lot 190.
While the head of the sea turtle employed on the archaic coinage of Aegina was displayed in profile as the prescribed orthodox, by contrast the heads of the land tortoises on the classical coinage of Aegina are always seen from above, with the notable exception of a few extremely rare coins that may represent a short-lived transitional issue struck at the beginning of the main land tortoise series. These profile head issues have traditionally commanded high prices; in particular cf. Triton XXII, 2019, lot 223 (USD 30,000) = Manhattan Sale IV, 2013, lot 46 (USD 24,000) = A. Tkalec, 2011, lot 90 (CHF 22,000) for a beautiful example of the less rare right-facing profile, and cf. NGSA 6, 2010, lot 73 for a considerably inferior example of the left-facing profile.