Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Triton XXIV 19-20 Jan 2021
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MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa 450-330 BC. EL Stater (18.5mm, 15.87 g). Kerberos standing left on tunny left / Quadripartite incuse square. Von Fritze I 103; Greenwell 141; Boston MFA 1538 = Warren 1569; SNG BN –; BMC –; Gulbenkian –; Jameson 2555. Lightly toned. Near EF. Well centered. Extremely rare as a stater, one of only four in CoinArchives.
From the Jonathan P. Rosen Collection. Ex Roma XII (29 September 2016), lot 289 (hammer £18,000); David Walsh Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 77, 26 May 2014), lot 55 (hammer 21,000 CHF).
This rare style depicts Kerberos, the guardian of the entrance to the Underworld and the monstrous offspring of Echidna, the mother of all monsters, and Typhon, the deadliest monster of Greek mythology. Kerberos is the focus of the last of the Twelve Labors of Herakles and is also central to the story of Orpheus's journey to the Underworld to retrieve his love Eurydike. While a well known part of Greek mythology, depictions of Kerberos in coinage are rare, found only on coins minted in this period by Epeiros, Cumae, and Kyzikos. Due to this rarity, the type serves as an incredibly beautiful example of an important subject of Greek mythology.
From the Jonathan P. Rosen Collection. Ex Roma XII (29 September 2016), lot 289 (hammer £18,000); David Walsh Collection (Numismatica Ars Classica 77, 26 May 2014), lot 55 (hammer 21,000 CHF).
This rare style depicts Kerberos, the guardian of the entrance to the Underworld and the monstrous offspring of Echidna, the mother of all monsters, and Typhon, the deadliest monster of Greek mythology. Kerberos is the focus of the last of the Twelve Labors of Herakles and is also central to the story of Orpheus's journey to the Underworld to retrieve his love Eurydike. While a well known part of Greek mythology, depictions of Kerberos in coinage are rare, found only on coins minted in this period by Epeiros, Cumae, and Kyzikos. Due to this rarity, the type serves as an incredibly beautiful example of an important subject of Greek mythology.