Heritage World Coin Auctions
January Signature Sale 3089 21-22 Jan 2021
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Ancients
LUCANIA. Sybaris. Ca. 550-510 BC. AR stater (28mm, 7.33 gm, 12h). NGC XF 5/5 - 3/5. Bull standing left, head reverted, on dotted ground line; VM in exergue, dotted border on raised rim / Incuse bull standing right, head reverted; incuse dotted border on incuse rim. SNG ANS 836. HN Italy 1729. Well struck with golden toning throughout.
The Greek colony in Sybaris, located on the instep of the Italian boot, was founded circa 720 BC and quickly amassed great wealth due to its fertile fields and active port. The historian Diodorus Siculus claims it had a population of 300,000 in its heyday, a number aided by the city's "no questions asked" policy of admitting outsiders to its citizenship. Descriptions of the city's wealth and the abundance of luxurious dwellings abound in ancient literature, and "Sybarite" became a synonym for any self-indulgent lover of luxury. Its destruction by Croton in circa 476 BC was attributed to divine vengeance for its ostentatious wealth. The silver coinage of Sybaris follows the remarkable relief / incuse pattern employed by other cities of Greek southern Italy in the sixth and early fifth centuries BC, which required careful flan preparation and precise alignment of the dies. The bull of Sybaris, with its reverted head, exerted a powerful influence on modern artists, including Picasso.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-lucania-sybaris-ca-550-510-bc-ar-stater-28mm-733-gm-12h-ngc-xf-5-5-3-5/a/3089-32008.s?type=CoinArchives3089
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 2000-3000 USD
LUCANIA. Sybaris. Ca. 550-510 BC. AR stater (28mm, 7.33 gm, 12h). NGC XF 5/5 - 3/5. Bull standing left, head reverted, on dotted ground line; VM in exergue, dotted border on raised rim / Incuse bull standing right, head reverted; incuse dotted border on incuse rim. SNG ANS 836. HN Italy 1729. Well struck with golden toning throughout.
The Greek colony in Sybaris, located on the instep of the Italian boot, was founded circa 720 BC and quickly amassed great wealth due to its fertile fields and active port. The historian Diodorus Siculus claims it had a population of 300,000 in its heyday, a number aided by the city's "no questions asked" policy of admitting outsiders to its citizenship. Descriptions of the city's wealth and the abundance of luxurious dwellings abound in ancient literature, and "Sybarite" became a synonym for any self-indulgent lover of luxury. Its destruction by Croton in circa 476 BC was attributed to divine vengeance for its ostentatious wealth. The silver coinage of Sybaris follows the remarkable relief / incuse pattern employed by other cities of Greek southern Italy in the sixth and early fifth centuries BC, which required careful flan preparation and precise alignment of the dies. The bull of Sybaris, with its reverted head, exerted a powerful influence on modern artists, including Picasso.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-lucania-sybaris-ca-550-510-bc-ar-stater-28mm-733-gm-12h-ngc-xf-5-5-3-5/a/3089-32008.s?type=CoinArchives3089
HID02906262019
© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 2000-3000 USD