Phoenicia. Sidon. Ba`alšillem II. 401-365 BC. AR Double Shekel (28.25g, 12h). Betlyon 18; SNG Lockett 3220. Very rare. Old cabinet tone. Perfectly centered and struck on a broad flan. Insignificant pits on reverse. Exceptional for issue. Superb extremely fine. From a private collection, acquired from Tradart, Brussels, 1991

Sidon was one of the most important Phoenician cities, and it may have been the oldest. From there and other ports, a great commercial empire was founded. Homer particularly praised the skill of its craftsmen in producing glass, purple dyes, and its women's skill at the art of embroidery. To this great city, the ancient metropolis of Phoenicia, belongs the most important coinage of this part of the world down to the time of Alexander the Great