SICILY, Messana. 412-408 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 17.33 g, 11h). Charioteer, holding kentron in left hand and reins in right, driving slow biga of mules left; above, Nike flying right, crowning charioteer with wreath held in extended right hand and fillet in left / Hare springing right; above, traces of letters and dove perched left on hare's ear; below, grain stalk left; MEΣΣANIOΣ in exergue. Caltabiano Series XVA, 615 (D220/R242); HGC 2, 797 (same obv. die as illustration); SNG ANS 378 (same obv. die); SNG Lloyd 1104 (same dies); Jameson 657 (same dies); Rizzo pl. XXVII, 5 (same obv. die). Lightly toned over lustrous surfaces. Choice EF. Well centered. Exceptional.
Ex Triton XXIII (14 January 2020), lot 108.
Rizzo, Jameson, Forrer, and Evans mention the appearance of small letters, ANAΛ or ANAN, visible to the left of the bird on the reverse. Caltabiano does not note this "signature" in her corpus, nor is it mentioned in SNG Lloyd, whose example is of the same die. However, the appearance of a signature on this issue would not be without precedent, as there are examples of an artist signing 'ΣΙΜΙΝ' on examples in this same time period. (cf. Sotheby's NY, 21 June 1990, lot 238, SNG ANS 381; Jameson 653).