The New York Sale
Auction 32 8 January 2014
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
ANCIENT COINS. GREEK COINS. Crete, Knossos (c.440 B.C.), Silver Stater, 11.99g. The Minotaur in a kneeling-running stance to right, its head facing. Rev. The Labyrinth, in the form of a swastika, five pellets in a floral pattern at the centre, four sunken squares in the corners (Svoronos pl. 4, 23 var; Le Rider, pl. 24, 25).Traces of overstriking, old scratch on reverse, lightly toned, very fine, in unusually good condition for this issue.Extremely rare and most interesting.
Ex Bank Leu AG, Auction 33, Zürich, 3 May 1983, lot 341
Ex Prospero Collection, The New York Sale XXVII, 4 January 2012, lot 407
This fascinating coin depicts an image of one of the most famous of all mythological creatures, the Minotaur, which had the head of a bull and the body of a man.The myth surrounding this beast dates from the period of the Minoan civilisation on Crete, long before the Greeks inhabited the island.The reasons for the destruction of the Minoan culture are not clear, but might have been the result of an earthquake or an invasion.When the Greeks discovered the complex remains of the palace of Knossos centuries later, the legend of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth were born.The Minotaur was said to have been imprisoned in the Labyrinth, designed by Daedalus for King Minos to hold it captive, and was fed with condemned criminals, maidens and young boys sent from Athens as tribute to the Cretan King.In the well-known mythical tale, the Minotaur was killed by Theseus, who had tied a ball of string, given to him by Ariadne, to the entrance to the Labyrinth upon entering so that he would be able to find his way back.When he discovered the Minotaur deep within the Labyrinth, a fierce struggle ensued before Theseus killed the monster with his sword.
Although this coin appears from its style to be archaic in origin, with the Minotaur positioned in the familiar kneeling-running stance, it does in fact date from the classical period.This is usually attributed to the fact that Crete was more isolated than the city-states on the mainland and therefore developed more slowly.Crete also relied upon imported coins for the silver used to strike its coinage; the traces of the overstruck coin can be seen on the obverse of the above example.
Estimate: US$ 40,000
Ex Bank Leu AG, Auction 33, Zürich, 3 May 1983, lot 341
Ex Prospero Collection, The New York Sale XXVII, 4 January 2012, lot 407
This fascinating coin depicts an image of one of the most famous of all mythological creatures, the Minotaur, which had the head of a bull and the body of a man.The myth surrounding this beast dates from the period of the Minoan civilisation on Crete, long before the Greeks inhabited the island.The reasons for the destruction of the Minoan culture are not clear, but might have been the result of an earthquake or an invasion.When the Greeks discovered the complex remains of the palace of Knossos centuries later, the legend of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth were born.The Minotaur was said to have been imprisoned in the Labyrinth, designed by Daedalus for King Minos to hold it captive, and was fed with condemned criminals, maidens and young boys sent from Athens as tribute to the Cretan King.In the well-known mythical tale, the Minotaur was killed by Theseus, who had tied a ball of string, given to him by Ariadne, to the entrance to the Labyrinth upon entering so that he would be able to find his way back.When he discovered the Minotaur deep within the Labyrinth, a fierce struggle ensued before Theseus killed the monster with his sword.
Although this coin appears from its style to be archaic in origin, with the Minotaur positioned in the familiar kneeling-running stance, it does in fact date from the classical period.This is usually attributed to the fact that Crete was more isolated than the city-states on the mainland and therefore developed more slowly.Crete also relied upon imported coins for the silver used to strike its coinage; the traces of the overstruck coin can be seen on the obverse of the above example.
Estimate: US$ 40,000