Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3030 5-6 January 2014
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LYDIAN KINGDOM. Alyattes (610-560 BC). EL trite (12mm, 4.72 gm). Sardes (?), ca. 600-580 BC. Two confronted heads of lions (left one off flan); between them, Lydian legend, WALWET / Two square punches side by side. Weidauer 94. J. Spier in Studies Price (London 1998), pp. 330-332. Karweise, Ephesos, p. 123, 480 and p. 145, 534. Le Rider, La naissance de la monnaie, pp. 49-57. Rare issue with a clear inscription! NGC XF★ 5/5 - 5/5. Known examples of electrum coins inscribed in the name of the Lydian king Alyattes ("WALWET" in the ancient Lydian script) were in the single digits until recently, when several examples from an apparent recent find appeared on the market. They remain extremely rare and are certainly among the first coins in history to carry an inscription along with a "type" (see Heritage 3020, lot 24895, for a possibly earlier inscribed "typeless" issue).
Estimate: 12000-18000 USD
LYDIAN KINGDOM. Alyattes (610-560 BC). EL trite (12mm, 4.72 gm). Sardes (?), ca. 600-580 BC. Two confronted heads of lions (left one off flan); between them, Lydian legend, WALWET / Two square punches side by side. Weidauer 94. J. Spier in Studies Price (London 1998), pp. 330-332. Karweise, Ephesos, p. 123, 480 and p. 145, 534. Le Rider, La naissance de la monnaie, pp. 49-57. Rare issue with a clear inscription! NGC XF★ 5/5 - 5/5. Known examples of electrum coins inscribed in the name of the Lydian king Alyattes ("WALWET" in the ancient Lydian script) were in the single digits until recently, when several examples from an apparent recent find appeared on the market. They remain extremely rare and are certainly among the first coins in history to carry an inscription along with a "type" (see Heritage 3020, lot 24895, for a possibly earlier inscribed "typeless" issue).
Estimate: 12000-18000 USD