Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 133 21 Nov 2022
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Greek Coins. Lampsacus.
Stater circa 394-350, AV 8.41 g. Head of Hermes l., wearing large brimmed causia. Rev. Forepart of Pegasus r. within incuse square. Boston, MFA 1589 (these dies). SNG France 1143 (these dies). Baldwin, Lampsakos 13d and pl. I, 25.
Extremely rare. An excellent portrait of fine style struck in high relief.
Almost invisible marks on obverse, otherwise good extremely fine
Ex Lanz sale 150, 2010, 143.
For the better part of the 4th Century B.C. the city of Lampsacus issued gold staters that paired the forepart of Pegasus with a variety of obverse types. Few Greek cities were issuing gold at this time, and the fact that Lampsacus was able to start such a project, and maintain it for five or six decades, speaks volumes of the wealth and importance of the city. To add further perspective, we may note that Lampsacus had issued an important group of electrum staters in earlier times. Its gold staters apparently enjoyed wide distribution, for at least one hoard containing them, the Avola find of 1888, was unearthed near Syracuse (indeed, an example of this Hermes-head type was present in that group). This stater features the youthful head of Hermes, the messenger-god of the Greeks, which was echoed in two important, contemporary electrum coinages – staters of Cyzicus and hectes of Mytilene. In all, Baldwin documented 41 issues of Lampsacene staters in her 1924 study, which is still the standard work on these coinages. Of these, eight bore figural types and 32 bore portraits, revealing an obvious preference at Lampsacus for the latter category. The chief difficulty Baldwin encountered in ordering the series was the surprising lack of die links between issues; in fact, only once was a reverse die carried over from one issue to another, thus making a global die study impossible. She could, however, conduct die studies within each issue, and in the case of the Hermes staters, she was able to locate five examples struck by five obverse and four reverse dies.
Stater circa 394-350, AV 8.41 g. Head of Hermes l., wearing large brimmed causia. Rev. Forepart of Pegasus r. within incuse square. Boston, MFA 1589 (these dies). SNG France 1143 (these dies). Baldwin, Lampsakos 13d and pl. I, 25.
Extremely rare. An excellent portrait of fine style struck in high relief.
Almost invisible marks on obverse, otherwise good extremely fine
Ex Lanz sale 150, 2010, 143.
For the better part of the 4th Century B.C. the city of Lampsacus issued gold staters that paired the forepart of Pegasus with a variety of obverse types. Few Greek cities were issuing gold at this time, and the fact that Lampsacus was able to start such a project, and maintain it for five or six decades, speaks volumes of the wealth and importance of the city. To add further perspective, we may note that Lampsacus had issued an important group of electrum staters in earlier times. Its gold staters apparently enjoyed wide distribution, for at least one hoard containing them, the Avola find of 1888, was unearthed near Syracuse (indeed, an example of this Hermes-head type was present in that group). This stater features the youthful head of Hermes, the messenger-god of the Greeks, which was echoed in two important, contemporary electrum coinages – staters of Cyzicus and hectes of Mytilene. In all, Baldwin documented 41 issues of Lampsacene staters in her 1924 study, which is still the standard work on these coinages. Of these, eight bore figural types and 32 bore portraits, revealing an obvious preference at Lampsacus for the latter category. The chief difficulty Baldwin encountered in ordering the series was the surprising lack of die links between issues; in fact, only once was a reverse die carried over from one issue to another, thus making a global die study impossible. She could, however, conduct die studies within each issue, and in the case of the Hermes staters, she was able to locate five examples struck by five obverse and four reverse dies.