Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
January 2023 NYINC Auction 13-16 Jan 2023
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LYDIA. Alyattes. EL Trite (1/3 Stater) (4.66 gms), Sardes Mint, ca. 620/10-564/53 B.C. NGC Ch F, Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5.
cf. Weidauer-91-2 & 95. Obverse: Confronted lion heads [the right off the flan]; partial Lydian legend between [though mostly obscured]; Reverse: Two square punches. Despite the circulation, this example is well struck and with nice surfaces. The all important Lydian legend is still partially visible on the flan, albeit hard to see. An attractive example of the type and amongst the most important in the history of coinage, with this being one of the first coins to carry an inscription and design.
cf. Weidauer-91-2 & 95. Obverse: Confronted lion heads [the right off the flan]; partial Lydian legend between [though mostly obscured]; Reverse: Two square punches. Despite the circulation, this example is well struck and with nice surfaces. The all important Lydian legend is still partially visible on the flan, albeit hard to see. An attractive example of the type and amongst the most important in the history of coinage, with this being one of the first coins to carry an inscription and design.
Very few examples of both the 1/3 and 1/6 Staters (Trites & Hektes) bearing the Lydian legend for the King Alyattes, rendered "WALWET" in Lydian script, are known to exist, with perhaps a few more than a score known. The flan was inevitably too small to accommodate both lions, usually leaving a single lion and the inscription, as seen on this piece.
Estimate: $1000 - $2000