Nomos AG
Auction 26 21 May 2023
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SICILY. Syracuse. Dionysios I, 405-367 BC. Hemilitron (Silver, 10.5 mm, 0.30 g, 6 h), circa 405. Head of Arethusa to left, her curly hair bound in a sphendone; border of dots. Rev. ΣΥ - ΡΑ Wheel of four spokes, with letters in the upper quarters and two opposed dolphins in the lower. Buceti 547 var. Kreutzer, Kleinsilbermünzen, 1.γ. SNG Ashmolean 2019. A coin of extraordinarily fine style, struck from dies possibly by Euainetos (suggestion of H.A. Cahn). Light grey patina as found. Struck on a defective and partially broken flan, areas of corrosion, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.
From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions, ex Münzen und Medaillen FPL 395, November/December 1977, 18.
The superb quality of the obverse of this coin makes it exceptional, even for Syracuse! The city took great pride in its coinage, hiring some of the finest engravers of the age to produce the dies used to make the various denominations its mint produced. This often included what seem to be special issues of fractions, struck from especially finely engraved dies. Apparently this was a Sicilian tradition: what seems to have happened is that wealthy individuals paid for the issuance of litrai as donatives to be given to their fellow citizens; and as a way of marking them out they commissioned the best engravers to produce the dies used to mint them. This is certainly one of those special issues; despite its defective flan its high intrinsic character is very clear.
From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions, ex Münzen und Medaillen FPL 395, November/December 1977, 18.
The superb quality of the obverse of this coin makes it exceptional, even for Syracuse! The city took great pride in its coinage, hiring some of the finest engravers of the age to produce the dies used to make the various denominations its mint produced. This often included what seem to be special issues of fractions, struck from especially finely engraved dies. Apparently this was a Sicilian tradition: what seems to have happened is that wealthy individuals paid for the issuance of litrai as donatives to be given to their fellow citizens; and as a way of marking them out they commissioned the best engravers to produce the dies used to mint them. This is certainly one of those special issues; despite its defective flan its high intrinsic character is very clear.