Nomos AG
Auction 26 21 May 2023
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SICILY. Uncertain city. Circa 400 BC. Pentonkion (Silver, 7 mm, 0.26 g). Cleaver with a short handle or a clam shell. Rev. 5 pellets. Buceti (Karthago) 103 (this coin). Otherwise, apparently unpublished. Extremely rare, probably unique. Toned and clear. Extremely fine.
From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions.
Everything about this coin's types is fairly clear and understandable: we know it is a pentonkion from the five pellets; and the obverse type, while in some ways uncertain, is probably a kind of cleaver for chopping through large items like a tuna or swordfish, for example. However, where does it come from? Buceti, who seems to be the only person who has ever published this piece, assigned it to "Carthage/Siculo-Punic mint" and dated it to c. 300-280. Both the attribution and the date are impossible: while it could come from a mint like Panormos (Punic Zis), though it probably doesn't, the issuance of a denomination like this is not particularly 'Punic'; and the date is surely at least 100 years too late. It was purchased as being a unique coin from Himera, but why it should be from there is also questionable. The only thing we can be reasonably sure of is that it is Sicilian!
From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions.
Everything about this coin's types is fairly clear and understandable: we know it is a pentonkion from the five pellets; and the obverse type, while in some ways uncertain, is probably a kind of cleaver for chopping through large items like a tuna or swordfish, for example. However, where does it come from? Buceti, who seems to be the only person who has ever published this piece, assigned it to "Carthage/Siculo-Punic mint" and dated it to c. 300-280. Both the attribution and the date are impossible: while it could come from a mint like Panormos (Punic Zis), though it probably doesn't, the issuance of a denomination like this is not particularly 'Punic'; and the date is surely at least 100 years too late. It was purchased as being a unique coin from Himera, but why it should be from there is also questionable. The only thing we can be reasonably sure of is that it is Sicilian!