Nomos AG
Auction 26 21 May 2023
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ATTICA. Athens. Circa 393-355 BC. Obol (Silver, 8 mm, 0.58 g, 11 h). Head of Athena with profile eye to right, wearing crested Attic helmet adorned with three olive leaves and palmette, round earring and pearl necklace. Rev. A-Θ-E four crescents forming a square pattern with points outward; legend running horizontally across with the theta at the center; all within a shallow incuse square. HGC 4, 1667. SNG Soutzos 700. Svoronos, Trésor, pl. 22, 7. Very rare. Clear and nicely toned. About extremely fine.
From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions, ex Münzen und Medaillen FPL 570, November/December 1993, 95 and from the collection of C. T. Seltman, NCirc LXVII, 1, January 1957, 12030.
Marks of value are rarely found on Greek coins; sometimes they are indicated by their letter, such as a Δ used as the reverse type for a diobol, but in most cases they are indicated by aspects of the design. Athens produced a number of minor silver fractions, as well as some bronzes, which indicated their denomination by their types. This piece is the first of an interesting group with their denominations expressed as multiples of the quarter obol or tetartemorion: here we have four crescents = tetratetartemorion = 4 quarter obols = obol! The next lot shows three crescents and is, thus a tritetartemorion = 3/4 obol; and, finally in lot 339, we have a single crescent = tetartemorion = 1/4 obol!
From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions, ex Münzen und Medaillen FPL 570, November/December 1993, 95 and from the collection of C. T. Seltman, NCirc LXVII, 1, January 1957, 12030.
Marks of value are rarely found on Greek coins; sometimes they are indicated by their letter, such as a Δ used as the reverse type for a diobol, but in most cases they are indicated by aspects of the design. Athens produced a number of minor silver fractions, as well as some bronzes, which indicated their denomination by their types. This piece is the first of an interesting group with their denominations expressed as multiples of the quarter obol or tetartemorion: here we have four crescents = tetratetartemorion = 4 quarter obols = obol! The next lot shows three crescents and is, thus a tritetartemorion = 3/4 obol; and, finally in lot 339, we have a single crescent = tetartemorion = 1/4 obol!