Nomos AG
Auction 28 22 May 2023
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THESSALY. Ainianes. Circa 80s BC. Trihemidrachm (Silver, 23.5 mm, 7.40 g, 12 h), Reduced Aiginetic standard, Hypata. Struck under the magistrate Eukrates. Head of Athena Parthenos to right, wearing an Attic helmet adorned with Pegasos, tendril, and four horse protomes. Rev. ΑΙΝΙΑΝΩΝ / ΕΥΚΡΑΤΗΣ Phemios, as a slinger, nude but for chlamys over his shoulder and sword on baldric, standing facing, head turned to right, hurling his sling to right; behind him, two spears leaning against his right leg; in the field on the far right, trophy. BCD Thessaly I, 1018 = De Callataÿ 2004, 22 (this coin). SNG Copenhagen 13. The finest example known, extremely rare thus, and with an impressive pedigree stretching back to 1909. Nearly extremely fine.
From the BCD Collection, Nomos 4, 10 May 2011, 1018 (sold for 13000 CHF), ex Sternberg XI, 20 November 1981, 85 and from the collection of G. Philipsen, Hirsch XXV, 29 November 1909, 578.
The late coinage of the Ainianes is a very strange one, traditionally dated to c. 168-146: this is not conceivably possible. De Callataÿ's theory of a post-Sullan date for them (in his study of 2004) just has to be correct, though the chronological extent of the coinage may be longer than he suggested. While stylistic comparisons with Athenian New Style tetradrachms are not really helpful, the heads here do look rather post-Sullan in date (compare to the Nestor-Mnaseas group, Thompson 1205-1221 for example). Another factor is the appearance of the magistrate's name on the obverse, a practice found on Achaian League issues of the 1st century (as those of Elis in BCD Peloponnesos 686-691). As for the denomination: the usual explanation is that they are reduced weight Attic didrachms (they usually weigh from around 7.40 to 7.70), especially since they bear a head of Athena Parthenos. De Callataÿ believes this and, knowing him, he's probably right. But why on earth should they be: this would be an extremely unusual denomination, one that was nearly completely foreign to central Greece (save for Leukas, far to the west). In any case, they would have to be very reduced weight Attic since even the latest Athenian tetradrachms are around 16 g and more. No, it seems much more likely that they were produced on the dominant standard used in most of Greece: the reduced Aiginetic, which results in their being perfect trihemidrachms, based on a hemidrachm of c. 2.40-2.50 g. One may repost by pointing out that trihemidrachms would be pretty unusual too, but what else can they be? In any case, while a good number of these coins were originally issued, only a very few survived, indicating that they, and their denomination, were not particularly popular!
From the BCD Collection, Nomos 4, 10 May 2011, 1018 (sold for 13000 CHF), ex Sternberg XI, 20 November 1981, 85 and from the collection of G. Philipsen, Hirsch XXV, 29 November 1909, 578.
The late coinage of the Ainianes is a very strange one, traditionally dated to c. 168-146: this is not conceivably possible. De Callataÿ's theory of a post-Sullan date for them (in his study of 2004) just has to be correct, though the chronological extent of the coinage may be longer than he suggested. While stylistic comparisons with Athenian New Style tetradrachms are not really helpful, the heads here do look rather post-Sullan in date (compare to the Nestor-Mnaseas group, Thompson 1205-1221 for example). Another factor is the appearance of the magistrate's name on the obverse, a practice found on Achaian League issues of the 1st century (as those of Elis in BCD Peloponnesos 686-691). As for the denomination: the usual explanation is that they are reduced weight Attic didrachms (they usually weigh from around 7.40 to 7.70), especially since they bear a head of Athena Parthenos. De Callataÿ believes this and, knowing him, he's probably right. But why on earth should they be: this would be an extremely unusual denomination, one that was nearly completely foreign to central Greece (save for Leukas, far to the west). In any case, they would have to be very reduced weight Attic since even the latest Athenian tetradrachms are around 16 g and more. No, it seems much more likely that they were produced on the dominant standard used in most of Greece: the reduced Aiginetic, which results in their being perfect trihemidrachms, based on a hemidrachm of c. 2.40-2.50 g. One may repost by pointing out that trihemidrachms would be pretty unusual too, but what else can they be? In any case, while a good number of these coins were originally issued, only a very few survived, indicating that they, and their denomination, were not particularly popular!