Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3037 Sess. 2-4 5 January 2015
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SICILY. Leontini. Ca. 430-425 BC. AR tetradrachm (26mm, 17.34 gm, 11h). Laureate head of Apollo left, dotted border / LEON-TI-NOY, three barley grains and laurel leaf around head of roaring lion left. Boehringer 55 (same dies). SNG ANS 257 (same dies). Rizzo pl. XXIV, 4 (same dies). An unbelievably perfect specimen, deeply struck on a broad flan, with fully lustrous fields. One of the finest surviving examples of this elegant die pairing. NGC MS★ 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. From The Lexington Collection of Jonathan K. Kern. The silver tetradrachms of Leontini show a notable progress of artistic styles throughout the fifth century, beginning with archaic depictions of a walking quadriga similar to issues of Sicily, to a highly stylized Apollo head in "mannerist" style, to the final evolution seen with this elegant issue of circa 430-425 BC, depicting Apollo in a highly refined and naturalistic form. A number of specimens struck from this obverse die are known, displaying the steady progression of a die break that appears in Apollo's hair. On this specimen, the break is barely visible; with successive strikes, it comes to obscure the entire side of his head. Leontini's reliance on agriculture instead of sea trade is reflected on the barley corns surrounding the central lion on the reverse. Leontini's beautiful silver coinage basically ceases soon after this coin was struck, in 424 BC, when the city lost a war with Syracuse and its entire population was expelled and resettled.
Estimate: 12000-16000 USD
SICILY. Leontini. Ca. 430-425 BC. AR tetradrachm (26mm, 17.34 gm, 11h). Laureate head of Apollo left, dotted border / LEON-TI-NOY, three barley grains and laurel leaf around head of roaring lion left. Boehringer 55 (same dies). SNG ANS 257 (same dies). Rizzo pl. XXIV, 4 (same dies). An unbelievably perfect specimen, deeply struck on a broad flan, with fully lustrous fields. One of the finest surviving examples of this elegant die pairing. NGC MS★ 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style. From The Lexington Collection of Jonathan K. Kern. The silver tetradrachms of Leontini show a notable progress of artistic styles throughout the fifth century, beginning with archaic depictions of a walking quadriga similar to issues of Sicily, to a highly stylized Apollo head in "mannerist" style, to the final evolution seen with this elegant issue of circa 430-425 BC, depicting Apollo in a highly refined and naturalistic form. A number of specimens struck from this obverse die are known, displaying the steady progression of a die break that appears in Apollo's hair. On this specimen, the break is barely visible; with successive strikes, it comes to obscure the entire side of his head. Leontini's reliance on agriculture instead of sea trade is reflected on the barley corns surrounding the central lion on the reverse. Leontini's beautiful silver coinage basically ceases soon after this coin was struck, in 424 BC, when the city lost a war with Syracuse and its entire population was expelled and resettled.
Estimate: 12000-16000 USD