Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3037 Sess. 2-4 5 January 2015
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THESSALY. Larissa. Ca. 385-365 BC. AR drachm (22mm, 6.00 gm, 3h). Head of nymph Larissa facing, turned slightly to right, wearing ampyx, pendant earring and simple necklace / ΛΑΡΙ -ΣΑΙΩΝ Horse crouching to left, about to roll over. BCD Thessaly 1149 (this coin). Lorber Series 1. Type A, O1/R5. Rare dies. Struck on an exceptionally broad flan in sound metal. NGC Choice AU★ 5/5 - 5/5. From The California Collection. Ex BCD Collection (Nomos 4, 10 May 2011), lot 1149 (realized SF 5,500). Despite its feminine sound, the name Larissa derives from a proto-Greek word for "citadel" or "fortress." One of the largest cities in Thessaly, Larissa produced a large and varied coinage from the early-fifth century BC, mostly featuring the hero Thessalos wrestling a bull. Starting about 404 BC, perhaps inspired by Cimon's Syracusan facing-head portrait of the spring nymph Arethusa, Larissa introduced a new design featuring a facing female head probably intended to represent a local spring nymph bearing the city's name. Although later Larissa drachms are closely modeled on Cimon's Arethusa, the early facing Larissa heads show considerable variation in style and execution, including this sensitive issue, which shows the nymph looking slightly to the right (rather than the left, as usually seen), her expression suffused with melancholy.
Estimate: 6000-8500 USD
THESSALY. Larissa. Ca. 385-365 BC. AR drachm (22mm, 6.00 gm, 3h). Head of nymph Larissa facing, turned slightly to right, wearing ampyx, pendant earring and simple necklace / ΛΑΡΙ -ΣΑΙΩΝ Horse crouching to left, about to roll over. BCD Thessaly 1149 (this coin). Lorber Series 1. Type A, O1/R5. Rare dies. Struck on an exceptionally broad flan in sound metal. NGC Choice AU★ 5/5 - 5/5. From The California Collection. Ex BCD Collection (Nomos 4, 10 May 2011), lot 1149 (realized SF 5,500). Despite its feminine sound, the name Larissa derives from a proto-Greek word for "citadel" or "fortress." One of the largest cities in Thessaly, Larissa produced a large and varied coinage from the early-fifth century BC, mostly featuring the hero Thessalos wrestling a bull. Starting about 404 BC, perhaps inspired by Cimon's Syracusan facing-head portrait of the spring nymph Arethusa, Larissa introduced a new design featuring a facing female head probably intended to represent a local spring nymph bearing the city's name. Although later Larissa drachms are closely modeled on Cimon's Arethusa, the early facing Larissa heads show considerable variation in style and execution, including this sensitive issue, which shows the nymph looking slightly to the right (rather than the left, as usually seen), her expression suffused with melancholy.
Estimate: 6000-8500 USD