Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3037 Sess. 2-4 5 January 2015
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Ancients
CORINTHIA. Corinth. Ca. 400-375 BC. AR stater (22mm, 8.63 gm, 12h). Pegasus flying right; qoppa below / Head of Athena right, wearing uncrested Corinthian helmet pushed back on head; EYΘ (retrograde) above, owl with two bodies and cojoined head behind. Ravel 619 (P294/T415). Calciati Pegasi 161 corrected (ethnic retrograde). Extremely rare die pairing! Struck in sculptural high relief on a planchet of choice metal, and handsomely toned. NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style. From The California Collection. Ex Numismatik Lanz Munchen 156 (2 June 2013), lot 131 (realized 3,800 euro). In terms of population, wealth and political clout, Corinth was the second city in Greece throughout the Classical era, outshone only by Athens. A Mycenaean settlement on the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, it was seized by the Dorian Greeks in circa 900 BC and by the fifth century BC the city boasted two fine harbors, a host of imposing public buildings, and a population of about 100,000. Corinth's military innovations included the trireme, a warship powered by three banks of oarsmen, and a popular style of enclosed bronze helmet ("Corinthian") that became ubiquitous throughout Greece. Corinthian colonies abounded in Greece proper and Magna Graecia, chief among them Syracuse, Corcyra, Ambracia, and Apollonia. From the late sixth century BC, Corinth's coinage featured the winged horse Pegasus and a fine head of Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet. In mythology, Pegasus was captured and tamed by the hero Bellerophon, who went on to become king of Corinth. Corinthian "colt" staters were struck in enormous numbers both in the mother city and its colonies, rivaling the Athenian "owl" as an international trade coin. With its detailed Pegasus and determined Athena, the extraordinary quality of die engraving and overall condition of this piece place it among the finest surviving specimens of the series.
Estimate: 4000-5500 USD
CORINTHIA. Corinth. Ca. 400-375 BC. AR stater (22mm, 8.63 gm, 12h). Pegasus flying right; qoppa below / Head of Athena right, wearing uncrested Corinthian helmet pushed back on head; EYΘ (retrograde) above, owl with two bodies and cojoined head behind. Ravel 619 (P294/T415). Calciati Pegasi 161 corrected (ethnic retrograde). Extremely rare die pairing! Struck in sculptural high relief on a planchet of choice metal, and handsomely toned. NGC Choice AU 5/5 - 5/5, Fine Style. From The California Collection. Ex Numismatik Lanz Munchen 156 (2 June 2013), lot 131 (realized 3,800 euro). In terms of population, wealth and political clout, Corinth was the second city in Greece throughout the Classical era, outshone only by Athens. A Mycenaean settlement on the narrow Isthmus of Corinth, it was seized by the Dorian Greeks in circa 900 BC and by the fifth century BC the city boasted two fine harbors, a host of imposing public buildings, and a population of about 100,000. Corinth's military innovations included the trireme, a warship powered by three banks of oarsmen, and a popular style of enclosed bronze helmet ("Corinthian") that became ubiquitous throughout Greece. Corinthian colonies abounded in Greece proper and Magna Graecia, chief among them Syracuse, Corcyra, Ambracia, and Apollonia. From the late sixth century BC, Corinth's coinage featured the winged horse Pegasus and a fine head of Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet. In mythology, Pegasus was captured and tamed by the hero Bellerophon, who went on to become king of Corinth. Corinthian "colt" staters were struck in enormous numbers both in the mother city and its colonies, rivaling the Athenian "owl" as an international trade coin. With its detailed Pegasus and determined Athena, the extraordinary quality of die engraving and overall condition of this piece place it among the finest surviving specimens of the series.
Estimate: 4000-5500 USD