Central Europe. Lower Danube. Geto-Dacians. Mid 1st century BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 32 mm, 16.09 g, 12 h), imitating the tetradrachms of Thasos. Celticized head of Dionysos to left. Rev. HPΛKLEOVΣ / ΖΩVHIOZ / ΟΛZIΛN (sic! Herakles, standing facing with his head to left, holding club with his right hand and lion's skin with his left; between club and Herakles's leg, N; before Herakles's head, garbled inscription. No close parallel found. A curious, sharp and toned coin. Slight bend in the flan, otherwise, extremely fine.
From an American collection.
This is really an odd coin, even for the normally odd imitations of Thasian tetradrachms! It has a particularly bold head of Dionysos, with a very prominent ivy wreath, and it also has a strange reverse, with its gibberish inscription before Herakles's head. Picasso would surely have loved this coin!
Price realized | 460 CHF |
Starting price | 360 CHF |
Estimate | 450 CHF |