ISLANDS OFF THRACE, Thasos. Circa 500-463 BC. Stater (Silver, 23 mm, 9.41 g). Nude, ithyphallic and bearded satyr moving right in the archaic ‘running-kneeling’ position, holding a nymph in his arms, who wears thin robes and raises her right hand in protest. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. Asyut 104. Le Rider, Thasiennes 2. SNG Copenhagen 1009. Well-centered, nicely toned and with a remarkably detailed obverse, struck from fresh dies. Minor marks and scratches, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From the Vineyard Collection, ex Münzen & Medaillen (USA) 1, 7 December 1997, 61.The engraver responsible for the obverse of this coin produced a die that was unusually finely detailed: the satyr's beard, hair and facial expression are shown with exceptional care - as is the nymph's head. This painstaking work was too time-consuming for the dies needed to make the enormous Thasian coinage (designed as a way of adding value to the Island's silver exports), and, as clear from the vast majority of surviving examples, simpler versions prevailed.