ISLANDS off CARIA, Rhodos. Rhodes. Circa 404-385 BC. AR Tetradrachm (21mm, 14.65 g, 12h). VF.

CNG Feature Auction 124
Lot: 227. Estimated: $ 2 000

Greek, 12h, Coin-in-Hand Video, Silver

Sold For $ 4 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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ISLANDS off CARIA, Rhodos. Rhodes. Circa 404-385 BC. AR Tetradrachm (21mm, 14.65 g, 12h). Head of Helios facing slightly right / Rose with bud to right; to left, Φ above phiale; all within incuse square. Ashton 46; Hecatomnus 143 var. (A88/P– [unlisted rev. die]); HN Online 1042; HGC 6, 1418. Old cabinet tone, slight roughness, minor die break on obverse, light scratch in field on reverse. VF. High relief.

The polis of Rhodes was created out of a union of the cities of Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos in 408/7 BC, and immediately began to issue a coinage that endured until the Roman era. The rose was chosen as the perennial reverse type, a punning allusion to the city's name (Rhodes). The obverse type was the head of Helios, the city’s patron deity. The first issue of Rhodian coinage was a brief issue of tetradrachms that stand among the finest pieces of Classical Greek numismatic art. On the obverse, the head of Helios is displayed in a nearly frontal position, with his hair dramatically swept back from a central part. Such facing head coins were not novel by this time, but the boldness of the design and the particularly high relief of the dies sets the Rhodian coinage apart from all others. Moreover, this facing head type remained the standard obverse type for most of the Rhodian issues into the first century AD. The city’s devotion to Helios led it to build a gigantic bronze statue of the sun god, the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 124 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 19-20 September 2023. This lot is in Session One, which will begin 19 September at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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