EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (36mm, 29.35 g, 12h). Labors of Herakles series. Dated RY 10 (AD 146/7). Good Fine.

CNG Feature Auction 124
Lot: 467. Estimated: $ 750

Roman Provincial, Bronze, Coin-in-Hand Video

Sold For $ 4 750. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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EGYPT, Alexandria. Antoninus Pius. AD 138-161. Æ Drachm (36mm, 29.35 g, 12h). Labors of Herakles series. Dated RY 10 (AD 146/7). Laureate head right / Herakles and the Lernaean Hydra - Herakles standing right, seen from the front, lion skin tied at his neck, holding club overhead with his right hand; before him; the anthropomorphized Lernaean Hydra holding her right arm-tentacle upward; L ∆ЄKATOV (date) in exergue. Köln –; Dattari (Savio) –; K&G –; RPC IV.4 Online 17159; Emmett 1545.10 (R5). Brown surfaces, smoothing, metal flaws, small flan crack, scrapes on reverse. Good Fine. Extremely rare, only one known to RPC, none in CoinArchives.

For his second labor, Herakles had to kill the Lernaean Hydra, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, and the sibling of the Nemean Lion, the Chimaera, and Kerberos. Inhabiting the swamp near Lake Lerna in the Argolid, the creature possessed numerous mortal and one immortal head on its single body; should one head be removed, two more would grow in its place. When Herakles reached the swamp where the Hydra dwelt, he drew it out of its lair near the spring of Amymone. Thereupon, wielding a harvesting sickle, he attempted to decapitate the creature. When this proved unsuccessful, because of the Hydra’s regenerative ability, Herakles enlisted the assistance of his nephew Iolaos, who devised a plan: once Herakles had cut off one of the creature’s heads, Iolaos would cauterize the stump with a burning firebrand. The plan succeeded, and the Hydra was destroyed. Herakles placed its one immortal head under a large rock on the sacred way between Lerna and Elaius and dipped his arrows in its poisonous blood.

On this rare Alexandrian type, Hydra is anthropomorphized as a giantess, which has been interpreted in the past as “the giantess Echidna raising her son Hydra against Herakles in defense.” It remains a mystery as to why the engravers at the Alexandrian mint chose this non-canonical interpretation for the Lernaean Hydra, especially when other provincial mints that struck coins for the various labors used the more traditional representation.

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 Two, which will begin 19 September at 2 PM 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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