Exceptional Archaic Electrum Stater

Sale: Triton XI, Lot: 102. Estimate $50000.  Closing Date: Monday, 7 January 2008.  Sold For $80000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THRACO-MACEDONIAN REGION, Uncertain. Circa 500-480 BC. EL Stater (13.99 g). Forepart of bull left / Rough rectangular incuse punch. M. Price, “A field in Western Thrace” in Coin Hoards II (1976), 3 (same die and punch). EF. Well centered and struck; fine style.

The long discredited theory of Svoronos, proposed in HPM, pp. 187-197 and pl. 16, that there was a substantial Thraco-Macedonian electrum issue, was finally vindicated by M. Price in his article on a group of coins found in Thrace (ref. above). The argument for the re-attribution of this and similar electrum issues (cf. Traité I 71, 76-77; PCG pl. 1, 13; and Leu 13, 221 [Ionia]), previously ascribed to the Ionian region, to uncertain mints of Macedon and Thrace is very convincing. Find evidence and the coins' rectangular incuse squares suggest they were issued by Greek cities along the northern Aegean coast that were sympathetic to the cause of the Ionian Revolt of 499-494 BC. The bull forepart depicted has a close parallel to those on the early issues of Dikaia in Thrace, but also is similar in style to various Thraco-Macedonian tribal issues (e.g. the Derrones) and the coinage of Akanthos in Macedon.