SICILY, Entella. Punic issues. Circa 407-398 BC. AR Tetradrachm (26mm, 17.67 g, 6h). Forepart of horse right, being crowned by Nike flying right; barley grain before / Palm tree with two date cluster;
QRTHDST in Punic across field. Jenkins,
Punic 23 (O6’/R23); HGC 2, 261. Good VF, lightly toned. Extremely well struck and centered. Rare thus.
Ian Lee (“Entella: The Silver Coinage of the Campanian Mercenaries and the Site of the First Carthaginian Mint 410-409 BC”, in NC 2000, p. 1-66) convincingly argues that the early Siculo-Punic issues were struck at Entella, the main base of Carthaginian forces in Sicily.