Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 115. Estimate CHF5000.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011.  Sold For CHF4200. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

LESBOS, Mytilene. Circa 478-455 BC. Hekte (Electrum, 2.53 g 3), c. 470 BC. ΛΕ Forepart of a bridled horse to right, wearing necklace of large beads and with an ornamented truncation Rev. Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress and with his neck ornamented with small squares; all in incuse. Bodenstedt Em. 23. An extremely rare and attractive hekte, combining dies used in other issues, all from roughly the same time period. Extremely fine.

From the Anthemion collection, USA, acquired privately from Antiqua Inc., c. 2001.

This very rare issue combines a wonderful obverse die used for Bodenstedt 20, with the reverse type of the incuse head of Herakles that appeared in issues 17-19 and 21. The present obverse is one of the very few produced at Mytilene that bear the initial letters of the name of the island; Lesbos.