Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 1023. Estimate CHF1200.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011.  Sold For CHF9500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Atrax. Circa 370s-360s BC. Hemidrachm (Silver, 2.82 g 11). Head of the nymph Bura to left, wearing pendant earring and necklace. Rev. ΑΤΡΑΓ - ΙΟΝ Horse standing right. BMC 1 var. Traité IV, 736 and pl. CCC, 5. Extremely rare, one of only a very few examples known. A splendid piece of wonderful style. Surfaces slightly rough, otherwise, extremely fine.

This is unquestionably one of the finest known silver coins of Atrax, and is extremely rare. The date is surely 4th century - all the earlier coinage of the city is given the traditional date of 400-344 - but it surely is not as early as circa 400. We would suggest that the earliest issues, those with an omicron, Ο, came first and began in the 370s, while all those with an omega, Ω, in the legend came later, in both the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Bura was the nymph who protected the local water source.