Sale: Nomos 3 & 4, Lot: 1097. Estimate CHF750.  Closing Date: Monday, 9 May 2011.  Sold For CHF8000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 500-479 BC. Obol (Silver, 1.11 g 3). Head of the nymph Larissa to left, her hair bound with a ribbon and tied at the back. Rev. ΛΑRΙ / Ξ Jason’s sandal to left, all within incuse square. BMC 3 = Herrmann Group I, p. 4, 4 = Traité I, 1415, pl. XLIII, 6. Moustaka 171 var. Rare. Attractively toned and unusually nice. About extremely fine.

The early obols of Larissa are remarkable for their variations in weight, ranging from 0.65 to well over 1 gram: this piece is one of the heaviest known, at 1.11 g. The coins were probably struck at so many to a given weight so that as long as the amount of pieces struck was correct, individual weights were unimportant.