Metropolis. Lot of 5 coins.

Triton XV, Lot: 483. Estimate $150. Sold for $900. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Lot of 5 coins.

(483.1) THESSALY, Metropolis. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (20mm, 7.38 g, 5h). Head of Apollo r., countermark eagle standing r. with closed wings / MHTPOΠO[ΛΙTΩN] from middle l., up and r. down circular, forepart of man headed bull to l., head turned back to face the viewer; below, monogram. Rogers 411 [referring to the ANS coin, at that time in the collection of E. T. Newell]. Fine, countermark is Fine, dark green patina; not perfectly centred but a clear coin and quite interesting for its countermark.

Ptolemy III’s presence in mainland Greece has been discussed and researched but perhaps not so much from the numismatic point of view. This coin, together with lots 483.2 and 483.3 provide us with one more aspect of the very interesting and little known influence the king’s agents had on the poleis of central Greece.

(483.2) THESSALY, Metropolis. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (23mm, 7.27 g, 8h). Head of Apollo r., countermark eagle standing r. with closed wings / [MHTPOΠOΛΙTΩN] from middle l., up and r. down circular, forepart of man headed bull to l., head turned back to face the viewer; to l., monogram. Rogers 411 [referring to the ANS coin, at that time in the collection of E. T. Newell]. Near Fine, green patina; obv. a little off centre.

Where the flan space allows it, the countermark is applied outside the god’s head. Even when there is no space (field) around the head, the application is carried out in such a way that the god’s features are not disfigured.

(483.3) THESSALY, Metropolis. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (21mm, 6.09 g, 8h). Head of Apollo r., countermark eagle standing r. with closed wings / MHT l. up, POΠOΛΙTΩN from the top, r. down circular, forepart of man headed bull to l., head turned back to face the viewer; below, monogram. See Nomos 4, 1208.1 (same rev. die). Near Fine, countermark is Fine, brown-red patina, a little uneven; flan split at 3 o’clock on the obverse (probably due to the countermark strike).

For the same countermark on a bronze of Gomphi, see above, lot 72.3.

(483.4) THESSALY, Metropolis. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (19.5mm, 7.02 g, 5h). Laureate head of Apollo r. / M[HT] l. up, [POΠO]ΛΙT r. down circular, ΩN reversed below, forepart of man headed bull to r., head turned back, two ribbons hanging from its neck; in field l., monogram. No reference to the rev. type r. was found in the literature consulted. Fine, brown patina with the high relief areas in lighter (bronze) colour; rev. partly flat struck (?) on the edge at 2 o’clock.

The so-called flat strike is apparent also on the obv. at 6 o’clock. As the colour and texture of this area are different, especially on the reverse, this writer wonders if the flatness occurred after the strike, when the still hot and soft coin was handled with some kind of pliers.

(483.5) THESSALY, Metropolis. 3rd century BC. Æ Trichalkon (21.5mm, 8.13 g, 7h). Laureate head of Apollo r., countermarked with, firstly, wheat ear, then, owl / [MHTPOΠ]OΛΙTΩN from middle l., up and r. down circular, forepart of man headed bull to l., head turned back. No reference to the two countermarks together was found in the literature consulted but see above, lot 72.3, for the same two countermarks, applied in the same order, on a bronze of Gomphi. Fine, countermarks are VF, brown patina; the coin is considerably more worn than the ones with just the eagle countermark, thus supporting the view that the wheat ear and owl countermarks were applied in the first or second century AD.