311, Lot: 32. Estimate $150. Sold for $575. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THESSALY, Gonnos. Early-mid 4th century BC. Æ Trichalkon (18mm, 6.00 g, 11h). Ram standing left / ΓONNIKON, male figure in short chiton standing right, looking towards sky and holding uncertain object. Rogers –; BCD Thessaly II 73 (same dies; hammer of $1600) and 74.2. VF, brown patina. Extremely rare, perhaps the fourth known (see CNG e184, lot 6 for the other).

From the BCD Collection.

The reverse type is now thought to be Hermes holding his kerykeion, not as originally described in BCD Thessaly II (see below).

A note from BCD from the Triton sale: The ram is well known as the emblem of Gonnos on the later coins of this mint but on the reverse, this very unusual depiction of a farmer (?) contemplating the weather (?) holding a small shrub he intends to plant (?) does not seem to occur elsewhere on coins. The CNG coin was not touted for what it was and therefore ended up quite underappreciated. The unknown up to now version of the ethnic (ΓΟΝΝΙΚΟΝ instead of ΓΟΝΝΕΩΝ) is also very interesting because it refers to the actual piece of money and not to the issuing authority.