Search


CNG Bidding Platform

Information

Products and Services



Research Coins: Electronic Auction

 
417, Lot: 32. Estimate $150.
Sold for $280. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

THRACE, Mesambria. Circa 225-175 BC. AR Tetradrachm (31mm, 16.82 g, 12h). In the name and types of Alexander III of Macedon. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; crested Corinthian helmet right in left field, monogram below throne (engraved over prior control); die erasure in exergue (of prior monogram). Karayotov I 80 corr. (monogram incorrectly drawn) var. (O–/R90 [unlisted obverse die]); Price 1016 and 1023 corr. (same rev. die as both referenced coins); HGC 3, 1568. VF, lightly toned. Very rare, and numismatically important.


From the Colin E. Pitchfork Collection, purchased from Classical Numismatic Group, 10 November 2001.

Price and Karayotov have numerous mistakes in their catalogs regarding this issue. For his issue 1016, Price references an ANS coin, which must be ANS 1944.100.35748. That coin is from the same reverse die as the BM coin referenced for Price 1023. Since the 1023 entry has an erroneous monogram, the BM coin should be placed under 1016, and 1023 vacated. As he apparently thought all Price numbers referred to individual coins in the BM, Karayotov erroneously lists Price 1016 as his catalog number 193, when that coin is actually his catalog number 189, which references the ANS piece (= Price 1016). Karayotov compounds the problem by drawing incorrect monograms for all of these coins, and those associated with them. He also incorrectly lists his 189 as being from reverse die R89, when it actually is from R90. So, that coin has the correct die combination that Karayotov lists as die combination 80, O23/R90. Unfortunately, he incorrectly notes that catalog number 191 (the BM piece) is from those dies, when actually the obverse die is from a new die. Thus, Karayotov catalog number 191 should be listed as O-/R90 = die combination 80 variety. These mistakes are all apparent by reviewing his plates of the coins, as well as the respective coins in the ANS Pella database. Both Price and Karayotov missed that this reverse die has two erasures; one below the throne, and one in the exergue. These two erasures are the control marks used on the previous two issues (Price 1029 and 1009, respectively), which are all die linked via obverse die O23! There does not seem to be any examples known where this die was in an earlier state with these previous control marks, however, but certainly some examples may yet be found.