444, Lot: 129. Estimate $2500. Sold for $2150. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MYSIA, Kyzikos. Circa 550-450 BC. EL Stater (17mm, 16.15 g). Hound at bay, on tunny, left / Quadripartite incuse square. FSD SHM 1200 = Hermitage (Exhibition) 112 = Hermitage Sale II 1157 corr. (not Von Fritze 93); CNG 102, lot 362. VF, areas of weak strike on obverse. Very rare variety with the hound’s foreleg lowered, rather than raised, as is usually seen. Only five other examples listed on Coin Archives.

This type is very similar to Von Fritze I 93, but on that issue, the hound/wolf is clearly raising a forepaw (cf. SNG France 230). The appearance of this stater now makes it clear that some of the fractions attributed to Von Fritze 93 are actually of the same variety as the present piece, and have been known for some time. For instance, the hekte CNG 99, lot 182 is clearly Von Fritze 93, with a forepaw raised, while SNG France 232 (like the following lot), with forepaw lowered, is not. Unfortunately, on some dies the foreleg is engraved straight out, such that it is not possible to discern to which variety a coin can be attributed (cf. SNG France 231 [hekte] and Roma 10, lot 484 [stater]), unless the straight leg constitutes even another variety.