THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 380-365 BC. AR Drachm (18mm, 6.06 g, 12h). Near EF.

CNG Feature Auction 129
Lot: 139.
Closing Date: May 14 2025 11:00 ET

Greek, 12h, Coin-in-Hand Video, Silver

Estimate: $ 1 000

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THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 380-365 BC. AR Drachm (18mm, 6.06 g, 12h). Head of the nymph Larissa facing slightly left, grain ears in hair / Mare and foal standing right. L-S Series VI, Type A, dies O4/R1, g (this coin); Lorber, Hoard 8 (same dies); BCD Thessaly II 297; HGC 4, 444; SNG Berry 544 (same dies); McClean 4625 (same dies). Minor patches of find patina. Near EF. Better than most of the examples of middle facing head types on CoinArchives.

Ex CNG inventory 760505 (October 2005).

The name Larissa derives from a proto-Greek word for “citadel” or “fortress.” One of the largest cities in Thessaly, Larissa produced a large and varied coinage beginning in the early-fifth century BC, mostly featuring the hero Thessalos wrestling a bull. Starting about 404 BC, inspired by Kimon’s Syracusan facing-head portrait of the spring nymph Arethousa, Larissa introduced a new design also featuring a facing female head, probably intended to represent a local spring nymph bearing the city’s name. The nymph heads feature on nearly all Larissan coinage, including bronzes, tiny fractions, silver drachms (by far the most numerous coins struck and surviving), and staters of two drachms. The larger staters, in particular, are closely modeled on Kimon’s Arethousa, lacking only the dolphins surrounding the portrait on the original.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 129 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 13-14 May 2025. This lot is in Session One, which will begin 13 May at 9 AM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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