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ASIA MINOR, Uncertain. 3rd-2nd centuries BC. Æ (28.5mm, 17.10 g, 4h). Sositimos, magistrate. Helmeted head of Athena right / Prow right; [ΣΩ]ΣITIM[OΣ] above, rose to upper left. MG p. 212, 5 (Chersonesos in Crete); Svoronos, Numismatique, p. 54 (not Crete); G. Gerojannis, “Greek Coins” in JIAN 8 (1905), p. 181, 2 (Rhodes); Peus 340, lot 416 (Phaselis); BN inv. 1972.810. Dark green patina. Near VF. Extremely rare, none in CoinArchives.
This very rare issue was originally attributed to Chersonesos in Crete by F. Imhoof-Blumer (in MG), but both Svoronos, in his study on Cretan coinage, and W. Wroth, in BMC (p. xxxvi), firmly disagreed. Wroth importantly noted that while Imhoof-Blumer relied upon the XE below the prow on his coin for the attribution to a Chersonesos, there was an example in the BM where there was a monogram below the prow, showing that any epigraphic control below the prow was not a mint mark. G. Gerojannis suggested a Rhodian issue connected to the Ptolemaic possessions in the region after the siege of Rhodes in 304 BC. As the coin that Gerojannis discussed was found on Rhodes, and the issue has the rose symbol displayed in the same style as on most Rhodian issues, an attribution that is connected to Rhodes is most likely. However, the use of Athena as the obverse type and lack of the Rhodian ethnic suggests a mercenary issue. A key to resolving this puzzle likely is the magistrate name, Sositimos, that appears on all known examples of this issue. Leschhorn only knows of this issue with this name, and Gerjannis notes that at the time of her article this name was only otherwise known on an inscription from Kamiros. It must be noted, though, that no issue appears in the Carian coin database HNO, though it does lack some Rhodian related issues, and this may be an issue of Rhodian mercenaries issued elsewhere.
Closing Date and Time: 3 June 2026 at 12:23:00 ET.
All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.
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