SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II. 275-215 BC. AV Drachm – 100 Litrai (14.5mm, 4.27 g, 1h). Struck circa 269-263 or 217-215 BC. Good VF.

CNG Feature Auction 133
Lot: 98. Estimated: $ 4 000

Greek, Gold

Sold For $ 13 500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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SICILY, Syracuse. Hieron II. 275-215 BC. AV Drachm – 100 Litrai (14.5mm, 4.27 g, 1h). Struck circa 269-263 or 217-215 BC. Wreathed head of Persephone left; poppy to right / Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving fast biga right. Carroccio 51 (D21/R24); BAR issue 55; HGC 2, 1540 (this coin illustrated); Gulbenkian 352. Lightly toned, minor edge marks from prior mount, tiny nick on reverse. Good VF. Rare, this variety absent from most major collections.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group inventory 864985 (March 2010); Triton XIII (5 January 2010), lot 73; Triton XI (8 January 2008), lot 71.

Hieron II started life as the illegitimate son of a noble father, allegedly a distant descendant of the Syracusan tyrant Gelon I. Later legends claim Hieron was exposed as an infant, but swarms of bees fed him honey until his father, warned by an astrologer, came and rescued the boy. As a young man, he served as a mercenary soldier in the army of Pyrrhos of Epeiros. When his commander elected to abort his Sicilian expedition in 275 BC, Hieron stayed behind and convinced a cabal of fellow soldiers to choose him as leader and seize power in Syracuse. He went on to rule the city and much of Sicily, first as a military tyrant, later as an enlightened and successful king, for nearly 50 years. He is most famous as the king who patronized the brilliant polymath Archimedes in his “eureka!” discovery, the principle of displacement. Hieron’s coinage is widely varied, interesting, and in many ways inspired by that of his Hellenistic ally, the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.

The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 133 lots will be determined at the live online sale that will be held on 15-16 September 2026.

CNG Feature Auction 133 – Session One – Lot 1-308 will be held Tuesday morning, 15 September 2026 beginning at 9:00 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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