PHRYGIA, Prymnessus. Time of Gallienus. AD 253-268. Æ (22mm, 6.73 g, 6h). VF.

Electronic Auction 527
Lot: 222. Estimated: $ 200

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 160. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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PHRYGIA, Prymnessus. Time of Gallienus. AD 253-268. Æ (22mm, 6.73 g, 6h). Draped bust of King Midas right, wearing Phrygian cap / Dikaiosyne standing left, holding scales and scepter. von Aulock, Phrygiens 962-7 (same rev. die as 962); SNG München –; SNG von Aulock 3938 var. (rev. legend). Green patina with earthen deposits. VF.

Midas, the mytho-historical king of Phrygia and Lydia, was granted the so-called "Golden Touch" by Dionysus because the king wished for unending wealth as a reward for his guest-friendship to Silenus. Everything Midas touched turned to gold, including food. Starving and pleading for relief, the king was instructed to bathe in the waters of the river Pactolus. The water removed Midas’ “gift” and turned the sand of the river-bed into grains of gold. It was the naturally-occuring ore of the Pactolus that became the source of the metal used in the first archaic electrum coinages of Asia Minor.

Closing Date and Time: 16 November 2022 at 11:13:40 ET.

All winning bids are subject to an 20% buyer’s fee.