★ A tiny masterpiece; Very rare ★

BRUTTIUM, Rhegion, c. 415-387 BCE, AE12 (onkia?). 2.09g, 12mm.
Obv: Lion’s head facing
Rev: PHΓINH; Laureate head of Apollo right, olive sprig behind.
Cf. SNG ANS 702, HN Italy 2524, & HGC 1701.
From the Severus Alexander collection.

The olive sprig is normally found on silver and the larger (6-8g) bronze denomination from this period, but is extremely rare on the smaller bronze. The form of the ethnic also places it in this period (see HGC 1701). This is generally regarded as the height of Rhegion’s coinage, as exemplified by the magnificent style on this tiny piece.

The disastrous Athenian expedition against Syracuse ended with Athens’ utter defeat in 413. Despite having supported Athens previously, Rhegion remained neutral during this conflict. Early in the fourth century BCE, the Syracusan tyrant Dionysus I made overtures to Rhegion, but they were rejected, and Dionysios eventually put the city under siege. The siege was long, brutal, and the conclusion terrible: Dionysius sold the entire population into slavery and utterly destroyed the city. (Decades later, it was rebuilt.)