SICILY. Acragas. Punic occupation by Hannibal (ca. 213-211 BC). AR half shekel (18mm, 3.53 gm, 11h). NGC Choice XF 5/5 - 3/5, brushed. Second Punic War, under Carthaginian rule. Male head right (Triptolemos?), wearing wreath of grain ears; dotted border / Horse leaping right; H (Punic) below, all within wreath. cf. Burnett, Enna 133/134. Müller III, 38, 45 (Hiempsal II). Mazard 78 (Hiempsal II). Very rare - only three examples found in Coin Archives with prices realized ranging from $1700-$6500. Struck as a coinage of conquest by the forces of Hannibal's Carthaginian army during the middle of the Second Punic War, also known as the Hannibalic War or the War Against Hannibal. The style is that of both Carthage and Numidia resulting in this issue, until recently, being attributed to a much later date - the reign of Numidian King Hiempsal II, father of Mauritanian King Juba I. The Punic letter H has also been problematic, however, it could as easily be attributed to Hannibal himself rather than Hiempsal. The portrait is yet another enigma of this series. The facial details are well defined and sculpted as if the artist was trying a recreate the portrait of an actual man, not just a mythological figure. If so, this knowledge has been lost to history.

HID09801242017

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