Sicily. Syracuse. Hiero II. 274-216 BC. AV Drachm (4.26g, 12h). Duchastel 174; Tradart 2.52 (this coin). Lightly toned. Perfectly centered and struck. Of remarkably fine style. A lovely coin. Choice extremely fine. From the Sadijas collection

Former general of Pyrrhus and an important figure of the first Punic war, Hiero was the Greek tyrant of Syracuse from 270 to 215 BC and the illegitimate son of a Syracusan noble, Hierokles, who claimed descent from Gelon. A picture of the prosperity of Syracuse during his rule is given in the sixteenth idyll of Theokritos, his favourite poet. In "the Prince", Machiavelli cites Hiero as an exceptionally virtuous man and a rare example of someone who rose to princely power from previously being a private individual... comparing him to Moses, Cyrus, Romulus and Theseus.