★ A magnificent and extremely rare 15 litrai or tridrachm of Hiketas II ★

SICILY. Syracuse. Hiketas II, 287-278 BC. 15 Litrai or Tridrachm (Silver, 25 mm, 12.40 g, 7 h). Head of Kore to left, wearing wreath of grain ears, single-pendant earring and pearl necklace, and with her hair flowing loose; behind her neck, holly leaf. Rev. [ΣΥ]ΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ Nike driving quadriga galloping to left, holding kentron in her right hand and reins in her left; above, star. Basel 517 ( this coin ). Dewing -. Gulbenkian 346-347 var. (bee not holly leaf). Kunstfreund 230 var. (bee not holly leaf). SNG Lockett 1009 ( same dies ). An extremely rare variety of a very rare issue. Beautifully struck and of splendid early Hellenistic style, with a magnificent head of Kore and in exceptional condition for the issue. Extremely fine.

From the Kleinkunst Collection and from the collection of A. D. Moretti, Numismatica Ars Classica 13, 8 October 1998, 517.

The very rare Syracusan tridrachms were struck under Hiketas II, whom his fellow citizens appointed to strategos to fight Menon of Segesta, the leader of Agathokles' remaining mercenary army. Unlike his predecessor, Hiketas never assumed any titles that we know of; in fact, his coinage refers to him either in the plane form ΕΠI IKETA, 'under Hiketas', or, as on this tridrachm, not at all. This differentiates him remarkably from the other rulers of Syracuse in the 3rd century BC, all of which were called kings, and perhaps reflects his civic background.