★ Hephaistos crafting Athena's aegis ★

LYCIA. Olympus. Gordian III , 238-244. Hexassarion (?) (Orichalcum, 37 mm, 25.51 g, 12 h). AYT•K•MAP•ANT•ΓΟPΔIANOC•CЄB• Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian III to right. Rev. OΛYΜΠHNωN Hephaistos seated to right, wearing conical cap, holding hammer in his right hand and shield decorated with gorgoneion (aegis) set on his left knee; before to right, anvil and tongs. BMC -. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG Leypold -. SNG von Aulock -. Von Aulock, Lykien, 190 corr. (one example, from the same dies but tongs omitted). Of the highest rarity, apparently the second and by far the best known example. Struck on a massive, oversized flan made for a much larger issue. Very light doubling on the reverse , otherwise, extremely fine.

The reverse of this coin shows us Hephaistos, the Greek god of fire, volcanoes and blacksmiths, apparently working on the aegis of Athena. It is worth noting that the flan of the coin was clearly made for a much larger issue: it is not only almost double the weight of the first known example (von Aulock, Lykien, 190, 14.63 g), but it also completely falls out of alignment with Gordian's other coinage at Olympus, which gives it a remarkably medallic aspect.