‡ Italy, Etruria, Populonia, gold 25 asses, c. 300-250 BC, ΧΧV (retrograde), lion’s head with protruding tongue right, rev., no type, 1.39g, (Vecchi 21.70, obverse die O1, this piece; Vecchi, SNR 67 (1988) 47.28, this piece; SNG ANS 2, same die; SNG Lloyd 10 = Jenkins AGC 475, same die), virtually as struck Provenance: P.& P. Santamaria listino, 1961, no 2; Münzen und Medaillen 44, Basel, 15 June 1971, lot 1; Peus 336, Frankfurt, 1993, lot 5; Tradart, 18 November 1993, lot 5 (colour enlargement p. 28); European Connoisseur collection (formed before 2002).Note: The spiky mane and ferociously curled lips of the lion invite comparison to the bronze Chimaera of Arezzo now in Florence. Traditionally the dating of this issue approximated to that of the statue (c. 400 BC), however its weight standard links it to Rome’s Mars/eagle gold issue (after 211 BC) and it has been plausibly suggested that its production was connected to Rome’s war with Hannibal.

Estimate: GBP 6000-8000