Etruria, Populonia

Tridrachm circa V century BC, AR 27 mm, 16.77 g. Boar advancing r. on rocky ground. Rev. Blank. SNG France 78. SNG ANS 14 (this obverse die). EC 2. Vecchi I, 14 (this obverse die). Historia Numorum Italy 112 (this obverse die).
Extremely rare, one of only four specimens in private hands. An issue of tremendous
fascination struck on a very large flan. Extensive traces of oxidations,
otherwise good very fine

From a Scandinavian private collection.
The city of Populonia, known in Etruscan as Pupluna or Pufluna, was long believed to derive its name from Fufluns, an Etruscan wine god similar to Greek Dionysus, but is now thought to have a meaning related to the word populus (people) in Latin. Populonia grew wealthy already by the seventh century BC from an important iron smelting industry fueled by the ore brought from the nearby island of Ilva. By the time this extremely rare tridrachm was struck, Populonia is likely to have become one of the 12 member-cities of the Etruscan League, a loose religious and economic alliance among the major cities of Etruria. As such, the city was probably drawn into the wars of the Etruscan League against the Romans in the fourth century BC that ultimately resulted in the Roman conquest of Etruria. Like many Etruscan coins, the present piece us uniface, struck from a reverse die onto a blank placed on an anvil or even a flat stone with no inset obverse die to make an impression.