★ From the Duplicates of the BCD collection. Privately purchased in Sep. 1995. Sold with collector's ticket. ★

Locri Opuntii, Bronze third quarter of IV cent. BC, AR 5.71 mm., 19.80 g.
Head of Apollo laureate, r. Rev. OPOYNTIΩN Male figure standing r., draped, holding spear over shoulder and patera in extended r., snake at his feet. from bottom l. circular; in field, coutermark of corn-ears. BCD Lokris-Phocis 149.2 var (different countermark)

Nice brown tone, Very Fine/Good Very Fine.

From the Duplicates of the BCD collection. Privately purchased in Sep. 1995. Sold with collector's ticket.

SNG Copenhagen describes the reverse figure as “Hero (Opus?), standing with sword and lance and feeding serpent”. The hero is indeed carrying a sword but it is sheathed and only the top of the sheath is visible, hanging on his left side. Imhoof-Blumer gave a more detailed description of this interesting type in Monnaies Grecques (1883) p. 148, 73; it is worth reproducing here as the type could well be a copy of a statue: “Héros (Opous?) nu et debout à dr., le genou g. courbé. Sa tête parait casquée. La chlamyde, rejetée derrière les épaules, couvre le dos. Derrière le flanc g. on voit le bout d’une épée; de la main g. il tient obliquement une haste, appuyée contre l’épaule, et de la droite étendue il parait tenir une patère. A ses piéds, un serpent dressé à dr. Dans le champ à g., un grain de blé en contremarque.”