Sicily. Syracuse. Timoleon and the Third Democracy, 344-317 BC. Dilitron (Bronze, 28 mm, 20.38 g, 8 h), Timoleontic Symmachy coinage, c. 339/8-334 BC. ΖΕΥΣ ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΟΣ Laureate head of Zeus Eleutherios to left. Rev. ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ Ηorse prancing to left. AMB 499 (this coin). Calciati 80. SNG ANS 533 ff. SNG Lloyd 1456/5. A coin of superb style with a splendid, dark green patina, very probably the finest example of this type known. Extremely fine.
Ex Triton XI, 8 January 2008, 65 and from the collection of A. Moretti, Numismatica Ars Classica 13, 8 October 1998, 499.
This coin is not merely one of the finest bronzes of Syracuse, it is one of the very finest of all known Greek bronze coins. As should be well-known, really fine Greek bronzes are very difficult to find, for the obvious reason that they tended to be used over long periods of time and, thus, are more likely to be found in worn condition. In the past, Greek bronzes were less esteemed than their precious metal contemporaries: some collections had few or none (Duchastel only had 4), and other collections, which did have a good selection of bronzes, like Pozzi and Lockett, were published without them (Hirsch and Naville excluded Pozzi's bronzes from the 1921 auction, and while Robinson intended to publish a dedicated volume of Lockett's bronzes, this was never realized). The Baron de Hirsch, Count Duchastel's rival, did have quite a good group of bronzes (like Rhousopoulos and Pozzi), and his were published by Naster: he had four pieces similar to ours but none were as good. The only piece that comes close was Tom Virzi's coin (Leu 6, 1973, 2 - estimated at 4000), which sold for an astounding 12,000, the highest price in the sale (and probably a then world record price for a Greek bronze coin). Virzi's collection was, in fact, the finest collection of South Italian and Sicilian bronze coins ever formed. The only other recent collection of Greek bronzes was that of David Freedman (Triton V, 2002): lot 251 was of this type but good as it was, it is still inferior to this piece.