BRUTTIUM. The Brettii. Circa 214-211 BC. Double or Didrachm (Bronze, 27 mm, 15.66 g, 5 h). Bearded head of Ares to left, wearing a crested Corinthian helmet adorned with a griffin on the bowl; below neck truncation; grain ear; in the field to right, two pellets. Rev. ΒΡΕΤ - ΤΙΩΝ Nike standing to left, holding palm branch in her left hand and crowning military trophy with a wreath held in her right; between Nike and the trophy, cornucopiae; behind Nike, plectrum. HN III 1975. Scheu, Bronze 4. Well-struck and unusually fine; with a dark-brown patina overlaid by stable green deposits. About extremely fine.

From the collection of a Nobleman who died in 1940, and from the collection of A. Colegate, Ars Classica XVI, 3 July 1933, 295 (with original collector's ticket).

It seems likely that the so-called bronze doubles of the Brettians were officially valued as didrachms so that they could be used as a fiduciary coinage to replace silver during the Hannibalic wars.

Unusually fine and well pedigreed Punic War issue from Bruttium