CRETE. Phaistos. Circa 320-300 BC. Stater (Silver, 25 mm, 11.63 g, 2 h). Herakles, bearded and nude save for his lionskin over his head and shoulders, striding to right, grasping one of the Lernean Hydra's heads in his left hand and raising his club to strike it with his right; around his left leg, the coils of the Hydra's tail; in the field to left, Herakles's bow and bowcase. Rev. Bull standing to left. BMFA Suppl. 125 ( same dies. Le Rider pl. XXIII, 11 ( same dies. Svoronos, Numismatique 66 and pl. XXIV, 23 ( same dies - that coin was the Apostolo Zeno example). Very rare, toned, well-struck and with a particularly 'painterly' version of The Second Labor of Herakles on the obverse. A truly splendid example of this coin. Extremely fine.

From a European collection, and from an American collection, Roma 10, 27 September 2015, 380 .