SICILY. Katane. Circa 420 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 28 mm, 17.20 g, 7 h). Charioteer standing and driving a quadriga moving slowly to the right; above, Nike flying left to crown the horses; in the exergue, thunderbolt ( often erroneously termed an eagle by cataloguers ). Rev. KATANAIO[N] Laureate head of Apollo to right, with his hair cut short; in the field to right, olive spray. Buceti 40. Rizzo pl. XII, 5 ( same dies ). SNG ANS 1254 ( same dies ). SNG Lockett 729 ( this coin ). Toned and basically well-struck. Some minor edge cracks and the well-known die break on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.
Ex Coin Galleries 16 February 2005, 44 and from the collections of R. C. Lockett, II, i, 25 October 1955, 610 and C. S. Bement, Naville VI, 28 January 1924, 355, ex Hirsch XXXII, 14 November 1912, 34 (bought for Bement by Chapman against Leonard Forrer of Spink for 245 RM).
It would be interesting to investigate the connections between the reverse die of this coin and those thought to have been engraved by the "Maestro della foglia".
Price realized | 9'000 CHF |
Starting price | 3'000 CHF |
Estimate | 3'750 CHF |