CALABRIA. Tarentum. Circa 280-228 BC. Diobol (Silver, 12.5 mm, 0.94 g, 10 h). Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet; behind, Σ. Rev. Σ / C - Ι Herakles standing facing, holding, with his right hand, the handle of his club, its head resting on the ground to left, and, in his left, a branch with apples ( the Apples of the Hesperides ); and with his lion's skin draped over his left arm. Diobols, Series I, Type 279. HN III 1066 ( but reverse letters misread ). SNG ANS 1468. SNG Ashmolean 524. Vlasto 1394 ( same dies ). Very rare. Well-struck, well-centered and nicely toned. Nearly extremely fine.

From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions, ex Münzen & Medaillen FPL 581, November/December 1994, 3.

This is quite an extraordinary coin! We are used to Herakles appearing on Tarentine diobols, but he is normally seen battling the Nemean lion or strangling snakes; what we have here is much rarer. here we see him returning from yet another of his successful labours, the quest for the Golden Apples of the Hesperides (his Eleventh Labour). This was quite a difficult task since Herakles had to go through considerable effort to find out where the Gardens of the Hesperides were (on the way killing the giant Antaios, among other feats). Once learning the secret, he then had to convince Atlas, whose seven daughters the Hesperides were, to get the apples for him. However, to do this Atlas, who was supporting the heavens, had to let Herakles take over for him; when Atlas got the apples, Herakles had to con him into taking back the heavens (!); and so, off he went! A flamboyant painting showing Atlas and his seven languid, apple-holding daughters, can be found on the ceiling of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and was painted in 1921 by John Singer Sargent (https://collections.mfa.org/objects/32219). Considering Boston's then reputation for strait-laced Puritan morality, this painting shows that you can get away with anything if you say it is Classical!