SICILY. Syracuse. Timoleon and the Third Democracy, 344-317 BC. Hemilitron (Bronze, 17 mm, 3.07 g, 3 h), circa 332-317. [ΖΕΥΣ] ΕΛ-[ΕΥΘΕΡΙΟΣ] Laureate head of Zeus to left. Rev. Σ-Υ-[ΡΑ]ΚΟ-ΣΙ-Ω-Ν Octopus. Calciati 75. Castrizio Series I, 3. HGC 2, 1483. LHS 100, 2007, 189 ( same dies ). SNG Copenhagen 731. SNG Morcom 727. A coin of the very finest late Classical style, with a noble head of Zeus and lovely brown patina. Some roughness on the obverse, otherwise, extremely fine.

From the Dr. Paul Peter Urone Collection and from the collection of D. Freedman, Triton V, 15 January 2002, 246.

This is yet another lovely coin that was once in the Freedman Collection, which was famous both for the quality of the bronzes it contained and the surprisingly low prices they received for many of the coin. Aside from the monumental nobility of the head of Zeus on this coin, we also have a typically Syracuse octopus, looking equally stylish in his way. In academic and commercial catalogue illustrations the octopi that appear on Syracusan coins are sometimes shown with their heads above, as on this coin (and in the SNG ANS Part 5, which was, of course, written by Mme. D. Bérend who knew a thing or two about poulpes ), or below, as in SNG Morcom. In fact, the only parallel to the weirdly upside-down octopi that sometimes appear are the upside-down grapes on coins of Bar Kokhba!