CORINTHIA. Corinth. Circa 550-500 BC. Stater (Silver, 24 mm, 8.58 g). Ϙ Pegasos, bridled and with a curved wing, flying to left. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square in the form of a swastika to left and with a pellet at the center. Coupar 134 (o86/r89, same dies ) and Ravel 89 ( same dies ). Very rare. Beautifully toned and very well-centered. Extremely fine.

Property of a Late Collector, ex Tradart 8 November 1992, 87 and Bank Leu 48, 10 May 1989, 194, and said to be from the Taranto find of 1911 (see the note below).

When this coin first appeared at auction in 1989, with no earlier provenance, it was estimated at CHF 5000 and sold for 15500. Slightly over three years later it reappeared, estimated at 22-28000, and, as per usual, lacking the earlier provenance, it ended up going for CHF 37000 (+ commissions, etc.). However, a few years previously, in 1981 to be exact, a group of coins of this type appeared (see CH VIII, 1994, Hoard 17 and plates II & III); and, in fact, this piece appears as pl. III, 18 ! This seemingly would provide us with an accurate reference; but, unfortunately, as S.-A. Coupar pointed out in her thesis from 2000 (p. 282, note a), that 'hoard' seems to have only contained a few genuine pieces mixed with a mass of modern forgeries! Even more unfortunate is the fact that neither the Tradart sale of 1992 nor Bank Leu 48 seems to have been seen and recorded by Coupar! But, mysteriously, she does have a photograph of this coin, as being from the Taranto Hoard of 1911 (!!!), on pl. B of volume I (fourth row from the top, 1st coin on the right). Even more mysteriously, in 1985 in BOC 10/2, pp. 5-8, when I published a group of forgeries from that 'hoard', I included photographs of two genuine examples as comparanda (p. 8, A & B): p. 8, A is from the same dies as the present piece!! In any event, it is clear that what we have is an indubitably genuine, and very attractive, archaic stater of Corinth!