GAUL. Massalia. Circa 250-225 BC. Large Bronze (Bronze, 27 mm, 15.23 g, 8 h), Heavy Series - 15 g. Laureate head of Apollo to left; behind head, amphora with tall handles. Rev. ΜΑΣΣΑΛΙ[ΗΤΩΝ] Bull butting to right. Apparently unpublished with this symbol, but cf. F/Py-GBM-13-X ( issues with illegible symbols; and see 13-5 for the style of this obverse ). Extremely rare. Even dark patina. Smoothed, otherwise, good fine.

From the Montecristo Collection, ex Burgan VSO 30, 3 July 1992, 242.

Unlike the silver coinage of Massalia, which are often found with little wear, the bronzes are most commonly found in a condition ranging from worn to fairly dreadful. This is surely because they were in almost constant use in daily life; the fact that they were, in general, fairly rapidly and nonchalantly struck also has to be taken into consideration, since that process clearly affected them (a coin that is both poorly struck and heavily used looks even more worn that it is!). This coin, and the previous piece, are both from the rare first series of heavy bronzes (c. 15 g as compared to the second series, weighing c. 10/12 g).