★ Ex Triton XI, 2008 ★

Bruttium, Lokroi Epizephyrioi AV 1/10 Stater. Time of Pyrrhos of Epeiros, circa 280 BC. Attic standard. Head of eagle to left, with serpent in its beak, ΟΛ above; all within circular pelleted border / Upright winged thunderbolt. SNG ANS 498; SNG Copenhagen 1857; Pozzi 795; Jameson 447; HN Italy 2346. 0.91g, 10mm, 6h.

Good Very Fine; usual area of flat strike, die break to rev. Very Rare.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XI, 8 January 2008, lot 29.

Like most of the gold issues of Magna Graecia, this coin can be associated with a time of emergency that required the striking of extraordinary currency. This type most likely hails from the time of Pyrrhos of Epeiros' campaign in Italy, as the weight standard adheres more closely to that present during the third century, as argued by Colin Kraay. This view is given credence by the existence of a parallel issue struck at Tarentum that has been definitively dated to this time.