Tetradrachm - Second Democracy

Features

Issuer	Syracuse (Sicily)
Tyrant	Dionysius I the Elder (405 BC - 367 BC)
Type	Standard circulation coins
Years	406 BC - 405 BC
Value	Tetradrachm (20)
Currency	Litra
Composition	Srebro
Weight	17.36 g
Diameter	26 mm
Shape	Okrągły (nieregularny)
Technique	Młotkowana
Orientation	Variable alignment ↺
Demonetized	Yes
Number	N# 389436
References	Jameson# 822 Robert Jameson. Collection R. Jameson. Feuardent, Paris, France (4 volumes). , BostonMFA# 417 Agnes Baldwin Brett; 1955. Catalogue of Greek Coins. Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. , de Luynes# 1226 Jean Babelon, Louis Ciani (ed.), Jules Florange (ed.). Catalogue de la collection de Luynes - monnaies grecques. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, France (4 volumes). , SNG ANS 5# 288 Denyse Bérend; 1988. Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum: The Collection of the American Numismatic Society / Part 5. Sicily 3 (Syracuse-Siceliotes). American Numismatic Society, New York City, New York, United States. , BMC Greek# 208 British Museum (publisher). A Catalogue of the Greek Coins in the British Museum. British Museum, London, United Kingdom (28 volumes). , Gulbenkian# 293 Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (publisher). A Catalogue of the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection of Greek Coins. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal (2 volumes). , Kraay&Hirm# 123 Colin Mackennal Kraay, Max Hirmer; 1966. Greek Coins. Thames & Hudson, London, United Kingdom. , Dewing# 846 Leo Mildenberg (ed.), Silvia Mani Hurter (ed.); 1985. The Dewing Collection of Greek Coins. American Numismatic Society, New York City, New York, United States (2 volumes). , HGC 2# 1344 Oliver D. Hoover; 2012. Handbook of Coins of Sicily (Including Lipara) / Volume 2: Civic, Royal, Siculo-Punic, and Romano-Sicilian Issues : Sixth to First Centuries BC. Classical Numismatic Group, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. , Tudeer# 78-81 Lauri Oskar Theodor Tudeer; 1913. Die Tetradrachmenprägung von Syrakus in der Periode der signierenden Künstler = The Tetradrachm Coinage of Syracuse in the Period of the Signing Artists. Druck von W. Pormetter, Berlin, Germany.

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Obverse

(en) Head of Arethusa facing three-quarters left, wearing pearl-shaped pendant and necklace over collier ornamented with pearls; hair flowing in loose tresses. Across her forehead ampyx upon which the signature KIMΩN; around, three dolphins swimming among the locks and the snout of a fourth emerging left from curls. In left field, ΣΩ and above, outside the dotted border, AΡEΘOΣA.

Script: grecki

Lettering:
KIMΩN
ΣΩ
AΡEΘOΣA

Engraver: Kimon (Κίμων)

Reverse

(en) Fast quadriga driven left by chiton clad charioteer, holding kentron and reins; above, Nike flying right, holding wreath to crown the charioteer; on the exergual line, KIMΩN. In exergue, ΣYPAKOΣIΩN and ear of barley left.

Script: grecki

Lettering:
KIMΩN
ΣYPAKOΣIΩN

Engraver: Kimon (Κίμων)

Mint

Syracuse, Italy

Comments

(en)

This coin provides evidence with the legend APEΘOΣA (Arethusa), that the Syracusan coinage of this time depicted the nymph Arethusa.

According to Dr. Fischer-Bossert in Coins, Artists, and Tyrants, we can date this coin to “winter/spring 406/5” based on an imitative quadriga reverse produced in Gela which must have occurred before it's fall in the summer of 405.

Rizzo pl. XLVIII, 11; Boehringer, SNR 57, 1978, pl. 31, 297; Boehringer, Essays Thompson, pl. 38, 4; Cahn, Arethusa Soteira, 1b

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Date					VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
Undetermined
ND (406 BC - 405 BC)							$ 180 000	$ 470 000

Values in the table above are expressed in USD. They are based on evaluations by Numista users and sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only; they are not intended to be relied upon for buying, selling or exchanging. Numista does not buy or sell coins or banknotes.

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Past sales

Pictures	Sale	Date	Grade	Sold price
	Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 120 Lot 280	6 Oct 2020	XF	USD 481 468.53 (CHF 380 000.00) (+ buyer's premium)
© Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG
	CNG Triton XIX Lot 55	5 Jan 2016	XF	USD 225 000.00 (+ buyer's premium)
© Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.
	Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 77 Lot 17	26 May 2014	XF	USD 2 914 151.63 (CHF 2 300 000.00) (+ buyer's premium)
© Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG
	CNG Triton XI Lot 61	8 Jan 2008	XF	USD 575 000.00 (+ buyer's premium)
© Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.
	Oslo Myntgalleri Auction 40 Lot 671	10 May 2025	VF	USD 321 429.10 (NOK 3 000 000.00) (+ buyer's premium)
© Oslo Myntgalleri
	Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 133 Lot 19	21 Nov 2022	VF	USD 32 942.58 (CHF 26 000.00) (+ buyer's premium)
© Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG