Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History & Coins

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated to left, holding sceptre. Cf. HGC 3.1, 918. 0.53gr, 9mm, 12h.

Near Very Fine.

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Head of Herakles in lion-skin headdress to right / Club and bow in bowcase; ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ between, monogram of AP(?) below. Cf. Price 3427. 6.66gr, 20mm, 2h.

Near Very Fine.

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ between bow in quiver and club; uncertain control. Cf. Price 2110 (monogram). 5.75gr, 18mm, 6h.

Good Fine.

Ex Parthenon Gallery and Coincraft, London, UK, 1990s-2000s. Property of a North London, UK, private collector.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / ΒΑΣIΛΕΩΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ, Zeus seated to left on high-backed throne, right leg drawn back, his feet resting on low foot rest, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; M in left field, B beneath throne. Price P182; Waggoner Issue III, obv. die 204. 17.00gr, 26mm, 9h.

Very Fine. Porous obverse, graffiti on reverse.

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated to left on backless throne, right leg drawn back, his feet resting on low foot rest, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; in left field, -|O (Phoenician 'K = 'Ozmilk [king of Tyre]) above = ||| ||[...] (date in Phoenician). Cf. Price 3274a. 16.61gr, 25mm, 11h.

Very Fine.

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ, Zeus seated to left on backless throne, right leg drawn back, his feet resting on low foot rest, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; filleted thyrsos in left field. Price P51. 4.08gr, 18mm, 12h.

Very Fine. Test cut.

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / [ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ], Zeus seated to left on backless throne, right leg drawn back, his feet resting on low foot rest, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; [spearhead in outer right field], barley grain beneath throne. Price 1751. 3.14gr, 16mm, 9h.

Near Very Fine. Areas of delamination.

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated to left on high-backed throne, right leg drawn back, his feet resting on low foot rest, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; ΣΩ in left field, monogram of ΣΤΡ beneath throne. Price 3807 (Carrhae). 15.50gr, 24mm, 10h.

Very Fine.

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟ[Υ], Zeus seated to left on backless throne, right leg drawn back, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; forepart of Pegasos to left; monogram of ΠΡ beneath throne. Price 1393; ADM II Series XVIII. 3.70gr, 17mm, 12h.

Near Very Fine.

Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated to left on backless throne, right leg drawn back, his feet resting on low foot rest, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; in left field, Λ above torch; monogram of ΜΗΓ beneath throne. Price 447; Ehrhardt 35. 16.85gr, 26mm, 11h.

Near Very Fine.

Ex Rasmussen numismatics.

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied beneath chin / ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus seated to left on backless throne, legs spread, holding long sceptre in his left hand and, in his right, eagle standing to right with closed wings; in left field, Λ above boukranion; monogram of ΗΓ beneath throne. Price 430; Ehrhardt 19. 17.12gr, 24mm, 1h.

Very Fine.

Ex inventory of a Bavarian merchant. Ex Roma Numismatics Ltd, E-Sale 73, 23 July 2020, lot 265.

Head of Athena to right, wearing crested Attic helmet with raised cheek pieces; behind neck, ΤΗ above ΙΠ (engravers' initials) in small lettering / Φ-Α-Ρ-Σ clockwise around Thessalian cavalryman riding horse prancing to right, wearing petasos, chlamys and chiton, and holding lagobolon over his right shoulder; in exergue, Τ (engraver's initial). Lavva 86 (O43/R51); BCD Thessaly I 1284 var. (TH in exergue); BCD Thessaly II 639 var. (no ΙΠ); HGC 4, 624. 5.95gr, 18mm, 9h.

Good Extremely Fine. Tiny cut on reverse. Attractive toning with golden iridescence around the devices. Sharply struck and surprisingly detailed.

From a Swiss collection, acquired prior to 2005. Ex Nomos AG, Auction 21, 21 November 2020, lot 145 (company's ticket included).

If the harmony and the aristocratic inner peace of the portraits are the first thing that catches our attention, it is the extremely detailed rendering of the figures, especially on the reverse, that makes the viewer cling more to their admiration for this coin. Each depiction of Athena’s head in these emissions of Pharsalos makes us believe that she has her own character and that no two are the same, even though they share the same characteristics. Athena in our coin looks like a tender girl with a serious but innocent look in her eyes. Her divine power, despite her young age, is not violent; it is simply inherent in the serenity of her gaze. On the other hand, the detailed rendering of the cavalryman’s and horse's face, the texture of his chlamys, the harmonious matching of muscles and joints in the horse's body, and even the pronounced veins in the horse's belly convince us of a talented engraver and a gifted artist.