Details

LOT 4170

Thrace, Lysimacheia AE Weight of 1/12 Mina. Circa 4th-2nd centuries BC.

Lion walking to left, breaking spear in jaws; ΔΩ below. Cf. Tekin pp. 60-3, pl. 7, figs. 49-51; for inscription, cf. CPAI 2, 045. Condition as seen. Rare denomination.(46.76gr, 31mm.).

Provenance

Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.

Footnotes

The ΔΩ beneath the lion stands for 'twelfth' (ΔΩΔΕΚΑΤΟΝ).
The stance of the lion depicted on this weight bears a striking resemblance to the reverse types depicting a lion crouching leftwards, breaking a spear held in its mouth found on the coinage of Kardia (for example, see HGC 3.2, 1477). This reverse type almost certainly provided the prototype for another hemimnaion weight bearing the ethnic for Lysimacheia (see Gorny & Mosch Auction 169, lot 448 = Tekin 15, fig. 49).
The recorded weights of Lysimacheia suggest a mina of around 500g on a standard of 112/114 drachms (see Tekin, references). The weight of the present 1/12 mina corresponds to this and the presence of the lion, along with its similarity to the aforementioned example, suggest it can be tentatively attributed to Lysimacheia.