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Lot 3150
Kingdom of Lydia, Before Kroisos, c. 630-600 BC. Electrum Third Stater (4.71 g) probably struck at Sardes. Head right of roaring lion with radiate globule on forehead; above, name "VALVEL" in retrograde. Reverse: Oblong punch roughly divided. Cf. Babelon plate II, 10 (sixth stater); cf. Weidauer 91-96; Spier (Studies Price) —. A great rarity. Extremely clear, minuscule letters for inscription. Choice Very Fine.
Some of the many closely allied fields of study of ancient coinage are epigraphy, metallurgy, astronomical occurrences, geography, the development of the pictorial, as well as purely historical events. These allied fields of study can lead one into new areas of well-established interests. They can involve musical instruments as depicted on ancient coins, meteorites that were revered by the ancients, and the development of letters and inscriptions. It is with this last study that this inscribed coin demonstrates an early experimental issue. The most archaic of inscribed coins were thought to be from Ionia, those issues proclaiming, "I am the badge of Phanes." This inscription no doubt guaranteed the personal wealth of the treasury official. In addition, coins with a guarantee of weight and purity of metal were fashioned from electrum nuggets found in the alluvial streambeds of Ionia and environs.
Sometimes early coinage acts more like question marks than statements. This is the case of early inscribed coins mentioning known and unknown kings, treasury officials and denominations. The last mentioned variety, that of denomination, appears to be the last to be used in inscriptions and it is not clear at this point exactly how the names of issuing authorities were developed.
Somewhere around 630 BC coins were inscribed at greater length, and how these somewhat later issues arranged themselves is a numismatic controversy. As more and more deeply buried hoards are found, we gain insight into their issue date and the circumstances surrounding their mintage.
Early letter forms of Lydia and Ionia were created, with this coin using Lydian letter forms derived from earlier Eastern alphabets. Numismatists believe that what we would call issue number one, the earliest type of the king's coinage, is inscribed using larger, cruder letter forms for the king's name placed in front of the lion's nose. This is well before the coinage of Kroisos, and is discussed in "Typos I: Probleme der frühen Elektronprägung" by Liselotte Weidauer.
Later in the reign, with issue two, the king's name took a more subservient placement in the upper mane of the lion. On our presently offered specimen of issue two, the letter forms are minuscule and almost cursive, well delineated and of a smaller, finer style, saying either "VALVEL" or "ALYATTES." This is a very distinct example of the rarest reading of this coin type; very few are know.
On issue three, the most common and later coins of Alyattes, the upright strokes are mainly just that; they have been reduced to being part of the lion's mane.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
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| Realized $6,900 |
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