Lot 22
Thrace. Ainos, c. 359-356 BC. AR Tetradrachm (14.73 g). Three-quarters facing head of youthful Hermes, turned slightly towards the left, wearing petasos with beaded band. Reverse: Goat standing right, eagle before; ethnic above. May, Ainos, 434 var. (A263 / unlisted reverse die, but cf. P310); Von Fritze, Ainos, pl. ii, 2 (same obverse die). Dies of elegant style, finely centered and sharply struck, on flan of extraordinary size. Deeply toned. Exceptional! NGC graded About Uncirculated.
While there were many guises of Hermes in Greek mythology, he is most often depicted as a youth wearing the petasos, or flat-brimmed hat of the traveler. If full figured, Hermes carries the caduceus and wears winged sandals and the chlamys, or short cloak. Of the coins which portray Hermes, the silver coins of Ainos are the most charismatic. All the tetradrachms are rare and believed to have been minted as special issues, while the much more plentiful smaller denominations served the needs of daily commerce and payment of the military. This particular specimen is one of the last tetradrachms to have been struck before the city was absorbed into Philip II's Kingdom of Macedon.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 17,500.
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| Realized $42,550 |
