Tetradrachm ca. 470-450 BC Selinos Sicily, Selinos, Silver, HGC:2-1220 VF(30-35)

Prijsbieding

Artemis holding the reins of a biga going left, next to her, Apollo preparing to shoot an arrow., Selinos, nude, standing left, holding a laurel branch vertically in his left hand and a phial in his right hand above an altar adorned with a laurel branch. Rooster facing left in front of the altar; in the right field, selinon leaf (variety of ache or celery) above a bull standing left on a pedestal., Tetradrachm perfectly centered on the obverse and showing most of the iconography on the reverse. Our example features a rare reverse die seen in less than a dozen sales.According to Willy Schwabacher's work published in 1925 (MBNG, 43), our coin is struck with die combination no. 5, featuring the obverse die Q1 and associated with the reverse die S5. This is one of the earliest types struck for Selinunte tetradrachms. The author identifies at least 15 examples, some of which have appeared in sales over the last 20 years. The obverse is perfectly centered, and virtually all the grenetis surrounding the iconography is visible. Nevertheless, the obverse die was worn during the minting process, resulting in coarser, less precise lines on our coin. The reverse, less blunt, still shows traces of an old cleaning that was later repatinated. A graffiti is visible at 9h on the letter Σ.The entire iconography of the obverse and reverse is closely linked to the city and its religion. On the reverse, the man depicted is Selinos, the river-god of the waterway near the city. He takes his name from selinon, a type of ache, parsley or celery, very abundant in Selinunte and with known medicinal properties. Medicine is also evoked by the presence of Apollo and Artemis, whose areas of protection include health (illness and healing). Moreover, these two deities are of great importance to the city, which has dedicated several temples to them, as well as to Asclepius (son of Apollo) and Leto, their mother. The laurel, one of Apollo's attributes, is also depicted on the reverse. Our tetradrachm thus bears witness to the religious aspect of the event: on one hand, through the presence of the gods, the bull, the phiale and the altar, and on the other, through the libation performed by Selinos.The city of Selinunte was founded by the inhabitants of Megara Hyblaea and is located in south-western Sicily. Located by the sea, it benefited from strong trade links with Greece and the Phoenicians in particular. The richness of its land also made it a prosperous city, whose wealth enabled it to build a large number of temples. Initially allied with the Carthaginians after its conflict with Theron of Acragas, tyrant of Agrigento, around 480 BC, Selinunte became one of the most powerful cities in Sicily. However, it was destroyed in 409 BC by its former Punic allies who, once the city had been partly rebuilt, maintained their hegemony.Our coin features an iconography intimately linked to religion, and is part of a period in which relations between Selinunte and Carthage were evolving. A rare type, rarely seen at auction, our coin is therefore of great iconographic and numismatic interest! Rizzo, pl. XXXI, 10; Schwabacher 5 (Q1β/S5); SNG Lloyd 1224 and SNG ANS 688. Ex Numismatik Lanz München, Auction 125, 28 November 2005, lot 103. Faune d'Argent Collection., ΣΕΛΙИΟ-И-ΤΙ-ΟΝ [anticlockwise and Σ retrograde], Σ-ΕΛΙΝ-ΟΣ

 

Deutsch abbrev.	Deutsch Erhaltungsgrade	Englisch  Grades der Kühlung	Französisch États de  Erhaltung	Italienisch Stati di  conservazione
PP	Polierte Platte	Proof (PRF)	Flan bruni (FB)	Beweis
st	Stempelglanz, stempelfrisch	Stempelglanz (MS65-MS70)	Fleur de coin (FDC)	Fior di conio
-unz	fast unzirkuliert	Almost uncirculated (AU)
vz	Vorzüglich	Vorzüglich (EF oder XF)	Superbe (SUP)	Splendido
ss	Sehr schön	Sehr fein (VF)	Très Très beau (TTB)	Bellissimo
s	Schön	Fine (F)	Très beau (TB)	Molto bello

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