Lot 34
Peloponnesos. Elis. AR Stater (11.91 g), struck c. 432 BC, for the 87th Olympiad. Eagle standing left on groundline, his wings raised up; a dead heron to left at his feet. Reverse: Nike seated left on a base set on a low, step-like pedestal, wearing long chiton and peplos, holding a long scepter in one hand and resting other hand on the pedestal; above and flanking, A F. Seltman 118 (BF/βσ); SNG Delepierre 2090; Weber 4027 (= Seltman 118b). High relief devices of excellent style, finely struck and centered. Handsome old toning. A superb example of this type, with the reverse device the finest preserved example known. Extremely Rare. NGC graded Extremely Fine.
There is considerable variety in the Olympian staters which feature the figure of Nike. On some, she personifies Victory holding a scepter (as here), or a palm branch; on another type of the 87th Olympiad she is either mourning or pensive, perhaps wondering if she will indeed be victorious. It is a splendid series of coins, issued for the games every four years, as now, held in late summer. It was then required that these special festival coins be used at the sanctuary, which necessitated going to bankers to exchange visitors' hometown mintages. A certain percentage was then given to the city for the next Olympiad. Presumably, this was only one of the many ways the games were made financially viable.
Estimated Value $30,000 - 35,000.
Ex BCD Collection, Leu 90 (5-10-04), lot 46; ex collection of H. de Nanteuil. Illustrated in Money of the World, coin 5.
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| Realized $48,300 |
