Gemini III, January 9th, 2007



                  Lot # 39Estimate: US$5000
                  LUCANIA. Sybaris. Silver stater 



             



            LUCANIA. Sybaris. Ca. 453–448 BC. Silver stater (8.12 gm). MVBA 
            (retrograde), Poseidon striding right, brandishing trident above 
            head and extending left arm before him, bird flying right in right 
            field / MVB (retrograde), bull walking right. Kraay, NC 1958, pl. 
            iii, 9 (same dies). HN Italy 1743. Extremely rare. Good very fine. 

            The types of this stater are believed to honor the cities that 
            joined forces to refound Sybaris (for the second time) in 453 BC. 
            Poseidonia apparently took the lead in this endeavor. Kraay 
            suggested that the bird depicted here is a kind of thrush, called 
            laios in Greek and therefore a canting pun on the name of Laus, 
            which also sent a contingent of colonists. 






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  ... Lot 39 sold for high bid of $5500 [ $6325, or approx 4889.225 EUR, 3225.75 GBP including the 15% buyers fee.] 


Re-used by permission of Harlan J Berk (www.harlanjberk.com) and
                         Freeman & Sear (www.freemanandsear.com)