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                                Sale: Triton VIII, Lot: 597. Closing Date: Jan 
                                10, 2005. CARTHAGE. Circa 264-241 BC. EL 
                                Trihemishekel (10.83 gm, 12h). Carthage mint. 
                                First Punic War issue. Estimate $3000 Sold For 
                                $4000 

                              CARTHAGE. Circa 264-241 BC. EL Trihemishekel 
                              (10.83 gm, 12h). Carthage mint. First Punic War 
                              issue. Wreathed head of Tanit left, wearing 
                              triple-pendant earring and necklace / Horse 
                              standing right on exergual line; three pellets on 
                              line, solar disc flanked by uraei above. Jenkins & 
                              Lewis, Group Xa, 412; Visona 29; SNG Copenhagen 
                              182. Good VF. ($3000)

                              Ex George & Robert Stevenson Collection (Classical 
                              Numismatic Group XXVI, 11 June 1993), lot 49; 
                              Numismatic Fine Arts XII (23-24 March 1883) lot 
35.

                              The distinctive feature of this electrum coinage 
                              is the solar disc with uraei, the sacred cobras, 
                              which appears on the reverse. Borrowed from 
                              Egyptian art with some modifications (the uraei 
                              replacing th spread falcon's wings), this symbol 
                              may be associated with a sun-god. The lower gold 
                              content (45-49%) and reduced weight standard 
                              (approximately 5% less) of this issue are 
                              reflections of the exhaustion of the Carthaginian 
                              treasury which occurred during the latter half of 
                              the First Punic War.








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