Kyzikos (BC 530-480) Trihemiobol

ca 480-450 BC. AR Tetrobol (9mm, 1.55g). Head of tunny right / Quadripartite incuse square divided perpendicularly. VF, toned. Extremely rare. Liles Coll.; ex Rosen Coll. (not in prior M&M or NFA sales).

This coin is from the same obverse die as the following lot (as well as the Rosen Sale 151 coin), and all three appear to form a transitional issue bridging the earlier archaic coinage with the early classical silver issues of Kyzikos. Their reverses show that the mint was experimenting with new reverse types. While the present coin has the usual, perpendicularly divided, quadripartite incuse, the following coin has a diagonally divided square. Finally, on the third piece (Rosen Sale 151), the incuse is divided such that a large K is formed by the lines, supplemented by two pellets and two small lines in one segment.