Tenedos (BC 525-470) Didrachm

Early-mid 5th century BC. AR Didrachm (18mm, 7.62g, 11h). Janiform head of a male, left, and female, right / Labrys in dotted square border within incuse square. VF, toned, typical areas of weak strike, some porosity. Very rare. Ex Cahn Coll.; Auctiones 8 (6/1978), lot 236.

This coin is from the earliest issue of coinage at Tenedos. Although some place this issue in the late 6th century, there are no coins of this type in any hoard recorded before the mid-5th century. In fact, only two 5th century hoards record coins of Tenedos: Troas, 1969 (IGCH 1188), deposited ca 450 BC, and Massyaf, 1961 (IGCH 1483 = CH 8, 587 = CH 9, 362), deposited ca 425-420 BC. The former contained two coins of Tenedos, but further information was not recorded. The second hoard contained a single didrachm, which was from the same issue as the present coin (cf. C.M. Kraay & P.R.S. Moorey, “Two fifth century hoards from the Near East,” RN 1968, pl. XXVI, 57). That coin exhibits little wear, supporting a likely date of issue in the early to mid 5th century BC.