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Coin ID #11287

Mytilene (BC 450) EL Hekte - B-

ca 450 BC. EL Hekte (2.52g). Helmeted head of Athena / Two rams' heads opposed forehead to forehead, between them a palmette, all within incuse square. About EF.

This coin is unknown to Bodenstedt and appears to be unique. The cataloguer of the Gemini sale suggests that the obverse appears to be from a die of trite size but is the same style as the Bodenstedt 55 variant on this website. The reverse appears to be a die match for Bodenstedt 57a. The trite size obverse die may provide evidence to the speculation that there were electrum coins of denominations between Hektes and Staters.

File information
Filename:541136-1.jpg
City/Mint name:Mytilene EL
Keywords:electrum / classical
References:Bodenstedt -
Valuation:Gemini Auc. IX (1/2012), lot 111 ($8,000 + comm)
Photo courtesy of:Gemini -www.geminiauction.com
Filesize:152 KiB
Date added:May 28, 2014
Dimensions:592 x 281 pixels
Displayed:577 times
URL:http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=11287
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Page: 1

Adrian   [Feb 28, 2015 at 02:08 PM]
The head of Athena is far too large for the Hekte size coinage which may lend support to speculation that the die used was also used on a higher denomination. Liselotte Weidauer, in her book "Problems of early Electrum Coinage" (1975, Office du livre, Fribourg), describes how a number of the series of early coinage, including those of the Milesian and Phokaian standards, used the same dies within each of those series on a number of denominations. There are other Mytilene electrum coins on this website that also give cause for such speculation - see Coin ID #11259 and #11286.

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