The Collection Sans Pareille, part III

A little more than a year ago, on 5 November 2023, in our Auction 29, we presented the second part (lots 551–940) of the Collection sans Pareille of Ancient Greek Fractions. The first part, lots 1–550, had been sold in our Auction 26, which took place on 26 May of the same year. Now we have the honour to present the final part of this fabulous collection as lots 941–1692 in our specially dedicated eSale, Obolos 35. As before, thanks to DG’s photographic skill, all the coins look their enlarged best, no matter their condition. In addition, unlike the first two sales, this one includes a few bronzes, which were acquired for study purposes. The sale begins with a pleasing lot of 5 coins of the Coriosolites (941 – which the owner must have acquired because of the totally un-Greek stylistic exuberance!) and then moves on to Massalia (942–953), Magna Graecia (954–1032), Sicily (1033–1119), the Black Sea area, Thrace and Macedon (1120–1240). Lots 1241–1358 cover Classical Greece, extending from Herakleia Trachineia in Thessaly to Koressos on the Cycladic island of Keos. Then we are off to Asia Minor with lots 1359–1661; beginning with a group of coins from uncertain mints (1359–1376) we proceed from Paphlagonia (1360) through Cilicia (1607–1661). Finally, the last 30 lots, 1662 to 1692 range from Cyprus to Cyrene. Frankly, there are so many really interesting coins in this group that if we started singling them out we would have to fill pages and pages! And there are numerous coins that have intriguing pedigrees – and those are only the ones we found, further research may turn up even more. To sum up, this last portion of a special and unique collection proves just how remarkable that collection was. Filled with ‘tiny’ coins that were beautiful and plain, known and unknown, simple and mysterious, unusually fine and worn, there will never be another collection like this! We wish the best of luck to all those bidding in this sale.