Nomos 19

CORINTHIA. Corinth. Circa 400-375 BC. Stater (Silver, 21 mm, 8.59 g, 11 h). Ϙ Pegasos, with curved wing, walking to right. Rev. ΕΥ/ΤΥ (retrograde) Head of Aphrodite to left, wearing Corinthian helmet with leather neck guard. BMC 349 var. Pegasi 2491. Ravel 659 c (P305/T429, this coin). A lovely toned example, of fine style. Minor striking fault on the reverse, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From a Swiss collection, ex Bank Leu 30, 28 April 1982, 128 and from the collection of A. Rhousopoulos, J. Hirsch XIII, 15 May 1905, 2278.

This coin has the distinction of once having been owned by one of the most important Greek archaeological scholars of the 19th century: Athanasios Rhousopoulos (1823-1898). For information about him do see Alan S. Walker "Catalogues and their Collectors", AJN Second Series 20 (2008) pp. 597–615; not only was his collection of the greatest importance (he also seems to have dealt in coins and antiquities to supplement his meager academic salary), a major part of it appeared in Hirsch XIII, which was undoubtedly one of the greatest of all pre-World War I auction catalogues (this coin was illustrated on pl. XXVII). When and where AR got this coin is unknown, but we can be absolutely sure that it had entered his collection prior to c. 1890.