Nomos 23

ISLANDS OFF CARIA, Rhodos. Rhodes. Circa 205-190 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 24 mm, 13.52 g, 12 h), struck under the magistrate Stasion. Radiate head of Helios, three-quarter facing to right. Rev. ΣΤΑΣΙΩΝ / Ρ - Ο Rose with bud to right; in field to left, omphalos entwined with serpent to left. Ashton 261. HGC 6, 1422. SNG Copenhagen -. SNG Keckman -. SNG von Aulock -. A very rare issue (Alexander tetradrachms struck under Stasion are more common). Toned. About extremely fine.

From a European collection and from the collection of R. Sharf, Triton XXIII, 14 January 2020, 442, acquired on 12 January 2013 from D. Warden.

The late Chian weight tetradrachms of Rhodes are all very rare, indeed. They were struck from a limited number of dies and must have been produced in rather small numbers. The magistrate Stasion, who signed this reverse, was responsible for two issues of tetradrachms; one with a figure of Asklepios as a symbol (Ashton 260) and the other with the serpent and omphalos, as this piece (Ashton 261). While the dies used to strike our coin are not the same as those used for the BM piece, the obverse die was also used to strike a tetradrachm signed by Aristoboulos, now in Copenhagen (Ashton 263 = SNG Copenhagen 755).