Nomos 24

TROAS. Assos. Circa 500-480 BC. Drachm (Silver, 14 mm, 3.57 g, 7 h). Ithyphallic satyr, with a full beard and long hair falling behind his head in queue, running to right in the Archaic "kneeling-running" position, his left arm raised and his right lowered. Rev. Lion's head to right, with open jaws and protruding tongue; all within an incuse square. BMC 1 (as Termera in Caria) = Traité II, 1, 692, pl. XVIII (as Termera in Caria, but with the obverse figure identified as Herakles). De Luynes 1529 ('Lete') = HPM p. 236, 15 and pl. XVII, 21 (Siris in alliance with Galepsos) = Traité II, 1 1582, pl. L, 22 ('Lete'). Extremely rare. With a vigorous and wild depiction of a satyr of great power. Probably the finest of the few known examples. Extremely fine.

As can be seen, the previously known examples of this coin have either been attributed to a mint somewhere in the Thrako-Macedonian area or to Termera in Caria. However, the very close stylistic links between this piece, with the satyr, and the previous, with the griffin, mean that the two must have been struck in the same mint; thus, Assos. In addition, the way the satyr is depicted on this coin, especially with his long hair, is stylistically quite different from the way he appears on coins of the Thrako-Macedonian area.