Nomos 4

THESSALY, Phalanna. First half of the 4th century BC. Chalkous (Bronze, 15mm, 1.95 g 3). Youthful male head (Ares?) in crested helmet to right, earflaps down. Rev. ΦΑΛ - ΑΝΝΑΙ - ΩΝ Bridled horse prancing right, with curly tail. Papaevangelou-Genakos 11. Rogers 457. Rare. Beautifully preserved and with a brown patina, but struck on a curiously odd-shaped flan. Extremely fine.

A note from BCD: ASW seems to have a penchant for “curiously odd-shaped flans” (see also lot 1240 in this catalogue). BCD has nothing against them either but thinks that the majority of today’s collectors would prefer their coins to be reasonably circular and well centered. But, really, if the ancients did not mind if their coins were odd-shaped, and may well have singled out ‘misstruck’ coins as curios or amulets, who are we to say they were wrong? Having absolutely round coins is very convenient for stacking, packing into rolls, and using in soda machines, but the ancients only had vending machines in Egypt, and they worked by weight and not shape. If the ancient user really worried about ugly flan-shapes, the later 4th century silver coinage of Athens would not have circulated!