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Nomos 7

15 May 2013
Zunfthaus zur Saffran, Zürich
overview
Estimate: 11000 CHF
Hammer Price:  10000 CHF
Lot 98

ISLANDS off ATTICA, Aegina. Circa 456/45-431 BC. Stater (Silver, 12.40 g). Tortoise seen from above. Rev. Incuse square divided into five compartments. ACGC 127. Dewing 1683-1685. Milbank pl. 2, 12-13. An exceptionally well-preserved piece struck in very high relief. Minor bang at the top of the shell, otherwise, good extremely fine.


From the Mieza collection, ex Nomos 1, 6 May 2009, 65.

Exactly why turtles or tortoises appear on the coinage of Aegina is not clear: it was not a sacred animal. One suggestion is that early, pre-coinage silver ingots in use in the Aegean area were plano-convex in shape; and that on Aegina they were colloquially known as ‘turtles.’ Thus, when coins were introduced, using the turtle as a coin type was a reference to the older, pure-silver ingots that had previously been used in trade.

Online bidding closes: 15 May 2013, 00:00:00 CEST Current Date & Time: 19 Apr 2024, 02:44:07 CEST Remaining Time: Closed Hammer Price:10000 CHF

Pre-Bidding closes on 15 Mai 2013 at 0:00 CEST. Live bidding starts at 14:00 CET and is EXCLUSIVELY available on biddr. Separate registration is required.

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