Nomos 22

THRACO-MACEDONIAN TRIBES, Orreskioi (?). Circa 500-480 BC. Stater (Silver, 18 mm, 9.62 g). Bearded centaur galloping to right, his head turned back to left and with his long hair streaming out to right behind him, holding a stone (here partially off the flan) in his upraised left hand and raising his open right hand to left. Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. Apparently only two other coins of this type are known, both probably struck from the same obverse die. They are: 1) Macdonald, Hunterian I, p. 266, 1 and pl. XIX, 15 = AMNG III, p. 134, 4 and pl. XXVI, 1 = Babelon, Traité II, 1, 1559 and pl. L, 1 = Svoronos, HPM, p. 38, 1a and pl. VI, 4.
2) Svoronos, HPM, p. 38, 1b and pl. VI, 1 (struck from a different reverse die than that of HPM 1a, but from the same reverse die as the coin here). Of great rarity, with a remarkably vigorous type of a centaur preparing to hurl a stone at an enemy following behind him. Nearly extremely fine.

From a European collection, formed during the 1980s in southern Germany.

The centaur here is rushing along, running before a pursuing enemy but turning to throw a large stone at him. This scene is very similar to that shown on an Attic Black Figure amphora at the Getty (Malibu 88.AE.24), which is attributed to the Medea Group and dated to c. 530-520 BC.