Nomos 30

AKARNANIA, Federal Coinage (Akarnanian Confederacy). Circa 230 BC. Quarter Stater (Gold, 12 mm, 2.11 g, 12 h), Attic standard. Head of the youthful river-god Acheloos to right; behind, retrograde Ν. Rev. ΑΚΑΡΝΑΝΩΝ Apollo, nude but for drapery over his right leg, seated left on throne, holding bow in his right hand and leaning his left on the side of the throne; in field to left, plow. BCD Akarnania - (but cf. 14 for a quarter stater with a different letter and for references to Attic standard staters and half-staters with the plow symbol). HGC 717 (this coin illustrated, but its control mark misdescribed as being an H). Cf. De Luynes 1916 (with a differing control mark). Extremely rare. Well-struck and nicely toned. Very minor marks, otherwise, extremely fine.

From a European collection, Nomos 20, 10 July 2020, 133, ex Triton XVIII, 6 January 2015, 501, from the Mieza Collection, Nomos 7, 15 May 2013, 80 and ex Nomos 1, 6 May 2009, 56.

The exceptionally rare gold coinage of the Akarnanian League is only known from a very few specimens, all from a very limited number of issues struck over a very short time. It is usually dated to c. 250 BC but this actually seems rather unlikely since the Akarnanian League was, in fact, temporarily dissolved c. 250. It seems much more probable that the League’s gold, and much more extensive silver coinage, began c. 230 when the League was reformed with Leukas as its capital and Apollo Aktios its patron.