Nomos 32

MACEDON. Sermyle. Circa 500-470 BC. Tetrobol (Silver, 16 mm, 2.59 g). Nude horseman riding a galloping horse to right, holding his left hand behind the horse's neck and holding his right on the left side of his horse's rump; border of dots . Rev. Quadripartite incuse square. AMNG III, 2, pl. XXI, 8 = Weber 1896 (Sermyle). HPMp. 110, 25a and pl. XII, 26 (Bisaltai) = Rhousopoulos 1003 = SNG ANS 725 (Sermyle, same dies). Traité II, 1, 1516 and pl. XLVII, 17 (Alexander I). Very rare. Nicely toned and well-centered, an exceptionally fine example, one of the best known. Extremely fine.

From the collection of Major Anthony F. Milavic, USMC (Ret.), ex Gemini I, 11 January 2005, 70, Leu 72, 12 May 1998, 169 and from the collection of Dr. A. Ghertsos, Sternberg XIX, 18 November 1987, 132.

This coin is presently ascribed to the Macedonian city of Sermyle, though whether this is right is another matter! Svoronos assigned it to the Bisaltai and E. Babelon suggested it was an issue of Alexander I. The attribution to Sermyle is based on the named tetradrachms that show an armoured warrior riding a galloping horse, holding the reins with his left hand, behind the horse's neck, and holding a spear in his upraised right hand. This coin, however, shows a nude rider who, despite the descriptions in various catalogues, does not seem to be holding a spear in lowered right hand (if anything it is a whip). What it actually looks like is a rider who is about to start jumping off his horse!