Nomos 33

MACEDON. Mende. Circa 460-423 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 27 mm, 17.29 g, 12 h). Dionysos, bearded, with his head to left, wearing an ivy wreath and a chiton, reclining to right on the back of a donkey walking to right, holding a kantharos with his right hand and resting his left on the donkey's side; to right, crow perched on an ivy plant to right; under the donkey, small dog standing to right. Rev. ΜΕΝ-ΔΑ-Ι-ΟΝ Vine with five bunches of grapes; all within incuse square. Jameson 1956. Kagan, Notes, pl. 2, 8 (this coin). Noe, Mende 78. SNG ANS 342. SNG Spencer Churchill 123 (this coin). A rare variety with attractive dark toning. Minor striking flatness on the reverse, otherwise, good very fine.

From the Collection of Jonathan H. Kagan, ex Sternberg & Apparuti XIX, 18 November 1987, 125.

This is a rather endearing coin. Not only do both the god and the donkey have pleasant expressions, but the little dog standing below seems to be calmly enjoying everything too. He is clearly an ancient version of the modern-day Pomeranian or Sptiz, but he is probably more than just a simple symbol. As Kagan points out, p. 4 and n. 9, not only does this little dog appear a small number of other dies at Mende (Noe 77-80) but he also turns up on rare contemporary octodrachms of Alexander I (could Prof. J. Kroll's suggestion - see n. 9, cited above - that the dog was the symbol of a travelling die engraver be correct?). Of course a link to Perdikkas II tetrobols (like lot 1142) is certainly preferable and more rational.