Nomos 7

ISLANDS off THRACE, Thasos. Circa 148-90/80 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 16.74 g 12), an early imitation of good style, earlier 2nd century BC. Head of youthful Dionysos to right, wearing ivy wreath and taenia. Rev. ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΘΑΣΙΩΝ Youthful Herakles standing left, holding club with his right hand and with quiver and lion skin over his left shoulder; to left, monogram. Prokopov Group XIV. An attractive, toned and well centered example. Good extremely fine.

From the Spina Collection, acquired from Freeman & Sear in December 2000.

This is a very early imitiation: legible and of good style, but still distinctly ‘odd’ in appearance. The tied up hair at the side of Dionysos’ head has become almost horn-like, and the proportions of the Hero’s body on the reverse have started to become somewhat unusual. Thasian imitations were produced in enormous numbers to profit from the abundant silver from the lower Balkans, but coins of this quality are relatively scarce