Obolos 18

SICILY. Syracuse. Hiketas II, 287-278 BC. Dekadrachm (Gold, 17 mm, 4.29 g, 3 h), struck circa 278, signed two times by The.... ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ Head of Persephone to left, wearing wreath of grain, pendant earring an pearl necklace; behind neck, bee; below neck, traces of a Θ. Rev. ΕΠΙ ΙΚΕΤΑ Nike, holding goad in her right hand and reins in her left, driving biga rushing to right; above, crescent; below horses' forelegs to right, Θ. Bucetti 897. Buttrey 5-R. SNG ANS 776-781 var. SNG Copenhagen 798. SNG Munich 1292. Very rare, especially with the name of Hiketas NOT erased on the reverse. Minor marks, otherwise, good very fine.

From the Trausnitz Collection, Nomos 19, 17 November 2019 56, ex G. Hirsch 171, 25 September 1991, 86.

Shortly after this coin was struck Hiketas was overthrown by a number of his officers after the battle of the Terias river, where the Syracusan forces were beaten by the Carthaginians. In order to continue issuing gold to the city's mercenaries, the mint authorities continued using this die pair in the name of Hiketas, but erased the tyrant's name from the die! This is one of the rare pieces with the original name intact.