63. Callatis Drachma Coin, Herakles type, circa 300-280 B.C., silver, rare piece

Obverse legend: the head of Hercules wearing the lion's fur, turned to the right. Reverse legend: KALLATIA, next to a wheat ear and a club above and a quiver with a bow at the bottom. The second Pontic city to mint coins was Callatis. Information about the foundation of the city of Callatis (now Mangalia), a Dorian colony, at the end of the 6th century BC is provided by Pseudo – Scymnos, which shows that it was established by the Greeks from Heraclea Pontica (now Eregli, in Turkey). The silver coins of Kallatis had a relatively limited circulation area, the number of known pieces being quite small, justified by the small number of discoveries. The first issues of the Callatis colony are the silver drachmas, minted after the weight system of Aegina which was also used in cities such as Heraclea Pontica, Byzantium, and Sinope. On the obverse is beardless Heracles, the mythical ancestor of the Greeks from Callatis, with the Nemean lion's fur on his head, and on the reverse, next to the wheat ear, there are the weapons of the Greek hero, the club, the bow, and the quiver with arrows poisoned with the blood of the Hydra from Lerna.

Dimensions

custom d=18 mm

Description

silver

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.

For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.