Sicily. Naxos. Circa 415 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 25.25 mm, 16.89 g). Head of Dionysos right, wearing stephane decorated with ivy wreath. Rev. ΝΑΞΙΟΝ, Silenos squatting nude on rock facing slightly right, head turned to left, holding long transversal thyrsus and kantharos; on the left, ivy plant growing upwards. HGC 2, 984. Cahn, Naxos 102 (V66/R84). Lightly toned. Minor scratch on obverse and some contact marks on reverse; minor die break on reverse, typical of the Cahn R84; edge intermittently smoothed with a file, believed to be done to fit the coin into a pendant, probably from the early 20th century or just before. However, of the most refined classical style, a masterpiece of Dionysian exuberance. Good Very Fine. Rare. From a Swiss Collection, formed in Ticino before 2005. This short-lived coinage, likely issued to fund Athens' ill-fated expedition against Syracuse, represents a notable departure from earlier designs. Unlike the archaic tetradrachms minted after Naxos' independence in 461 BC, these coins exhibit a refined classical style. The obverse portrays Dionysos with a cool, Olympian presence, his gaze and tousled hair reflecting contemporary Athenian monumental sculpture. The reverse shows Silenos in a more relaxed, humanized form, seated in a simplified landscape and anticipating his wine. This transition from rigid archaic forms to dynamic, lifelike depictions highlights the coin's artistic excellence and alignment with high classical aesthetics."