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Lot # 111 - Sicily. Motya or Panormos. Circa 415-405 BC. Punic Didrachm featuring Segestan types (Silver, 20.81 mm, 8.14 g). Hound right standing on stag’s head and seizing it by the nose; above, small female head right. Rev. Head of Nymph right; on the left, ivy-leaf. Jenkins, Coins of Punic Sicily, Part I (Swiss Numismatic Review Vol. 50, 1971), Motya II series, pl. 4.35 (O18/R22 - this coin). Cfr. Gabrici, La monetazione del bronzo nella Sicilia antica, p. 46 (argumenting for Panormos). Old cabinet tone. Scratch on obverse and scattered marks. Very Fine. Extremely Rare. Ex G. de Ciccio Collection, Sambon & Canessa, 19 December 1907, lot 258. The Punic didrachm series was minted during a turbulent period in Sicilian history. After the Syracusans defeated the Athenians in 413 BC, Selinos resumed its conflict with Segesta in 410 BC. Facing renewed threats, the Elimian Segesta sought Carthaginian support, which led to Carthage subjugating Segesta and destroying both Selinos and Himera. This aggressive expansion alarmed the rest of Greek Sicily, but having just expelled the Athenians, they hesitated to intervene. The situation escalated when Hermocrates, a Syracusan exile, raided Punic territories in 407 BC, triggering a prolonged war that culminated in the destruction of cities like Akragas and Motya. In this context, the didrachm series, produced by the Siculo-Punic cities of Motya and Panormos, was likely used to fund Carthage's massive military efforts in Sicily. Segesta, newly under Carthaginian control and experienced in minting didrachms, probably played a key role in this production, as evidenced by die-sharing with Motya and Panormos. The presence of hybrid coins combining dies from these cities suggests a central mint, though its location is debated. While Jenkins and Hurter propose Panormos, Rutter argues convincingly for Segesta, which, considering the historical circumstances, seems the most plausible location."
Lot # 112 - 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."