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Lot # 161
Sicily. Leontini. AR Tetradrachm, c. 430-425 BC. From a reverse die signed by the 'Maestro della foglia'. Obv. Laureate head of Apollo left. Rev. LEONTINON. Lion's head left, with open jaws and protruding tongue; around, three barley grains and, behind the head, a laurel leaf. SNG ANS 229 (these dies); HGC 2 671; Boehringer, Studies Price, pl.12, 55 (these dies); Rizzo pl. XXIV, 4 (these dies). AR. 17.46 g. 25.00 mm. An outstanding example, sharply struck. Enchanting light tone over brilliant surfaces; scratches on obverse and two minor areas of flat strike. EF. This coin was struck from a particularly elegant pair of dies that were engraved by an artist termed, after Rizzo, the “maestro della foglia” because of the leaf that appears as part of the design. He worked at Leontinoi and at Katane, and was exceptionally gifted.