KUKALIM ELECTRUM TRITE – ISSUE OF VERY RARE LYDIAN KING WITH TWO CONFRONTED LIONS -CHOICE VF NGC GRADED GREEK LYDIAN KINGDOM COIN (Inv. 17732)

$11,500.00

LYDIA. KUKALIM, ca. 620-560 BC.
Electrum trite (1/3 stater), 4.82 g, 14 mm.
Obv. Head of roaring lion left, “sun disk” on forehead, partial royal nam KUKALIM in retrograde Lydian at left (right part of a larger die that included two confronted lion heads, small parts of the nose and open jaws of the lion head on the left are visible at the extreme edge of the planchet). Rev. Pair of incuse punches.
Artemission, 107 (with right facing lion); Linzalone, LN1080; Weidauer Group XVIII, 114-115 (hectes); Wallace, Kukalim, pl. 1, 1-4; Kurth, G15.
NGC graded CHOICE VF, Strike 3/5, Surface 4/5, the large denomination of a rare emission, showing most of the royal inscription ([KU]KALI[M]) identifying a man named Kukas, whose identity is subject to much scholarly debate as discussed by Robert Wallace (Wallace, Kukalim, pp. 37-48). Particularly interesting and rare as parts of the second lion are visible on planchet as well.