ODESSUS SILVER ALEXANDER TYPE TETRADRACHM – EXTREMELY RARE VARIETY WITH REENGRAVED DIE – AU NGC GRADED GREEK THRACE COIN (Inv. 13526)
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13526. THRACE. ODESSUS. CIVIC ISSUE IN THE NAME AND TYPES OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, ca. 125–70 BC.
Silver Tetradrachm of Alexander type, 16.67 g, 32 mm.
Obv. Head of young Heracles right in lion skin headdress. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and scepter, ΔH monogram (recut over an earlier one) in left field, ΟΔH monogram below throne.
Price 1180; HGC 3, 1587.
Ex CNG 108, 5/16/2018, lot 31, ex Colin Pitchfork Collection and originally acquired from CNG on 11/10/2001.
NGC graded AU, Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5, “brushed.”
The reverse die used to strike this specimen seems to originally have been one employed for Price 1178 (Corinthian helmet and ΔH in left field with no marking on throne), although the “helmet” on the British Museum specimen Price cites is not clear and may itself have been largely removed in the die. Here, there are traces of the original ΔH lower in left field and “the helmet,” although there may well be some remnants of letters as well. The die was updated by moving the ΔH upward and cutting it in larger script while at the same time adding Odessus’ ethnic in the exergue. Therefore, it appears that the die may have been originally intended for Mesambria where the helmet symbol represents the city (cf. Price 1039 where a ΔA control is above the helmet), then used to strike Price 1178 after removing the control and the helmet, and finally recut once again to create a die for 1180 where the city is clearly identified as Odessus by the addition of the ethnic monogram under the throne. None of the six specimens listed in the Pella database under Price 1180 show the recut die seen here, which appears to be known on only one other specimen (Gorny & Mosch 138, 3/7/2005, lot 1243).
None of the 6 specimens listed in the Pella database under Price 1180 show the recut die seen here, which appears to be known on only one other specimen (Gorny & Mosch 138, 3/7/2005, lot 1243.