Kyrenaica, Ophellas, Stater
ca. 322-313 BC - Kyrene - Gold - NGC - AU 4/5-3/5
PLEASE NOTE: this collector's item is unique. We therefore cannot guarantee its availability over time and recommend that you do not delay too long in completing your purchase if you are interested.
Nike, driving quadriga moving at walk to the right, holding spear in her right hand and the reins in both.
Zeus-Ammon standing facing, his head turned to the left, holding phiale (sort of round bowl without a base, used for rituals) in his right hand and long staff in his left; to left, thymiaterion (censer used during religious ceremonies).
Graded NGC AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 3/5, edge marks. Magistrate: Polyanthes. Unfortunately it has been slightly cleaned, this sublime and extremely rare specimen bears several graffiti (of belonging?) as well as marks on the edge. Oriented at 12h, there are two marks on the edge, at 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock, probably marks of a touchstone. On the observe, a cross in the exergue and an "A" under the leftmost horse's head of the quadriga. On the reverse, between Zeus's calf and the sceptre, an 'X' is visible, and there may be another graffito (ϕ?) just to the left of the censer. Ophellas is a childhood friend of Alexander the Great, who participated in his conquests and on the occasion of which he will be mentioned as trierarch of the fleet of Alexander on the Indus, in 326 BC. At the time of the partition of the empire of Alexander, Ophellas allies himself with the satrape of Egypt, Ptolemy I Soter. This last one sends him in 322 BC in Cyrenaica at the head of a considerable army, to liberate the city of Cyrene, besieged by Thribon, a Lacedemonian mercenary commander who had assassinated the treasurer on the run of Alexander the Great and of which he had stolen a part of the enormous treasure. Ophellas crushed Thibron, attached Cyrenaica to Egypt and took his place as governor of Cyrene on behalf of Ptolemy. He recovers thus the treasure of Alexander, which one can suppose that it will have been used to strike the exceptional and very rare gold stater that we offer for sale. Boston, MFA 1325; Jameson 1353.
ΚΥΡΑΝΑΙΟΝ
ΠΟΛΥΑΝΘΕΥΣ
8.61 gr
Gold
Although nowadays gold enjoys a reputation as the king of precious metals, that was not always the case. For example, in Ancient Greece, Corinthian bronze was widely considered to be superior. However, over the course of time, it has established itself as the prince of money, even though it frequently vies with silver for the top spot as the standard.
Nevertheless, there are other metals which appear to be even more precious than this duo, take for example rhodium and platinum. That is certain. Yet, if the ore is not as available, how can money be produced in sufficient quantities? It is therefore a matter of striking a subtle balance between rarity and availability.
But it gets better: gold is not only virtually unreactive, whatever the storage conditions (and trouser pockets are hardly the most precious of storage cases), but also malleable (coins and engravers appreciate that).
It thus represents the ideal mix for striking coins without delay – and we were not going to let it slip away!
The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which derives from its Latin name aurum. Its origins are probably extraterrestrial, effectively stardust released following a violent collision between two neutron stars. Not merely precious, but equally poetic…
The first gold coins were minted by the kings of Lydia, probably between the 8th and 6th century BC. Whereas nowadays the only gold coins minted are investment coins (bullion coins) or part of limited-edition series aimed at collectors, that was not always the case. And gold circulated extensively from hand to hand and from era to era, from the ancient gold deposits of the River Pactolus to the early years of the 20th century.
As a precious metal, in the same way as silver, gold is used for minting coins with intrinsic value, which is to say the value of which is constituted by the metal from which they are made. Even so, nowadays, the value to the collector frequently far exceeds that of the metal itself...
It should be noted that gold, which is naturally very malleable, is frequently supplemented with small amounts of other metals to render it harder.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of gold included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ gold or 999 parts of gold per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.
