GREEK. ISLANDS OFF THRACE, Thasos. Circa 500-480 BC. Silver Stater (8.41g). Bald-headed nude satyr moving right, holding a nymph who raises her hand in protest; to right, A / Quadripartite incuse square. Le Rider, Thasiennes, 6; SNG Copenhagen Suppl. 103. gVF for the type. Thasos, the wealthy island off the Thracian coast, derived its prosperity from rich silver mines on both the island and the mainland, with Herodotus (VI.46) noting an annual income of 200-300 talents, further enhanced by a controlled export trade in fine wine that helped spread its coinage across the Aegean. The didrachm staters, struck on a local Thracian standard, evolved from early vigorous types showing a wild satyr abducting a struggling nymph to later issues of higher artistic refinement, like the present piece, where the satyr appears more human and the nymph's resistance is more composed. The fine engraving reflects wider Greek influence, with clear parallels to the satyr heads of Katane and the nymphs of Neapolis, while the added letters A, S or PH in the obverse field, absent from earlier issues, are best understood as magistrates' initials rather than artist signatures, in line with common Classical practice. For the type and most recently sold example see; Nomos Auction A24, lot 49, hammered US$41,000. (P)

Estimate: AUD 2500