GREEK. SIKYONIA, Sikyon. Circa 431-400 BC. Silver Stater (12.04g). Chimaera standing right, raising forepaw; retrograde (S)E below / Dove flying right; all within wreath. BCD Peloponnesos 203.4 corr. (same dies). gVF, with bright surfaces, struck on a splayed flan and lightly double struck on the obverse. Rare. This stater is a rare and intriguing issue from Sikyon, one of the important mints of the Peloponnesos around the late 5th century BC. It belongs to a series that normally carries the control letters SE in standard orientation, but here they appear reversed, marking a much scarcer and highly distinctive variety. The obverse shows the fire-breathing Chimaera, perhaps a nod to Sikyon's mythological rivalry with nearby Corinth, while the reverse dove of Aphrodite reflects the goddess's importance in local cult. Together, the unusual control marks and rich imagery give this coin particular interest both numismatically and symbolically. For the same type and most recent sold example, see Noble Sale 133, lot 3661, hammered US$2,300; the present coin is superior in overall quality. (P)

Estimate: AUD 2500