GREEK. LUCANIA. Metapontion. Circa 340-330 BC. Silver Didrachm or Nomos (7.94g). Bearded head of Leukippos to right, wearing Corinthian helmet; in field to left, head of a lion to right / META Barley ear with leaf to left; above leaf, vertical club with head below; below leaf, AMI. HN Italy 1575; Johnston Class B, 2.11; SNG ANS 439. EF. An exceptional example, with crisp detail and elegant die work characteristic of the finest issues of Metapontion, with outstanding old cabinet toning. A truly superb specimen. This didrachm, struck at Metapontion around 340-330 BC, belongs to one of the city's most accomplished issues, produced while the Greek communities of South Italy were negotiating growing pressure from Italic neighbours and rising great powers. By invoking Leukippos, Metapontion's heroic founder, the series affirms the city's proud traditions and civic identity, while the accompanying symbols and magistrate's marks place it firmly within a carefully organised monetary system that supported both local trade and wider Greek connections. (P)

Estimate: AUD 2000