GREEK. ISLANDS OFF THRACE, Thasos. Circa 148-90/80 BC. Silver Tetradrachm (16.82g). Head of youthful Dionysos right, wearing taenia and wreath of ivy and fruit / Herakles standing facing, head left, holding club in his right hand and with lion skin draped over his left arm; in inner left field, monogram. HGC 6, 359. Prokopov Group XVI, - (V DD15/R -). SNG Copenhagen 1046-1048. Beautifully toned and of excellent style. The reverse struck slightly off centre, otherwise gVF. This Thasos tetradrachm was issued in the name of tradition but driven by the commercial ambitions of a new age, neatly capturing the tension between classical legacy and Roman-era pragmatism. It is a coin of a city thriving on the strength of its past while carefully navigating the shifting tides of Mediterranean power. For the type see; Leu Auction 20, lot 445, hammered US$2,150. (P)

Estimate: AUD 1000