Ancient Greek diobol Circa 494-488 BC. Sicily, Messana as Zankle Good Very Fine

Obv.: facing lions’ head skin.
Rev.: prow of Samaina to the left; all within incuse circle with dotted border.
Ref.: E. Clain-Stefanelli, “On some fractional silver coinages of Sicily and Magna Graecia during the fifth century B.C.”, RBN 133, 1987, pl. VIII, fig. 5-6, 5-8; E.S.G. Robinson, “Rhegion, Zankle-Messana and the Samians”, in JHS, 66, 1946, 48.
Very rare. Dark tone.
From the collection of a Scientist. Ex CNG e-215 (Lancaster 2009), lot 20; ex Roma Numismatics e-53 (London 2019), lot 107.

In 494 BC Anaxilas, the tyrant of Rhegion, encouraged a force of Samian and Ionians, refugees from the Persian suppression of the Ionian revolt, to cross the strait and take Zankle. They did so, and issued coins using the types from their home city of Samos: the lion scalp, which had already appeared on Samian coins; and the galley prow, in commemoration of how they arrived in the West. Unfortunately for the Samians, some five years later Anaxilas threw them out and replaced them with Peloponnesian colonists. He renamed the city Messana in honour of his own native city, Messene in Messinia.

Payment Options Information

Customers from the EU are kindly asked to make a bank transfer using IBAN. 

Customers from outside the EU can either pay with Paypal or, preferably, via Wise.com.

For US customers, we can additionally provide banking details for our USD account.

寄运