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Ancient Coins (27 September 2011)

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Lot 2007

Date of Auction: 27th September 2011

Sold for £185,000

Estimate: £80,000 - £100,000

Greek coinage, Cimmerian Bosporos, Pantikapaion, Gold Stater, c. 380-370, Head of bearded Pan with goat’s ear and straight hair swept back, rev. horned griffin, with its head facing and a spear in its mouth, standing to left on stalk of wheat, 9.09g/7h (MacDonald 31; Gulbenkian 580. Jameson 2144; K.Regling, Der griechische Goldschatz von Prinkipo, ZfN XLI (1931), 166; SNG BM 855; ACGC 911). Head of Pan of remarkably fine style and delicacy, extremely fine with lustre, extremely rare £80,000-100,000

Footnote

Pantikapaion gold staters are among the most splendid and desirable of all Greek gold coins, depicting the head of Pan, an obvious pun on the city's name, and a griffin, the fabled guardian of the gold mines of the Scythians, standing on a stalk of wheat, the main export of the region.