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NEWP: Thessaly, Larissa Drachm.
Zohar
Posts: 6,678 ✭✭✭✭✭
Another purchase from CNG's monthly auction. I REALLY like the design and style. While this coin has some wear, it has the right toning, eye appeal, centering and sense of "motion" which I like. Just looking at the leg muscles and detail on the horse/bull on a 2500 year old coin, makes this one an attention grabber.
THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 450/40-420 BC. AR Drachm (19mm, 6.09 g, 3h). Obv: Thessalos left, wearing petasos and chlamys, holding band across head of bull left. Rev: Bridled horse right, trailing rein, within incuse square. Lorber, Thessalian 52 (and same obv. die as 54); BCD Thessaly II 173. Attractively toned, lovely style.
THESSALY, Larissa. Circa 450/40-420 BC. AR Drachm (19mm, 6.09 g, 3h). Obv: Thessalos left, wearing petasos and chlamys, holding band across head of bull left. Rev: Bridled horse right, trailing rein, within incuse square. Lorber, Thessalian 52 (and same obv. die as 54); BCD Thessaly II 173. Attractively toned, lovely style.
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The obverse design really conveys a sense of motion. You can practically hear the bull snorting.
(But one has to think that either they had really small bulls in those days, or that Thessalos fella was one enormous guy!)
Good job, Z.
Come to think of it, the human also was superbly executed.
DPOTD
World Collection
British Collection
German States Collection
<< <i>SmEagle1795 - thanks. I agree with you regarding obverse. Do you think this is considered of fine style in terms of engraving? >>
I do, although based on a couple quick auction searches, NGC seems to very rarely denote any Thessalos drachm as "Fine Style", which strikes me as odd as there is a dramatic difference between the nice and not nice varieties. I'm only seeing one coin denoted as Fine Style (of a slightly earlier variety). Ah, the joys of subjective artistic evaluation