THRACE. Abdera. Circa 473/0-449/8 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 28 mm, 14.95 g, 3 h), Abderite standard. Melanippos, magistrate. Griffin seated to left, with open wings and both forelegs raised; above, kantharos. Rev. EΠI - MEΛ-ANI-ΠΠΟ around linear quadripartite square; all within shallow incuse square. AMNG II 55.3 (this coin). May, Abdera, 162 (this coin, A128/P134). Jameson 1033. Weber 2373 (this coin). Very rare. Beautifully toned and with an excellent pedigree. Very fine.


The city of Abdera on the Thracian mainland was refounded in 544 on the site of an earlier Greek settlement, which had been destroyed by native tribes half a century before. The new colonists were refugees from Teos, where a considerable part of the population refused to subject to the new superpower Persia and embarked on their ships to seek greener pastures in new lands. However, Thrace was contested between the numerous savage inland tribes and the various Greek coastal colonies, most notably Thasos and its Peraia to the west and Maroneia to the east, and the Teians hence had to squeeze their new city into a less than ideal position. Still, Abdera quickly prospered, not least due to the export of the rich natural resources of its Thracian hinterland to overseas. The city in particular acquired a leading role in the trade with silver bullion, which was exploited in large quantities in the nearby Thracian mines and coined by the Greek settlers for export to Oriental and Egyptian markets. Inscriptions show that the Abderitans retained close relationships with Teos: they adopted many of the religious and political institutions of their mother city (see the note on lot 202 below), and their coins show the Teian griffin on the obverse, albeit facing to the left.