LUCANIA. Metapontion. Time of Pyrrhos of Epeiros, circa 280-279 BC. Tetrobol or Third Stater (?) (Gold, 14 mm, 3.35 g, 7 h), uncertain standard. ΛEYKIΠΠOΣ Bearded head of Leukippos to right, wearing crested Corinthian helmet decorated with Skylla hurling a stone on the bowl; behind crest, Θ. Rev. META Two seven-grained barley ears with leaves to left and right; above leaf to left, ant; above leaf to right, locust. HN Italy 1631. Johnston Class G, 6a = NAC L (2001), 1075 (same dies). Of the highest rarity, the finest of apparently just three known examples. An exceptional piece, lustrous and very sharply struck. Light corrosion and with a minor die break on the reverse, otherwise, good extremely fine.


For a longer note on this issue, see Leu 6, 23 October 2020, 40. The unusual weight of Johnson's Class G made the authors of the Historia Numorum cast doubt on the issue, however, strike, wear (or in the case of this example, the lack of), deposits, die breaks and overall appearance of the three surviving examples confirm Johnson's assessment that they are genuine, albeit struck to an uncertain weight standard. Why the latter was introduced is unknown, but it is worth noting that the gold coinage of Metapontion in the time of Pyrrhos falls into no less than three groups, all of which were struck to a different standard, with the third staters weighing roughly 2.6, 2.8 and 3.3 g, respectively.