SICILY. Syracuse. Dionysios I, 405-367 BC. Dekadrachm (Silver, 36 mm, 41.39 g, 1 h), unsigned dies by Kimon, circa 405-400. Charioteer driving quadriga galloping to left, holding kentron in his right hand and reins with his left; above, Nike flying right, crowning the charioteer with a wreath; in exergue, shield, pair of greaves, cuirass and crested Attic helmet, all connected by a horizontal spear; below, ΑΘΛ[Α]. Rev. [ΣΥΡΑ]ΚΟΣΙΩΝ Head of Arethousa to left, wearing pendant earring and pearl necklace, her hair bound in a broad ampyx and confined in the back in a net; to left, two dolphins swimming towards each other; to right, another dolphin swimming downward; below neck truncation, another dolphin left. De Luynes 1241 (same dies). Gulbenkian 309 (same dies). HGC 2, 1298. Jongkees 12 (dies C/λ). Regling 12. Rizzo pl. L, 6 (same obverse die). SNG ANS 360 (same dies). Beautifully toned and with a very interesting pedigree. Minor traces of cleaning and light scratches, and the reverse somewhat double struck, otherwise, very fine.



Charles Henry Deetz (1864-1946) was born on 10 April 1864, in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. Educated at the Phillips Exeter Academy, he entered the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, where he soon established himself as one of the leading cartographers of his generation. He became particularly renowned for his work on map projections and authored standard texts such as Elements of Map Projection (with O. S. Adams) and Cartography, both long regarded as authoritative in their fields. Among his practical achievements were the transverse polyconic projection of the North Pacific and the Lambert projection of the North Atlantic; notably, Deetz himself computed the spherical coordinates for the transverse projection.

His expertise was recognized at the highest levels of government. In 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6687, and again in 1935 Executive Order 7030, granting him exemption from compulsory retirement so that he could continue his service. He finally stepped down in 1936, only to be recalled during World War II in 1942 - at the age of 78 - to revise Elements of Map Projection, which was urgently needed for the training of navigators and cartographers. He served until 1943, when he retired once more due to the serious illness of his wife. In recognition of his many contributions, the National Geographic Society elected him to life membership that same year.

Beyond his professional work, Deetz was an avid collector. He assembled a library of some 5,000 volumes and built a substantial coin collection. He was a member of the Philosophical Society of Washington and of the American Numismatic Association, and after his death in 1946 his coin collection was sold at Stack’s in New York. His national standing was further reflected in his inclusion in Who’s Who in America - a distinction accorded to very few of his fellow Bucks Countians.