New Reverse Die Variations from Selinus c. 440 BC
Abstract
This paper reports two reverse dies from classical Selinus which, although previously published in trade, were incorrectly attributed to a similar but distinct issue. The first of these reverse dies is known from a single example published at auction. Another specimen of this specific reverse rests in private hands and, to my knowledge, has never before been published. The second reverse die is known from at least two examples which have appeared in commerce. This paper also describes the evolution of a distinctive die flaw corresponding to die state Q5β in Schwabacher’s catalog. This is found on the paired obverse of the newly described reverse issues.
References
Arnold-Biucchi, C. 1992. The Beginnings of Coinage in the West: Archaic Selinus, in Florileguim Numismaticum: Studia in Honorem U. Westermark Edita. Swenska Numismatiska Föreningen: 13-19. Stockholm.
Arnold-Biucchi, C. 1989. The Randazzo Hoard 1980 and Sicilian Chronology in the Early Fifth Century BC. New York: American Numismatic Society.
Arnold-Biucchi, C. 1988. A Greek Archaic Silver Hoard From Selinus. American Numismatic Society Museum Notes 33: 1-35.
Fischer-Bossert, W. 2012. The Coinage of Sicily, in W.E. Metcalf (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage: 144-145. Oxford.
Head, B.V. 1911. Historia Numorum. Oxford: Clarendon Press. (Argonaut 1967 reprint).
Mildenberg, L. and S. Hurter (eds.) 1985. The Arthur S. Dewing Collection of Greek Coins. New York: American Numismatic Society.
Robertson, N. 2010. Religion and Reconciliation in Greek Cities:The Sacred Laws of Selinus and Cyrene. Oxford.
Rutter, N.K. 1977. The Greek Coinages of Southern Italy and Sicily. London: Spink.
Schwabacher, W. 1925. Die Tetradrachmenprägung von Selinunt. Metteilungen der Bayerischen Numismatischen Gesellschaft 43: 1-89.
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum. 1977. The Collection of the American Numismatic Society. Part 4. Sicily II: Galaria-Styella. New York: American Numismatic Society.
Tusa, V. 1976. Selinus (Selinunte) Trapani, Sicily. Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites: 823-825.
Ancient sources: Diodorus Siculus. Translated by C.H. Oldfather. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1956.
Diodorus Siculus. Translated by C.H. Oldfather. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: MA: Harvard University Press, 1950.
Thucydides. The Landmark Thucydides. Edited by Robert B. Strassler. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1998.
