Lot 99: Thrace, Mesambria. 4th century B.C. AR diobol.

Thrace, Mesambria. 4th century B.C. AR diobol (9 mm, 1.24 g, 9 h). Crested helmet facing / M-E-Σ-A, wheel with four spokes. Karayotov 37-140; Topalov 5-7; SNG BM 268-71. Toned. Very fine.

Mesambria was settled by Megarian colonists on the Black Sea coast in the sixth century B.C. It stood out as the only successful Dorian Greek colony in the region, often competing against neighboring Apollonia Pontika for a share in the lucrative Black Sea grain trade. As an important source of mercenaries in the late Classical and Hellenistic periods, it is perhaps not surprising that a helmet was chosen as an obverse type for the city's coinage. The meaning of the wheel reverse is unclear, but it is a common motif on a number of early Greek fractional coinages. In the case of Mesambria, however, it may refer to the bronze so-called Thracian ""wheel money"" which was exchanged in trade with the native people of the Thracian interior.

• Offered By: Barry P. Murphy
• Lot #: 99
• Listing #: 174737
• Closed: Friday, September 16, 2016 5:32:40 PM CT
• Estimate: $50