Lot 50: Thessaly, Skotussa. 3rd century B.C. Æ chalkous.

Thessaly, Skotussa. 3rd century B.C. Æ chalkous (15 mm, 2.96 g, 1 h). Thessalian helmet with earpiece right / ΣKOTOY[Σ-ΣAIΩN], animal standing right on club. Rogers 548, fig 304; BCD Thessaly II 754. Rare, and among the finest known. Black patina with attractive sandy highlights. Nice extremely fine. 

The animal on the reverse has traditionally been called a ram, but it has no horns. Likewise a sheep seems out of the question as the animal here has a rather long and perhaps bushy tail. Logically we might expect a horse on a Thessalian coin sporting war implements (helmet and club), since the Thessalians were expert horse warriors, but the shaggy coat suggests it might be some other animal, perhaps a hound or a wolf.

• Offered By: Barry P. Murphy
• Lot #: 50
• Listing #: 176496
• Closed: Friday, September 28, 2018 4:08:10 PM CT
• Estimate: $500