Arethusa / Octopus
Syracuse (Sicily) - Litra
Description
Obverse: Head of Arethusa, wearing earring, necklace, ampyx and sphendone on which, ΦPI; beneath chin, dolphin and in right field, ear of barley.
Reverse: Octopus
Fakeity - fake. See https://www.lamoneta.it/topic/148076-litra-siracusa-falsa/ where the user "skuby" published the fake dies used to create this coin. In fact, this specific coin was pointed out as a fake on July 19, 2016 and even though it was withdrawn, it has re-appeared over 8 years later. Sadly this is really on me as this was an obvious fake since it was published online, I just did not do any research. A bit crazy that this fake has an 8 year provenance itself.
Details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Composition | Silver |
| Issuer | Syracuse |
| Ruling Authority | Second Democracy (466 BC - 405 BC) |
| Period of Issue | 410 BC - 400 BC |
| Weight | 0.76 g |
| Diameter | 14 mm |
| Orientation | ↑↑ 9h |
| Denomination | 1 Litra |
| Standard | Sicilian Litra |
| References | SNG ANS 5 #277 |
Provenance
| Location | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | Numismatica Tintinna, Asta elettronica n.57 - Lot 150 | Aug 27, 2016 |
| Italy | Numismatica Canusina, Listino 2024 - Lot 3644 | Oct 23, 2024 |
| United States | Lelouch Collection | Current |