Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2
Date: 2017-01-10 00:00:00
Lots: 936
Total starting: $ 0.00
Total realized: $ 0.00 (+0.00%)
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Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 1
IBERIA, Bolskan. Circa 150-100 BC. AR Denarius (17.5mm, 4.05 g, 1h). Bare bearded head right; Iberian bon to left / Warrior, holding spear, on horseback right; Iberian bolśkan below. ACIP 1417; SNG BM Spain 710–33. Near EF, toned. From the Kallman Collection.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 2
ETRURIA, Populonia. 3rd century BC. AR 20 Asses (19.5mm, 8.30 g). Diademed facing head of Metus; X X (mark of value) below / Traces of uncertain legend. EC Group XII, Series 37, 67 (O1/R1) = Vecchi II, 13.16 (this coin); HN Italy 142; SNG ANS 79; BMC 28; Hirsch 14; McClean 129; Norman Davis 1; Pozzi 39 (all from the same dies). EF, toned. Excellent metal. Ex A. Hess 253 (8 March 1983), lot 2; Naville IV (17 June 1922), lot 7.The reverse die of this series is thought to have been inscribed with the ethnic POPLV, in Etruscan, but none of the extant examples are clear enough to be certain. In any event, the die was apparently used long after the legend was worn off, such that most examples, as this, only display vague traces of it.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 3
CAMPANIA, Neapolis. Circa 300-275 BC. AR Nomos (19.5mm, 7.41 g, 9h). Head of nymph right, hair in band, wearing triple-pendant earring and pearl necklace; grape bunch behind neck, X before, ΣTA below / Man-headed bull standing right, head facing; above, Nike flying right, crowning bull; K below; [NEOΠOΛITΩN in exergue]. Sambon 472; HN Italy 579; SNG ANS 363–4; SNG BN –; Dewing –. Good VF, attractive old cabinet tone, compact flan. Ex Paul Mathey Collection (J. Schulman, 8 June 1937), lot 6; Carlo Strozzi Collection (Sangiorgi, 15 April 1907), lot 766.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 4
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 480-470 BC. AR Nomos (17mm, 8.08 g). Phalanthos, nude, raising left hand, riding dolphin right; TARAS (retrograde) to left, cockle shell below / Wheel of four spokes. Fischer-Bossert Group 4, 81 var. (V41/R– [unlisted rev. die]); Vlasto 74 (same obv. die); HN Italy 833; SNG Ashmolean 204 = Pozzi 111; Boston MFA 47; Dewing 128; Jameson 82 (all from same obv. die). Good VF, lightly toned, light scratch on reverse. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex Classical Numismatic Group Inventory 161596 (December 2005).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 5
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 450 BC. AR Nomos (24.5mm, 7.76 g, 8h). Phalanthos, nude, riding dolphin right, arms outstretched; retrograde TAPANTINON to left (faintly visible), cockle shell below / Taras as Oikistes, wearing himation, seated left on stool draped with panther skin, holding spindle in extended right hand and staff in left; all within laurel wreath. Fischer-Bossert Group 10, 134e (V70/R92 – this coin, illustrated); Vlasto, Taras, Type 10; Vlasto 176; HN Italy 845; SNG Lloyd 132; de Luynes 272; McClean 550 (all from the same dies). VF, toned, traces of find patina, some porosity on reverse. Very rare variety from these dies, only seven examples noted by Fischer-Bossert. Ex Roland Maly Collection (LHS 100, 23 April 2007), lot 25; Ceresio 1 (26 September 1987), lot 9.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 6
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 430-425 BC. AR Nomos (21mm, 7.94 g, 8h). Phalanthos, nude, looking at helmet he holds in his extended right hand, riding dolphin left; [TAPAN]-T-INΩN counterclockwise around from right, crawfish below / Taras as Oikistes, wearing himation, seated left on stool, holding spindle in extended right hand, left hand on stool back; to left, dog left, jumping upward toward spindle. Fischer-Bossert Group 17, 263 (V123/R197); Vlasto, Taras, Type 41; Vlasto 225; HN Italy 844; SNG ANS 857; SNG Copenhagen 782; SNG Lloyd 139; SNG München 610 (all from the same dies). Good VF, toned, slightly soft strike, a little off center on reverse. Ex Edward J. Waddell Inventory 45730 (December 2006); Peus 380 (3 November 2004), lot 59; Kricheldorf 23 (21 June 1971), lot 2.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 7
CALABRIA, Tarentum. temp. Alexander the Molossian. Circa 333-331/0 BC. AV Twelfth Stater – Hemilitra (6.5mm, 0.43 g, 7h). Radiate head of Helios facing slightly right / Thunderbolt; TARAN above, AΠOΛ below. Fischer-Bossert G3b (V3/R3) = Vlasto 14 (this coin); HN Italy 906; SNG ANS 977; SNG BN 1775-6; SNG Copenhagen 833; SNG Lloyd 188; Jameson 145; McClean 596 (all from the same dies). Good VF, underlying luster, slight die wear on reverse. Very rare. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex David Herman Collection (Triton X, 9 January 2007), lot 27; Triton V (15 January 2002), lot 1050; Classical Numismatic Group 40 (with Numismatica Ars Classica, 4 December 1996), lot 591; Athos D. Moretti Collection (forthcoming), 9; Michel Pandely Vlasto Collection, 14.This issue mimics the types employed by Alexander of Epiros on his gold fractions struck at Tarentum, and confirms the chronological placement of this issue during Alexander's expedition to Italy.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 8
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Alexander the Molossian. King of Epeiros, 350-330 BC. AV Twelfth Stater – Hemilitra (8mm, 0.65 g, 8h). Struck circa 333-331/0 BC. Radiate head of Helios facing slightly left / Thunderbolt; AΛ/EΞ in two lines, above and below. Vlasto, Alexander, Type 6A, pl.ix, 10 (same dies); cf. Fischer-Bossert G3; Vlasto 1864–5; cf. HN Italy 906; Hunterian 2 (same obv. die); De Luynes 1892 (same obv. die). VF. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman.Alexander the Molossian, king of Epeiros, arrived in Italy in 334 BC ostensibly to assist the beleaguered Tarantine state, which was being threatened by the warlike Lucanians. His true purpose, however, was to extend his dominion in the west just as his namesake, the king of Macedon, was establishing a great empire in the east. After initial successes, his career was abruptly terminated in 330 BC beneath the walls of Pandosia, where he perished in battle against the Bruttians, much to the relief of the Tarentine Republic
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 9
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 320 BC. AV Hemistater – Drachm (13mm, 4.24 g, 6h). Head of Hera right, wearing stephanos and triple-pendant earring; [E to left], ΤΑΡΑΝ[ΤΙΝΩΝ] to right / Phalanthos, nude, holding dolphin in extended right hand and cradling trident in left arm, riding dolphin left; TAPAΣ to right, [|- and K below]. Fischer-Bossert G7p (V6/R7 – this coin); Vlasto 5; HN Italy 902; SNG ANS 955; SNG BN 1779–81; SNG Copenhagen 831; SNG Lloyd –; Basel 90; Dewing 149; Gillet 36; Hirsch 84; Jameson 149; Kraay & Hirmer 317 (all from the same dies). VF. Rare. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex James A. Ferrendelli Collection (Triton VII, 13 January 2004), lot 10; Harlan J. Berk 20th CICF Auction (23 March 1995), lot 12; Ars Classica XVI (3 July 1933), lot 77.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 10
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 320-315 BC. AV Stater (18mm, 8.57 g, 9h). Head of Hera (or Persephone) left, wearing stephanos, veil, triple pendant earring, and pearl necklace; three dolphins swimming around, TAPA to left / Taras, nude, on horse standing right, crowning horse with wreath held in right hand, left hand holding rein; to upper left, Nike flying right, crowning Taras with open wreath held in both hands; dolphin downward to right, ΣA below horse, star below horse's foreleg, TAPA[Σ] in exergue. Fischer-Bossert G10j (V9/R10) = Jameson 159 (this coin); Vlasto 24; HN Italy 954 (circa 302 BC); SNG ANS 1032; SNG BN 1789 = de Luynes 237; Boston MFA 71; Gillet 37; Kraay & Hirmer 319 (all from the same dies). Good VF, lightly toned. Very rare. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex George and Robert Stevenson Collection (Classical Numismatic Group XXVI, 11 June 1993), lot 9; Leu 13 (29 April 1975), lot 17; Robert Jameson Collection; J. Hirsch XVI (5 December 1906), lot 19; reportedly from the 1905 Monteparano hoard (IGCH 1950).The goddess on this beautiful stater has variously been identified as Hera, Amphitrite (consort of Poseidon), or Persephone (in her guise as consort of Hades and queen of the underworld). While Rutter (in HN Italy) prefers Hera, the iconography of the goddess is consistent with Persephone (her diaphanous veil and stephane), and the cult of the chthonian Persephone was one of the most important at Taras.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 11
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 320-315 BC. AV Hemistater – Drachm (13mm, 4.25 g, 3h). Head of Satyra left, hair bound with two crossing cords and tied at the back of her head leaving a cascade of loose curls, wearing triple pendant earring, and pearl necklace; retrograde [T]A-PA above, dolphin downward below chin, ΣA behind neck / Phalanthos, nude but for chlamys draped over his shoulders, holding crowning Nike in extended right hand and cradling trident in left arm, riding dolphin left; |-H and waves below. Fischer-Bossert G13m (V10/R13 – this coin); Vlasto 26; HN Italy 950; SNG ANS 1033; SNG Lockett 273 = Weber 549 (all from the same dies). VF, a couple light marks. Rare. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex Patrick A. Doheny Collection (Sotheby's, 20 June 1979), lot 5; Ars Classica XVI (3 July 1933), lot 88.The obverse type of this coin has traditionally been described as the nymph Satyra, mother of Taras, though the evidence is lacking for positive identification. This rendition of Satyra is stylistically similar to that of another local water nymph, Peirene, as she appears on Corinthian drachms. The cascading hair style is the obvious attribute for a water nymph interpretation. The reverse bears the standard Tarentine silver nomoi type depicting Phalanthos astride a dolphin.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 12
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 320-315 BC. AV Sixth Stater – Diobol (9.5mm, 1.41 g, 11h). Head of Apollo left, wearing laurel wreath; [ΣA] and dolphin to left, TAPAΣ to right / Herakles, raising club overhead in right hand, preparing to strike the Nemean lion as it attacks him from the right; bow and quiver to left, |-H below. Fischer-Bossert G14 (V11/R14); Vlasto 27; HN Italy 951; SNG ANS 1034; SNG BN 1492–3; SNG Copenhagen 834; SNG Lloyd 186; Boston MFA 73 = Warren 36; Hunterian 20; Jameson 161; McClean 599 (all from the same dies). Good VF. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex Triton VI (14 January 2003), lot 34.Apollo was worshipped as the patron of colonists at Tarentum, and he was also the patron of the revered Pythagorean religious order at Tarentum, which existed until the late fourth century. The reverse motif of Herakles fighting the Nemean lion was also used on contemporary silver diobols of Tarentum and its colony Herakleia, though the silver issues usually chose the "tondo" scene of a crouched Herakles wrestling the Nemean lion with a stranglehold (a design also used on the Syracusan gold 100 litrae issue of Dionysios I).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 13
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 315-302 BC. AR Nomos (21.5mm, 7.91 g, 2h). Warrior, preparing to cast spear held aloft in right hand, holding two spears and shield with left hand, on horse rearing right; ΣA below / Phalanthos, nude, holding kantharos in extended right hand and cradling trident in left arm, riding dolphin left; to left, Ω above arm, Σ below; TAPAΣ to right; below, small dolphin left. Fischer-Bossert Group 73, 886 (V347/R688); Vlasto 614 and 616 (same dies); HN Italy 937; SNG ANS 1004 (same dies); SNG Lloyd –; McClean 610 (same dies). Superb EF, toned. Fine style. Ex Hess-Divo 328 (22 May 2015), lot 1; J.M. Collection (Vinchon, 23 April 1990), lot 4.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 14
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 315-302 BC. AR Nomos (21mm, 8.04 g, 11h). Warrior, preparing to cast spear held aloft in right hand, holding two spears and shield with left hand, on horse rearing right; Ξ to left, API below / Phalanthos, nude, holding kantharos in extended right hand and cradling oar in left arm, riding dolphin left; KΛ to left, TAPAΣ to right. Fischer-Bossert Group 74a, 914 (V357/R709); Vlasto 634-47; HN Italy 939; SNG ANS 1016 (same obv. die); SNG Lloyd –; BMC 208 (same dies); Pozzi 123 (same obv. die). EF, attractively toned. Fine style. Ex Hess-Divo 329 (17 November 2015), lot 6; Leu 91 (10 May 2004), lot 15.
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CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 280-272 BC. AR Nomos (20.5mm, 6.45 g, 11h). Youth on horseback right, crowning horse with wreath held in right hand, left hand holding reins; AP monogram behind, ΔAMYΛOΣ below / Phalanthos, holding cornucopia in extended right hand, trident and shield adorned with hippocamp in left, riding dolphin left; TA-PAΣ below. Vlasto 750–2; HN Italy 1008. EF, attractive even gray tone with golden hues around the devices. Well centered on a broad flan. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica 84 (20 May 2015), lot 558; Sotheby's (26 March 1987), lot 329.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 16
CALABRIA, Tarentum. Circa 280-272 BC. AR Nomos (20.5mm, 6.53 g, 6h). The Dioskouroi riding left; monogram above, ΣΩΔ-A-M-O-Σ below / Phalanthos, nude, holding two spears, shield, and Nike, who crowns him with wreath, riding dolphin left; ΠY to left, TA-PAΣ to right, waves below. Vlasto 773–9; HN Italy 1011. EF, toned, die break on obverse, scratches under tone on reverse. Exceptionally well centered for issue.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 17
CALABRIA, Tarentum. temp. Pyrrhos of Epeiros. Circa 276-272 BC. AV Stater (17.5mm, 8.54 g, 1h). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Male youth (Taras or Phalanthos?), nude but for chlamys draped over arm, holding reins in right hand, trident in left, driving fast biga right on thunderbolt; [TAP]ANTI-NΩ-N clockwise around from above, (AP)I below horses. Fischer-Bossert G26 (V22/R26); Vlasto 11 (same dies); cf. HN Italy 984; SNG BN 1844 = de Luynes 244 (same dies); BMC 10 (same dies); Gillet 39 (same dies); Weber 553 (same dies). VF, a couple marks and minor deposits. Very rare, only seven noted by Fischer-Bossert, including the two in CoinArchives. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex Numismatica Ars Classsica L (18 May 2001), lot 1044.This and the following gold issues from Tarentum were struck during the time of Pyrrhos of Epiros's campaigns in Italy. In the early 3rd Century BC, the Tarentines were at war with the Romans. To defeat their superior enemies, they decided that they needed the help of a powerful ally (Pausanias 1.12.1). So they sought the help of Pyrrhos, who crossed the Adriatic Sea in 280 BC. According to Pausanias, his reasons for joining the war were threefold. For one, the Tarentines had assisted him in his war with Korkyra, sending their fleet to augment Pyrrhos' forces. Secondly, Pyrrhos was enticed by the assertion of the Tarentine envoys that the land of Italy was prosperous and bountiful. The final, and perhaps most important, reason was that Pyrrhos "remembered the capture of Troy, which he took to be an omen of his success in the war, as he was a descendant of Achilles making war upon a colony of Trojans" (Pausanias 1.12.1).Plutarch relates a wonderful anecdote that as Pyrrhos was deciding whether or not to help the Tarentines, he was counseled by his advisor Kineas (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 14.2-7). Kineas asked his ruler what they should do if they succeed in conquering the Romans, and Pyrrhos replied that they would then conquer all of Italy. When asked by Kineas, "What then?", Pyrrhos replied that he would then move on to capture Sicily. The conversation proceeded in this way, until Pyrrhos said that they would eventually conquer the entire world. Kineas then asked what they should do once all of their foes were vanquished, to which Pyrrhos said, "We shall be much at ease, and we'll drink bumpers, my good man, every day, and we'll gladden one another's hearts with confidential talks" (14.6). Finally Kineas's point became clear when he said, "Then what stands in our way now if we want to drink bumpers and while away the time with one another? Surely this privilege is ours already, and we have at hand, without taking any trouble, those things to which we hope to attain by bloodshed and great toils and perils, after doing much harm to others and suffering much ourselves" (14.7). Though this logic made him uneasy, Pyrrhos continued with his expedition to Italy.Though Pyrrhos was successful in his battles against Rome, the losses he sustained diminished his forces to the extent that he could not capitalize on his victories, so he was eventually forced to retreat back to Greece. This situation of tactical victory at a crippling cost is to what the expression "Pyrrhic victory" refers. Appropriately, after his victory over Rome at the battle of Asculum in 279 BC, Pyrrhos remarked, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined" (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 21.9).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 18
CALABRIA, Tarentum. temp. Pyrrhos of Epeiros. Circa 276-272 BC. AV Hemistater – Drachm (13.5mm, 4.29 g, 3h). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Male youth (Taras or Phalanthos?), nude but for chlamys draped over arm, holding reins in right hand, trident in left, driving fast biga right; EYΠO above, AP monogram to right, [T]APANTINΩN in exergue. Fischer-Bossert G28f (V24/R28 – this coin); Vlasto 34 (same dies); HN Italy 985; SNG BN 1845 = de Luynes 245 (same dies); SNG Manchester 111 (same dies). VF, a few marks. Very rare, one of only 15 of this issue noted by Fischer-Bossert, none in CoinArchives. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex Stack's (10 June 1997), lot 2; Spink 96 (31 March 1993), lot 6; Glendining (27 May 1936), lot 5; Ars Classica XVI (3 July 1933), lot 91.This gold issue from Tarentum was struck during the time of Pyrrhos of Epiros's campaigns in Italy. In the early 3rd Century BC, the Tarentines were at war with the Romans. To defeat their superior enemies, they decided that they needed the help of a powerful ally (Pausanias 1.12.1). So they sought the help of Pyrrhos, who crossed the Adriatic Sea in 280 BC. According to Pausanias, his reasons for joining the war were threefold. For one, the Tarentines had assisted him in his war with Korkyra, sending their fleet to augment Pyrrhos' forces. Secondly, Pyrrhos was enticed by the assertion of the Tarentine envoys that the land of Italy was prosperous and bountiful. The final, and perhaps most important, reason was that Pyrrhos "remembered the capture of Troy, which he took to be an omen of his success in the war, as he was a descendant of Achilles making war upon a colony of Trojans" (Pausanias 1.12.1).Plutarch relates a wonderful anecdote that as Pyrrhos was deciding whether or not to help the Tarentines, he was counseled by his advisor Kineas (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 14.2-7). Kineas asked his ruler what they should do if they succeed in conquering the Romans, and Pyrrhos replied that they would then conquer all of Italy. When asked by Kineas, "What then?", Pyrrhos replied that he would then move on to capture Sicily. The conversation proceeded in this way, until Pyrrhos said that they would eventually conquer the entire world. Kineas then asked what they should do once all of their foes were vanquished, to which Pyrrhos said, "We shall be much at ease, and we'll drink bumpers, my good man, every day, and we'll gladden one another's hearts with confidential talks" (14.6). Finally Kineas's point became clear when he said, "Then what stands in our way now if we want to drink bumpers and while away the time with one another? Surely this privilege is ours already, and we have at hand, without taking any trouble, those things to which we hope to attain by bloodshed and great toils and perils, after doing much harm to others and suffering much ourselves" (14.7). Though this logic made him uneasy, Pyrrhos continued with his expedition to Italy.Though Pyrrhos was successful in his battles against Rome, the losses he sustained diminished his forces to the extent that he could not capitalize on his victories, so he was eventually forced to retreat back to Greece. This situation of tactical victory at a crippling cost is to what the expression "Pyrrhic victory" refers. Appropriately, after his victory over Rome at the battle of Asculum in 279 BC, Pyrrhos remarked, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined" (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 21.9).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 19
CALABRIA, Tarentum. temp. Pyrrhos of Epeiros. Circa 276-272 BC. AV Tenth Stater – Obol (8mm, 0.84 g, 9h). Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Phalanthos, nude, holding kantharos in extended right hand and cradling trident in left arm, riding dolphin left; [TAPAΣ below]. Fischer-Bossert G34j (V30/R34 - this coin); Vlasto 42–4; HN Italy 992; SNG ANS 1041; SNG BN 1850 and 1852–4; SNG Copenhagen 836; SNG Lloyd 187; BMC 27; Jameson 162; Pozzi 119 (all from the same dies). Good VF, a little die wear on obverse, reverse off center. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman, purchased from Joel Malter, 1973. Ex Richard J. Graham (Paul Tinchant) Collection (Schulman 243, 8 June 1966), lot 1046; H.C. Hoskier Collection (A. Hess, 15 February 1934), lot 52; Ars Classica XVI (3 July 1933), lot 92; Claudius Côte Collection (Ratto, 28 January 1929), lot 318; W. Talbot Ready Collection.This gold issue from Tarentum was struck during the time of Pyrrhos of Epiros's campaigns in Italy. In the early 3rd Century BC, the Tarentines were at war with the Romans. To defeat their superior enemies, they decided that they needed the help of a powerful ally (Pausanias 1.12.1). So they sought the help of Pyrrhos, who crossed the Adriatic Sea in 280 BC. According to Pausanias, his reasons for joining the war were threefold. For one, the Tarentines had assisted him in his war with Korkyra, sending their fleet to augment Pyrrhos' forces. Secondly, Pyrrhos was enticed by the assertion of the Tarentine envoys that the land of Italy was prosperous and bountiful. The final, and perhaps most important, reason was that Pyrrhos "remembered the capture of Troy, which he took to be an omen of his success in the war, as he was a descendant of Achilles making war upon a colony of Trojans" (Pausanias 1.12.1).Plutarch relates a wonderful anecdote that as Pyrrhos was deciding whether or not to help the Tarentines, he was counseled by his advisor Kineas (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 14.2-7). Kineas asked his ruler what they should do if they succeed in conquering the Romans, and Pyrrhos replied that they would then conquer all of Italy. When asked by Kineas, "What then?", Pyrrhos replied that he would then move on to capture Sicily. The conversation proceeded in this way, until Pyrrhos said that they would eventually conquer the entire world. Kineas then asked what they should do once all of their foes were vanquished, to which Pyrrhos said, "We shall be much at ease, and we'll drink bumpers, my good man, every day, and we'll gladden one another's hearts with confidential talks" (14.6). Finally Kineas's point became clear when he said, "Then what stands in our way now if we want to drink bumpers and while away the time with one another? Surely this privilege is ours already, and we have at hand, without taking any trouble, those things to which we hope to attain by bloodshed and great toils and perils, after doing much harm to others and suffering much ourselves" (14.7). Though this logic made him uneasy, Pyrrhos continued with his expedition to Italy.Though Pyrrhos was successful in his battles against Rome, the losses he sustained diminished his forces to the extent that he could not capitalize on his victories, so he was eventually forced to retreat back to Greece. This situation of tactical victory at a crippling cost is to what the expression "Pyrrhic victory" refers. Appropriately, after his victory over Rome at the battle of Asculum in 279 BC, Pyrrhos remarked, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined" (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 21.9).
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CALABRIA, Tarentum. temp. Pyrrhos of Epeiros. Circa 276-272 BC. AV Stater (18mm, 8.54 g, 3h). Head of Zeus right, wearing laurel wreath; NK monogram to left / Eagle standing left, wings spread, on thunderbolt; [TAPANTINΩN up left field], AP monogram to inner left, [ΣΩΣI to upper right]. Fischer-Bossert G38n (V34/R38 – this coin); Vlasto 36 = Gulbenkian 44; HN Italy 983; SNG Lloyd 200 = Bement 96; Boston MFA 82; Hermitage Sale II 38 (all from the same dies). Good VF, a little die wear. Rare. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex Malter XXXII (30 November 1985), lot 6; Hess-Leu (12 April 1962), lot 21.This gold issue from Tarentum was struck during the time of Pyrrhos of Epiros's campaigns in Italy. In the early 3rd Century BC, the Tarentines were at war with the Romans. To defeat their superior enemies, they decided that they needed the help of a powerful ally (Pausanias 1.12.1). So they sought the help of Pyrrhos, who crossed the Adriatic Sea in 280 BC. According to Pausanias, his reasons for joining the war were threefold. For one, the Tarentines had assisted him in his war with Korkyra, sending their fleet to augment Pyrrhos' forces. Secondly, Pyrrhos was enticed by the assertion of the Tarentine envoys that the land of Italy was prosperous and bountiful. The final, and perhaps most important, reason was that Pyrrhos "remembered the capture of Troy, which he took to be an omen of his success in the war, as he was a descendant of Achilles making war upon a colony of Trojans" (Pausanias 1.12.1).Plutarch relates a wonderful anecdote that as Pyrrhos was deciding whether or not to help the Tarentines, he was counseled by his advisor Kineas (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 14.2-7). Kineas asked his ruler what they should do if they succeed in conquering the Romans, and Pyrrhos replied that they would then conquer all of Italy. When asked by Kineas, "What then?", Pyrrhos replied that he would then move on to capture Sicily. The conversation proceeded in this way, until Pyrrhos said that they would eventually conquer the entire world. Kineas then asked what they should do once all of their foes were vanquished, to which Pyrrhos said, "We shall be much at ease, and we'll drink bumpers, my good man, every day, and we'll gladden one another's hearts with confidential talks" (14.6). Finally Kineas's point became clear when he said, "Then what stands in our way now if we want to drink bumpers and while away the time with one another? Surely this privilege is ours already, and we have at hand, without taking any trouble, those things to which we hope to attain by bloodshed and great toils and perils, after doing much harm to others and suffering much ourselves" (14.7). Though this logic made him uneasy, Pyrrhos continued with his expedition to Italy.Though Pyrrhos was successful in his battles against Rome, the losses he sustained diminished his forces to the extent that he could not capitalize on his victories, so he was eventually forced to retreat back to Greece. This situation of tactical victory at a crippling cost is to what the expression "Pyrrhic victory" refers. Appropriately, after his victory over Rome at the battle of Asculum in 279 BC, Pyrrhos remarked, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined" (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 21.9).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XX Sessions 1 & 2 . 21
CALABRIA, Tarentum. temp. Pyrrhos of Epeiros. Circa 276-272 BC. AV Quarter Stater – Triobol (11.5mm, 2.16 g, 7h). Head of Apollo right, wearing laurel wreath; NK monogram to left / Eagle standing right, wings spread, on thunderbolt; TAPANTINΩN up left field; to right, ΦI(?) above two stars above two amphorai; NIKAP in exergue. Fischer-Bossert G58d (V49/R58 – this coin); Vlasto 57 (same dies); HN Italy 986; SNG Copenhagen 837 (same dies); Berlin 28 (same dies). EF, slight die shift. From the collection of a Northern California Gentleman. Ex William N. Rudman Collection (Triton V, 15 January 2002), lot 1058; Berk BBS 103 (28 July 1998), lot 2; Berk BBS 101 (24 March 1998), lot 2; Berk BBS 99 (25 November 1997), lot 1; Berk BBS 97 (12 September 1997), lot 3; Numismatica Ars Classica 9 (16 April 1996), lot 41.This gold issue from Tarentum was struck during the time of Pyrrhos of Epiros's campaigns in Italy. In the early 3rd Century BC, the Tarentines were at war with the Romans. To defeat their superior enemies, they decided that they needed the help of a powerful ally (Pausanias 1.12.1). So they sought the help of Pyrrhos, who crossed the Adriatic Sea in 280 BC. According to Pausanias, his reasons for joining the war were threefold. For one, the Tarentines had assisted him in his war with Korkyra, sending their fleet to augment Pyrrhos' forces. Secondly, Pyrrhos was enticed by the assertion of the Tarentine envoys that the land of Italy was prosperous and bountiful. The final, and perhaps most important, reason was that Pyrrhos "remembered the capture of Troy, which he took to be an omen of his success in the war, as he was a descendant of Achilles making war upon a colony of Trojans" (Pausanias 1.12.1).Plutarch relates a wonderful anecdote that as Pyrrhos was deciding whether or not to help the Tarentines, he was counseled by his advisor Kineas (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 14.2-7). Kineas asked his ruler what they should do if they succeed in conquering the Romans, and Pyrrhos replied that they would then conquer all of Italy. When asked by Kineas, "What then?", Pyrrhos replied that he would then move on to capture Sicily. The conversation proceeded in this way, until Pyrrhos said that they would eventually conquer the entire world. Kineas then asked what they should do once all of their foes were vanquished, to which Pyrrhos said, "We shall be much at ease, and we'll drink bumpers, my good man, every day, and we'll gladden one another's hearts with confidential talks" (14.6). Finally Kineas's point became clear when he said, "Then what stands in our way now if we want to drink bumpers and while away the time with one another? Surely this privilege is ours already, and we have at hand, without taking any trouble, those things to which we hope to attain by bloodshed and great toils and perils, after doing much harm to others and suffering much ourselves" (14.7). Though this logic made him uneasy, Pyrrhos continued with his expedition to Italy.Though Pyrrhos was successful in his battles against Rome, the losses he sustained diminished his forces to the extent that he could not capitalize on his victories, so he was eventually forced to retreat back to Greece. This situation of tactical victory at a crippling cost is to what the expression "Pyrrhic victory" refers. Appropriately, after his victory over Rome at the battle of Asculum in 279 BC, Pyrrhos remarked, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined" (Plutarch, Pyrrhus, 21.9).