The style is transitional from archaic to classical and celebrates a flourishing local viticulture. To the obverse is the head of the wine god Dionysos with his woodland companion, the drunken Silenos gazing into his wine cup, shown on the reverse.
The die engraver has been named in modern times as the ‘Aetna Master’ after a unique tetradrachm of Aetna in the Brussels Museum which was issued at the same time.
This example, one of the finest known of the few surviving specimens, was once owned by Jean-Jacques Barre, chief engraver of the Paris Mint from 1842-55, who perhaps drew inspiration from this very coin.
The financial highlight of the £7m collection of Greek coins sold by Morton & Eden on September 26-27, it was estimated at £400,000-600,000 and sold at £550,000 (plus 20% buyer’s premium).
