Macedonia, Tetradrachm, ca. 460-423 BC
Mende - Silver - EF(40-45)
PLEASE NOTE: this collector's item is unique. We therefore cannot guarantee its availability over time and recommend that you do not delay too long in completing your purchase if you are interested.
Inebriated Dionysos, bearded, naked with a chiton draped around his waist, reclining to the left on the back of a donkey advancing to the right, holding a kantharos in his extanded right hand and looking to the left; a bird (crow or jay?) on a stump to the right; under the horse's belly, a small dog on its back legs facing left.
Vine with five bunches of grapes; ethnic (ΜΕΝΔΑΙΟΝ) around; all in a slightly incuse square.
Extremely rare Mende tetradrachm with worn but still largely visible flan and designs. The edge shows a few splits and a trace between 5 and 6 o'clock on the obverse, originating from the die. The grenetis is discernible in the left register, visible in the right, and the incuse square on the reverse is almost entirely present. The rarity of our coin lies in the presence of the little dog and, above all, in the position in which it is depicted. Our coin was minted on the Attic-Euboic standard between 460 and 423 BC, when Mende was a member of the League of Delos, from which it defected during the Peloponnesian War. Our tetradrachm depicts an older Dionysos, draped and resting on a donkey while inebriated. In his hand, he holds a kantharos, the vase in which wine was drunk, and which he is said to have invented. It is also linked to the Dionysian cult and the procession of the same name. Dionysos, Maenads, Satyrs, Silenus and animals such as goats, panthers and donkeys are all part of the procession. Our tetradrachm represents part of this procession and its iconography. The donkey is associated with both Dionysos and Silenus, as it is the animal on which both deities rest when inebriated. It is also renowned for its stamina, and is therefore used to transport goods, associating it with mobility. The absence of plant leaves around the bird, interpreted as a jay (HGC 3.1-545) or a crow (Noe, The Mende (Kaliandra) Hoard of 1913, 1926), is another peculiarity of our specimen. The last animal on the obverse is the little dog. Its presence on Mende's tetradrachms is extremely rare, since only four types - 77 to 80 - are referenced by Noe. To the best of our knowledge, the five tetradrachms featuring a dog and offered for sale in the last twenty years show it on all fours and turned to the right (all Noe, 78). Our example, with the little animal turned to the left and standing on its back legs, is therefore singular. It is referenced by Noe as number 80, but does not appear in the Jameson Collection. The reverse features a single, slightly incuse square in which the entire iconography can be found. The five bunches of grapes are depicted on their vine, with small branches and leaves cutting through the ethic. The representation of the vine and the grape, from which wine is made, is thus intimately linked to the iconography of the obverse, and in particular Dionysos, for which it is the protective divinity. Beyond the concordance between obverse and reverse, the choice of depicting symbols linked to this beverage is not insignificant. The city of Mende is renowned for the production and export of wine throughout Greece. All the elements of the iconography therefore testify to the city's viticultural activity and its importance. A must-have coin! Noe “The Mende (Kaliandra) Hoard of 1913”, NNM 27, 1926, 80 (IGCH 358); ANS 1967.152.165. and HGC 3.1, 545 var. Ex Vinchon, 27 October 2000, lot 48 = Richard Lockett Collection, VI, 1958, lot 1270 = Capitaine E. G. Spencer Churchill Collection (Ars Classica - Naville, XIV, 1929, lot 184). Faune d'Argent Collection.
ΜΕΝ-ΔΑ-Ι-ΟΝ
17.2 gr
Silver
Silver can fall into your pocket but also falls between copper and gold in group 11 of the periodic table. Three metals frequently used to mint coins. There are two good reasons for using silver: it is a precious metal and oxidizes little upon contact with air. Two advantages not to be taken for granted.
Here is thus a metal that won’t vanish into thin air.
It’s chemical symbol Ag is derived from the Latin word for silver (argentum), compare Ancient Greek ἄργυρος (árgyros). Silver has a white, shiny appearance and, to add a little bit of esotericism or polytheism to the mix, is traditionally dedicated to the Moon or the goddess Artemis (Diana to the Romans).
As a precious metal, just like gold, silver is used to mint coins with an intrinsic value, meaning their value is constituted by the material of which they are made. It should be noted that small quantities of other metals are frequently added to silver to make it harder, as it is naturally very malleable (you can’t have everything) and thus wears away rapidly.
The first silver coins probably date back to the end of the 7th century BC and were struck on the Greek island of Aegina. These little beauties can be recognized by the turtle featured on the reverse.
The patina of silver ranges from gray to black.
The millesimal fineness (or alloy) of a coin indicates the exact proportion (in parts per thousand) of silver included in the composition. We thus speak, for example, of 999‰ silver or 999 parts of silver per 1 part of other metals. This measure is important for investment coins such as bullion. In France, it was expressed in carats until 1995.
An “EF(40-45)” quality
As in numismatics it is important that the state of conservation of an item be carefully evaluated before it is offered to a discerning collector with a keen eye.
This initially obscure acronym comprising two words describing the state of conservation is explained clearly here:
Extremely Fine
This means – more prosaically – that the coin has circulated well from hand to hand and pocket to pocket but the impact on its wear remains limited: the coins retains much of its mint luster, sharp detailing and little sign of being circulated. Closer examination with the naked eye reveals minor scratches or nicks.
