Sicily, Leontini, Tetradrachm 455-430 BC

Apollo is portrayed as a young man with hair marked by thin lines and numerous wavy locks. The portrait is made all the more beautiful by the fact that elements of his eyes, notably his eyelashes, are still visible. The centering of the strike reveals his entire head and part of the grenetis composed of delicate dots. The reverse shows good centering and some blue highlights between 6 and 9 o'clock. The hair and lips of the lion are visible and detailed, while its sharp fangs and tongue show its ferocity. The laurel leaf is delicately represented with all its veins, and every element of the barley grains is present.

Our specimen was struck during a period of independence for the city of Leontini, then allied with the Athenians, between two Syracusan invasions. Apollo was depicted because he was the most important deity of the city at the time. The lion, a solar animal indirectly associated with the god, is also linked to the name Leontini. As for the barley grains, they testify to the wealth of the city, renowned for its fertile plains. The laurel leaf, also linked to Apollo, is one of the symbols known from the reverse of the Tetradrachms of the city during this period. It bears witness to the intensity of coinage minting in the second third of the 5th century BC.

Another interesting element is that the legend on our coin is written in the Chalcidian alphabet, testifying to the origin of the city's founders in the 8th century BC, who came from Chalcis. The letters “L” and “N” are characteristic of it. A specimen that attests to the historical context in which it was minted, with excellent centering and an exceptional state of preservation. A must-have!