SICILY. Leontini. Circa 450-440 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 26 mm, 17.25 g, 11 h). Laureate head of Apollo to left. Rev. Λ-ΕΟ-ΝΤΙΝ-Ο-Ν Lion's head with open jaws to left; around, four barley grains. AMB 351 ( same dies ). Boehringer, Münzgeschichte 51 ( same obverse die ). Buceti 20. Jameson 1830 ( same dies ). Rizzo pl. XXIII, 19 ( same dies ). SNG ANS 236 ( same dies ). A beautiful, toned and sharply struck coin, minted from dies engraved by a master. A few very minor marks. Good extremely fine.

Acquired privately prior to 2005 from a European collection.

Produced only a few years later than the previous lot, the stylistic development shown in the way the head of Apollo is portrayed is remarkable. Before we had a still somewhat Archaic-looking, albeit clearly Classical head (he already has a profile eye); now we have a fully Classical head, with a noble serenity that the previous piece lacks. While many of the details do share a kind of Archaic stiffness, they almost seem to be archaizing, as if the engraver put them in because that was what his audience wanted.