MACEDON. Mende. Circa 510-480 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 26 mm, 17.30 g). Μ Ithyphallic ass walking to left, with Μ on his back and with a crow perching to right on his rump, bending its head down to peck at the ass's tail. Rev. Mill sail incuse. Noe, Mende -. Gillet 756 = Jameson 2446 = Pozzi (Boutin) 1540 = Regling 14 = Traité II, 1, 1617 ( this coin ). Very rare. A superb, beautifully centered, very well-struck and toned coin; of splendid late Archaic style and extremely attractive, very possibly the finest known example. Traces of corrosion and deposits as found, otherwise, about extremely fine.

Property of a Late Collector, ex Bank Leu 45, 26 May 1988, 109, and from the collections of C. Gillet (1879-1972 = Kunstfreund), Bank Leu & Münzen und Medaillen 28 May 1974, 33, R. Jameson (1861-1942), E. G. Spencer-Churchill (1876-1964), Ars Classica XIV, 2 July 1929, 166, S. Pozzi (1846-1918), Naville I, 4 April 1921, 768 and A. Rhousopoulos (1823-1898), J. Hirsch XIII, 15 May 1905, 887.

This coin, which has one of the most impressive pedigrees it is possible to have, is quite wonderful in every way! It is truly a masterpiece of the latest Archaic- earliest Classical style of Macedonia. Considerable information about this coin is expected to be found in the forthcoming study on the mint of Mende, now being written by a prominent Greek scholar.