Nomos 29

TROAS. Assos. Circa 500-450 BC. Obol (Silver, 7 mm, 0.57 g, 7 h). Griffin head to right, with open jaws and a beaded neck truncation. Rev. Lion's head to right, with open jaws; all within an incuse square. Apparently unpublished. This is certainly from the same series as the scarce early drachms of Assos, as BMC 1, BMFA 1626 and SNG Ashmolean 1050. For a similar issue struck in Massalia see: Furtwängler Group FF (for the types), Group EE, and especially 4 (for the weight). Maurel 90 (for the types) and 91 (for the weight). Unique! An impressively powerful little coin. Nicely toned. Minor roughness, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From the "Collection sans Pareille" of Ancient Greek Fractions and from the collection of L. Mildenberg, with his hand written ticket, "von Bob 1500 Sfs Incert. A Min.?".

This turned up among the many coins from uncertain Asia Minor mints that are in this collection. While it is very reminiscent, indeed, of the coinage of Massalia - though what was it doing with the well-known "Bob"? - it also was, as was pointed out by Dimitrios Gerothanasis, even more reminiscent of the early silver drachms of Assos, especially the savage looking, and beady-eyed griffin and the equally beady-eyed lion. Thus, we can take the attribution to Assos as certain.