Ancients: Lucania, Metapontion. Ca. 540-510 B.C. AR nomos,...

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Lucania, Metapontion. Ca. 540-510 B.C. AR nomos, (27 mm, 8.15 g, 12 h). Barley ear with seven grains / Incuse barley ear with seven grains. Noe 140 = de Sartiges31 (same dies); SNG ANS -; HN Italy 1481. Extremely rare variety with long form of city ethnic (retrograde). XF, old collection toning.

A superb example of the archaic incuse coinage of Metapontion. The city was settled by colonists from Sybaris and Kroton in the seventh century B.C. and soon grew wealthy from the rich produce of the land. The archaic coinage of Metapontion advertises the rich grain yields of the city's territory and makes use of incuse reverse types mirroring the raised obverse type. Although extremely difficult to produce, incuse coinage was popular among several cities of Magna Graecia (i.e. Kroton, Sybaris, Poseidonia) in the fifth century B.C. Unlike most Metapontine nomoi, which are inscribed with only the first three letters of the city name, this rare variety carries a longer form of the city ethnic, "Metapont."