Islands off Attica, Aegina. c. 445-430 BC
Islands off Attica, Aegina. c. 445-430 BC
AR Stater, 12.44g (20mm, ).
Land tortoise with segmented shell; Boeotian shield counterstamp on shell / Large square incuse with heavy skew pattern, divided into five fields by thick bars.
Pedigree: Ex Solidus 97, 19 April 2022, Lot 37. Ex Sheppard's Irish Auction House, 17, Aug. 2021, lot 64.
References: Group IIIb; Milbank Period IV, pl. II, 12; HGC 6, 437
Grade: Complete tortoise on flan. The countermark of the Boeotian shield is very rare and special. Some minor marks and slightly rough surfaces with toning overlay. A delightful example. aEF
gk2012
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On this host coin you can see a scarce countermark: a boeotian shield! As this coin was struck between c. 445-430 BC, this date acts as a “terminus post quem” for when the countermark was applied to the host coin. As a result, the countermark was probably stamped either before, or during, the Peloponnesian War. This was due to the fact that the people of Boeotia revolted against Athens, and won their independence with a victory in 447 BC at the battle of Coronea. Athens had taken over the Boeotian region a decade prior after the Battle of Oenophyta when they defeated the Boeotians and forced the surrender of Aegina. This countermark was therefore almost certainly more than just a guarantee of the coin's silver purity, and instead was probably an anti-Athens political statement.