An 8 litrai of Gelon II with a superb provenance

[Nikodeimos]

Hey y’all!

Got another coin I’d like to share with you. It’s definitely one of my favorite purchases of the past year, so let’s dive right into it.

 

SICILY. Syracuse. Gelon, son of Hieron II, 275-215 BC. 8 Litrai (Silver, 21 mm, 6.69 g, 1 h), circa 218/7-215 BC. Diademed head of Gelon to left; to right, bow. Rev. ΣΥΡAKΩΣIOI - ΓEΛONOΣ Nike driving quadriga galloping to right, holding reins in both hands; to right, BA; between the horses' legs, K. Greek Coins and Their Parent Cities (1902), 339 (this coin). HGC 2, 1561. Beautifully toned and with a superb pedigree. Some delamination and with a small die break on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.

Privately acquired from Numismatic Fine Art on 29 June 2024, ex Chaponnière & Firmenich 18, 25 May 2024, 2, Tradart Genève, 16 November 1995, 29, Glendining & Empire Coins, 9 October 1989, 620, from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, Sotheby & Co Zürich, 4 April 1973, 273, previously privately acquired by J.P. Morgan from the John Ward (1832-1912) collection and from the collection of Hyman Montagu (1844-1895), Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 11 December 1894, 67 (acquired by W.T. Ready for 2 pounds 18 shillings).

This coin was struck right at the start of the Second Punic War (218-201 BC). Syracuse, as Sicily’s greatest city, naturally could not afford to stay neutral in the conflict, and Hiero II, an old general of Pyrrhus of Epirus, and his son, Gelon II, pursued a decidedly pro-Roman course. While this was sensible policy in hindsight, Hannibal’s invasion of Italy saw one Roman legion slaughtered after the other. It is no wonder then that some in Syracuse were getting serious doubts about their Roman allies. Still, Hieron and Gelon remained steadfast (though Livy claimed Gelon was ready to abandon Rome), but the latter died in 215 and was soon followed by his father. This put Gelon’s infant son, Hieronymos, on the throne, and pro-Carthaginian courtiers managed to maneuver the city into switching sides. In 213, the Romans besieged the city, and despite its spirited defense, supported by none other than Archimedes (who eventually lost his life to a Roman legionary), the city was captured, losing its independence forever.

Because he never ruled alone, little is known about Gelon II. He was married to a daughter of Pyrrhos, and ancient sources describe him as a conscientious man who respected his father’s rule and carried himself with dignity. The aforementioned Archimedes also dedicated one of his mathematical treatises to him.

While it is an attractive piece, what makes it even more desirable is its (very) long provenance chain.

It was first part of Hyman Montagu’s (1844-1895) collection, the Greek part of which was sold with Sotheby’s in 1894. A British Jew, Montagu was a very successful solicitor specialized in bankruptcy, and it appears to have made him a fortune, as he acquired a large collection of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and English coins. He was not a senseless buyer, however, but rather had a keen eye and an evident passion for coins, as evidenced by his numismatic publications. His mania as a collector is further shown by the fact that his collection of Greek coins was assembled in merely five years, but still ranked as one of the major collections of its kind at the time. From the Montagu sale the coin passed through the hands of William Talbot Ready, sometime employee of the British Museum, who was himself a collector and dealer. He in turn sold the coin on to John Ward.

 

(An annotated copy of the Montagu sale mentioning the coin was bought by W. T. Ready)

John Ward (1832-1912) came from a business family specialized in stationery and lithography. He quickly managed to develop the business, but a falling out with his family members led him to leave the firm, and it seems he devoted much of his time to traveling instead, particularly to Greece, Sicily and Egypt. He published several books, one of which, Pyramids and Progress (1900) guides the reader through ancient and modern Egypt, with special attention for the way the British had improved the country’s situation (whether the Egyptians agreed is another question). In 1902, his collection of Greek coins was catalogued by John Hill of the British Museum. It was not unusual in that time for private collectors to have their collections published in such a manner (the same happened for great names such as Vlasto, Pozzi and Weber) – the resulting book, Greek Coins and Their Parent Cities, is more than just a catalog, however: it is also a history of the Greek world enlivened by colorful anthropological anecdotes about its modern inhabitants.

 

(no. 339, my coin in the 1902 catalog of John Ward's collection)

After John Ward passed away in 1912, his collection was in turn acquired en bloc by none other than J. P. Morgan. Money, of course, was no obstacle to Mr. Morgan and a real quest was going on to bring the collections of the American museums on the same level as the European ones. As such, the collection was donated to the Metropolitan Museum. There it, and my coin, stayed for another 60 years, before the Met decided to sell off part of its coin collection, including the pieces formerly belonging to John Ward. Since then, the coin passed through three more auctions and one dealer’s hands to finally wind up in my collection.

 

 

(The Sotheby's catalog of the John Ward collection - funnily enough, the photos are of inferior quality to the 1902 catalog)

(In the 1995 Tradart catalog)

Hope you guys enjoyed the read, and as always, if you have anything cool to share, go for it!

Edited September 27 by Nikodeimos
Small errors

[Deinomenid]

Fascinating writeup! Thank you. In case it helps re  the provenance, Ready (one of Robert Ready's sons) owned Rollin and Feuardent after he left the BM. Just  in case he sold  it through one of the catalogues there...

32 minutes ago, Nikodeimos said:

supported by none other than Archimedes (who eventually lost his life to a Roman legionary

Fun fact- there's a museum to him in Ortigia  -supposedly close to where he was murdered - that openly lambasts the Roman louts (in their words) who crushed the genius of the Greeks. When you leave, slightly overawed at his accomplishments, and stumble out into the narrow street you have almost forgotten you are (technically) actually in Italy!

[Al Kowsky]

4 hours ago, Nikodeimos said:

Hey y’all!

Got another coin I’d like to share with you. It’s definitely one of my favorite purchases of the past year, so let’s dive right into it.

 

SICILY. Syracuse. Gelon, son of Hieron II, 275-215 BC. 8 Litrai (Silver, 21 mm, 6.69 g, 1 h), circa 218/7-215 BC. Diademed head of Gelon to left; to right, bow. Rev. ΣΥΡAKΩΣIOI - ΓEΛONOΣ Nike driving quadriga galloping to right, holding reins in both hands; to right, BA; between the horses' legs, K. Greek Coins and Their Parent Cities (1902), 339 (this coin). HGC 2, 1561. Beautifully toned and with a superb pedigree. Some delamination and with a small die break on the obverse, otherwise, good very fine.

Privately acquired from Numismatic Fine Art on 29 June 2024, ex Chaponnière & Firmenich 18, 25 May 2024, 2, Tradart Genève, 16 November 1995, 29, Glendining & Empire Coins, 9 October 1989, 620, from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, Sotheby & Co Zürich, 4 April 1973, 273, previously privately acquired by J.P. Morgan from the John Ward (1832-1912) collection and from the collection of Hyman Montagu (1844-1895), Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 11 December 1894, 67 (acquired by W.T. Ready for 2 pounds 18 shillings).

This coin was struck right at the start of the Second Punic War (218-201 BC). Syracuse, as Sicily’s greatest city, naturally could not afford to stay neutral in the conflict, and Hiero II, an old general of Pyrrhus of Epirus, and his son, Gelon II, pursued a decidedly pro-Roman course. While this was sensible policy in hindsight, Hannibal’s invasion of Italy saw one Roman legion slaughtered after the other. It is no wonder then that some in Syracuse were getting serious doubts about their Roman allies. Still, Hieron and Gelon remained steadfast (though Livy claimed Gelon was ready to abandon Rome), but the latter died in 215 and was soon followed by his father. This put Gelon’s infant son, Hieronymos, on the throne, and pro-Carthaginian courtiers managed to maneuver the city into switching sides. In 213, the Romans besieged the city, and despite its spirited defense, supported by none other than Archimedes (who eventually lost his life to a Roman legionary), the city was captured, losing its independence forever.

Because he never ruled alone, little is known about Gelon II. He was married to a daughter of Pyrrhos, and ancient sources describe him as a conscientious man who respected his father’s rule and carried himself with dignity. The aforementioned Archimedes also dedicated one of his mathematical treatises to him.

While it is an attractive piece, what makes it even more desirable is its (very) long provenance chain.

It was first part of Hyman Montagu’s (1844-1895) collection, the Greek part of which was sold with Sotheby’s in 1894. A British Jew, Montagu was a very successful solicitor specialized in bankruptcy, and it appears to have made him a fortune, as he acquired a large collection of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and English coins. He was not a senseless buyer, however, but rather had a keen eye and an evident passion for coins, as evidenced by his numismatic publications. His mania as a collector is further shown by the fact that his collection of Greek coins was assembled in merely five years, but still ranked as one of the major collections of its kind at the time. From the Montagu sale the coin passed through the hands of William Talbot Ready, sometime employee of the British Museum, who was himself a collector and dealer. He in turn sold the coin on to John Ward.

 

(An annotated copy of the Montagu sale mentioning the coin was bought by W. T. Ready)

John Ward (1832-1912) came from a business family specialized in stationery and lithography. He quickly managed to develop the business, but a falling out with his family members led him to leave the firm, and it seems he devoted much of his time to traveling instead, particularly to Greece, Sicily and Egypt. He published several books, one of which, Pyramids and Progress (1900) guides the reader through ancient and modern Egypt, with special attention for the way the British had improved the country’s situation (whether the Egyptians agreed is another question). In 1902, his collection of Greek coins was catalogued by John Hill of the British Museum. It was not unusual in that time for private collectors to have their collections published in such a manner (the same happened for great names such as Vlasto, Pozzi and Weber) – the resulting book, Greek Coins and Their Parent Cities, is more than just a catalog, however: it is also a history of the Greek world enlivened by colorful anthropological anecdotes about its modern inhabitants.

 

(no. 339, my coin in the 1902 catalog of John Ward's collection)

After John Ward passed away in 1912, his collection was in turn acquired en bloc by none other than J. P. Morgan. Money, of course, was no obstacle to Mr. Morgan and a real quest was going on to bring the collections of the American museums on the same level as the European ones. As such, the collection was donated to the Metropolitan Museum. There it, and my coin, stayed for another 60 years, before the Met decided to sell off part of its coin collection, including the pieces formerly belonging to John Ward. Since then, the coin passed through three more auctions and one dealer’s hands to finally wind up in my collection.

 

 

(The Sotheby's catalog of the John Ward collection - funnily enough, the photos are of inferior quality to the 1902 catalog)

(In the 1995 Tradart catalog)

Hope you guys enjoyed the read, and as always, if you have anything cool to share, go for it!

Nikodeimos, Congrats on scoring this handsome & important coin 🤩!

[AncientJoe]

An excellent coin and pedigree, congratulations!

[Nikodeimos]

Thank you all!

[CPK]

Beautiful coin, fantastic provenance, and a great historical summary - thanks for sharing @Nikodeimos!