Boeotia, Haliartos 525-480 BC. Circa 525-480 AR Drachm. Good Very Fine, Pleasing light cabinet toning.
The earliest silver issues of Haliartos (before the aspirate moves to the reverse) are much rarer than the corresponding issues for Thebes. Some of the fractions are either unique or known by only two or three examples, all in museums. The drachms, such as this, are notoriously difficult to find reasonably centered and in decent condition.
The first series of Federal coinage in Boeotia (parallel to Orchomenus and the wheat obols) Is believed to have begun in the last quarter of the 6th Century BC. The first 3 federal mints as identified by Dr. Imhoof-Blumer in the mid 19th Century are: Thebes, Tanagra and Haliartos.
Barclay Head writes about this series: " The Earliest Boeotian Federal coinage also consisting of Aegintic drachms and smaller divisions, issued at Thebes, Haliartus and Tanagra. Its characteristic type, the shield of Herakles, commonly called the Boeotian shield." (Head, 4).
"The obverse or the shield side is either without any inscription (in which case it is presumable that the coin is Theban), or else it has within the openings of the shield on either side the letters Heta-Heta, T-T, T-A, the mint marks of the towns Haliartus and Tanagra" respectively. (Head, 10).
Out of the three mints, Haliartos is by far the hardest to attain, and most examples come in worn condition, with crystallized metal and an off center strike, none of which are present at this example. One of these has not appeared since the BCD sale in 2006, which is an indication of its rarity. BCD had just four drachms from this series, two of them being off struck and of bad metal.
