Thrace. Abdera. Circa 395–360 BC. AR Tetradrachm (12.66 g).

Thrace. Abdera. Circa 395–360 BC. AR Tetradrachm (12.66 g).

Obv. ΑΒΔΗ. Griffin seated left, raising forepaw; to left, cicada.

Rev. ΕΙ ΦΙΛΑ–ΣΟΛ. Herakles seated left on rock draped with lion skin, torso turned three-quarters to left, head facing front; holding club resting across right knee in right hand.

Refs: May 393; SNG Lockett 1132.

A handsome tetradrachm of Abdera, one of the principal mints of coastal Thrace, whose coinage in the 5th and 4th centuries BC was widely admired for both artistry and variety. The obverse depicts the griffin, the city’s enduring civic emblem, here accompanied by a cicada symbol in the field. The reverse presents a strikingly human and naturalistic image of Herakles, seated on a rock covered with his lion skin, gazing outward with his head en face—a bold departure from the profile portraits that dominated most Greek coinage.

This particular issue, signed by the magistrate Philasol, is notable for its fine engraving and innovative composition. The three-quarter turned torso and frontal gaze of Herakles reflect the experimental spirit of late Classical die engraving, comparable in ambition to the facing heads of Arethusa and Apollo produced in Sicily at the same time.

Condition: Lightly toned, with bold details to both griffin and Herakles.