Crete, Lyttos. Circa 330-270 BC. Stater

Crete, Lyttos. Circa 330-270 BC. Stater (Silver, 27 mm, 10.95 g). Eagle flying left. Rev. ΛΥΤΤ-ΙΟΝ Head of boar left, within incuse square bordered by dots. Svoronos, Numismatique de la Crète ancienne, 43 var. eagle flying right. Very rare variety. Old cabinet tone. Good very fine. Ex Bru Sale 6, 7 May 2011, 80. A rare and attractive silver stater of Lyttos, one of the most powerful cities of central Crete. The obverse eagle, shown in flight, is a forceful emblem well suited to the martial reputation of the city, while the reverse boar’s head is among the distinctive civic types of Lyttian coinage. The dotted incuse square preserves an archaizing format, giving the reverse a compact and strongly framed appearance. This variety, with the eagle flying left rather than right, appears to be an unpublished or at least much rarer variant of the type recorded by Svoronos. The legend ΛΥΤΤΙΟΝ, “of the Lyttians,” is arranged around the boar’s head and leaves no doubt as to the issuing city. Lyttian silver is considerably less common than the better-known issues of cities such as Knossos, Gortyna, and Phaistos, and this left-facing eagle variety is especially desirable. The old cabinet tone and broad module further enhance the coin’s appeal.