Greek (Classical). Thessaly, Pelinna AR Obol (0.82g, 13mm, 7h), c. 425-350 BCE.
Obv: Horse advancing l.; bead border.
Rev: Π – E – ΛI. Warrior (Peltast) advancing l., holding shield and spear; within incuse square.
Ref: BCD Thessaly 1433.7 (this coin) = Pozzi 1236 = Pozzi (Boutin) 2826 (this coin illustrated).
See also: Sprawski (2014) “Peltasts in Thessaly” p. 96, n. 9 (this coin cited) = Sprawski (2009) Tessalia, Tessalowie i ich sąsiedzi, p. 142, n. 335, & p. 161 (this coin cited; corr.: different coin ill., CNG 73, 192); Rogers 1932, p. 142, n. 430 (this coin cited in error, “E.R. ex Pozzi 1236 (Fig. 234)”; corr.: different specimen described and illustrated).
Provenance: Ex Dr. S. Pozzi (1846-1918) Collection, Naville Ars Classica I (14 March 1921), 1236; illustrated in Boutin (1979), No. 2826; BCD Collection of Thessaly, Part I, Nomos 4 (10 May 2011), Lot 1433.7; Sheik Saoud Al Thani (1966-2014) = “Man in Love with Art” Collection, Part V, NAC 133 (21 Nov 2022), Lot 59.
Notes: Al-Thani must have been the largest buyer at BCD Thessaly I (Nomos Auction 4 in 2011). About half the lots have recently appeared again in the NAC sales of his “Collection of a Man in Love with Art” (five parts so far).
Even with the understandable excitement around this sale (the “crown jewels of the BCD Thessaly Collection,” as Kirk Davis described it), the bidding reached extraordinary levels, no doubt thanks to Al-Thani’s apparent attempt to buy everything!
Over a decade later, many have re-sold at a quarter or less of the Nomos 4 prices (and still achieved strong results!).
One unanswered question for me: Was this coin part of the Rev. Edgar Rogers (1873-1961) collection (the most famous coll. of Thess. before BCD)? Much of it was acquired by the BMC, but Baldwin’s acquired others, some of which BCD bought. Rogers cited this coin as being in his collection, but did so while referencing a different type. Of Pozzi’s 6 coins of Pelinna (only 3 in the Naville sale, 3 more in Boutin), Rogers apparently acquired most, if not all (3 now in the BMC, the rest cited as his in the book). Unfortunately, his 1932 refs. are a mess. (He makes identical mistakes for Pozzi 1237.)
See also: My “Annotated Bibliography of the BCD Collection“; NAC’s Coin in hand video on Vimeo.