Ave!

Thourioi, Lucania, Helmeted Athena with Butting Bull Revese, Excessively Rare!

Æ 13mm/2.9gm     Struck ca. 4th Century BC.

Con/ Struck slightly off-center on the obverse, otherwise, Good Very Fine for the issue; dark green patina with sand fill.

Obv/ Helmeted head of Athena right.

Rev/ Forepart of bull butting right; above HK monogram/ethenic; below, ΘOYΡIΩN.

Ref/ SNG Cop 1499 var.

Seller's Note/ Let's begin at the beginning, shall we? Thourioi was an Athenian colony, founded at the initiative of Perikles in 443 BCE at the site of the destroyed city of Sybaris. Among the first colonists were the historian Herodotus and the sophist Protagoras of Abdera who was commissioned to write the new city's code of law. Thurii rose quickly to importance as a rival to Tarentum. By way of compromise, both cities together founded a new colony, Heraclea, in contested territory in 432 BCE.

The coins of Thurii reflect the circumstances of its foundation. The head of Athena on the obverse is a reminder of its Athenian roots. The bull on the reverse was the city badge of Sybaris, on whose ruins the new city was built, and had appeared on the reverse of Sybarite coins. The Thurian bull looks a lot more aggressive, though. Its new "butting" stance may be another pun because the Greek adjective thourios means "rushing".

Thourioi struck many well attested silver issues but their coins struck in bronze are very rare, trust me. If you wish to add a coin to your collection that no one else has, anywhere, this is the issue you are seeking, trust me!