Unknown Mint, Lycia (Unknown Lycian Dynast)

[b]Unknown Mint, Lycia (Unknown Lycian Dynast - possibly Kuprilli or earlier; 480-440 BC.) AR Stater[/b] [u]Obv[/u]: Sphinx with forepaw raised, facing right. [u]Rev[/u]: Crab within dotted incuse square. [u]Attribution[/u]: BMC Pl.II, 5 var.; Vismara II, 51-54 var.; SNG von Aulock 4084 [u]Provenance[/u]: ex. Colosseum Coin Exchange 138 (#43), 11.14.06 [u]Weight[/u]: 8.70 gm. [u]Maximal Diameter[/u]: 22.80 mm. [u]Axis[/u]: 4 [u]Notes[/u]: These very rare aniepigraphic sphinx/crab issues (~ 8-9 known) have not been associated through hoard or archeological discovery to a particular Lycian Dynast, but their heavier weight standard; higher content silver; and use of representational figural incuse suggest that they were produced in the transition between the proto-Dynastic and Dynastic periods. This piece, while rough with surface reticulation and cystallization, shows more refined, human-like facial features and artistic rendering of the body and wings on the sphinx relative to the other known examples in the Falghera Collection and BMC. GK247 [IMG]http://www.neuropsychologycentral.com/temp/lycia_sphinx_closeup1.jpg[/IMG]