2021-08-25 Wed

The Akragas Decadrachm is one of the rarest ancient coins. Fewer than ten are known to have survived from antiquity. It is one of the great coins issued during the 5th century on the island of Sicily. These cities were among the earliest to begin minting silver coins.

The coin was likely issued to honor the winner of an Olympic chariot race in 411 BC. The front is a depiction of the sun god Helio traveling in his chariot. The sky is represented by an eagle and the sea below is represented by a crab. The back of the coin shows two eagles standing over the body of a hare.

The coin was likely used primarily as a commemorative piece. The amount of silver used to produce the coin made it too valuable to use in everyday transactions. One of this silver decadrachms realized 2,714,000 Swiss francs (USD 2,918,810) in a 17th Oct 2012 auction.

Image Courtesy: thecollector.com