SKYTHIA. Geto-Dacians. Koson, mid 1st century BC

SKYTHIA. Geto-Dacians. Koson, mid 1st century BC. Stater (Gold, 21 mm, 8.58 g, 12 h). ΚΟΣΩΝ Α Roman consul walking left, accompanied on either side by a lictor. Rev. Eagle standing left on scepter, holding wreath in its talons. Bahrfeldt, Berliner Münzblätter 1912, 366–81. BMC Thrace 208. Iliescu 2. RPC I 1701B. SNG Copenhagen 123. Scarce variant without monogram. Lustrous and well struck. Some areas of striking weakness, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.

From a Swiss collection, acquired from Emporium Hamburg.

This enigmatic gold coinage has kept numismatists busy since the time of Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, who assumed that it was issued by the city of Cosea in Etruria (the ΚΟΣΩΝ on the obverse fooled him!). He was certainly wrong. Coin hoards clearly place it in Transylvania. However, who issued these coins and when, is still controversially discussed (for an overview of the history of research, see: C. Preda, Ein neuer Vorschlag zur Chronologie der Koson-Münzen, in: U. Peter (Ed.), Stephanos numismaticos, 1998, 555-561).