1085481 | ROMAN REPUBLICAN. ETRURIA. Populonia. Struck circa 300-250 BC. AV 25 Asses. NGC Ch. MS (Choice Mint State) Strike 5/5 Surface 4/5. 12mm. 1.35gm. ΧΧV (retrograde). Lion's head with tongue protruding, right / (Blank). Vecchi, Etruscan Coinage Serie 21, O1; HN 128.

The spiky mane and ferociously curled lips of the lion invite comparison to the bronze Chimaera of Arezzo now in Florence. Traditionally the dating of this issue approximated to that of the statue (c. 400 BC), however its weight standard links it to Rome's Mars/eagle gold issue (after 211 BC) and it has been plausibly suggested that its production was connected to Rome's war with Hannibal. Superb and exceptional.


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