Arabia, Nabatea. Anonymous Æ16. Petra (?), 1354-139 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right (turn it upside down and You see the eagles head of the Ptolemaic undertype) / Nike standing left, holding cornucopiae and wreath. Cf. Meshorer, Nabataea 1-4 (for type); Schmitt-Korte II 5-6 (with overstriking); HGC 10, 671; CNG 243, 27 October 2010, lot 167 & CNG 268, 16 November 2011, lot 147. 3.81g, 16mm, 11h. Overstruck on a Ptolemaic bronze issue, likely Ptolemy II or III, with much of the undertype visible. Very Fine. Rare. The use of Ptolemaic bronzes as flans for early Nabataean coinage is well demonstrated by overstrikes. Interestingly, one often encounters a reversal of obverse and reverse of the undertype in relation to the overstrike, as can be seen on this example.






MUCH NICER IN HAND

REF: BB-8-87