Beautifully struck 2,500 year-old rare silver coin could be worth $275,000

Nomos are holding a sale of Greek, Roman, Early Medieval, Early Modern Coins and Books in a couple of months' time, and we thought we'd have a quick look ahead now, as it looks like it could be a big one.

With around 300 lots going under the hammer, there are some really startling highlights, any of which would make the centrepiece of most collections. Here we'll focus on just one: a silver drachm from Naxos circa 530-510BC.

Naxos silver drachm

The obverse of the coin shows the head of Dionysos facing left, with long, pointed beard, ivy wreath in his hair and a plain torc-like necklace bordered by dots at the truncation. Around the edge is a border of dots within two linear circles.

The reverse bears the text NAC ION (retrograde), with the image of a bunch of grapes on a stalk with two leaves. Extremely rare, this is toned and superb; one of the finest known specimens of the earliest coinage of Naxos. This should make an excellent investment.

Perfectly struck and centred, this extremely fine piece hails from the Spina collection, ex Numismatica Ars Classica 25, 25 June 2003, 85 and from the collection of A. D. Moretti.

It is expected to sell for 275,000 Swiss Francs (roughly equivalent to $275,000) in the sale which takes place on May 10^th in Zurich, Switzerland and online.