THESSALY, Trikka
AE Trichalkon. 6.45g, 21.7mm
MINTED: THESSALY, Trikka, late 4th-early 3rd centuries BC
REF: Cf. Rogers 556; cf. BCD Thessaly II 788; HGC 4, 336
OBVERSE: Head of the nymph Trikke right.
REVERSE: [TPIKKAIΩN ] around from lower left, Asklepios seated right on stool, holding dove by its wings and feeding it to snake coiled left.
 
Grade/Notes:
Almost Fine. Weathered green patina.  
According to ancient myth, Trikka was the birthplace of the Asklepios, son of Apollo and the mortal woman Koronis.  He was taught the medical arts by the wise centaur Chiron, and would eventually become the world's greatest healer, surpassing even Chiron and Apollo himself.  After his death, Asklepios would ascend to become the god of healing and medicine.  Asklepios was worshipped at Trikka, and the Greek geographer Strabo mentions that the most ancient and famous of his temples was located there.  
 
Provenance:
Ex BCD Collection, with his tag noting, "Procured at Kedros"
The BCD Collection was possibly the largest and most important private collection of Greek coinage ever assembled.  Over the course of five decades, the collector, known publicly by the initials BCD, acquired over 50,000 coins representing the major cities and regions of ancient Greece.  An accomplished numismatist, BCD studied not just the historical context but also the art and chronology of the coins, with some of the results of these studies eventually finding their way into the notes he provided for the catalogues of the sale of his coins.  Many of these published catalogues are now used as the standard references for the regions they cover.  A provenance to the BCD Collection is one of the most desirable that a Greek coin can possess.
 
Historical Notes:
Thessaly in central Greece was a region of fertile, grassy plains ringed by mountains, with Mount Olympus serving as a backdrop.  Unlike other Greek regions which tended to cultivate primarily olives and grapes, Thessaly was best known for its magnificent horses, cattle, agriculture, and sports such as bull-wrestling.  Located in northwestern Thessaly, Trikka was a fortress-city that was known throughout Greece for its ancient sanctuary of Asklepios, the healer-god who was said to have been born there.