Syracuse, Sicily, replica of an ancient issue from the beginning of the Second Democracy, circa 466-5 BC., modern cast ca. 1960-2010 AD., Dekadrachm, cf. Boehringer 376.

Syracuse, Sicily, modern replica of an ancient issue from the beginning of the Second Democracy, ca. 466-5 BC., modern replica ca. 1960-2010 AD.,
Dekadrachm (Demareteion) replica (ø 47 mm / 50,79 g), white metal alloy (or 0.800 silver ?), axes medal alignment ↑↑ (0°), filed edge with punch 800,
Obv.: ΣV – RA – KOΣ - ION , head of Artemis-Arethusa r., hair turned up and bound by olive wreath; ΣVRAKOΣION and four dolphins around.
Rev.: slow quadriga driven r. by male charioteer holding goad, Nike above flying r. crowning horses, lion springing r. in exergue.
cf. Boehringer 376 ; cf. Rizzo, pl. XXXVI, 3 ; W. Schwabacher, Das Demareteion (Bremen, 1958) ; Kraay - Hirmer, pl. 26, 78 ; Du Chastel 140 ; Dewing 780 .

Genuine issues show ca. 42,5-43 grams and plain fields without casting bubbles.

In the early fifth century BC Sicily was governed by tyrants. The tyrant Gelon (485–478 BC) made his city of Syracuse the greatest power of the Hellenic world. His successors developed a brilliant court life marked by luxury and the patronage of artists. Associated with Gelon by tradition was the first issue of decadrachms in Greek history. According to the historian Diodorus, the decadrachms were struck in 480/79 to celebrate the repulse of a Carthaginian invasion and the coin itself was called the Demareteion in honor of Gelon’s wife, Demerete.
With the death of Hieron I, brother of Gelon, in 466 BC. Syracuse embraced a moderate democracy ruled through an assembly and Senate, two additional councils of uncertain authority, a varying number of Strategi (heads of State) and an unofficial spokesman for the populace (perhaps a forerunner of the later Tribune of the People in Rome).
According to Diodorus (XI.26.3) these Dekadrachms belong to an earlier period, shortly after Gelon's famous victory over the Carthaginians at Himera in 480 B.C. Diodorus states that Gelon's wife, Demarete, intervened to secure for the Carthaginians much better peace terms than they had expected. In gratitude they presented Demarete with one hundred talents of gold, from the proceeds of which were struck this impressive series of Dekadrachms, surnamed Demareteia.
More recent scholarship, based primarily on hoard finds, has placed these Dekadrachms after the fall of tyranny in Syracuse. The result has been the lowering of the dates of a whole sequence of Syracusan issues, allowing the principal Tetradrachm coinages of not only Syracuse, but also of Gela and Leontinoi to follow the battle of Himera and thus coincide with the period of prosperity and creativity that followed the liberation of Sicily from the Carthaginian threat. In addition, Leontinoi produced a Dekadrachm issue linked to the Syracusan Demareteia. As noted above, the fall of tyranny in Syracuse also resulted in the liberation of Leontinoi, a most suitable occasion for the issuance of such a victory coin.