Lucania Velia. Didrachm 300-280 BC. Helmeted head of Athena left / Lion advancing right, grape bunch in exergue. 7,48g. HNI 1299 (same dies); Hunterian 51 (same dies); SNG Oxford 1305; Williams Velia 385 (193/271). An extraordinary specimen. Splendid. Provenance: Münzen und Medaillen 79 (28 February 1994), 39. W.B. and R.E. Montgomery Collection, Leu 83 (6 May 2002), 30. CNG Triton XI (8 January 2008), 24. Established around 535 BC by Phokaian refugees escaping Persian rule in Asia Minor, the Velians not only inherited knowledge and philosophical influences from the East, but also adopted the coin type of Athena (with an Attic helmet) of their Ionian mother city, Phokaia. The lion is also a recurring figure in the coinage of Ionian cities.