TYPE Ancient Greece, Thracian kings, Sparadokos (king of the Odrysai), ca. 445-435 BC, silver diobol, Olynthos mint, 1.19g DESCRIPTION . Obv: Forepart of horse left, Greek legend SPA around, all within dotted border Rev: Eagle flying left with serpent in beak, all in shallow incuse square REFERENCE: Peter (Die MŸnzen der Thrakischen Dynasten) pg. 63, You 20, Cop 1065, Mu 5687 GRADING: F+, porous, lightly toned, rare ORDER INFO: G3290, $315 A similar specimen sold in May 2003 at CNG 63 (#267) for over $430 total. Quoting their description: "Sparadokos was the first of the Odrysian kings of Thrace to strike coinage. The use of the eagle suggests he occupied the Macedonian city of Olynthos and struck his coins there. Sparadokos and his brother and co-ruler Sitalkes commanded an impressive cavalry force which posed a constant threat to the neighboring kingdom of Macedon, a threat that did not recede until Philip II defeated the last independent Odrysian kings, Kersobleptes and Teres II in 341 BC. Although frequently mentioned by ancient historians such as Thucydides, the full history and chronology of the Thracian kings remains uncertain, but it is an uncertainty that may become clarified as more coins of these rulers surface".