100500 | GERMANY. Nürnberg. Copper Rechenpfennig.

100500 | GERMANY. Nürnberg. Copper Rechenpfennig. Struck circa 1600 (28mm, 4.17 g, 12h). By H. Laufer.

 

IN ASTROLOGOS, Icarus falling into the sea, with his wings having destroyed by the sun to upper left / A MINIMIS QVOQ TIMENDVM, eagle standing right, with wings spread, being attacked by stag beetle from above; in two lines in exergue, WOLF LAVFER / RECH PFE.

 

Neumann 32355. Choice Extremely Fine. Pleasing red-brown surfaces.

 

According to the myth, Dædalus created for his son, Icarus, wings made from feathers and wax, and warned him against both complacency and hubris—neither to fly too low to the sea, for fear that the dampness would clog the feathers, nor too close to the sun, for fear that the warmth would melt the wax. Icarus ignored these warnings, flying too close to the sun’s heat, and then falling to the seas where he would drown, the wax having melted as his father had warned.

 

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