In our first season, Annabel Schooling interviews Dr Tim Wright about his book Travels with the Naxos Masterpiece, published by Spink in 2025. We learn that this is an 'object biography', telling a big story through a small object: a 17g silver coin minted around 460 BC in the Greek city of Naxos, Sicily. Through the lenses of art, history, provenance, economics and crime, Tim sheds light on the broader subject of Greek Numismatics (the collection and study of ancient coins).

The second episode examines the famous Naxos coin from an historic perspective. By exploring the story of Naxos, from its foundation in the eighth century BC to its destruction at the end of the fifth century BC, Tim seeks to provide an historical backstory for the famous coin that it produced. What we discover is that this was a small city, more follower than leader and frequently a victim rather than victor.

So, how is it that 'Little Naxos' produced one of the most important and prized of all Ancient Greek coins?

The first episode, in two parts, examines the famous Naxos coin from an artistic perspective. By exploring the coin's subjects, style, composition and engraver, Tim starts to answer the question why some consider it a numismatic masterpiece. As we shall hear in subsequent episodes, the Naxos coin is so highly prized that it has taken pride of place in the world's great public and private collections, and hammers for eye-watering sums when one comes to auction.

What makes this coin so special, and what does that tell us about those who produced it and those who have collected it?