Ex Hess-Leu 1996 and from the Brand, A.D.M. and Adams collection. Formerly exhibited at Antike Museum Basel.
Greek Coins. Uncertain mint
Stater circa 650-600, EL 22 mm, 13.42 g. Rough and irregular surface cointained within an oval boundary (a Greek shield?). Rev. Two parallel incuse rectangles separated by a broand band. Rosen 249. Linzalone LN1070. AMB 572 (this coin). Basel p. 9 (this coin). Mildenberg, Münzwesen pl. I, 1 (this coin). Extremely rare. An issue of tremendous importance and fascination and one of the very few specimens of this early series with an old provenance. Extremely fine Ex Hess-Leu 31, 1966, Brand, 444; NAC 13, 1998, formerly exhibited at Antike Museum Basel, 572 and CNG 100, 2015, Adams, 89 sales. From the A.D.M. collection. Undoubtedly one of the earliest coins known, this fascinating stater is quite enigmatic. The find spot is unknown. It has been variously attributed to Samos (AMB) or to an uncertain mint in either Ionia or Lydia (Mildenberg), but its weight does support either of these attributions. If it were from either Samos or from some unidentified mint in the region of either Ionia or Lydia in western Asian minor, we would expect it to be struck according to either the Euboic-Samian standard (17.2 g) or the Lydo-Milesian standard (14.1 g), but it is struck to neither. Both this coin and the one other published example, Rosen 249, weigh 13.4 g, which is in line with weights of electrum staters known to have been struck in the Thraco-Macedonian region, an area in northern Greece using series of three complicated but parallel weight standards. The types also offer little indication in determining the mint. While striated types are well attested from Ionia, it is not certain exactly what is represented by the obverse design on this particular coin; the striations on this coin are only vaguely similar to those seen on Ionian issues. Also, as noted by the cataloguer of this coin in the Adams sale, the obverse here has a rounded character (the CNG numismatist hinted at a shield design), while the Rosen example is square. If there is any significance to these features it is not readily apparent, yet it should be noted that it is distinctly different from the striated types of Ionian manufacture where there is never any form to the design.