ISLANDS OFF ATTICA. Aegina. Circa 480-457 B.C. AR stater. 12.32 gm. 21 mm. Sea turtle, viewed from above, with 'T-back' design with trefoil collar (five large pellets down the back of its shell and two smaller flanking ones) / Square incuse with large skew pattern. Meadows, Aegina, Group IIIa. HGC 6, 435. Gulbenkian 523. Kraay & Hirmer 336. Milbank Period III, pl. I, 15. SNG Copenhagen 507. Extremely Fine; fresh and lustrous, though with test cut. Struck in high relief; a bold, well centered, attractive turtle.

The "turtles" of Aegina appear to be the first European coins minted, beginning circa 550 BC. They circulated widely as trade coins, and inspired nearby Athens to begin striking its own silver coins, the iconic "owls," several decades later.