The Coin Cabinet
Auction 71 28 Sep 2022
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AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 2/5, scratches | ANCIENT GREECE. CORINTH.
Silver stater, 4th century BC. Corinth.
The Corinthian stater is one of the more quintessential Ancient Greek coinage. In this example, the obverse depicts a flying Pegasus as well as the archaic letter koppa below Pegasus's hoof. On the reverse, we have Athena in a Corinthian helmet and a tiny figure of Artemis. Like most ancient coinage, the obverse iconography tells both literate and illiterate ancient people which state and mint the coin came from. The koppa denotes the first letter in Corinth's name, and the mythological hero Bellerophon, who became king of Corinth, tamed Pegasus in order to slay the chimera. Because of the winged horse imagery, Corinthian staters were colloquially called hippos, or "horse".
Other states also minted staters-the name literally means "weight"-but Corinthian staters were used more widely than the others for one main reason: they were struck to 8.60 grams-the so-called Corinthian Standard-which weighed exactly as the Athenian didrachma. Because of this regularity in the denomination, merchants quickly took to the coin. Corinthian staters were so popular that many Corinthian colonies and other cities across Greece, Italy, and Sicily began minting the coin. Some mintmarks to look for are lambda for Leucas and alpha for Ambracia, or the city's full name on the reverse.
Winged Pegasus facing left, koppa below. / Head of Athena in Corinthian helmet facing left, with small figure of Artemis holding a spear to the right.
AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 2/5, scratches.
Weight: 8.45 g.
Composition: Silver.
PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.
Silver stater, 4th century BC. Corinth.
The Corinthian stater is one of the more quintessential Ancient Greek coinage. In this example, the obverse depicts a flying Pegasus as well as the archaic letter koppa below Pegasus's hoof. On the reverse, we have Athena in a Corinthian helmet and a tiny figure of Artemis. Like most ancient coinage, the obverse iconography tells both literate and illiterate ancient people which state and mint the coin came from. The koppa denotes the first letter in Corinth's name, and the mythological hero Bellerophon, who became king of Corinth, tamed Pegasus in order to slay the chimera. Because of the winged horse imagery, Corinthian staters were colloquially called hippos, or "horse".
Other states also minted staters-the name literally means "weight"-but Corinthian staters were used more widely than the others for one main reason: they were struck to 8.60 grams-the so-called Corinthian Standard-which weighed exactly as the Athenian didrachma. Because of this regularity in the denomination, merchants quickly took to the coin. Corinthian staters were so popular that many Corinthian colonies and other cities across Greece, Italy, and Sicily began minting the coin. Some mintmarks to look for are lambda for Leucas and alpha for Ambracia, or the city's full name on the reverse.
Winged Pegasus facing left, koppa below. / Head of Athena in Corinthian helmet facing left, with small figure of Artemis holding a spear to the right.
AU Strike: 4/5 Surface: 2/5, scratches.
Weight: 8.45 g.
Composition: Silver.
PLEASE NOTE: 6% Buyer Premium + VAT on this lot. No other fees, including live bidding. Delivery cost will be added to your order.