10 Dollars - Elizabeth II Gold Stater Satyr

This piece belongs to a series issued by the Solomon Islands that reproduces ancient Greek coin types in fine gold, a format that has become a minor cottage industry among Pacific-jurisdiction mints seeking collector revenue. The Satyr stater replicates the coinage of Pantikapaion, the Greek colony on the Crimean Bosphorus whose electrum and gold staters from the 4th century BC are among the most admired of all ancient types. Pantikapaion's wealth derived from controlling Black Sea grain routes — the city functioned essentially as a toll booth between the Greek world and Scythian agricultural output.