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1/2 Stater
| Issuer | Uncertain Greek city |
|---|---|
| Year | 530 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Stater = 3⁄2 Drachm |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Male head in left profile, rendered in archaic Greek style with characteristic schematic treatment of facial features. The hair is depicted in a series of parallel ridged locks falling to the nape of the neck, consistent with late Archaic artistic conventions of circa 530 BC. The eye is rendered in frontal aspect within the profile face, a hallmark of the Archaic period. The flan is irregular and slightly convex, typical of early Greek hammered coinage. No legend or inscription is present in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Incuse square punch of irregular quadripartite design, divided into raised and recessed compartments forming a geometric mill-sail or swastika-like pattern within a deeply impressed rectangular incuse. The incuse is subdivided into multiple raised rectangular sections of varying depth, characteristic of early Archaic Greek coinage technique in which the reverse was produced by a punch rather than an engraved die. A smaller secondary rectangular incuse is visible at the lower portion of the punch. The surface shows the rough texture typical of archaic hammered silver coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Without a confirmed issuing authority, attribution for electrum and early silver fractional staters of this period often hinges on die links, hoard provenance, and fabric analysis rather than iconography alone. The late 6th century BC was precisely when dozens of Ionian and Aegean communities were experimenting with coinage for the first time, many producing only a handful of known types before Persian conquest disrupted or ended local minting entirely.
Hoard context, if documented at the time of discovery, remains the single most useful tool for narrowing attribution on pieces like this one.