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Dolphin
| Issuer | Olbia |
|---|---|
| Year | 520 BC - 360 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Reverse presents the plain underside of the cast dolphin form, retaining the same arched silhouette with the elongated snout, dorsal fin, and fluked tail visible in profile. The surface is largely flat or slightly concave, bearing casting seam traces characteristic of the archaic lost-wax or bivalve mold technique used at Olbia. No inscription or additional device is present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Olbia |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Olbia, the Greek colony on the northern Black Sea coast, used these cast bronze dolphin-shaped pieces as a pre-coin currency before adopting struck coinage in the conventional sense. They circulated in a region where the dolphin held particular religious significance tied to Apollo Delphinios, the patron deity of the city. Whether they functioned as true monetary tokens or as votive objects — or both simultaneously — remains genuinely contested among specialists.
They were cast in multiple size classes, with weight standards varying enough to suggest the system was flexible rather than rigidly metrological.