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Hemistater
| Issuer | Uncertain Lesbos city |
|---|---|
| Year | 525 BC - 475 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Head of a calf facing left, rendered in bold archaic relief with carefully engraved curling forelock and shell-like ear clearly delineated. The facial musculature and muzzle are naturalistically modeled, with the eye depicted as a raised oval form. The type is characteristic of the electrum and billon coinage attributed to the cities of Lesbos during the late Archaic period, reflecting the island's well-known tradition of bovine imagery on its currency. |
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| Mintage | ND (525 BC - 475 BC) |
| Additional information |
The electrum and billon coinages of archaic Lesbos present one of the more stubborn attribution problems in Greek numismatics. Multiple cities on the island — Mytilene, Methymna, and several lesser settlements — operated mints in this period, and the absence of ethnic inscriptions on these early issues makes firm assignment nearly impossible. The "uncertain Lesbos" designation in BMC reflects that impasse honestly rather than forcing a false attribution.
Billon use here is notable: most Lesbian civic issues of this period favored higher-electrum alloys, so a visibly debased piece may reflect local silver shortages or a deliberate monetary policy shift sometime in the early fifth century.