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Obol
| Issuer | Mesembria |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 300 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 |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Facing Corinthian helmet rendered in high relief, depicted frontally with characteristic T-shaped nasal guard and cheek-pieces clearly delineated. The helmet's bowl and crest base are visible above, with the nasal bar projecting downward into the open field. The design is set within a plain circular border with a fine dentilated outer rim. The style is characteristic of the archaic-to-classical Greek tradition of Thrace. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Mesembria, the Dorian colony on the Black Sea's western shore, operated at the commercial margins of the Greek world — trading grain and fish northward into Thrace and beyond. Small fractional silver like this obol functioned as the working currency of that trade, changing hands at dockside markets rather than in treasury accounts. The city's mint output was modest, and fourth-century fractions survive in genuinely small numbers.