These early Athenian obols predate the reforms of Cleisthenes and belong to the archaic coinage that circulated under the Peisistratid tyranny — almost certainly struck during the final years of Hippias's rule before his expulsion in 510 BC. Whether the mint continued operating under tyrannical authority or civic magistrates during this window remains debated, but the political rupture of 510 BC almost certainly disrupted production.
The SNG Copenhagen reference places this among the earliest standardized Athenian silver, before Athens had consolidated the Laurion silver supply that would later fund the fleet at Salamis.
These early Athenian obols predate the reforms of Cleisthenes and belong to the archaic coinage that circulated under the Peisistratid tyranny — almost certainly struck during the final years of Hippias's rule before his expulsion in 510 BC. Whether the mint continued operating under tyrannical authority or civic magistrates during this window remains debated, but the political rupture of 510 BC almost certainly disrupted production.
The SNG Copenhagen reference places this among the earliest standardized Athenian silver, before Athens had consolidated the Laurion silver supply that would later fund the fleet at Salamis.