Stater - 105th Olympiad

The sanctuary at Olympia issued coins directly tied to the quadrennial games, and the 105th Olympiad — held in 360 BC — coincided with a period of intense political turbulence across the Greek world, with Theban hegemony still dominant following Leuctra. The Eleans, who administered the sanctuary and its mint, had only recently been restored to control of the games after a brief Spartan-backed displacement. These staters were almost certainly produced to facilitate the enormous commercial activity surrounding the festival itself — tens of thousands of visitors, livestock sales, dedications — rather than for any broader monetary circulation.

The Jameson collection specimen is one of relatively few firmly attributed to this specific Olympiad.