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Stater
| Issuer | Mytilene |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 250 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 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A kithara (lyre) depicted frontally and in fine detail, its resonating body and vertical strings clearly articulated, enclosed within a linear square border. A decorative fillet hangs from the right side of the instrument, a motif closely associated with Apollo's sacred musical attributes. The design is boldly struck and centrally placed within the incuse square, with no visible legend, consistent with the autonomous coinage of Mytilene during this period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Mytilene, Lesbos |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Mytilene, the dominant polis of Lesbos, operated one of the Aegean's more distinctive monetary traditions — producing electrum hektes in parallel series for generations before silver staters became the primary civic issue. This silver coinage emerged as the city navigated the political turbulence following Alexander's campaigns, when many Aegean mints were rationalizing output and aligning with Macedonian monetary standards.
The SNG references here span four major collections, suggesting reasonable survival across institutional holdings — not a rarity by type, but individual die pairs within the series vary considerably in recorded frequency.