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Tetradrachm Northern Greece mint
| Issuer | Uncertain Greek city |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 490 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 24.0 mm |
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| Obverse description | A lion crouches to the left, actively gnawing on a bone clutched beneath its forepaw, rendered in bold archaic relief. A lotus flower appears in the upper field above the feline's back, while a globe or pellet occupies the lower field beneath the lion. The composition reflects the vigorous, naturalistic animal style characteristic of early northern Greek coinage from the late Archaic period. |
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| Mintage | ND (500 BC - 490 BC) |
| Additional information |
The attribution "Northern Greece" with an uncertain issuer places this piece among the most contested coins in early Greek numismatics. The decade spanning 500–490 BC was one of extraordinary political turbulence in the northern Aegean — Macedonian tribal territories, Thracian dynasts, and Greek colonial poleis all struck silver of similar weight standards, often making firm attribution impossible without hoard provenance. SNG ANS 1028 represents the collection's best attempt at classification, not a settled answer.
The 17-gram Thraco-Macedonian standard was adopted widely precisely because it facilitated trade with the silver-rich interior, where Thracian tribes exchanged raw metal from the Pangaion mines.