Nomos 3

SIKYONIA, Sikyon. Circa 431-400 BC. Stater (Silver, 12.24 g 12). ΣΕ Chimaera moving to left on ground line, right paw raised. Rev. Dove flying left with wings open above and below; below tail, dolphin swimming to right; all within olive wreath tied on the right and with the branch ends entwined on the left. BCD Peloponnesos 190 = Pozzi 1801 (this coin). An extremely rare and beautifully toned example. Extremely fine.

From the Spina collection and from the BCD Collection, LHS 96, 8 May 2006, 190, ex Münzen und Medaillen 77, 18 September 1992 and from the collection of S. Pozzi, Naville I, 4 April 1921, 1801.

The dolphin symbol is one of the great rarities in the Sikyonian series and according to BCD this is the finest known example. In fact, Sikyon was one of the most important of all Peloponnesian mints, and issued an enormous number of coins. It was the main mint for the anti-Athenian states in the Peloponnesian War: no other Greek state issued more coins other than Athens. After the 5th century these coins must have continued to circulate, though hundreds of thousands of them surely served as flans for so many of the rare stater coinages of the 4th century. No doubt the vast majority of surviving pieces were melted down in the time of Alexander to help finance his conquests, which were won using silver on the Attic standard.