weight 12,25gr. ; silver Ø circa 20mm.

obv. Sea turtle, its beaked head turned left, row of dots in "T-back" design along its shell
rev. Rough incuse square, divided in small triangle parts

Between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. the island of Aegina flourished as a trading center and as a naval power. It is not for nothing that it was the island of Aegina, where the first European coins were minted. The Aeginetic coinage, where the drachma weighed 6.14 grams, was initially the basis for the coinage in the wider region. This type stater is one of the earliest coins to be struck in Aegina and can be regarded as the earliest coin in Europe; it must haven been less than a decade after Kroisos struck the first coins to be made of pure gold and pure silver (rather than the electrum used earlier). The turtle was sacred to Aegina′s ancient goddess Aphaia. Very rare.

cf. Nomos, auction 17, 26 October 2018, lot 135 (in xf; SFR 77.500 = 20%)

BMC 7 (Pl. XXIII, 3) ; SNG.Copenhagen - ; cf. SNG.Delepierre 1501 ; cf. Kraay 113 ;
Meadows, Group Ib ; Babelon, Traité, Pl.XXIX, 4 ; Mitchiner ATAEC 288 ;
cf. McClean 6004-6005 ; Price & Waggoner 424 ; cf. BMFA 1107 ;
Milbank pl. I, 4 ; Sear 1848 ; HGC 6, no.424 RR
Unusual complete for this very rare early issue. Very attractive.
vf+

weight 12,44gr. ; silver Ø circa 20mm.

obv. Sea turtle, its beaked head turned left,
row of dots in "T-back" design along its shell
rev. Pattern of eight triangular compartments, of which three are raised and five depressed

BMC 24-31 ; Meadows, Aegina, Group IIIa ; HGC 6, 435;
SNG Copenhagen 501-503; Kraay plate 6, no.116 ;
Milbank Period III, pl. I, 15 ; HGC 6, 435 ; Dewing 1674 ;
Mitchiner ATAEC, type 3, 293-297 ; Price & Waggoner 441
off-centre strike
vf

weight 12,33gr. ; silver Ø circa 20mm.

obv. Land tortoise seen from above with segmented shell
rev. Large incuse square divided in five skew segments

Between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. the island of Aegina flourished as a trading center and as a naval power. It is not for nothing that it was the island of Aegina, where the first European coins were minted. The Aeginetic coinage, where the drachma weighed 6.14 grams, was initially the basis for the coinage in the wider region.

♦ Struck in high relief and complete. Very attractive. ♦

cf. NAC, auction 54, no.99 (in xf  CHF 8000 + 16,5%)
BMC 149 ; SNG.Copenhagen 516-517 ; SNG.Delepierre 1535 ;
Meadows, Group IIIb ; McClean 6040-6044 ;  Kraay Pl.6, 127 ;
Milbank Pl. 2, 12 ; SNG.Lockett 1986 ; Mitchiner ATAEC, 304 ;
Dewing 1683 ; Gillet 948 ; Jameson 1200 ; Pozzi 1635 ; Boston 1116 ;
Sear 2600 ; HGC 6, no.437
vf/xf à xf-