Summary
A silver stater coin from the town of Metapontum in Lucania, Italy circa 500 BCE.
Mint: Metapontum.
Obverse Description
Ear of barley, in field to left MET; and to right, an uncertain form.
Reverse Description
Ear of barley. Same as obverse but incuse.
Edge Description
Plain.
Significance
"The first coinages of Italy were issued in the second half of the sixth century by a group of cities on the coast of the Ionian Sea ... Metapontum, Sybaris and Croton, with Cauilonia following ... All four cities adopted the same weight standard ... The coins were struck with an obverse and a reverse die, but their appearance was unprecedented ... the obverse design appeared normal in relief, while on the reverse a closely similar version of the same design was struck in negative and in alignment with it." Rutter, N.K. "The Coinage of Italy" The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, Oxford University Press, 2012, p. 128
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 15 Mar 1976
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Date Issued
500 BC
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Issued By
Metapontum, Calabria, Italy, Ancient Greek States, circa 500 BCE
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Previous Collection
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Denomination
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Material
Silver
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Axis
12
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Dimensions
23 mm (Outside Diameter), 2.3 g (Weight)
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Shape
Round
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References
BMC.24 Sear 238
[Book] Poole, Reginald S. 1873. A Catalogue of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Italy.
[Book] Sear, David R. 1978. Greek Coins and Their Values, Europe. I., 32 Pages
