Miletos (BC 600-550) EL Stater

ca 575 BC. EL Stater (14.01g, 19mm). Lion reclining right, his head turned back to left: al within ornamental rectangular frame divided into smaller rectangular compartments / Three ornamental incuse punches (in oblong orientation): 1) on left, a four ‘leaf’ punch containing a star of four pellets (stellate or quincuncial pattern) connected by single lines; 2) at center, vertical rectangular shaped punch with triangular indents along each side, within rectangle a fox running left (here downwards) and separately, three pellets – two lateral connected by two lines and third pellet below; 3) on right, square shaped punch with one triangular indent on each side, stag head facing right. Good VF, toned, exceptional for this very rare variant issue with lion right.

The ‘common’ type for this issue has an obverse with the lion reclining left. 7 others known of this variant of a lion reclining right [CNG Triton V (1/2002), lot 1427; CNG 64 (9/2003), lot 266; Kunker 104 (9/2005), lot 251; CNG 94 (9/2013), lot 516; CNG 100 (10/2015), lot 1456; Heritage 3051 (1/2017), lot 34029; Savoca 256 (9/2018), lot 254] of which only one, the Savoca 9/2018 example, has same sequence.